Axel watched as Darren groaned like he was in pain, then he lunged at the fire-breather who tried to engage fire at him. The fire-breather exhaled fire at Darren. Darren, with immense strength, grabbed the sidekick by the throat and slammed him into the ground with a loud grunt and spiderwebbing cracks of soil appearing smoothly.
The fire-breather choked as the air was gushed out of him before he became unconscious, his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"You despicable lowlife!" Demi snarled, seeing his comrade on the ground and regretting having ganged up on him. He was no longer wishing he had focused on the test.
Axel, sensing the distraction, executed a swift jab to Demi's nose before a brutal one-two that had Demi staggering back in a daze. As he staggered back, his swollen eye glaring venom, his voice hoarse but defiant.
"You're not meant to be here!" He screamed. "You animal! You're meant to be killed, paving the way for people like me to succeed."
"And yet," Axel replied. "You're losing....badly. I'm also not awakened."
"Die!" Demi bellowed, his voice echoing across the clearing. His body trembled, his breath coiled, his fist clenched; his rage boiled over.
Axel's eyes narrowed. He thought about finally using his sword, but he changed his mind. His fists were enough. He stepped forward, waiting for Demi to attack, and attack he did.
Demi lunged, throwing a wild punch, but Axel slipped past it with fluid precision.
Then Axel struck.
His fist slammed into Demis's jaw with a crack that echoed like thunder. The force lifted Demi off his feet, his head snapping back violently. Blood sprayed from his mouth, his scream cut short as his body twisted in the air.
Axel didn't stop, he followed with a second punch, driving into demis ribs, the impact folding him like paper. The sound of bone giving way reverberated through the clearing.
Derek's eyes rolled back, his face twisted in disbelief. He tried to speak, his lip trembling, but only blood and broken breath escaped. Axel's final strike was a brutally uppercu, his fist crashing into Demi's chin with such force that the man's body lifted and spun unconsciously before crashing down in an ungainly heap.
Nearby, Darren roared, his berserk form towering, veins bulging, eyes glowing with primal fury. The frog-like beast croaked in defiance, its massive body lurching forward, but Darren met it head-on.
He seized the creature by its slimy torso, muscle straining, and with a guttural roar, he lifted it high in the air.
The frog thrashed, its limbs flailing, but Darren smashed it on the ground with brute force. The ground cracked beneath the impact, dust exploding outward, and the frog screamed, its voice broken, but Darren was relentless.
Darren mounted the beast, fist raised, and began to hammer blow after blow. Each strike was brutal, his fists creating flesh tears, bone breaks while the frog croaks grew weaker and weaker until the frog gradually lost consciousness.
Axel stared as Darren got down from the body, growling as he stared at his handiwork before he slowly turned his head to where Axel stood. He got down from the fallen frog and began to advance on Axel.
Axel immediately raised both hands. "Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, buddy! I'm on your side!"
Darren stopped for a moment, growing as he held his head in his hands, before steam suddenly evaporated from his body and his muscles decreased rapidly until he was in his original state. His black pupils returned, and he blinked before sinking to one knee and vomiting blood onto the soil.
"Hey, are you okay," Axel asked, gazing at the kneeling figure.
"Yeah," Darren replied, wiping blood from his mouth. "Thanks for helping me."
Not really." Axel replied. "You knocked out two of your attackers."
Darren got up." Doesn't matter. Name's Darren. "
"Axel."
The surroundings after the short battle were in chaos. Axel looked at his surroundings and then decided to leave.
"I need to go." He told Darren. "Maybe I'll see you after the test. If we pass, that is."
Darren nodded in agreement. "Sure."
Axel immediately took off into the trees, his main focus was now on the beasts. No more distractions, no more being a hero. People could die for all he cared. And now he had to hurry. Only thirty minutes remained.
------
"Interesting." The old man said, as he surveyed Axel through the huge crystal ball on a pedestal, the visual was clear enough to see him running.
In a huge room, about fifty pedestals were lined with crystal balls, and Scarragos soldiers were each on one and monitoring it as it projected the test. The participants were either fighting the beasts or getting killed.
The old man, Keala, and Hacquel were watching one, and that one had just finished. It was Axel and Darren facing their attackers again.
"Didn't you say he didn't awaken?" The old man asked Hacquel.
"Exactly right, sir," Hacquel replied. "I could not sense him or see the tattoo on him. He hasn't awakened."
"Then how did he defeat Awakeners?" Keala asked, her voice icy as she stared at the monitor. "That's impossible. The animal should have died since."
"He was definitely trained in martial arts." The old man spoke. "That was not the Zenith martial arts I know of. It was something.....different. More effective. Who is he?"
Hacquel recited from the tablet immediately. "His name is Axel Dexerous. Seventeen years old. The youngest of seven siblings. Rejected from the other clans as his talent was abysmal and he failed to awaken. Sent here in disgrace."
"The Dexerous family." The old man murmured. "That family is deadly and one of the greatest warrior families in the kingdom. Sending him in disgrace is expected. They detest failure at wilm get rid of the weak link immediately. As expected of his father. But I can't believe they've developed a martial art without the kingdom knowing. That was unexpected. "
"Then how was he unconscious before the test started?" Keala asked.
"Maybe he got ambushed!" Hacquel replied. "From the way he just dominated, that's exactly what I think it is."
"Good." The old man grinned. "I can't wait to see more of our prospects this year. This will be fun."