No POV:
'What the hell? How did he... when did he move?' Hayley stared wide-eyed at Drex.
She felt the energy emanating from him. It was... Calm..
Like gentle water moving along the surface of a river.
Weird....
"Uhmm... Sorry about that. I uh... Moved on instinct..."
His voice was smooth. Deep—a little rough but smooth.
Calm too...
His face didn't show any signs of anger or distress. His eyes carried an undisturbed expression of boredom.
Tiredness even.
"I'm kinda surprised myself... Took me a minute to realize I wasn't standing anymore. Hell I can't say I can describe how I got here." Drex slowly stood up, dusting himself.
All Yuri did was smirk and dash forward again aiming to slash Drex across his head.
Upon moving, Drex instantly followed suit, his eyes darting to the side and disappearing into a blur of red; his face still carrying that annoyingly calm expression.
They were both dashing and sprinting all over the place, clashing occasionally and raising dust and debri in the air.
*BIFF*
In the next moment, Yuri was kicked, tumbling across the courtyard before skidding to a stop near a wall.
"Tch.." Yuri gritted his teeth as he stood up.
He had trouble keeping already so the fact that he was already wounded seemed to irritate him.
[So... How do you feel?]
Drex, who heard the question paused and thought.
It felt like there was a well of power somewhere and he was steadily drawing power from it.
Staring at his hands, he clenched his fists; feeling the gentle tremor within him. He could feel his heart racing. His mind sharper and his field of view clearer.
After a while, he answered. "Not too bad..."
[That's a decent start. Although, there's one major problem..]
"Which is?"
[This form sacrifices power for speed. It is a form that specializes on evasion. So you won't be able to hit as hard due to it.]
"Hmm.."
So this was it... The fated drawback when it came to speed.
A part of him knew this, as well. Faster hunters wouldn't be able to deal a lot of damage in a single blow compared to stronger ones.
They were inversely proportional...
An increase in speed led to a decrease in strength and vice versa.
Drex sighed.
Maybe he could finish this fight by showering Yuri with blows, leaving him no room to recover; that way, he would not need to reach the second phase of this form.
Not like he wasn't curious to know...
Before he could finish his train of thought, Hades' voice pulled him back to reality.
[Behind you.]
Almost instantly, he dashed to the side. The area he stood was hit. Two tendrils slithered away from the scene leaving thick marks on the stone.
"Where are you running off to brat?!"
Yuri dashed forward immediately without giving Drex a moment of respite.
"Only good for evasion huh..."
After muttering this, he did just that. Dodging and evading attacks at immense speed leaving nothing more than a few scratches on his body.
His body moved with unnatural precision. Dodging each attack like it was already predetermined.
This angered Yuri as his attacks only grew more viscous.
*BOOM*
*CRACK*
*TRRGH*
There was dust everywhere. Hayley couldn't see both of them at all. Only flashes of red and white before something around exploded.
She clicked her tongue and turned to her leg.
She was focused on healing her wound.
Slowly but surely, her leg started to repair itself, gently twisting back into place.
When she was done she was finally able to stand. Although the pain lingered, it was at least better than staying crippled.
Concentrating on the fight, she couldn't help but feel.... Relieved?
Again?
That feeling lingered. For some reason, she once again felt everything would be alright as she saw Drex fighting.
'Tch... Just don't die noob...'
The noob though, didn't seem to have any problems so far. He was doing surprisingly well. Hades herself noted this...
Dodge, deflect, run.
That was the pattern in which they fought. Drex was seemingly at a disadvantage because he couldn't do much damage to Yuri.
Yuri, on the other hand was slowly filling with rage as the annoyance of not being able to catch Drex was palpable.
"Rahh!!" Having enough, he punched the ground sending cracks and uprooting the stones on the floor.
"—!!" Drex stumbled and fell. Rolling towards Yuri who was charging a blow. He had destroyed a part of the ground thereby making the running surface unstable.
**BOOM**
Yuri's punch crashed into Drex sending him flying back. With a follow up, Yuri leapt in the air planning to bash Drex's head in.
By the time Drex finally tumbled to a stop, he looked up and saw the image of Yuri crashing down on him.
[What are you doing?!! Move!]
"Ugh..." With a groan, he rolled out of the way barely escaping being flattened.
Yuri crashed into the stone floor creating a massive crater in it.
"That... That was close..." Before Drex could finish, his eyes widened. He felt something odd.
[You're almost fully saturated through the first phase we're about to enter the second phase. Ready?]
Yuri dashed and slammed into them. The dust filled the area and it went silent.
"Shit!" Hayley was about to run to the scene when she abruptly stopped.
"Wha..?"
After the dust cleared, Drex and Yuri were locked in a grapple. But something seemed... Different.
Drex's body was emitting a darker red hue, his mouth, bearing a grin, was filled with jagged teeth with his lips almost failing to keep them in his mouth.
And his eyes....
Though still yellow, was wide with a hint of... Happiness?
That can't be right...
Excitement... It was excitement.
Drex pulled both their hands down and slammed his knee straight into Yuri's face sending him back.
"Yes!! That's what I'm talking about! This is so much better!!"
When Drex said this, it didn't sound like him... His voice was still deep but it contained a certain energy. Something that Hayley wasn't used to.
"Heh.." Drex rushed forward and punched Yuri sending him flying further back.
He dashed and appeared behind him before delivering an uppercut sending Yuri in the air.
Drex jumped, grabbing Yuri's leg and slamming him on the ground.
Yuri spat out a lot of blood as he felt multiple bones in his body breaking.
Slowly standing up, he snarled.
"You've really done it this time brat..."
~~~~~
The temple was coming apart.
Stone cracked overhead, dust falling in thin veils as the structure groaned like it had reached its limit. Pieces of the ceiling dropped one after another, smashing against the floor as the air thickened with grit and tension.
At the center of it all stood Nightmare.
Jax raised his gun first.
**BANG**
The shot echoed sharply. The bullet tore through Nightmare's side, briefly breaking his form apart before it pulled itself back together.
"Yeah… figured it wouldn't be that easy," Jax muttered, stepping sideways as the ground cracked beneath his boots.
Vax didn't wait.
He rushed forward, sword low, then swung upward in a clean, controlled strike. The blade cut through the devil, disrupting his form again,this time longer, forcing him to recoil.
"No time to exchange pleasantries I see..."
Nightmare reacted instantly.
Dashing through the rubble, he cocked his arm back, ready to strike.
Jax fired again, knocking the devil just off his path. The strike missed Vax by inches and slammed into a pillar instead, sending chunks of stone crashing down.
Vax was already moving.
The two of them fell into rhythm.
Jax kept his distance, firing in steady bursts. Each shot timed to interrupt Nightmare's movements. Vax stayed close, pressing forward, using every opening to strike.
However, Nightmare adapted quickly.
His attacks came faster now, more aggressive. Punches flying through the air, forcing Vax to block and step back. One hit his shoulder, spinning him slightly off balance.
He recovered, tightening his grip on the sword.
Another series of shots rang out. This time, they hit closer to the center of Nightmare's body.
Nightmare surged forward in response, as if trying to overwhelm them before they could act. The floor beneath them split wider, forcing both fighters to adjust their footing as the temple began to collapse faster.
Jax steadied himself against a broken pillar, aiming carefully now.
"Go!" he yelled.
Vax sprinted straight ahead.
The distance closed fast. Nightmare lashed out again, but Jax's shots kept disrupting its timing, creating just enough space.
Vax stepped in.
One precise strike.
But soon, everything changed.
Crouching lower, his energy surged.
"Enough of this games.. "
Then.
**BOOM**
~~~~~
Back at the courtyard, Drex and Yuri were still exchanging blows with Drex gaining the upper hand.
Yuri was battered. His bones were broken leaving him no room to regenerate.
[You're doing fairly well using the second stage...]
"Of course!!"
**BIFF**
Drex kicked Yuri in his neck.
Although Yuri was fast enough to block, he still took damage.
Yuri was appalled. How was he getting beaten by someone he didn't even consider as equal to himself?
He was getting bullied. His pride would never allow him to accept this.
Never!!
"Tch..." With a growl, Yuri bit.
His teeth sinking deep into Drex's leg.
Silence....
"Hey.... That's a cheap move" In a low growl, Drex spoke.
He hit Yuri in his face.
"C'mon, let's keep going."
He hit again.
"Let's. Keep. Going!"
Each word earned a hit to his face. By the time Drex hit the last time, Yuri finally let go, swallowing the little bit of flesh in his mouth.
The next instant, his wounds started to heal. His broken bones twisted back into place. And his tendrils...
His tendrils recovered.
However, something was odd.
The tips of the tendrils were now glowing in a faint red hue.
Then, one lashed out towards Drex who was fast enough to block—bringing his arms in front of him.
But the tendril tore through his skin, lodging itself in its flesh. Drex was surprised as this hasn't happened since he entered his second stage.
"Interesting..." He cut the tendril away from him.
"Hmm—?"
The tip that was still in his flesh started to glow.
Then...
**BOOM**
His wrist was blown off.
"I see.... You've evolved..." Staring at his hand that was already starting to regenerate, Drex muttered.
[Drex, be careful...]
**BOOM**
Another explosion was heard. This time from the temple.
Everyone turned to the direction of the blast and when they did, Drex's eyes widened.
He saw him...
Covered in the blood of his victims, Nightmare walked forward.
The source of his trauma was standing right there....
"Look out!!"
Drex could barely hear Hayley's voice as he was whipped by a tendril, slamming him into the wall.
"Drex, stand clear. We'll take it from here..." Hayley ran to the collapsed wall trying to help him get out.
"—??"
But when she reached, something felt different. The usual energy was gone. Replaced by something else...
Something murderous...
Then, she heard a growl. In the darkeness, she could see a glow. A pair of cyan colors emerging from the darkness.
**BOOM**
The whole wall collapsed as Drex stepped forward— dragging himself back to the battlefield...
Exhaling, he growled...
"Wilt—ing... Break—ing.... Dy—ing..."