Day Two. Aries Host Planet.
The arena was PACKED again. Same energy. Same anticipation. Maybe even more intense.
"WELCOME BACK, GALAXY!" Larry's voice exploded across every speaker. "DAY TWO! THE QUARTERFINALS! EIGHT WARRIORS! FOUR WILL ADVANCE! WHO WILL RISE?! WHO WILL FALL?! LET'S FIND OUT!"
Outer Rim Home
Pietro sat at the kitchen table in casual clothes. Simple shirt. Comfortable pants. No medals. No cape. Just a man eating breakfast with his family.
But he was eating FAST.
"Pietro, slow down," Mary laughed. "The matches don't start for five more minutes."
"Can't miss a second," he said through a mouthful of food. "These kids are incredible."
Juno was already glued to the holographic display. "HURRY UP, DADDY!"
Pietro swallowed his last bite. Stood. Joined them on the couch.
Ready.
Raider Outpost
Pure chaos.
Raiders were SHOVING each other to get better viewing positions.
"MOVE!"
"I WAS HERE FIRST!"
"THE PROJECTION'S STARTING!"
"IS IT JULI'S MATCH FIRST?!"
The holographic display flickered to life.
Every raider went silent. Waiting. Hoping.
Ragnar sat in his usual corner. Hood up. Golden eyes fixed on the screen.
Show me what you've learned, boy.
The Arena
"FIRST MATCH OF THE QUARTERFINALS!" Larry gestured dramatically. "KADE THE FIFTH VERSUS ST. NARA VALERIYER!"
Flashback
Claw Sector. Years ago.
Young Kade stood in the ruins of a village. Smoke rising. Bodies scattered. All Felinari. All the same species.
Tribal disputes. Territory wars. Blood feuds that stretched back generations.
His people killing each other over land. Over pride. Over grudges older than memory.
Kade's small fists clenched.
"I will end this. I will unite the tribes. ALL of them. Under one banner. One leader."
His father's voice echoed in his memory. "That's impossible, boy. No one has EVER united the Felinari tribes."
"Then I'll be the first."
To achieve that dream, he needed power. Unfathomable power. Power beyond imagination.
Power to surpass legends. To surpass warriors like Sparta. Like Ragnar.
An impossible dream.
But he would achieve it.
Or die trying.
Present. The Arena.
Nara stood opposite Kade. Her crossbow ready. Her red eyes focused but... soft.
She smiled. "Any friend of my future husband is a friend of mine. Let us have an honorable match, yes?"
Kade's tail swished. "Your delusions aside, I agree. Let's make this good."
The horn rang.
MATCH BEGIN.
Nara's Resonance aura FLARED. Red and black. It coated her crossbow. Her arms. Her eyes.
She FIRED.
Not one bolt. Not two.
A BARRAGE.
Her enhanced firing rate was insane. The bolts came like rain. Like a storm.
Kade MOVED.
He ducked. Rolled. His yellow aura coating his legs. Enhancing speed. Reflexes.
A bolt grazed his shoulder. Blood. He didn't slow.
Another caught his thigh. Shallow. He kept moving.
He closed the distance. Twenty meters. Fifteen. Ten.
Nara switched to scatter shot. Wide spread. Harder to dodge.
Kade's aura concentrated in his fist. He PUNCHED forward.
The shockwave deflected most bolts. One got through. Hit his side.
But he was THERE.
His fist connected with Nara's jaw.
CRACK.
She flew backward. Hit the ground. Rolled.
The crowd ROARED.
"YES!"
"THE BEAST IS COOKING!"
VIP Box
Sparta STOOD. His massive bear form tense with excitement. "YES! THE YOUNG WARRIOR STRIKES TRUE!"
Goldberg was on his feet too. All three arms pumping. "THAT'S PASSION! THAT'S FIRE!"
The Arena
Kade didn't stop. Couldn't stop. His body moved on instinct. Like a predator. Like something feral and unstoppable.
He pounced. Claws extended.
Nara blocked with her crossbow. The claws scraped metal. Sparks flew.
Kade's other hand came around. She ducked. His leg swept. She jumped.
They exchanged blows. Fast. Brutal. Neither giving ground.
Nara was in FULL defense mode. Using her crossbow like a staff. Blocking. Parrying. Redirecting his massive strikes.
Any one of those hits would knock her out. She knew it. He knew it.
She had to be perfect. He just had to be lucky once.
Then she saw an opening.
She dropped low. Wrapped her legs around his. Grappling.
Kade went down. She was on him immediately. Arm bar. Trying to hyperextend his elbow.
Kade ROARED. His muscles bulged. He POWERED through. Lifted her entire body weight with one arm. Slammed her into the ground.
She switched. Went for a triangle choke. Legs around his neck.
He stood. Her entire body hanging from his neck. Cutting off blood flow.
He slammed her again. And again. AND AGAIN.
She held on. Desperate. This was her only chance.
Kade's vision started to blur. Oxygen depleting.
No. NO. I can't lose here. Not when I'm so close.
My dream. My IMPOSSIBLE dream.
To unite the tribes. To end the bloodshed. To become the greatest Felinari warrior in HISTORY.
To surpass Sparta. To surpass Ragnar. To surpass LEGENDS.
His yellow aura EXPLODED.
Not just around body parts. EVERYWHERE. His entire form glowing like a sun.
Pure power. Pure will. Pure REFUSAL to quit.
He grabbed her legs. RIPPED them apart. Breaking the choke.
Nara gasped. Her strategy shattered.
She fired. Point-blank. The bolt hit his chest. Buried deep.
Kade didn't even flinch.
His fists came down. Body shots. One. Two. Three. Four. FIVE.
Each one enhanced by Resonance. Each one devastating.
Nara's ribs cracked. Her vision blurred. Blood filled her mouth.
Then his claws. Glowing yellow. Enhanced to their maximum.
They came down in a diagonal slash. Across her chest. Not lethal. But final.
Nara's body convulsed. Her tracker beeped. Critical damage.
But she didn't fall.
...
Flashback.
A church. Beautiful. Peaceful.
Young Nara. Orphaned. Alone.
An old priest took her in. Kind eyes. Gentle hands.
"You are safe here, child. You are loved."
Years of helping others. Feeding the hungry. Clothing the poor. Finding homes for the lost.
The priest on his deathbed.
"Nara... my dear girl... promise me..."
"Anything, Father."
"Find happiness. Find love. Bring home a good man. A kind man. Let him see the beautiful soul you've become."
She'd laughed through tears. "That's a silly promise, Father."
"Perhaps. But humor an old man."
"I promise."
He was everything to her. The only family she'd ever known.
And she'd keep that promise. No matter what.
Present.
Nara stood. Barely. Blood streaming from multiple wounds. Her crossbow fallen. Her body broken.
But STANDING.
Defiant.
"I... vill not... fall..."
The crowd went WILD.
"LOOK AT HER!"
"SHE'S STILL STANDING!"
Goldberg was SCREAMING. "THAT'S A WARRIOR! THAT'S HEART!"
Kade's golden eyes widened. Respect. Genuine respect.
But this had to end.
He ran. Full speed. His yellow aura blazing.
Nara raised her guard. One last defense.
Kade jumped.
His leg came around in a perfect arc. A spinning roundhouse kick.
The technique was TEXTBOOK. The form PERFECT.
It was Juli's move. His trademark. His signature.
The kick connected with Nara's temple.
Her eyes rolled back. Her body went limp.
She fell.
WINNER: KADE THE FIFTH.
Fighter Viewing Area
Juli watched. His face neutral. Unreadable.
His friend had just used his move. His technique. Stolen it. Made it his own.
But Juli wasn't angry. Wasn't jealous.
He was too focused. Too locked in. Too deep in the zone to care about anything except his own path forward.
VIP Box
Sparta was ROARING. Actually roaring. His bear voice echoing across the arena. "THE FELINARI TRIUMPHS! GLORIOUS! MAGNIFICENT!"
Fang was grinning. "Pops, your boy just used the Weiper kid's signature move."
"BORROWED WITH HONOR!" Sparta bellowed. "AS WARRIORS DO!"
Raider Outpost
Ragnar leaned back. A slow smile spreading beneath his hood.
Impressive. Very impressive. The cat has potential.
But the blonde boy is still the one to watch.
The arena erupted with applause. Medical personnel rushed to Nara. She was alive. Battered but alive.
Kade stood in the center. Breathing hard. Blood streaming from his wounds. But victorious.
He looked up at the VIP box. At Sparta. His captain. His leader.
And Sparta nodded. Pride unmistakable.
One step closer to the dream.
One step closer to the impossible.
The quarterfinals had begun.
And the best was yet to come.