Jax rushed forward, his speed tearing through the air like a cannonball.
April pivoted mid-step, her foot barely grazing the floor as she spun away from his strike—the ground cracking beneath where she'd stood a fraction of a second ago.
Jax's tail-sigil lashed out from behind him, a metallic blur aiming to wrap around her neck.
April ducked low, her blonde & violet braid sweeping across the floor like a whip. Her hand shot up, catching the tail's edge between her fingers—sparks exploded on contact.
The sound rang out like clashing steel.
Then she twisted her body mid-grab, yanking him forward. Jax stumbled half a step—only for April's knee to rocket up into his chin.
He flipped backward, crashing into the reinforced wall. The impact left a spiderweb of cracks.
Jax landed on his feet, spitting blood. His grin widened. "Good hit. Now don't blink."
He vanished.
April's instincts screamed.
She tilted her head just in time—Jax's heel sliced the air where her face had been. She spun with the motion, catching his leg mid-swing, but Jax used the momentum, pushing off the wall, flipping behind her.
He drove his elbow down toward her shoulder.
April's hand came up—and blocked it.
The ground beneath her feet shattered. The two of them locked there for half a breath, muscles trembling, energy pulsing through the air like a storm trapped in a bottle.
Then they exploded apart.
April twisted, landing on one knee. Her metallic silver eyes glowed shimmering like mercury.
Her braid rose slightly—floating—as if it was alive with that invisible orange current. The air shimmered, and in the next instant, she blurred forward.
Three afterimages followed her.
Jax's tail snapped, hitting two, missing the real one.
April dropped low, sliding beneath him. Her palm struck the floor and a massive shockwave erupted.
The burst launched her upward, spinning mid-air, her heel connecting with the underside of Jax's chin.
He flew upward—April followed, meeting him in midair.
A flurry of blows.
A punch to his shoulder. He block it. A kick aimed for April's abdomen and she blocked then immediately counted. Each movement faster than the eye could follow—more like two storms colliding than fighters clashing.
Then, with a flick of her wrist, April redirected one of Jax's punches, grabbed his arm, and used his own weight to hurl him straight down.
He hit the ground hard, a cloud of dust bursting outwards.
April landed gracefully, one knee bent, her braid whipping behind her like a tail.
Jax laughed through the debris. "You're actually keeping up."
April tilted her head, eyes gleaming.
"No," she said softly. "I'm leading."
Jax's grin widened. "Leading, huh? Let's see how long that lasts."
His Gear pulsed. The ground beneath him trembled as the colorless mist like energy cloaked his form, thickening the air with pressure. But this time the colorless mist like energy gained a visible color.
The colorless mist like energy turned to a thick pitch-black.
"Hmmm since you can instinctively utilize G-force energy to such mastery, then I'll also utilize mine. So prepare yourself," he warned.
April didn't flinch at the warning.
The moment he moved, she was already gone also—a flash of silver and orange.
Her foot met his side before his eyes could track her. Jax blocked with his forearm, but the force still sent him sliding back, boots carving molten streaks across the metal floor.
He vanished, reappearing behind her—his fist colliding with her ribs. The sound echoed, deep and brutal.
April's body bent with the blow, but she twisted with it, letting the motion carry her around. Her elbow smashed into his jaw. The shockwave blew the dust off the floor in a circular blast.
Jax stumbled, laughing. "That's the spirit!"
April didn't speak. She lunged again—a blur of motion, her movements sharper, her breathing rhythmic, controlled.
Jax met her strike for strike, his tail-sigil darting like a living weapon, deflecting her blows, countering with whip-crack precision.
Sparks flew with every clash.
Then April ducked under a tail strike, swept her leg across his ankles, and launched an uppercut that connected with his chin— sending him skyward.
In an instant, she followed.
Their collision ripped through the air, bodies twisting in mid-flight. Jax threw a punch to her face—she deflected it with a forearm block. She kicked—he caught her leg, spun, and hurled her across the hall.
April hit the wall feet-first, bending her knees on impact, and kicked off again.
The rebound propelled her forward faster than before. Her body blurred like light refracted through glass. She struck Jax in the chest, pushing him back with relentless follow-up strikes—one, two, three, four, five, six—each one heavier than the last.
Until it totalled upto twenty-four.
Jax's grin faltered for the first time. She was getting faster. He threw his arm up to block her next hit—but April changed direction mid-strike, twisting her entire body.
Her palm crashed into his shoulder, sending him spinning. She followed with a spinning back kick that slammed him into the reinforced floor.
BOOM!
The ground cratered beneath him.
Jax groaned, coughing, but still smiling.
"Heh… not bad." He pushed himself up, dust rolling off his body. "Guess I'll stop holding back now."
Before he could move again, April was already standing over him—her hand glowing faintly with that orange mist.
Her eyes locked onto his.
Her voice was calm, empty. "Too late."
Her palm pressed against his chest — the air around them imploded.
A burst of pure kinetic energy erupted, a silent detonation that sent shockwaves tearing through the room. The lights flickered, and for a brief second, everything went white.
When the dust settled, Jax was on one knee, panting, his clothes scorched, his grin slowly fading away.