The marketplace was alive with noise, people bargaining, selling, and moving in every direction. Merchants shouted about their wares, kids sprinted between the legs of shoppers, and the smells of fresh bread, spices, and roasted meats filled the air. But at the edge of the market, Insanity sat alone, chewing on the bloodied remains of a massive hunk of meat—a trophy from the Lord beasts he had slain the night before.

Though his table was in a corner, he wasn’t unnoticed. The dark, chaotic energy radiating from him made the nearby crowd uncomfortable. People instinctively gave him a wide berth, eyes flicking toward him with a mix of curiosity and fear, but no one dared approach.

As Insanity gnawed on the half-eaten slab, he overheard a conversation between two merchants close by.

“Did you see that kid earlier?” one of them whispered, trying to keep his voice down. “Looked like he had just strolled in from nowhere.”

“I did! He didn’t look like much,” the other merchant replied, glancing around. “Not very big, not even all that tough-looking. But… you felt that, right? His presence? Made my skin crawl. Even the supers in town couldn’t keep their cool around him.”

“He had this… aura about him,” the first merchant said, lowering his voice. “Like he could tear the whole place apart without lifting a finger.”

Insanity’s eyes narrowed, his chewing slowing. The words piqued his interest. Aura? Presence? Someone with that much weight, yet appearing so… normal? He licked his lips as a sinister smile stretched across his face.

**"Sounds like my next plaything,"** he muttered, standing up and wiping the blood off his mouth. Tossing the meat aside, he began scanning the marketplace.

It wasn’t long before his sharp eyes found him. Standing on the far side of the street was the young man the merchants had spoken of. He had calm eyes, a small but warm smile, and his hair caught the sunlight in a way that made him stand out. But more importantly, Insanity felt it—the aura they mentioned. Controlled, patient, but underneath… a deep, hidden power.

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But that wasn’t all. Standing next to him was a girl, slightly older, with similar features. They shared an air of quiet strength, as if together they could shift the course of everything around them.

"That’s him," Insanity whispered to himself, a grin spreading across his face.

The young man, Moxie, didn’t seem to notice Insanity at first. He was speaking quietly with his cousin, Liza, who had always been a calm presence in his life. But then, as though sensing the weight of Insanity’s gaze, Moxie’s head turned, locking eyes with him.

Time itself seemed to stop. The bustling noise of the market, the people moving around them—it all faded. There was no fear in Moxie’s expression, only a soft acknowledgment. He had sensed it, too. He knew this was coming.

Insanity’s smile grew wider, more feral. The chaos in him roared to life. **"This is going to be fun,"** he thought, eager for the clash.

But Moxie remained calm, steady. His cousin Liza looked between them, sensing the tension, but she stayed quiet, trusting in her cousin’s strength. Moxie’s demeanor, though, made Insanity pause. It wasn’t weakness—it was something deeper. The heavenly virtue of patience was etched into every fiber of his being, balancing out his raw strength.

Insanity took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet almost trembling from the aura he exuded. He was ready to tear Moxie apart, to see what lay beneath that calm exterior. Yet, something about Moxie’s stance made him question it.

Moxie, still holding his cousin’s hand, gave a final glance, then turned his back. He didn’t retreat in fear—he simply wasn’t ready for the fight. Not yet.

**"You think you can just walk away from this?"** Insanity growled, his excitement building. But deep down, he knew the battle would come. And when it did, it would be catastrophic.

As Moxie disappeared into the crowd with Liza, the tension remained. Insanity stood still, his body trembling with anticipation. This wasn’t like the others. Moxie was no ordinary opponent. He was someone Insanity knew could challenge him, push him further than anyone before.

But that made it even better.

“I’ll find you soon enough,” Insanity whispered to himself, his smile never fading. His next clash with Moxie would be one for the ages. They would destroy cities, perhaps even galaxies. And only one would walk away.

Both Moxie and Insanity knew it.

Their eyes had locked in a silent promise—soon, their battle would come. And when it did, only the strongest would survive.

**To be continued…**