Alpha leapt into the sky, his body shooting upward with incredible speed. The wind tore the dust around him. His eyes locked onto the source of the energy. He saw the ground cracking, smoke rising from the fortified laboratory behind the small hills.
He landed hard on the edge of a wall and looked down.
The Head Sorcerer lay on the ground, bleeding, his right hand burned, his staff shattered beside him.
In front of the body stood the creature.
Gray, twisted skin, bulging black veins, a cracked mouth as if fire was devouring it from within. Slowly, it turned its head toward Alpha.
Alpha smiled faintly and said,
"…Come on, let's play a little."
The monster tilted its head, eyes wide. It smiled, then spoke in a deep, rough voice:
"Ahh… what is this? Strong body… heavy energy… Have you come to play too?"
Alpha stepped down from the edge in a single stride, approaching without slowing, and said,
"Enough talk… I just want to fight you."
The beast growled and charged with its massive body toward Alpha. The ground shook beneath its feet, each step leaving a small crater. It raised its right arm, aiming a direct punch at Alpha's face.
But Alpha vanished before the blow could land, reappearing beside it in a flash. He kicked the beast in the side; its huge body shuddered and veered off course.
The monster spun around roaring, its right arm trembling from the impact. It lunged again, this time with a sudden leap, releasing a small fireball from its mouth. The flame was unstable, sparking black embers in all directions.
Alpha dodged with a sideways step, then struck back immediately. Two quick punches to the chest, followed by a palm strike to the jaw.
The beast staggered back two steps but didn't fall. It spat black blood and laughed.
"Didn't I say? Playing is fun… hahaha…"
Alpha charged again, but the monster ducked and punched him in the stomach. Alpha staggered slightly backward, not hurt, but feeling the pressure.
He responded with a punch to the face, right in the center of the head. The cheekbone cracked, and the beast flew a meter backward before rolling on the ground.
It stood, swaying. Its face was distorted, but its eyes still sparkled with excitement.
"More… I want more!"
It ran at him, and the direct clash began. Blows exchanged, each strong enough to destroy a wall, but both blocked, dodged, and attacked without hesitation.
Alpha delivered a swift punch to the throat, followed by an elbow strike to the chest. The beast clutched Alpha's arm, digging its claws in, but Alpha raised his knee and struck the beast's jaw, forcing it to release its grip.
They both stepped back.
Alpha breathed calmly, looked at the beast, and said,
"You're tougher than I expected."
The beast replied, panting,
"And you're faster than I like."
They paused briefly, then charged again. Their bodies collided in the center of the arena, sending a powerful shockwave that scattered debris and cracked the ground anew.
This time, Alpha grabbed the beast's head with both hands, forcing it downward, then jumped up while pulling it along. He spun in the air and… slammed it down with full force.
The explosion sent a cloud of dust and rubble skyward.
Alpha stood over it, pressing his foot against the beast's chest.
"This is over."
But the beast laughed hoarsely, then whispered,
"It's only just begun…"
A moment of silence followed.
No wind, no movement, no sound.
Even the smoke rising from the lab seemed frozen in place.
The beast stared at Alpha with wide eyes, its body still, breathing heavy… then suddenly, it smiled, opened its mouth wide.
It roared, a sound that shattered the silence:
"Round two!!"
With its roar, the ground beneath shook, cracks appeared around its feet, glowing with dark red light, as if the earth itself was bleeding fire.
Its body started convulsing violently, dark energy surging from its skin, and it began to transform.
Its old features melted away in a wave of energy, its body rapidly expanding. Its limbs stretched, long black horns sprouted from its head. Its skin turned entirely black, veined with burning red lines like fire coursing beneath. Its chest pulsed with a dark red glow, each beat echoing like thunder.
Behind it, a glowing red disc appeared, slowly spinning like an eye watching everything.
It stood firm, raised its head, and said in a low but heavy voice:
"This is better… now, fight me like you mean to kill."
Alpha didn't move, just gave a small smile, then raised his hands, ready.
The battle had begun again.
In an instant... without warning, the beast was suddenly in front of Alpha.
It vanished from where it stood and appeared right before him, as if the air itself didn't notice the movement.
Its fist shot up, then slammed down hard on Alpha's stomach.
Boom!
The blow hit perfectly. Alpha's body bent backward from the force, air rushed out of his chest, dust scattered beneath his feet, and the ground exploded beneath them as if a small bomb had gone off.
Alpha stepped back half a step, one hand on his stomach, then slowly lifted his head, eyes glowing steadily.
Wiping blood from his mouth, he said coldly,
"Well… your blows are getting heavier."
The beast didn't respond but attacked again, and the fight intensified.
Two figures emerged from the vortex that opened in the sky.
They weren't falling but descending slowly, suspended in the air, not touching the ground.
The girl looked around quickly, her features tense, eyes glowing with excitement. She shouted,
"Where's my third brother?!"
No reply came. She turned her head toward the man beside her. He stood silently, clad in full black armor, red symbols on his chest glowing slowly.
He said quietly,
"It seems he's still fighting."
The girl didn't wait, glanced down again, her eyes moving rapidly as if searching for something:
"I sense a familiar energy… he's there. But he's using too much of it."
The man replied with the same calm tone,
"He shouldn't have started alone. He was supposed to wait for us."
She retorted with a slightly angry tone,
"He doesn't wait for anyone, you know that."
They remained standing in the air, watching silently what was happening below. Then she asked,
"Shall we go down?"
He answered,
"Not yet. Let's see how long he can hold."
She paused for a moment, then smiled lightly,
"If he loses… I'll eat him myself."