#

The wind screamed through the clearing, rain falling in thick sheets as Kai lunged at Alexios with every ounce of strength left in him. Each step forward felt like charging against a mountain, but he didn’t care. There was no room for hesitation, not now. He needed to break through that unyielding defense, that mocking smirk etched on Alexios' face. Every punch, every kick carried with it a fury that had been building up for years.

But Alexios remained unmoved. Standing in that one spot, his stance like iron, he countered every strike Kai threw at him, each movement so precise, so effortless, as if he was barely putting in any effort at all. Kai’s fists hammered against Alexios' forearms, his knees slammed against the taller man's side, but it was like trying to break down a brick wall with bare hands. No matter how hard he hit, Alexios didn’t budge.

“Is this all the *Storm Striker* can muster?” Alexios taunted, his voice calm and infuriatingly composed. He didn't even flinch when Kai's elbow smashed into his ribs with a sickening thud. “I expected more.”

A low growl escaped Kai’s lips. He didn't bother responding; words were meaningless now. He struck again and again, driving his fists into Alexios' midsection, his jaw, anywhere he could reach, and still—nothing. His knuckles split, blood mingling with the rain, but the pain only fueled him more. He could feel it now, that beastly rage stirring inside, clawing its way out. Each breath he took felt like fire burning through his veins, and with one final, earth-shattering roar, he delivered a kick that finally, finally made Alexios stumble.

Alexios took a single step back, boots grinding against the mud, and then… he chuckled.

“Not bad, Kai.” His eyes gleamed with something dangerous, something hungry. “You’ve got spirit. It’s rare to find that in someone these days.” He paused, tilting his head ever so slightly. “For the last time, join me. Serve the Infernal Void. Serve Lord Hades.”

But Kai didn’t hear the rest. The beast had taken over now, driving him into a frenzy. He lunged again, his shirt tearing apart under the strain as every muscle in his body surged with raw power. He was beyond words, beyond reason—nothing mattered except bringing Alexios down.

Their bodies clashed, a whirlwind of fists and fury. For every strike Kai landed, Alexios retaliated with double the force, meeting Kai's rage with an unyielding calm. Kai’s knuckles collided with Alexios’ jaw, but it felt like punching solid rock. His knee rammed into Alexios' ribs, but it was like striking a steel beam. In that brief moment, Kai saw the truth—he was hopelessly outmatched.

Alexios’ movements were a blur. His counterpunch connected with Kai's ribs, driving the air from his lungs in a sharp gasp. Another blow struck his jaw, sending him sprawling backward, but before he could even hit the ground, Alexios was there, pulling him up by the collar like he weighed nothing.

“Come on,” Alexios said, almost pleading, his voice tinged with excitement. “Show me more! Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got!”

Kai’s vision blurred, the adrenaline fading as the reality of his situation began to sink in. He was losing. He was going to die if he didn’t do something. Anything. Panic surged through him, and he tore himself from Alexios’ grasp, stumbling backward, legs shaking as he tried to regain his footing. He needed to run, needed to escape, but Alexios was on him in an instant, his every movement so impossibly fast it made Kai feel like he was standing still.

“No, no, no—” Kai muttered under his breath, the words blending with the sound of rain. He twisted, ducked, and darted around the clearing, but every time, Alexios was there, herding him like prey.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Kai's chest heaved, his lungs burning as he scrambled up the muddy slope. His fingers clawed at the earth, uprooting clumps of grass and pebbles. Without looking back, he flung them over his shoulder, a desperate spray of debris.

A twig snapped behind him. Too close.

Kai spun, his foot slipping in the muck. He windmilled his arms, barely keeping upright. His eyes darted wildly, finally locking onto a fallen branch. He lunged for it, his trembling hands wrapping around the rough bark.

Alexios stood mere feet away, his expression impassive. Kai swung the branch with all his might, a primal yell tearing from his throat.

Alexios sidestepped, fluid as water. The branch whooshed past, throwing Kai off-balance. He stumbled, nearly falling face-first into the mud.

Another swing. Another effortless dodge.

Kai's arms ached, his swings growing weaker, more erratic. Alexios didn't even raise his hands to deflect, simply tilting his head or shifting his weight just enough for the attacks to miss.

The branch caught on a tree trunk, wrenching from Kai's grip. He stared at his empty hands, then at Alexios' calm face. The realization sank in, cold and heavy in his gut. He was just prolonging the inevitable.

But then, Kai saw an opening. He waited until Alexios overextended on a punch, and in that split second, Kai surged forward, shoulder first, slamming into Alexios’ side with every ounce of strength he had left. They both went down, Alexios crashing into the mud. Kai stood over him, panting, drenched in sweat and rain, trembling from head to toe.

“I… did it…” he muttered, half in disbelief.

Alexios lay there for a moment, his chest rising and falling, and then he laughed. It wasn’t a mocking laugh this time—it was genuine, almost joyous. He pushed himself up, mud streaking his face, eyes alight with excitement. “That was incredible! You truly are wasted potential.” He dusted himself off, shaking his head. “It’s such a shame.”

Kai’s heart sank. He could feel it now, the crushing weight of defeat settling over him. He hadn’t won. He hadn’t even come close. “If only… if only I had learned jiujutsu, or wrestling…” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. The regret gnawed at him, bitter and unrelenting. All those years of relying on brute force, on kicks and punches—it had all been for nothing. Against someone like Alexios, he was powerless.

Alexios stepped forward, and Kai stumbled back, feet slipping in the mud. “I wanted this to last longer,” Alexios said, his tone soft, almost gentle. “But orders are orders.”

Kai swung one last, desperate punch. It was slow, weak, nothing more than a final act of defiance, and Alexios caught it effortlessly, twisting Kai’s arm behind his back and driving him to his knees.

“You’re a true fighter, Kai,” Alexios murmured, and there was something almost… respectful in his voice. “That’s why I won’t let you suffer.”

Before Kai could even process the words, Alexios moved, a rapid flurry of strikes that ended with a single, brutal blow to Kai’s throat. Kai gasped, choking, as his vision blurred, the world tilting sideways.

*So… this is it…* he thought, sinking into the mud, his body going limp. The rain washed over him, cold and relentless, and for a brief moment, he felt that strange sense of freedom again. He’d given everything he had. There was nothing left to regret.

Alexios stood over him, his expression solemn. “You fought well, Storm Striker. May you find peace in whatever comes next.”

Kai’s vision blurs, and he hallucinates an image of Nero standing before him, reaching out a hand. “Promise me,” Kai whispers, “Promise me you’ll make this right.” Then everything goes dark.

And then, there was nothing.

```