"Hey Mr. Tiero, Mr. Sero’s pretty cool, isn’t he?" Casey asked, looking up at the screen.
"Yes, he is." Sero’s father smiled at the boy sitting on his bed. After waking up from the surgery right after Sero’s match, the first Tiero did was ask Nala and Amaya for a video of his son’s match. Despite their protests and urging for him to rest, Amaya begrudgingly obliged and pulled up the recording.
The four had watched Sero’s match against Zioth, with Casey becoming more and more enthralled by Sero’s performance. At this point, the boy was idolizing the Scholar, much to the chagrin of Amaya.
"How do you think he’ll do?" Nala quietly asked the liaison as they heard the tournament extension announcement.
"I’m not sure," Amaya admitted. "He’s grown strong pretty fast, but Elena and Liam are much more experienced than he is. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lost in the semi-finals."
The two watched as Raul and Liam’s names were called out. Casey groaned in disappointment when he realized Sero wasn’t up first. Tiero chuckled and ruffled the boy’s hair.
"I feel the same way," Nala replied. "But somehow, I feel like there’s a chance Sero could actually win the tournament."
"You really think so?"
"Maybe."
The women went silent, watching the screen as Casey began to pester Tiero. Amaya couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness watching the two.
"You ok?"
"Huh?" Amaya jerked out of her thoughts, turning to Nala. "Oh. Yeah, I’m fine."
The Shadereaper raised an eyebrow, as if she didn’t believe her. Under her gaze, Amaya gave a wry smile.
"Just missing my dad, that’s all." She finally said, forcing the hurt down. Nala reached out and squeezed the liaison’s hand comfortingly. Though she didn’t say anything else, Amaya appreciated the gesture. Nala knew about her family and shared her stories of her mother. The apocalypse last year was devastating, but nothing compared to the pain they shared over lost loved ones.
Maybe it was because of that that Amaya felt so strongly about helping Tiero, and seeing how Casey quickly grew on the group made her want to protect the child as well. The two women had paid a visit to his grandmother, and upon seeing the extremely grim state she was in, understood that she didn’t have much time left. They weren’t sure if Casey knew exactly what the situation was, but they could tell he at least was aware of the future. Amaya reasoned that it was probably the reason why he recently had been spending more time with the group instead of with his comatose grandmother.
"Anyway, leaving that aside, have you heard any updates about the… you know?"
Nala shook her head. "Kit hasn’t sensed anything out of the ordinary yet, but maybe there might be some activity since they announced the extension."
Amaya sighed, squeezing the Shadereaper’s hand back. "I just hope this will all be over soon."
----------------------------------------
Raul and Liam stared at each other after the referee jogged away. She had been a little nervous speaking to them due to Liam’s intimidating presence and Raul’s simmering rage.
"You sure you want to go through with this?" Liam lazily asked, his eyes unfeeling.
"I don’t know what your goal for winning this tournament is, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for that kind of brutality." Raul responded, clenching his fists.
The Demonic Enforcer raised an eyebrow. "Winning the tournament both increases my status and gives me the right to climb higher on the ranks. You don’t rise from being nice and merciful."
"That’s it? You just want to climb the numbered ranks? It’s just a number!" Raul said incredulously, feeling his rage beginning to boil over.
"And those numbers signify strength. The top ten means you’re one of the ten strongest in the world. All I have to do is be number 10, and I will be recognized."
"Number 10?" Raul furrowed his eyebrows. "Is this about your brother? Do you just want to prove that you’re better than him?"
Liam’s face twitched. It seemed that Raul had struck a nerve.
"Watch your words, bottom-rank," Liam whispered, using a derogatory term that referred to the lower tier of S-ranks. "I’m ranked 12th in the world."
Raul didn’t respond, cracking his knuckles instead. As the announcer began the countdown, the two men remained motionless where they were.
"Not going to give yourself space?" Liam narrowed his eyes. "You’re that confident?"
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Raul kept quiet, listening to the announcer as he neared the final count.
"3.. 2.. 1!"
Both men didn’t move, continuing to stare at each other.
"What are you doing?" Liam asked. "Aren’t you going to fight me?"
Raul crouched, raising his fists. As much as he did want to punch the arrogance out of Liam, he knew making the first move would mean an instant loss for him.
Liam sighed, pulling a hand out from his hoodie. "Fine, I’ll start."
The Demonic Enforcer’s eyes glowed red with power. He held out his hand, blood red mana swirling around it. It condensed into an elongated pole, solidifying into a golden staff adorned with black trims at each end.
‘Order’, the name of the staff Liam wielded. Like Enzo’s Jury, the staff was incredibly heavy, but its condition for use was that the owner must possess a harmonious state of mind.
Raul took a small breath, readying himself for Liam’s attack as he activated his mana and energy efficiencies. He figured that by allowing Liam to attack first, Pacify wouldn’t activate, thus weakening the potential of Provoke.
"Just remember, I gave you an out." Liam said as dark red electricity sparked around him. ‘Hellspark’, a demonic natured lightning skill. Just like Hellfire, it carried corrosive and corrupted energy, making the element even stronger and destructive compared to mundane lightning.
The Demonic Enforcer stepped forward, immediately swinging his staff with extreme finesse. Covered in Hellspark, the heavy rod was a dangerous object to be struck by, causing Raul to avoid the attacks completely instead of trying to block it.
Despite using only one hand to swing Order, Liam kept Raul on his toes, effortlessly chaining jabs and swings with blinding speed. Raul activated his Focused Rage, feeling a sharp increase to his anger. He channeled that emotion into his strength and speed, making it easier to dodge Liam’s staff.
Deciding it was time to counter, Raul side-stepped a swing, moving in close and delivering a solid punch to Liam’s stomach. Raul gritted his teeth as his fist connected with the Demonic Enforcer’s abdomen. It was like punching a steel wall. The Hellspark that radiated off Liam’s body also struck Raul, sending painful shocks down his arm.
Raul ignored the lightning and continued his assault, throwing rage-empowered strikes every chance he got. Liam grew increasingly annoyed, as if Raul was a pesky mosquito.
The Rage Fist drew his fist back, casting ‘Temper Pulse’, which gave his attacks an additional on-hit impact that grew stronger the more enraged he was. Raul landed a solid blow directly to Liam’s jaw, causing him to stagger back for the first time.
Not letting up, Raul launched a flurry of blows that echoed every hit, pushing Liam back step by step. The Demonic Enforcer was visibly irritated, recovering mid-assault and using his staff to block Raul’s punches. Raul grunted from the dark red sparks flying off.
"What an explosive performance by the Rage Fist!" The announcer cried out, inciting the audience. "It seems as though he’s trying to put the pressure on Liam before he can do anything!"
"That’s… annoying…" Liam growled, suddenly engulfing his body with dark red flames. Raul gasped, hopping back before the flames could touch him. If it was just one element, he was fairly certain he’d be ok, but with the additional Hellfire aura, Raul wasn’t too keen on tanking passive damage from two.
He casted ‘Fury Palm’, a ranged counterpart to his Temper Pulse and immediately threw several jabs, shooting bolts of orange mana at Liam. The Demonic Enforcer’s eyes glowed red, casting Pacify and dampening the oncoming projectiles.
Raul gritted his teeth, reinforcing his body and diving back into close combat. Liam’s Pacify wore off as Raul’s assault caused the Demonic Enforcer to shift stances.
"You’re very annoying," Liam snarled, batting away Raul’s attacks. "I offered you a chance to step down, but you’re really going to do this."
Raul kept quiet, speeding up his punches and kicks as his rage grew. He had to beat Liam quickly before he could retaliate.
Orange on red mana clashed in the air in a storm of power, quickly tearing up the ground. Although Raul had managed to minimize the momentum of Pacify, he was worried that Liam would soon regain his tempo.
As if on cue, Liam let out a roar of frustration, activating Provoke. Raul flinched from the massive pressure the Demonic Enforcer exerted, drawing back to escape the aura. A dark red aura enveloped Liam, crackling lightning and flames dancing across his body. Before Raul could even blink, Liam disappeared, only to quickly pop into view in front of him.
Reflexively, Raul raised his arms, blocking a punch that jarred every bone in his body. The Rage Fist’s eyes widened with shock at the impact, grunting with pain as the Hellspark and Hellfire jumped over his body. Raul brushed off the pain, blasting Liam away with Fury Palm.
The Demonic Enforcer recovered quickly, dashing back to pummel Raul with several punches and kicks. Though he tried his best, Raul couldn’t keep up with Liam’s increasingly damaging savagery, failing to block more and more of his attacks.
"Gah!" Raul cried out, falling back and clutching at his stomach. Blood seeped through his torn shirt and pooled on the ground beneath him. Liam paused for a moment, regarding the Rage Fist with a mixture of annoyance and respect.
"You've managed to keep up with me this long," Liam sneered. "Unfortunately, this is as far as you go." As he lifted a foot to smash down onto Raul, the Rage Fist suddenly roared, launching himself up off the ground. Liam's foot connected with nothing but air, and Raul's fist slammed into his jaw with enough force to send him flying several yards back.
Liam landed gracefully, his anger now on full display. He hadn't expected Raul to still fight, and it was getting on his nerves.
On the other hand, Raul got up, embracing the rage he felt at the Demonic Enforcer's attitude towards those weaker than him. His body surged with power, giving him another wind as he raced towards Liam, wanting to let loose. A small part of him felt like something was off as he threw the first punch straight at Liam’s face.
Liam took the punch head on, throwing out a punch of his own. Raul wheezed as he felt Liam’s fist drive deep into his stomach, followed by an explosive burst of demonic energy. Utter agony shot through Raul’s body, causing him to convulse and drop to his knees.
After that, it was a blur as the Demonic Enforcer launched a continuous stream of attacks, beating Raul to a pulp. Even as he was knocked away, Liam leaped after him, pummeling him with more punches and kicks. At one point, Raul had passed out, but Liam didn’t stop, causing the referee to blow the whistle and rush towards them, followed by a couple of guards and medics.
The Demonic Enforcer roared, sending out a wave of red mana. It seemed as if he had lost control. The audience were screaming in terror, watching as the guards attempted to subdue Liam.