Apocalypse Baby

Alex stood at the ready.His eyes, glowing faintly as his ocular abilities were active, locked onto the figure ahead.

Tharnok stretched his neck with a casual crack, then crouched low like a predator about to pounce.Then he attacked.

Tharnok blurred into motion, faster than a lightning bolt, crossing the arena in an instant.

But this time, Alex saw it.

Omni Gaze tracked Tharnok's motion—and he reacted.He ducked the first strike, Tharnok's fist whistling inches over his head and obliterating the ground behind him. Stone exploded in a spray of shrapnel.

Then Alex countered, launching a kick that pushed Tharnok off the platform.His aim?

To get him to fall.

But to his surprise, Tharnok floated instead.

The Vorakan could fly.Seriously...

Alex frowned.

That takes [Aerovale] out of the equation.

Tharnok attacked again, but Alex rolled to the side.Then another fist followed, and Alex leapt backward, skidding across the floor. The sheer force of the blow cracked the surface where he'd just been.

Each blow was like a meteor strike.

Tharnok didn't let up.He charged again, swinging with wild power. Blow after blow—but Alex sidestepped, avoiding them all.

The alien crowd began to yell.

"Stay still, coward!""Just let him tear you in half already!"

Alex only focused on dodging, his eyes sharp.

"What's this?" Tharnok said in a disappointed tone. "I thought you had something to dish out, but all you're doing is jumping like a monkey."

Alex didn't react. The blows kept coming.If he was even a second late, he'd be paste.

Alex spun behind Tharnok—but Tharnok twisted, backhanding.

Alex raised his arm just in time, but the hit landed.

Crack!

Pain flared through Alex's ribs as he was flung back.

But he wanted that hit.

Even through the agony, his hand shot forward—grabbing Tharnok's wrist mid-strike.

And with that contact, Alex did three things:

First, he used Pain Mirror—a cursed sigil flaring, as a faint rune etched itself onto Tharnok's palm.

Second, multiple explosion disks were slapped onto Tharnok's body as he used [Exploding Touch].

Third, with a breath, Alex summoned a pulse of freezing energy from his palm using Cryoforge. Ice crawled instantly up Tharnok's arm, then shoulder, then across his chest, locking him mid-motion in a frozen shell.

Tharnok's body was frozen in place, still mid-swing. His red eyes widened in surprise behind the encased shell.

Alex's boots skidded back from the last impact.He felt the pain from the blow, but he ate it up and palmed both hands together.

Now!

BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!

Back-to-back detonations echoed through the arena like thunderclaps.

The ice holding Tharnok shattered.Chunks of ice flew in every direction.Flames consumed Tharnok.Smoke erupted everywhere.A wave of dust rolled across the floor.

Alex rose to his feet.His eyes scanned the cloud of smoke.

The hopeful part of him told him that had to work.But the rational part of him doubted it—Tharnok was no ordinary foe.

His rational part won.

A shape moved in the haze.

Alex heard a twitch. Then heavy footsteps.Slow. Deliberate.

Tharnok stepped out of the smoke, eyes glowing brighter than before.

Unharmed.

There were scorches on his uniform. Steam hissed from his skin.But not a single drop of blood spilled.

Alex's jaw clenched. "No way…"

The crowd went wild, cheers and roars shaking the arena.

Tharnok just grinned, walking confidently toward Alex.

"That attack wasn't bad," he said, voice low, gravelly. "But it was not good enough."

Alex clicked his teeth. One of his most powerful attacks was eaten up like it was nothing. Sure, the explosion wasn't Amped to the max—but still, he expected Tharnok to have received some damage. Not come out unscathed.

And that's when Alex saw it.

The faint glow beneath Tharnok's skin.

His muscles flexed like coiled metal, veins glowing faintly with blue-white energy.

And then it clicked.

Tharnok's Emi… it's not external. It's internal.

His energy was infused—woven directly into his bones, muscles, and nerves like a living conduit.

This explained why the Vorakan used no weapon.

His body was the weapon.

And that applied to other Vorakans who used their Emi through raw amplification, pushing their bodies past natural limits—Making them creatures designed for combat.

A chill crept down Alex's spine.

Tharnok's grin widened, sensing Alex's unease.

"Don't despair, worm." Tharnok cracked his knuckles, his Emi pulsing like a heartbeat. "You have to give all you got before you give up."

Alex grinned.

"Oh, is that so? Maybe I will give it my all. But I'm afraid you'll die before you get to see everything."

"Trust me, worm. I won't," Tharnok said—and launched forward.

But Alex had already reacted. He could see several steps ahead.

He threw a hand out—spectral daggers ripped free from the air around him, whirling into existence like summoned ghosts. Dozens hovered, each glowing with crimson runes.

Then Alex slashed his arm forward.

The spectral daggers shot through the air—arcing like comets, streaking toward Tharnok in a wide formation.

Tharnok didn't slow as the blades drew in, using his body to receive the attack.

The spectral daggers hit their mark in rapid motion.

BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!

Each blade erupted the instant it touched Tharnok's body, explosions lighting up the arena like a storm of red stars.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Smoke billowed, shrouding the Vorakan in a thick black cloud. The heat rolled in waves, and the shockwaves rattled the metal underfoot.

Alex stood at the ready.

He didn't move.

He was sure this wasn't enough to deal with Tharnok.

And he was right.

Crunch.

A footstep exploded out of the smoke.

A blur of bronze muscle and black steel.

Alex barely had time to react.

He leapt back—

BOOM!

Too late.

Tharnok was already on him, a fist barreling toward his chest.

Alex twisted at the last second, just enough to avoid the full force—but the blow grazed his cheek.

Skin shredded. Blood sprayed.

Alex barely reacted.

He leapt away, creating distance.

Tharnok didn't even pause—and followed.

He was too locked in.

Too focused on the hunt.

So much so, he didn't notice.

A cut on his chin—similar to that of Alex.

Alex's boots skidded along the floor as he slid to a stop, then took a heavy inhale——and exhaled, using [Echo of Annihilation].

A visible ring of distortion shot from his mouth like a shockwave, rippling with pure sonic force twisting the air.

WHOOOOM!