April had no time to think.
Jax disappeared—only for her instincts to scream above!
She twisted, barely dodging as he came down like a meteor, the sheer force of his landing sending shockwaves through the training floor.
Cracks spiderwebbed beneath him.
Too late.
Jax's arm swung, catching her mid-dodge, sending her spiraling through the air.
April hit the wall hard, but instead of collapsing, she kicked off it, using the momentum to launch herself right back at him.
This time, she wasn't aiming blindly.
She concentrated—her movements sharper, faster, cleaner. Ultima's energy flared, responding to her will. A identical colorless energy like mist cloaked her whole form.
She twisted midair, fist glowing faintly as she drove it straight at Jax's temple.
CRACK!
His head jerked slightly—just slightly.
April landed, sliding back. Her knuckles ached from the impact. Jax barely looked fazed.
"Not bad," he admitted. "You actually made me feel that."
April exhaled sharply. It wasn't enough.
Not yet.
Jax suddenly rolled his shoulders, his stance changing. The tension in the air shifted again.
Then, his body pulsed.
April's breath hitched. That feeling…
Saya's eyes narrowed. "He's using it."
Kai's expression darkened. "Oh, shit. He's about to use more of Mufasa's G-force."
A deep, heavy thud echoed through the room as Jax took a step forward. His muscles tensed, his entire body hardening like reinforced steel.
But it wasn't just a defensive ability. It was some kind of an energy source.
April could feel it.
His movements would be faster. His strength—overwhelming.
Dante grinned. "Now it's a real fight."
April steadied herself. Fine. If that was how it was going to be—
She exhaled.
Her body relaxed.
Then—Ultima responded.
A faint, eerie hum filled the air. The colorless energy like mist cloaked her form, the energy crackled, invisible but present.
Jax's smirk faltered just a little.
Then he charged.
April reacted instantly.
She moved.
Not just fast—inhumanly fast.
Their blows clashed in an instant—one after another, too fast for normal eyes to follow. Each hit sent out shockwaves, forcing Kai and the others to step back.
Fist met fist. Kick met kick. I punch to the chin, that would have snapped his head back, instead was blocked by his fist. And a kick that would have been aimed for his lower back, he twisted around it, then instead used his leg to push her back.
Every impact sent tremors through the floor.
Jax swung—April jumped over it literally and she struck with an axe-kick aimed to the left side of his neck—Jax blocked with his forearm, but this time, he actually skidded back.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
April smirked. "Didn't expect that?"
Jax wiped a thumb across his jaw. "You're learning."
Then he vanished again.
April's heart pounded.
She had to push further.
She had to break through.
But deep down, she knew—
This wasn't enough.
Not yet.
Not until Ultima gave her what she needed.
Not until she reached the next barrier.
Jax's voice echoed through the space.
"Come on, Ultima. Show me what you've got."
April's eyebrows narrowed. She had every intention to.
April's body moved on instinct.
Jax's Mufasa's unknown energy made him a monster in combat—every strike he threw had the force to break her if she wasn't careful.
But being careful wasn't going to win.
She had to push beyond.
Jax disappeared again, but this time, April felt where he would be.
A second before he appeared, she was already moving—ducking under his fist, twisting behind him.
Her body reacted faster than her thoughts, every motion cleaner, sharper.
April aimed to sweep his feet, but Jax jumped over it and smirked.
"You're keeping up."
April's breath was steady. "Not for long."
Then she attacked.
Her fists struck out—one, two, three—faster, harder.
Jax blocked, but she was already moving to his side, landing a clean kick to his ribs.
For the first time, Jax staggered back.
Kai and Saya tensed.
Dante whistled. "She actually made him—"
But then Jax grinned.
"Good," he said. "Now break past it."
Then he rushed her.
April barely had time to react—his knee slammed into her stomach, lifting her off the ground.
Before she could even register the pain, Jax's fist was already coming down.
She raised her arms to block—
Too slow.
CRASH!
Her body slammed into the floor, dust and debris scattering.
April gasped, the air knocked from her lungs. The impact rattled her bones, pain shooting through her body.
Jax stood over her. "Still not enough."
Her fingers twitched.
Her heart pounded.
She knew this wasn't enough.
She had to break through.
Her vision blurred.
'Move!'
Her body refused.
'Stand!'
The weight on her limbs felt unbearable.
Her fingers clenched into fists.
And then—
A pulse.
A familiar whisper.
"April."
Her mind froze.
"That voice—
…Ultima."
Then, everything shifted.
Her surroundings blurred. She was no longer in the training room. Instead—
A vast, endless darkness.
A single, glowing sigil floated in the void, pulsing softly. Her Two-angelic winged Sigil.
April's breath was shallow. "What…?"
The voice came again—closer, clearer.
"You have reached the wall. Your limit."
She stared at the sigil. "Then break it."
A pause.
"Call upon my name."
April's eyebrows rose.
It's name?
A cold realization settled over her.
She knew it.
It had always been there—just waiting.
Her lips parted, and she whispered it.
"Ultima!"
The sigil pulsed.
Then—
Power exploded around her.
For a brief second April saw her sigil slowly starting to shift into an unknown shape or form, but before she could see what form or shape it took on a bright light blinded her.
Outside, in the training room—
Jax stepped back, his expression shifting.
April's body trembled, her hands pressing against the cracked floor. Then, the unknown energy flared—this time not as invisible as before.
Faint orange trails rippled through the air, weaving around the pulse like living embers. They shimmered for a heartbeat, bright and untamed, before dancing away into the surrounding space like fading sparks from a dying fire.
The air itself seemed to hum, alive with the strange radiance. The hum filled the air, vibrating through the entire facility.
The ground beneath April cracked, splitting apart from the sheer force surging around her.
Kai's eyes widened. "Is she—?"
Saya whispered, "She broke through."
April slowly lifted her head, her hair flickered with traces of unknown orange energy.
Then she vanished.
Jax's eyes barely had time to widen before she reappeared in front of him, fist already flying forward.
Too fast.
For the first time—
Jax couldn't block it.
BOOM!
The force of the impact sent him skidding back.
Jax's fingers twitched. He let out a breath—then grinned.
"Now we're talking."