Damian sprinted toward Travis, his hulking frame moving with an agility that defied his massive size. The ground seemed to quake beneath his feet as the crowd roared in anticipation. Travis dropped into a defensive stance, his muscles coiled like a spring, ready to react. His opponent’s smirk, however, gave him pause.
Mid-run, Damian came to an abrupt halt, his boots skidding against the sand, creating a brief cloud of dust. He spread his arms wide, leaving himself wide open. The gesture was so unexpected that Travis hesitated, his focus momentarily wavering. The crowd erupted into a frenzy, their voices a rising wave of excitement.
“What’s he up to?” Travis muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes.
Damian’s smirk widened, and in an instant, he brought his arms forward with devastating speed. His palms collided with a thunderous clap as he bellowed, “THUNDER CLAP!”
The moment his hands connected, a deafening boom tore through the air. The sheer force of the shockwave blasted toward Travis at an unimaginable speed. The winds howled like a hurricane, carrying the full brunt of Damian’s power. Travis barely had time to brace himself before the invisible force struck him like a freight train.
BOOM!
The impact sent him hurtling backward like a ragdoll, his body slamming into the arena’s stone wall with a sickening crunch. Dust and debris exploded outward, momentarily obscuring him from view. He collapsed face-first onto the ground, the gritty texture of the arena floor grinding against his skin as pain shot through his back.
From the announcers podium, Carlos threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing across the coliseum. “Hahahaha! That’s how you do it, folks! Damian’s world-famous Thunder Clap just sent Travis flying into the wall! Is this the end of the fight?”
The crowd roared in approval, their cheers thunderous as they awaited the referee’s call.
For a moment, Travis didn’t move, his body wracked with pain. He lay there, the coarse sand sticking to his face as he clenched his teeth. But his eyes burned with resolve. Slowly, he began to push himself up, his muscles screaming in protest.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he ignored it. A wry smile crept onto his face as he thought, '' Genuinely speaking, that’s still better than anything I went through in that forest.''
Damian’s laughter faltered as Travis rose to his feet, his silhouette emerging from the settling dust like a specter.
“Oh, he stands! The fight is far from over!” Carlos exclaimed from his podium, the crowd erupting into a mix of disbelief and exhilaration.
Travis locked eyes with Damian, his gaze unwavering. “Your move,” he said under his breath, though the words weren’t meant for anyone else.
Then, without warning, Travis vanished. One moment he was standing still, and the next, he appeared directly in front of Damian, his arm cocked back and ready to strike. The movement was so fast that Damian’s smirk turned into a grimace of confusion just before the punch connected.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
WHAM!
Travis’s fist slammed into Damian’s abdomen with bone-crushing force, the shockwave rippling outward. Damian’s eyes widened, his expression contorted in pain as his massive frame was lifted off the ground and sent flying across the arena like a cannonball.
BOOM!
He crashed into the wall with such force that it crumbled under him, leaving a jagged hole in its wake. The arena trembled from the impact, dust and rubble cascading down. The crowd gasped in shock, their cheers momentarily replaced with stunned silence.
But before Travis could process his victory, the wall behind Damian shimmered with an otherworldly light. The damage repaired itself in an instant, the stones knitting back together as if nothing had happened.
“What the—” Travis muttered, momentarily stunned as he glanced at his fist, the tingling sensation of the impact still fresh.
Then, his lips curled into a grin. “That felt good,” he thought, rolling his shoulders as the crowd erupted into renewed cheers, their excitement reaching a fever pitch.
“Wow! Travis punched the brakes off Damian! This fight is getting better by the second!” Carlos roared into the microphone, the crowd exploding into cheers and shouts of disbelief.
Travis stood still, his chest heaving as he took a deep breath. Amid the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he noticed something else—his pain was fading, his body felt lighter, sharper. The dull ache in his back dissipated, replaced by an electric surge of vitality. He smirked, understanding exactly what was happening.
'' Pain Catalyst,'' he thought. '' This is it. I’m getting stronger.''
On the other side of the arena, Damian rose to his feet, his imposing figure emerging from the rubble like a demon from the depths. Dust clung to his muscular frame, but he wiped it off with a casual swipe of his hand. The smirk that had adorned his face earlier was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating glare.
"Alright, kid," Damian growled, his voice carrying a venomous edge. "Playtime’s over."
The air around him shifted as small arcs of lightning began to crackle across his body. The faint hum of static grew louder, and the crowd gasped as sparks danced around his massive form. Each step forward sent a jolt of power rippling through the ground, the air growing thick with energy.
Before Travis could react, Damian vanished, moving faster than the eye could follow. In a flash, he reappeared directly in front of Travis, his massive hand seizing Travis’s head in a crushing grip and lifting him off the ground.
“You know, kid,” Damian said, his tone mockingly calm as lightning bolts flickered across his arms, “they say lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice. Good thing I’m not lightning.”
Without warning, Damian’s fist slammed into Travis’s gut with brutal force. The punch drove every ounce of air from Travis’s lungs, leaving him gasping silently, his body convulsing in shock. Damian didn’t stop. Punch after punch rained down, each one a hammer blow that rattled Travis’s insides. His vision blurred, and the world around him became a haze of pain and disorientation.
CRACK!
The sickening sound of bone giving way echoed through the arena as Damian tightened his grip on Travis’s skull. With one final squeeze, he tossed Travis to the ground like a broken toy.
Travis hit the sand with a lifeless thud, his body limp and blood seeping from his mouth. He winced, his hands twitching weakly as he struggled to move.
Damian loomed over him, a titan of power and dominance. “You’re not that fast, kid. You’re not even that strong,” he said, his voice cold and dismissive. “In this world, there are people who can kill you before you even think. Threats that could wipe this whole arena out with a single spell.”
He turned his back on Travis, the sparks of lightning around him beginning to fade.
“Go back to your cage and get stronger. Then, maybe you’ll be worth my time.” Without another glance, he walked away, the crowd unsure whether to cheer or remain silent.
Carlos hesitated, wiping sweat from his brow as he raised the microphone.
“Damian has ended the fight! Travis loses!” he announced, though his voice lacked the usual enthusiasm.
---
Travis lay motionless, his breath shallow. His entire body screamed in agony, but amidst the pain, he felt something stir deep within him—a spark, faint but persistent.
'' Fuck, I can''t quit here. I need to get my revenge. I have to kill them. I have to kill them all!!! '' he thought.
His mind raced with flashes of his past—the battles he’d fought, the hardships he’d endured, the promises he’d made to himself. He had survived too much to let it end here.
Suddenly, the faint spark within him erupted into a blaze. His blood burned, and his muscles twitched violently as something inside him awakened. His abilities—Pain Catalyst and Adapt—were working in overdrive, transforming every ounce of pain into raw strength.
'' No, '' he thought, his fingers curling into fists as his body trembled.'' I’m not done yet. I refuse to lose.''
The crowd gasped as Travis’s body began to shift. His aura flared faintly, a visible ripple of energy surrounding him. His injuries started to feel distant, his vision sharpening. Travis clenched his jaw, pushing himself onto his hands and knees. Blood dripped from his mouth, but he didn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop.
From the stands, Damian paused, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the change. The kid wasn’t staying down.
TO BE CONTINUED