[Kairo Vale vs Jones Ironside]
The moment of truth… the crowning moment of the entrance tournament.
The arena floor rumbled as Kairo and Jones Ironside stepped into the ring.
The crowd leaned forward. This was the last battle of the round, the duel that would decide the final lineup of Nexus Academy's chosen 8.
Jones stood tall; he was a mountain of muscle wrapped in noble arrogance. His eyes glinted like polished steel even as his posture radiated absolute confidence.
"Jones!" "Jones!" The crowd chanted.
Jones Ironside was another epic story in the tournament.
He was renowned for his Ironblood Lineage, but he was also respected for his perfect control over his 3 special abilities, Iron Hide, an ability that hardens his skin to near steel, Stone Fist, a blunt-force augmentation ability, and Shock Pulse, an ability that enables him to unleash short bursts of kinetic energy to stagger enemies.
With these 3 abilities, Ironside had dominated the tournament.
His Ironblood lineage was carved into his every motion. The faint shimmer of hardened skin rippled across his arms, gleaming like blackened steel under the coliseum lights.
"Look at you," Jones sneered, his voice booming, carrying across the stands. "Shriveled, starving, shaking on your own feet. You call yourself a fighter? I'll end your farce and send you back to the gutter".
Kairo didn't answer.
His chest rose and fell sharply, breath ragged. He knew that Jones was right, his body had deteriorated even further without food.
His skin clung tighter to his bones than yesterday as Muscle Genesis ate at him. He looked like a vampire who had gone a millennia without blood.
But despite all this, his eyes… they still burned like fire, locked on Jones with a predator's focus.
Jones sneered. "I'll crush that confidence of yours!"
The bell rang, and Jones moved first.
He was faster than his size promised. He was like a rushing storm as he charged even as his fists glowed faintly with Stone Fist augmentation as he swung a brutal haymaker at Kairo.
Kairo blocked with Muscle Lock, his forearm hardening like iron bands but the impact rattled through his bones.
He staggered back three steps, blood spraying from his lip.
BAM! BAM!
Jones pressed his advantage, each punch like a battering ram as they hit their target. Kairo dodged one and blocked another, but his body was screaming.
His ribs ached, and then came the system warnings in bloody red.
DING!
~----~
[SYSTEM CRITICAL WARNING!]
[Muscle Index Collapsing… Mana Reserves: 6/6 charges complete]
>Recommendation: Concede.
~----~
Kairo spat blood and growled through gritted teeth. "Shut up… I don't stop!"
His body was in truly terrible state. Every forceful use of his ability drained him even further, eating up his lifeforce but he didn't stop.
Jones spread his arms wide, Iron Hide flaring fully now, his skin gleaming like tempered steel.
"You can't break me, Vale. My body is iron. Yours is dust".
He surged forward with Shock Pulse. A burst of kinetic force exploded from his chest, slamming Kairo back with a force strong enough to crack stone.
The crowd gasped.
Kairo coughed more blood, his vision swimming but he forced his legs under him. Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself up with a snarl.
He was more beast than human now… a beast in denial, a beast that refused to accept defeat.
"Not dust…" he rasped. His body shook, veins bulging. "Not dust fool, muscle!" He growled.
Then with a roar, he activated everything.
~----~
[Hypermuscle Creation Activated!]
[Muscle Lock engaged!]
[WARNING! WARNING!]
~----~
Kairo ignored all the warnings.
Every fiber in his body tightened, skin stretching, bones creaking like steel cables pulled to the breaking point. His shriveled form swelled again, veins glowing faintly blue under his skin.
Then, he lunged.
His punch collided with Jones's chest.
BAM!
The sound was like hammer on anvil. The impact cracked the floor, shockwave blasting dust into the air.
Jones grunted, staggering one step back, Iron Hide trembling. But he didn't fall. "Good… but not enough," he spat, retaliating with a Stone Fist uppercut that cracked against Kairo's jaw.
The world blurred.
Kairo staggered, vision darkening. His body was collapsing. His muscles burned, tearing.
The system chimed again, almost desperate.
~----~
[Emergency Override Possible!]
>Skill Available: [MUSCLE SURGE]
>One-time explosive override of physical limits.
[Cooldown: 1 day.]
[WARNING: High risk of collapse.]
~----~
Kairo had been so engrossed in surviving, going round after round that he forgot about Muscle Surge completely.
His lips split into a bloody grin. "I'll rather die than lose!" He snarled.
He activated it, then…
BUZZ!
Power flooded his body like molten fire.
His shrunken frame ballooned into terrifying bulk as his skin stretched, veins glowing like lightning wires under flesh. The crowd gasped as the slumrat suddenly looked like a war titan.
Jones's eyes widened. "W-what…?!"
Kairo didn't let him finish. He roared and charged.
Jones threw everything he had. Stone Fist! Shock Pulse! Iron Hide!
But it was not enough.
Locked in, Kairo weaved through, peekaboo style, his instincts roaring louder than his pain. His fists blurred, left hook to the ribs.
Crack!
Right cross… Iron Hide fractured.
Jones swung for a skull-crushing blow but predicting it, Kairo ducked under, coiled his body, and unleashed his full strength in one explosive punch to Jones's jaw. An uppercut!
BAM!
A mighty shockwave erupted as the ground cratered.
Jones's Iron Hide shattered like glass, his body lifted clean off the floor before crashing down in a heap. He didn't stand up after that.
The referee stepped forward. "Winer, Kairo Vale".
"…"
"…"
"…..!"
The silence was humbling. Another upset.
Kairo staggered, chest heaving, blood streaming from his nose. He raised a trembling fist, defiant. 'Leora… I-I did it…' His body was on the edge of collapse, but his will… his will remained unbroken.
And then, the crowd erupted. Some cheered in awe while others remained stunned in silence, even as scouts whispered furiously in the floating platforms.
And then…
BOOM!
The coliseum trembled as a guttural laugh echoed through the stands.
'What the…!'
Feeling an eerie feeling spread through his battered body, Kairo looked just in time to see as several spectators stood, their faces melting, skin tearing away to reveal crimson eyes, horns, and twisted forms.
Kairo froze. 'D-Demon?!'