Hakuna snarls, his voice a low, terrifying growl that sends shivers down the spines of everyone present. "You're dead..."
Merca, despite his newfound, grotesque strength, suddenly jumps back, a look of pure, unadulterated terror on his face. The very air around Hakuna feels heavy, suffocating, and terrifyingly cold.
A Frightful Glimpse
...In the Underworld...
Sparta ponders, his hands clasped behind his back as he watches the scene unfold from a distance. "Hmm, so this is the full extent of his power. Tell me, my lord, is he ready?"
Arkhagos, the lord of the underworld, replies, his voice a deep, resonant rumble. "No, he must be able to use Psycha's power in a way akin to second nature. When his mastery of this power is at its peak, we can finally move in and kill both of them. As long as he is still new to it, killing him will only reincarnate Psycha. She must be destroyed..."
Sparta concludes, a chilling calm in his voice. "Hmm, understood. Perhaps Merca is getting the fight he deserves..."
Arkhagos then thinks to himself, a hint of something akin to awe in his mind. "He sure is. This is the highest display of your power I've seen. If you were hiding this, who knows what's in store for our final battle?"
The Unrelenting Assault
...Back in Fight Club...
Merca thinks to himself, a wave of panic crashing over him. "What's this? This power, it's unreal!?" He can feel his demonic energy screaming at him to run, to flee from the pure, unbridled rage that radiated from the prince.
Hakuna walks slowly towards Merca, each step a deliberate, methodical march of inevitable doom. Merca, desperate to create some distance, attempts to punch him but...
Before he knows it, Merca's arm is destroyed, vaporized into nothingness in a flash of red light. Merca stammers, his eyes wide with disbelief and pain. "What the... how...?!"
Hakuna appears in front of Merca, a look of cold fury on his face. Both his fists are covered in a raging, red fire. He roars, a primal sound of pure vengeance. "Inferno, Fists of Fury!"
Hakuna sends a barrage of punches onto Merca's body so fast that the impacts take form after a full second, a series of delayed booms echoing through the stands as Merca's body is pulverized.
"This is true Vengeance..." Super comments in awe, his voice a low, reverent whisper.
Before Merca could even fall over, Hakuna prepares to punch him to the ground. He leaps over Merca, cocks a punch, and... "Kihimurra, Fist of Inferno!"
Hakuna smashes Merca in the ground, the impact sending everyone back. Merca quickly grabs Hakuna's arm, but Hakuna already resorted to kicking him in the face. Merca thinks to himself, "This kid, he's not giving me any chance to retaliate. I have to put some distance between us, and fast..."
Merca throws Hakuna away from him, but it makes no difference. Within a split second, Hakuna ran back towards Merca and started throwing punch after punch after punch, a dizzying, unending storm of blows. He finally grabs Merca by his face and smashes him in the wall at the arena, and with his hand still placed on Merca's face as silence envelops the tournament, Hakuna says, his voice a cold, terrifying whisper. "Word of advice... Never come back from hell ever again..."
Psycha thinks to herself, witnessing the dark side of Hakuna's strength, "It seems, I can't stop him..."
"Kihimurra..."
Hakuna blasts Merca into oblivion, leaving nothing but a scorch on the wall in the shape of Merca. The dust of the explosion fills the air, leaving no doubt as to the demon's fate.
Power and Reprimand
...In the Underworld...
Sparta chimes in, "Hm, it seems as though Merca has been defeated..."
"Yes, it seems so..." Arkhagos responds, his voice carrying an air of inevitability.
"I'm beginning to wonder, are you certain he hasn't reached his true potential yet?" Sparta questions, a hint of doubt present in his visage.
"Do not be deterred by this sudden occurrence. The boy was only able to access this power through a fit of rage, nothing more. He must be able to use this new power without letting his emotions get in the way. Only then would we know that he has reached his peak. As of right now, he will not be able to access it again, unless in dire situations or, the loss of a loved one..." the demon lord deliberates.
"I see, however, like all good things, my patience does have an end..." Sparta speaks flatly, his voice pushing the boundaries of his subordinate role.
Arkhagos shifts his tone, darker now, emanating a feeling of inevitability. "Where do you get this sudden sense of authority over me? Do you consider yourself a higher lifeform?"
"No, my liege, I would never..." Sparta stammers, now seeing his out-of-turn speech as a grave mistake.
Arkhagos then reprimands, "Remember your place. Do not think we are equals, ever..."
"Yes, my lord..." Sparta sighs, grateful at being spared by Arkhagos.
A Quiet Moment
...Back at Fight Club...
Hakuna's aura changes, fading from a red, full of rage, back to its calm, clear colour. He stumbles slightly, a wave of exhaustion washing over him. Psycha calls out, her voice filled with concern. "Hakuna, are you there?"
"Yeah, I'm here. What do you want?" The prince responds casually, his voice a bit strained.
Psycha then shouts, her tone a mix of disbelief and annoyance. "You simpleton, you just vaporized Merca, and you think nothing's gonna happen after that?"
"Relax, whatever it is, they come for me, they'll die..." Hakuna says, a hint of exhaustion in his voice.
Super is seen walking towards Hakuna. "What was that?" He questions the power displayed by the prince, a rare hint of bewilderment in his tone.
"I have no idea. He said he's the one who killed my dad, and I snapped..." Hakuna exclaims vaguely, the memory of the conversation still blurry in his mind.
"You're telling me that this insane power was just from you getting mad?" Super voices.
Hakuna responds, "I guess so, yeah, ugh..."
He suddenly feels Lilitha's worry, a palpable wave of anxiety that she had directed at him. She thought Hakuna had chosen a dark path. She immediately runs towards Hakuna and hugs him. "Are you okay?" she asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine... hey, wait, we never officially went on a date, right?" Hakuna immediately changes the subject, a sly grin on his face.
Super then thinks to himself in disbelief, "What in the hell?! Is it really the time or place to be doing this, you dolt?"
"Hmm, no, we haven't, not yet..." the princess replies to Hakuna, a sweet blush on her cheeks.
Super, still thinking to himself, "Am I the only one reading the room here? You just went berserk, you simpleton!"
"Well, I guess it's settled then, tomorrow, we're going out..." Hakuna declares.
"Uh–haha—yeah, okay..." the princess responds, chuckling sweetly, a smile gracing her lips.
"Your timing really is impeccable, Hakuna, really..." Super states sarcastically.
"Thank you..." the prince replies, non-sarcastically.
"Ugh, that was sarcastic, you simpleton..." Super says flatly, a hand on his forehead.
Hakuna used this opportunity to calm Lilitha down. No one else but the both of them knew what was going on. He could sense Lilitha's worry fading away and could see her laugh. He lets out a smile of relief. Hakuna then thinks to himself in response to Super, "I know..."
The atmosphere is pleasant once again, and everyone went home after they saw that The BBC is above all else in power, well, except for Freddie. "I said I'm gonna start training!!" He yells.
Alright, alright, there's no need to be a baby about it, sheesh...
Anyway, since the Fight Club Tournament arc is complete, I guess it's time to go into the next one, oh, and I can tell you, it is insane...
Oh, right, whatever happened to Jacob?
The Last Laugh
...At Jacob's House...
"What the hell?! He said he was gonna beat him, and he messed up my face on him after that! Now everyone is gonna know I sent him there when they see me all fine in school tomorrow. Hakuna is gonna pay!" Jacob says arrogantly, seemingly unharmed.
No, he won't...
Fade out.
End of episode 17.