Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"Alright, this is it. Aster, find a place to hide and keep the glass ball safe. The rest of us will head out to attack the other teams. Kill them if necessary, your priority is your own survival," Remarked Jules.

"Yes, I agree. We are up against individuals from different worlds, we do not know what they are capable of. We could easily end up dead if we do not take this seriously, so we cannot afford to hold back," Nodded Wistari in agreement.

"I'll keep it nice and simple. In short, I'll kill anyone who tries to kill me and spare anyone who doesn't try to kill me, I think that's a fair way to approach this," Declared Kora, cracking her knuckles.

"Hold on, why don't we play it safe? Let's all hide and lay low while the other teams fight it out and wear each other down. That should improve our chances. And if it doesn't work, we can simply adapt and adjust accordingly," Suggested Aster thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that tactic has worked well in those training exercises we conduct, so I'm on-board with that. This is a hell of a lot more high stakes than those training exercises ever were, so it'd probably be for the best if we err on the side of caution and play it safe," Agreed Raven in response.

"Hm...yes, I think that may be our best option, it lowers our risk while improving our chances of success, I see no reason to oppose the idea. Alright, then, let's look for a place to hide. We'll-...," Began Jules, before trailing off as Raven's nose suddenly twitched, his ears perking up as his gaze snapped across to the left.

"What's wrong?" Frowned Wistari warily.

"Something's coming, and it's coming fast! It must be someone from one of the other teams! Get out of here, I'll keep them busy! Go!" Exclaimed Raven, narrowing his eyes in that direction.

"Alright, then...good luck, come find us once you're done. And if you're in any real danger, surrender without hesitation," Responded Jules, before nodding at the others.

As they began to leave, Raven tensed as the presence he sensed came into sight, a rapid blur shooting out through the trees and coming to a halt a few meters ahead of Raven, hovering in the air.

It was a man, with medium-length blonde hair nearly slicked to the left, blue eyes, a fair complexion, and he was on the taller side, with a strong, muscular build.

He was wearing a red spandex suit with a black logo across the middle of his chest, with a flowing red cape.

"How noble, to buy time for your comrades to escape, I commend you, young man. But it'll be futile, I'm afraid. I'd tell you to surrender, but that's against the rules, so...I'll knock you out real quick, it'll be over before you know it."

"That so? Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that easy," Responded Raven, transforming as he unleashed his full Homunculus form.

"Wow...that looks pretty cool. But cool doesn't equal strong, and I'm not one to judge a book by its-...," He began, before his eyes widened as Raven shot forward with immense speed, drawing his right arm back as he closed in on his opponent.

Lightning cracked around his fist intensely, the man quickly crossing his arms in front of himself defensively, grunting as Raven's fist slammed onto his arms and sent him flying back through the air, before he suddenly canceled out the momentum and came to a halt, a slight grimace on his face.

He quickly veered across to the left through the air as Raven snapped open his jaws and unleashed a devastating sonic screech, his opponent narrowly evading the attack before flying in towards Raven rapidly.

He unfurled a powerful thrust of his arm as he closed in, driving his fist towards the side of Raven's head, who narrowly ducked under it.

As his opponent's fist whizzed past the top of his head, Raven swung his fist up towards his opponent's chin, as the man simultaneously drove his knee up with immense force.

Raven's fist slammed against his chin right as his knee collided into Raven's stomach, the pair knocking each other back. Raven keeled over slightly, before spreading out his wings and flying up to get some distance as he tried to catch his breath.

His opponent shook his head, a dazed look in his eyes as he rubbed his chin, before quickly scrambling out of the way as Raven fired out a pair of rapid beams down towards him, a couple of charred spots appearing on the ground as his opponent evaded the attack.

"Hah, not bad, you're much stronger than I gave you credit for. I am known as Paragon, and I'm a superhero in my world, one of the best around," He introduced himself.

"Raven Kyzer, I'm a Captain of the Knight Order in my world," Responded Raven, before cracking his knuckles.

"Huh, not what I'd imagine a Knight to look like, I always pictured full-body metal armor and swords. Well, that's enough pleasantries...let's continue," Replied Paragon, before he shot up towards Raven with immense speed.

He quickly swerved across as Raven fired out a blazing wave of purple flames, evading the attack before zipping in towards Raven's right.

Raven flew back as Paragon closed in on him and swung his fist across, just barely evading the strike before sending his tail shooting out towards his opponent.

Paragon swiftly knocked Raven's tail away by striking it with the back of his hand, before lunging through the air towards Raven.

Raven folded his wings in and let himself plummet slightly as Paragon closed in on him, his opponent's eyes widening as Raven dropped down below him, coming to a stop as he sharply spread out his wings, before unleashing a roaring blast of flames straight up at Paragon.

Paragon tried to fly out of the way as fast as he could, a stifled hiss of pain ringing out as the flames struck his legs, burning his spandex, which bubbled slightly and stuck to his skin, before he swooped down with immense speed.

Raven quickly crossed his arms defensively as Paragon closed in on him and drove his right fist down with immense speed, slamming against Raven's arms with crushing force, sending Raven hurtling back down towards the ground.

A deafening crash rang out as Raven slammed onto the ground with a devastating impact, the ground sinking in as a crater formed around him, deep cracks spreading out across the dirt.

"Ow...," Muttered Raven as he sat up with a grimace, healing himself before coughing slightly, a thick cloud of dust rising up around him as he got back onto his feet.

A loud smack then echoed out, triggering a burst of wind that blew away the dust, as Paragon slapped his palms together.

"You're still standing after that, huh? Looks like I'll need to land several hits in quick succession to knock you out, you're pretty tough," Remarked Paragon, before he shot down towards Raven.

He suddenly came to an abrupt halt as Raven burst out a thick cloud of mist from his mouth, which billowed and spread out across the area.

Paragon flew up higher into the air, getting away from Raven's poison mist...while he had no way of knowing exactly what it was, he knew it couldn't be anything good.

"You're pretty strong. There aren't a lot of people in my world who can keep up with me, even in my current form," Remarked Raven, as he cracked his neck with a tilt of his head.

"Huh? Current form? Don't tell me you-...," Began Paragon, before trailing off as Raven zipped up towards him with a powerful flap of his wings.

As Raven began to close in on his opponent, he suddenly unleashed a powerful, pressurized burst of purple flames from his feet, launching himself ahead with a sharp, sudden spike in speed, a gasping wheeze ringing out as Raven slammed his fist against Paragon's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying back.

Raven rapidly chased after him, unleashing another burst of flames from his feet to boost his speed, before Paragon suddenly twisting his body across as Raven began to close in on him, whipping his heel towards Raven's side.

Raven quickly raised his left arm up defensively, his opponent's shin slamming against his forearm and sending him hurtling across to his right, before he fired out a sharp burst of flames from his right hand to cancel out the momentum, bringing himself to a halt.

"Seems we're about evenly matched. You're strong, no question there," Remarked Paragon, letting out a slow exhale.

"Yeah, you're pretty tough yourself. Looks like I don't have the luxury of holding back," Responded Raven as a dark look appeared in his eyes, his opponent tensing slightly as he met his gaze...