Agharna’s rage exploded as he rushed at Eleo, his every movement fueled by the searing red in his eyes. He roared like a beast unleashed, each step pounding the ground beneath him. Eleo braced himself, arms up, trying to block the incoming blow. But the force of Agharna’s punch was overwhelming, sending Eleo crashing backward with enough force to carve a trench into the earth as he desperately dug his feet in to slow his momentum.
"Man," Eleo panted, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, "Of course he'd have a transformation... I should’ve known he was holding back until I got stronger." He spat on the ground, the taste of iron filling his mouth as his muscles screamed in pain. His whole body felt like it was on fire, his mind racing to come up with a strategy.
Agharna, towering in his monstrous silver form, began shifting again, his body contorting into something even more terrifying. Spikes erupted from his back, each one gleaming with a deadly edge as his entire form began to spin. The sound of metal grinding against the earth filled the air as Agharna transformed into a giant spike ball, standing at an imposing 55 feet in diameter. He hurtled toward Eleo, a rolling death machine with nothing but destruction in his path.
"Shit!" Eleo cursed, the panic setting in. He planted his feet firmly and launched a barrage of punches, each one slamming into the spikes with all the force he could muster. But with every hit, all he felt was the sharp sting of pain as the spikes dug into his knuckles, cutting deeper with each punch. Blood sprayed from his hands as the spikes tore through his skin, and despite his efforts, Agharna’s spiked ball form barreled forward with relentless speed.
"Dammit... nothing’s working!" Eleo thought, gritting his teeth as he felt his strength fading. His arms grew heavier with each strike, and the realization began to set in—he was outmatched.
Before Eleo could react, the massive spike ball rolled over him, its weight crushing him beneath its spinning mass. Pain erupted from every inch of his body as the spikes tore through his flesh, and the force of the impact drove the wind from his lungs. His vision blurred as he was caught in the endless cycle of Agharna’s attack, trapped in a whirlwind of pain and blood as the spike ball continued to roll in circles, each pass leaving Eleo more broken and bloodied than before.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Agharna shifted back into his silver, spiked form, standing tall over the crumpled body of Eleo. His chest heaved as he sneered down at his opponent, his red eyes glowing with malice.
"You’re still alive?" Agharna mocked, his voice dripping with disdain. "You should’ve stayed down, kid. You’re just making this worse for yourself."
Eleo, covered in cuts and soaked in his own blood, struggled to push himself up. His hands trembled as he pressed them into the ground, the pain coursing through his entire body like fire. Every breath felt like shards of glass ripping through his lungs, but he refused to quit. He couldn’t quit. Not yet.
"Still... breathing..." Eleo rasped, his voice barely more than a whisper. He stumbled to his feet, his legs shaking beneath him. His body screamed for him to stop, to just give in, but he forced himself to stand tall, his bloodied fists clenched tightly.
Agharna’s eyes narrowed, a mixture of frustration and amusement crossing his face. "You don’t know when to quit, do you?" he growled. "You’re nothing but a broken toy, kid. Why don’t you save yourself the trouble and just stay down? I’ll make it quick for you."
But Eleo’s eyes burned with determination, even through the haze of pain. "You... think I’m done?" he muttered, blood trickling from his mouth. "You don’t get it, Agharna. I’m just getting started."
Agharna let out a low chuckle. "That’s cute," he said, cracking his neck, his voice laced with venom. "But talk is cheap. You’ve got nothing left."
Eleo gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he fought to stay conscious. His body was broken, his energy drained, but deep down, something stirred. He had been through hell before. He’d survived worse. And if this was the end, he wasn’t going down without making Agharna bleed.
With a deep breath, Eleo shifted his stance, his fists trembling but raised, ready. "I’m not done yet, Agharna. I’m gonna make sure you remember this fight... every time you close your eyes."
Agharna smirked, his red eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Fine. Let’s finish this, then." Agharna raised his hands, and in an instant, spikes erupted violently from the ground, jagged and deadly. Eleo, his instincts sharp, leapt into the air just in time, narrowly avoiding the spikes as they tore through the earth beneath him. But before he could catch his breath, Agharna was already there—moving faster than Eleo could’ve anticipated.
The two met mid-air, their fists clashing with a resounding impact that sent shockwaves through the battlefield. Eleo moved with blinding speed, darting around Agharna with precision, his body leaving trails of ink as he struck. But Agharna’s silver form wasn’t just for show. His strength was monstrous, each punch like a cannon blast, and his durability made him a fortress—impervious to most of Eleo’s attacks.
Their battle was like a storm. Agharna’s power crushed anything in his way, while Eleo weaved through it, his speed and endurance giving him an edge in keeping the relentless assault at bay. Every time Agharna swung, Eleo would vanish in a blur, but every time Eleo landed a strike, it felt like hitting a mountain.
Agharna growled, his spiked fists slamming into the air where Eleo had been only moments before. "You’re fast, kid, I’ll give you that!" he barked, frustration seeping into his voice. "But speed won’t save you forever."
Eleo spun through the air, sweat and blood mixing with the ink that coated his body. His heart pounded, and his lungs burned, but his determination was unshaken. "I don’t need forever," Eleo shot back, dodging another spike-covered punch. "Just long enough to find your weakness!"
Agharna snarled, his eyes blazing red with fury. "You talk too much!" He swung with all his might, his fist grazing Eleo’s cheek as he narrowly avoided a direct hit. The force of the punch sent a gust of wind that cracked the nearby buildings. Eleo skidded across the ground, feet digging trenches into the dirt as he barely maintained his balance.
The contrast between them was stark. Agharna was pure, unrelenting power—a towering force that seemed impossible to topple. His silver form was practically invulnerable, and every step he took left destruction in his wake. But Eleo had the speed of a phantom. His Ink 2nd form allowed him to push his body beyond its limits, enduring pain that would’ve broken others and outmaneuvering attacks that should have been fatal.
Their fists collided again, the sound echoing like thunder. The ground beneath them cracked, and debris was sent flying as their raw strength and determination clashed. Agharna’s attacks were wild but heavy, and Eleo danced around him, striking with pinpoint precision. Yet, every blow Eleo landed seemed to bounce off Agharna’s hardened, spiked form.
"You’re wearing yourself out," Agharna taunted, his silver fur glinting in the sunlight. "All that running around... You think you can outlast me? You’re nothing but a kid playing hero."
Eleo’s chest heaved, but his eyes remained focused. "Maybe I am just a kid," he said through gritted teeth, "but I’ve still got something left to give."
He darted forward, faster than before, his body a blur of ink and motion. He feigned to the left, then to the right, and before Agharna could react, Eleo was above him, his fists glowing with ink as he brought them down with a powerful strike. "Ink Barrage!" Eleo’s fists moved in a blur, raining down hundreds of blows in mere seconds, each hit landing with increasing force. Agharna grunted, stumbling back, the sheer speed overwhelming his defenses for the first time.
But even as the hits connected, Agharna’s body held firm. His durability was inhuman, and though the impacts left cracks in his armor-like form, they weren’t enough to bring him down.
Agharna wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth, his face twisting into a grin. "Is that it? I was expecting more!" He roared, slamming his fists into the ground, causing more spikes to shoot upward. Eleo barely had time to dodge, but this time the spikes were faster—more unpredictable. One grazed his leg, another slashed his arm. Blood mixed with ink as Eleo winced in pain, but he pushed through, his speed barely faltering.
"Dammit," Eleo muttered to himself, clutching his bleeding arm. "I can’t keep this up. His durability’s insane..."
Agharna’s grin widened as he stalked toward Eleo. "You’re at your limit, boy. Let’s end this. You fought well, but in the end... strength wins." He lunged forward, his spiked fist aimed directly at Eleo’s heart.
In that moment, Eleo’s mind raced. He couldn’t win in a drawn-out battle—Agharna’s strength and durability were too overwhelming. But if he could find just one opening... just one weakness...
Eleo’s eyes flashed with determination. "Not yet," he whispered to himself, gathering the last of his strength. "I’m not done."
As Agharna’s punch came within inches of his chest, Eleo dodged at the last possible second, his body moving with a speed that even Agharna’s future sight struggled to follow. He spun around, his hands coated in ink, and aimed for Agharna’s back.
"Ink Cannon!"
The blast of ink shot from Eleo’s hands, hitting Agharna point-blank in the spine. The impact sent Agharna stumbling forward, and for the first time, Eleo saw him falter—just for a second.
It wasn’t much. But it was enough.
Eleo clenched his fists, blood and ink dripping from his hands. "I’m going to win this... one way or another." As the dust settled around them, both Eleo and Agharna locked eyes, each recognizing the resolve in the other. There was no time for words anymore—only action. With renewed energy, they dashed toward each other, their movements a blur. The sheer intensity of their speed and precision was reminiscent of a storm, neither willing to back down.
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Their fists met in mid-air, creating shockwaves that rippled across the battlefield. Eleo’s ink-coated body moved with a fluidity that made it difficult to track, while Agharna’s silver form was a bastion of strength and precision. It was a brutal dance, both fighters relying solely on their hand-to-hand combat skills, no longer holding back.
Eleo ducked under a vicious hook from Agharna, countering with an upward elbow strike aimed at his jaw. Agharna twisted his body just in time, deflecting the hit with his forearm before delivering a spinning back kick to Eleo’s side. The force of the kick sent Eleo skidding across the ground, but he recovered swiftly, planting his feet into the dirt and rushing back in.
The air around them cracked with each clash. Eleo spun low, sweeping Agharna’s legs, but Agharna leapt into the air, avoiding the sweep and sending a crushing axe kick toward Eleo’s head. Eleo blocked just in time, his forearms taking the brunt of the impact, but the force drove him into the ground, leaving a crater beneath his feet.
Grimacing, Eleo twisted his body, using the momentum to spring back up with a spinning kick of his own, aimed at Agharna’s ribs. This time, his strike landed. Agharna grunted in pain as he was pushed back a few steps, but his expression remained fierce.
“Not bad, kid!” Agharna roared, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “But you’re not fast enough to beat me!”
Agharna dashed forward, closing the gap in an instant. His movements were sharper now, more precise. He unleashed a flurry of punches at Eleo—each one a blur of silver as his spiked fists flew at breakneck speed. Eleo dodged, weaving between the strikes with quick footwork, but Agharna was relentless. A punch grazed Eleo’s cheek, then another slammed into his shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance.
Eleo grimaced but kept his focus. He had to outmaneuver Agharna—there was no winning this by matching his brute force.
Ducking low, Eleo feinted a jab to Agharna’s gut, then shot upward with a powerful knee strike aimed at his chin. Agharna, predicting the feint, shifted his head back just in time, but Eleo’s real attack came immediately after—a palm strike to Agharna’s chest, infused with his ink power. The hit connected, sending a shockwave of ink through Agharna’s body and pushing him back.
Agharna snarled, shaking off the attack. “You’re better than I thought, but you’re still not enough!” His body surged with energy, and in a flash, he was in front of Eleo again, delivering a devastating punch to his ribs. The force of the blow lifted Eleo off the ground, but he recovered mid-air, spinning around to deliver a kick to the side of Agharna’s head. The impact made Agharna stagger, but his silver form absorbed much of the damage.
They both stood panting, each bleeding, each bruised, but neither ready to fall.
The fight escalated even further. Their punches and kicks became faster, more precise, and more brutal. Eleo used his agility to stay on the move, darting around Agharna’s towering form and landing quick strikes to his weak points. Agharna, in turn, used his raw strength and future sight to anticipate Eleo’s attacks, delivering crushing blows whenever he could.
At one point, Eleo flipped backward to avoid a low kick, then spun mid-air and delivered a spinning backhand to Agharna’s temple. Agharna’s head snapped to the side, but he retaliated immediately, grabbing Eleo’s wrist and pulling him in for a brutal knee to the gut. Eleo coughed up blood, but used the momentum to swing around Agharna’s body, locking his legs around his neck and flipping him over with a hurricanrana.
Agharna crashed into the ground, but quickly flipped back to his feet. His eyes burned red with fury, and his body glistened with the sharp spikes of his silver form. He lunged at Eleo again, and the two resumed their fierce hand-to-hand combat, neither giving an inch.
It was a battle of wills now. Eleo’s speed and tactical precision against Agharna’s overwhelming strength and durability. Fists blurred, kicks cracked through the air, and every move was a calculated risk. The battlefield was their stage, and they fought as if the world depended on it.
With each passing second, both combatants grew more desperate. Eleo knew he had to finish this soon—his body couldn’t keep up much longer. Agharna’s strikes were becoming heavier, more deliberate, and his silver form made him almost invincible.
Summoning the last of his strength, Eleo lunged forward, feinting a punch before spinning and delivering a powerful elbow strike to Agharna’s ribs. The hit finally made Agharna grunt in pain, and Eleo followed up with a spinning roundhouse kick that connected with Agharna’s jaw, sending him staggering.
Breathing hard, Eleo backed away, preparing for one final move. His body was battered, but his mind was sharp. "This... ends now," Eleo whispered to himself, gathering every ounce of ink and energy left within him.
Agharna, panting but still filled with rage, wiped the blood from his mouth. “You think you’ve got me, kid? You’re not the only one who can push limits.”
Both fighters dashed at each other one last time, their fists cocked back, ready to deliver the final blow. As both Eleo and Agharna closed in for what seemed like the final, decisive blow, Agharna suddenly leapt into the air, gracefully flipping over Eleo’s head. Eleo blinked in surprise, stumbling slightly as Agharna landed behind him.
"Hey! We were supposed to land the final hit! What gives?" Eleo snapped, frustration bubbling up.
Agharna let out a low, mocking chuckle, brushing off Eleo’s complaint. "There’s no need for that, kid," he said, his eyes gleaming with a menacing glint. "I wouldn’t lose to you even if I gave you a hundred chances. Besides…" He paused, lifting his hand slowly and letting his fingers graze the ground beneath him. "I’ve got some friends I think you’ll enjoy meeting."
Eleo narrowed his eyes, feeling the tension in the air rise. "Go ahead," he taunted, trying to mask his wariness with bravado. "Send in your friends. I’ll fight all of them."
Agharna’s grin widened, cruel and sinister. "Good," he purred. "Then don’t say I didn’t warn you."
Without warning, the ground beneath Agharna’s feet began to rumble, cracks snaking across the earth as if something monstrous was clawing its way out. Agharna placed his hand firmly on the ground, and in an instant, massive, gleaming silver spikes erupted from the earth, each one sharp enough to slice through the air with a chilling whistle. There were a hundred of them, towering high above the battlefield like deadly spires.
"I call this ‘Spikes Torture,’" Agharna announced, his voice calm, almost smug, as the massive spikes hovered menacingly in the air. "They won’t stop until you’re skewered like the cocky little insect you are."
Eleo’s eyes widened as the spikes quivered, ready to launch. "You’ve got to be kidding me," he muttered, instinctively backing away as the first wave of spikes shot toward him.
Agharna smirked. "Oh, don’t be so down now," he sneered, watching as Eleo scrambled to evade the onslaught. "You were the one so eager to fight more of me. Well, here you go!"
Eleo bolted, his body a blur as he dodged the barrage of deadly spikes. He zigzagged through the battlefield, weaving between the trees for cover. But the spikes followed relentlessly, destroying the trunks of the trees like they were nothing. Eleo darted into the air, but even there, the spikes pursued him, slicing through the sky with terrifying speed.
Agharna leaned against a nearby boulder, watching the scene unfold with a casual smirk, like he was watching an action movie. "Man, this is like something out of a blockbuster," he mused, his voice filled with amusement. "You’re really putting on a show, Eleo!"
Eleo gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he continued dodging the spikes. His body was growing tired—he couldn’t keep this up forever. He needed to think fast, to come up with something that could give him the upper hand.
As he ducked and dodged, an idea sparked in his mind. His eyes darted back to where Agharna stood, smug and arrogant, watching him with a sickening amusement. Eleo knew he had to turn the tables—now.
"Yo, Agharna!" Eleo shouted, his voice laced with false bravado. "I got a little surprise for you!"
Without waiting for a response, Eleo pushed himself to his absolute limit, summoning every ounce of speed he had left. He dashed toward Agharna, the spikes hot on his trail, moving faster than they could react. Agharna’s smug expression faltered, realizing something was off.
"What are you—" Agharna began, but Eleo was already past him, his movements too fast to track.
In a flash, Eleo skidded behind Agharna and slammed his hand down onto the ground. Ink spilled out, and the ground beneath Agharna’s feet hardened and morphed, locking his legs in place. Agharna’s eyes widened in shock as he tried to pull free, but the ink held him firm.
"You little bastard!" Agharna snarled, his voice filled with venomous rage. He strained against the ink trap, his muscles bulging, but for the moment, he was stuck.
Eleo stood a few feet away, panting heavily, a weary but triumphant smile on his face. "Surprise," he said, his voice breathless but filled with satisfaction.
In front of Agharna, the spikes that had been chasing Eleo now bore down on their summoner. For a brief moment, Agharna’s expression shifted to one of panic as the deadly spikes closed in. But just as they were about to strike, Agharna roared in defiance.
With a burst of energy, Agharna’s silver form shimmered, and in one fluid motion, he shattered the spikes into dust, his power overwhelming the very technique he had summoned. The sheer force of his outburst caused the ground to tremble, and the broken pieces of the spikes rained down around them like glittering shards.
Eleo’s heart sank. Even after all of that, Agharna had managed to overpower his own attack. The smug, sinister grin returned to Agharna’s face as he turned to face Eleo, his eyes blazing with rage.
"You thought you had me there, didn’t you?" Agharna growled, his voice dripping with malice. "But you forget, kid—I don’t lose." He slammed his foot down, shattering the ink that bound him and standing tall, his silver form gleaming in the sunlight.
Eleo wiped the sweat from his brow, his body aching from the relentless chase and battle. "So much for that plan," he muttered, shaking his head. His body was battered, his stamina nearly depleted, but he wasn’t ready to give up just yet. He couldn’t afford to.
"Come on, then," Agharna taunted, raising his fists and taking a step forward. "Let’s finish this, Eleo. Let’s see how much more you’ve got left in that broken body of yours."
Eleo’s eyes narrowed, his resolve hardening. "You’re right about one thing," he said, standing tall despite the pain coursing through his body. "I’m not done yet."
Agharna laughed darkly. "Good," he said, his fists crackling with silver energy. "Because this time, I’m not holding back."
As the two combatants prepared to clash again, the battlefield around them seemed to hold its breath, the tension thick in the air. Both knew that the next few moments could be the end for one of them.
The ground rumbled violently beneath Eleo's feet as Agharna summoned yet another wave of monstrous spikes. They tore through the earth with a screeching, metallic howl, launching into the air like a swarm of deadly missiles aimed straight at Eleo.
Eleo’s eyes widened as the spikes shot toward him, faster and more menacing than before. “Oh, come on!” he groaned, already feeling his legs ache from the last round. Without hesitation, he bolted, his body a blur of motion as he sprinted away from the pursuing spikes.
The spikes slammed into the earth behind him, carving deep trenches and sending chunks of dirt and debris flying everywhere. Eleo weaved through the trees, darting left and right, hoping to lose the spikes among the foliage, but they tore through everything in their path. The forest around him was demolished, trees snapping like twigs as the spikes relentlessly followed.
“Why do these things never give up!?” Eleo yelled, breathlessly dodging a particularly sharp spike that nearly took his head off.
Behind him, Agharna stood casually, smirking, watching as his deadly creation pursued Eleo like a pack of bloodthirsty hounds. “Run, little rabbit, run!” he called out mockingly, his voice echoing through the now-ruined forest. “There’s no escaping the spikes, Eleo! You can only delay the inevitable!”
The spikes swarmed through the trees, slicing through branches, smashing boulders, and practically gliding after Eleo as though they were alive, adjusting their course with each step he took. Eleo’s heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in short, frantic bursts.
He hopped over a large boulder, tumbled down a small hill, and immediately shot back to his feet, only to see the spikes already bearing down on him again.
“Are you kidding me!?” he shouted, leaping into the air, narrowly avoiding a spike that speared the ground where he’d been standing just moments ago. “This is beyond unfair!”
Eleo continued running, zigzagging through the destroyed landscape in a desperate attempt to shake the spikes. But no matter how fast he ran or how sharp his turns were, the spikes adjusted, slashing through the air just behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the massive trail of destruction they were leaving in their wake. “I’m gonna need therapy after this…” he muttered.
Suddenly, a ridiculous idea hit him. What if…?
With a sly grin, Eleo darted toward a fallen log that lay just ahead. The spikes followed closely, but Eleo ducked down at the last second, sliding beneath the log with just enough space to avoid getting skewered. The spikes, however, slammed into the log with a thunderous crack, momentarily tangled up in the wreckage.
“Ha! Gotcha!” Eleo shouted, jumping to his feet. But the spikes weren’t done yet. They burst through the log, splintering it to pieces as they resumed their chase.
Eleo’s smirk vanished, his eyes widening in horror. “Oh, come on! They don’t even follow the rules of physics anymore!”
The chase went on like a fever dream—Eleo scrambling to stay ahead, using every ounce of his agility, while the spikes seemed to have developed an almost comical determination. At one point, Eleo ducked behind a massive boulder, only for the spikes to slice it clean in half. He scrambled up a cliffside, thinking he could out-climb them, but the spikes practically danced up the vertical rock face after him.
He tumbled back down, doing somersaults, barely missing each spike as they slammed into the ground like oversized nails.
By now, Eleo was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and gasping for air, but he still managed to shout back at Agharna. “Hey! Are you just gonna stand there and laugh, or are you actually planning to do something useful?!”
Agharna, still watching with a smug grin, shrugged. “Why ruin a perfectly good show?” he called back, clearly enjoying Eleo’s desperate attempts to survive.
The spikes kept coming, as persistent as ever, slicing through the air in a terrifyingly precise formation. But Eleo wasn’t about to let Agharna get the last laugh. His mind raced, thinking of any possible solution to this ridiculous problem.
He spotted a large ravine up ahead, the cliffs steep and dangerous. With a determined grunt, Eleo changed direction, heading straight for the ravine. As he neared the edge, he glanced over his shoulder one last time at the relentless spikes.
“Let’s see how you handle this!” Eleo shouted, and without hesitation, he leapt off the edge of the cliff.
The spikes surged forward, but as they reached the edge, Eleo twisted mid-air, grabbing hold of an outcropping of rock and swinging back up to the top of the cliff. The spikes, unable to change direction quickly enough, shot over the edge and disappeared into the ravine below with a faint metallic whine.
Eleo stood at the top, panting and grinning victoriously. “Take that!” he yelled, fist-pumping the air. “Outsmarted by gravity!”
But his victory was short-lived. Agharna, standing far below at the base of the ravine, waved up at Eleo. “Nice move,” he called. “But I’m still here. And so are my spikes!”
The ground rumbled again, and Eleo’s smile faded as he felt the familiar vibrations under his feet.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Eleo muttered, as more spikes began erupting from the ground, as though the entire planet had turned against him.
“Round Three, Eleo!” Agharna shouted, his voice filled with wicked glee.
Eleo, his face a mixture of exasperation and disbelief, could only sigh as he bolted away from the second wave of spikes. “I swear… this better end soon,” he mumbled to himself as he dashed away, already planning his next desperate escape.