"unghhh" Taro grunts Sweat and blood dripped from his jaw, cratering the ground beneath him while performing the bottom leg lifts (with the paper weight on) with each leg lifts excruciatingly painful but Taro pressing on with a pressed face
Taro pants but doesn't stop he's on peak adrenaline and goes faster even though the pain does too
"Urgh ...ahhhh" Taro grunts as he keeps coping with the pain but still moving faster and suddenly as he completes the last lift he jumps and let's out a rather odd scream "awuuuuuuuuuahhhhhhh" it sounded like a wild animal screaming after a kill cry
Taro catches his breath 🫁 his face still pressed as he looks at the weight he flexes his leg muscles causing the connected ropes to the weights to break which he kicks away to oblivion as he leaves but doesn't end there he goes under the waterfall and gives the wall behind it a headbutt "nghhh " time for climbing he carries the weights he threw (with one hand) and begins climbing "ahhhhhhhh"
Mexus is standing on a tree nearby "this is definitely abnormal why is he clearly trying to kill himself, does he not want to be with the Nertis that long ,I mean I know no one wants to be a labrat but he Doesn't even know them well, hmm ... I should intervene but I feel like this is something he personally wants/needs to do " Mexus turns 360⁰ "so I won't, I trust him he knows what he's doing " as Mexus walks away he puts on an evil smile" But Taro just know this doesn't mean I'll get softer on you everyday is still gonna be so hellish you'll wish you could repeat the last"
Day 3-9 : Taro has been seen doing a number of new excruciating painful exercises with harder weight with Mexus still refusing to interfere until day 10
[Day 10]
The air hummed with the sound of grinding stone. Taro sat perched on a weathered boulder, his massive frame coiled with dormant violence. In one hand, he absently kneaded a chunk of granite like soft clay, his fingers sinking into the stone with a dry, crunching rasp. Dust and pebbles pattered down between his boots to the scarred earth below.
He wasn't waiting patiently. He was simmering.
Then, a shift in the light. A figure emerged from the treeline, moving with a slow, deliberate cadence that was utterly at odds with the display of raw power. The wide brim of a straw hat, adorned with a few pink petals, cast a shadow over Mexus's face. He came to a stop, the silence stretching out, broken only by the relentless, crushing sound from Taro's fist.
Taro stopped. The crumbled rock dust fell from his hand in a final shower.
"Took you long enough," he growled, the words low and grating like stone on stone.
From under the shadow of his hat, a cool, calm voice answered. " Yeah I'm here now."
Taro planted his feet, and when he spoke again, his voice was all business, the usual lightness sanded away. "What's today's torture? Let's not waste time."
"Huh who said anything bout exercise today eh-"but Mexus quickly gets cut off because Taro moved. It was just a leap, but it carried the force of a landslide. He covered the space between them in a blink, and the world detonated at Mexus's feet. The ground shattered, not from the impact of a landing, but from the mere violence of his arrival. As rock shards rained down, Taro stood in the heart of the destruction, utterly unmoved. The sheer normalcy of his posture made the devastation around him seem all the more horrifying.
" Are you screwing with me? What the hell does that mean?" Taro leaned in, his movement slow and deliberate until his temple nearly touched Mexus's. His breath was a warm ghost against Mexus skin,
For a heartbeat, there was only silence. Mexus didn't pull back an inch. Instead, the air around him seemed to grow cold and still. When he spoke, his voice was low, a blade being slowly drawn from its sheath. Every word was measured, precise, and utterly devoid of fear.
"Do I look like I'm joking shithead?"
Taro and Mexus have an intense eye contact before Taro takes a step back
"You'll be fighting today " Mexus voice less serious now
"Huh ? Fighting who?" Taro raises an eyebrow but suddenly there is a massive sound in the sky and it looks like something on fire is tearing it and the speed keeps increasing indefinitely and it seems to be aiming for Taro and before a blink it's landed on the spot Taro was landing on the spot Taro was
It appears to be a man with rough dark hair and a jagged crimson scar split his face like lightning on stone face wearing white trunks and a white robe "you asked for me , Mexus? Where is the brat you wanted me to fight"
Mexus points below "underneath you, but if you stay there too long then-"
Suddenly the stranger a feels hand touching his left but next thing he feels is the insides of the ground he's been slammed in by Taro
"You'll be underneath him" Mexus completes the sentence
"Nice surprise you bastard, but seriously it is a bit rude to come crashing at someone from the sky " Taro is genuinely tweaking
Slowly the stranger gets up and dusts himself up and look at Taro but he suddenly calls Mexus name" Mexus"
"Yeah" Mexus lays back on a tree
"I don't know from where but" The stranger pauses and suddenly lands an astronomically strong punch to taro with enough force that causes the wind to uproot the trees" you've found a real one"
The stranger jumps punching Taro away to which Taro blocks, The Stranger gives Taro a living onslaught of attacks a bit too fast to react
"C'mon, C'mon is this the best you can do" With a huge force the stranger grabs Taro head slamming it to the ground " I'm expecting more"
But suddenly Taro legs are in the air before the stranger can put his hand up ,Taro left leg kicked him with enough force to break Multiple mountain at once
"You fucking bastard!!!!!" Taro screams while increasing kick force .
"Magnificeeentt!" The stranger shakes it off while setting closer to give a clean punch to his guts as taro gets sent flying back
But not for too long , Taro puts his leg on the ground trying to hold ground while tearing some of it in the process of it
As the stranger comes forward at high speed in a punching position
Taro grabs his hand mid punch and moves him forward while putting his own power to give him a headbutt causing the stranger to bleed a bit "You're strong as hell" The stranger exclaims smiling Taro collects a punch but smiles back you too
The punching began Taro and the stranger fists touched with heads as well, getting faster ,Only crimson streaks and afterimages remained—a phantom ballet of violence.
The 2 fighters with knife blades smiles as they fought
The stranger moves his head away a bit " Taro I gotta say you're insanely powerful for a rookie but I am worried about something"
"And what could make you worry?"Taro moves his head too
"It's simple really, I'm worried" then the stranger looks at him with a cutting edge devilish smile "that you might start thinking you're on par with me"
Taro couldn't grasp the sudden atmosphere change "eh-" a speedy punch connected with Taro's face but this different than the last it feels like getting hit by a bullet train in the skull instantly defeating taro on the ground.
The stranger with his fist out "Mexus asked me to come test your physical progress and potential which I couldn't do if I was even normal so I had to lower my power to fight with you after all it's not much of an evaluation if your down with one hit " the stranger withdraws his fist" Taro the reason you lost is because just like Mexus I'm also a drenor , Drenor togu ,but everyone just calls me fistman"
Fistman crouches to the defeated Taro"I'm called that because I never lose in a battle of fists"
Fistman stands up walking away"Taro you
lost before the fight ever even began, kid. You fought to win. I fought to understand you "
"Uhhhhhhh" Taro too weak to open his eyes or talk. His last thought: the smell of his own blood, and Fistman's white robes against the red-soaked ground.
Mexus watched Taro fall, keys cold in his hand. The weapon was ready. The cost? He'd just seen it.n