Extra's Ascent

SMASH!!!

The impact was deafening.

Eric's body burst through the solid stone wall, fragments exploding outward in a violent display of brute force. He hurtled backwards, crashing to the corridor floor with a dull thud, the breath forcibly torn from his lungs. Blood spattered across the marble tiles as he rolled to a stop, groaning under the pain and shock.

From the newly formed hole in the wall, a towering figure emerged.

"You're tougher than you look, I'll give you that," Hector remarked with a smirk, stepping through the crumbling gap. His broad frame didn't fit neatly through the wreckage, so he widened it further, kicking at the fractured stone until the jagged edges gave way, allowing his bulk to pass.

Eric stirred. Bones groaning in protest, he pushed himself upright, brushing off rubble and blood as though the assault had been nothing more than a scratch. The agony was real, but so was the adrenaline now flooding his system, numbing the pain. He leaned forward, casting a glance through the gaping breach in the wall, searching for any sign of Ramprandt and Marvelous.

They weren't in view.

A bitter knot coiled in his chest. How could he have let this happen? How could he have allowed himself to be separated from the very people he had sworn to protect?

It was a grievous misstep. A lapse he couldn't afford.

But could he really be blamed?

Speed. Power. Endurance. When listing those qualities, Hector appeared to outmatch him in every category. And the man didn't hesitate to apply that advantage, leveraging it with a precision that had sent Eric flying without a moment's warning.

It wasn't just raw strength, it was calculated dominance.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?" Hector said, reading Eric's sidelong gaze like an open book. "Don't be."

He took a few steps forward, slow and deliberate, his expression relaxed, almost amused.

"Your employer and that pretty woman with him, they'll be just fine. I'm not here to hurt them, not now at the very least." His voice carried an odd sincerity, but no evidence. He added, "I take pride in my craft. And part of that? Is finishing the strongest one first. The rest are just... warm-downs."

Eric's heart skipped. Was he saying... he was the priority target? Over Ramprandt and Marvelous?

To be deemed the most dangerous in the room, more vital than two of the world's most powerful billionaires, would've been flattering had it not been in the context of death. Being first in line... wasn't exactly a reward.

And the casual confidence Hector exuded, was it arrogance or simply the calm of someone who knew he had the upper hand?

"So," Hector continued, eyes gleaming with anticipation, "how about it, Mister Silver-Haired Bodyguard? Forget everything else and focus. Just you and me now. Give me a fight worth remembering."

His grin widened. "One more thing, let's make this interesting. No interruptions. If you somehow pull off a win, I'll let them all go, no questions asked. We'll pretend none of this ever happened."

Was he serious?

To place the outcome of everything, his mission, their safety, on the result of a single clash? That level of self-assuredness was... unhinged. How far did Hector's belief in his own superiority stretch?

"And now you have even more reason to go all in, don't you?" Hector pressed. "Win, and you save everyone. Lose, and... well, let's not think about that yet."

Eric couldn't help himself, he laughed.

It wasn't loud, but it was there. A quiet snicker, escaping despite his efforts to suppress it. Not out of mockery, but disbelief.

So this was what Hector wanted? An all-out mystic duel?

Fine. If that's what he desired, that's what he'd get.

Without the welfare of others on his conscience, Eric felt lighter. Sharper. Unshackled. For once, the burden of protection didn't cloud his judgment. It was just a fight now. Nothing else.

This wasn't about trust. Not for him. Hector might be comfortable tossing his life on the line, playing with stakes like a gambler at a table, but Eric had no such luxury. He wasn't going to die. Not here. Not today.

Electricity coiled around his form, sparks of light zigzagging across his limbs as if the storm itself had chosen him as its vessel.

Then he moved.

In a blur of motion, a streak of crackling power surged forward, charging straight at his opponent. His footfalls were thunderclaps, his breath steady, his focus absolute.

But Hector was ready.

In an instant, walls of ice erupted into being, slamming down before Eric like divine obstructions. The frozen barriers shot up one after another, their edges gleaming, their surfaces slick with frost but it didn't slow Eric down, not one bit.

He ducked. Pivoted. Burst through gaps before they could seal. Lightning danced at his heels, propelling him forward with blinding speed.

"Yes! That's it!" Hector whooped, his voice filled with childlike joy. "Now that's the energy I'm talking about!"

And then, Eric was there.

Face to face.

Fist raised, gleaming with raw voltage. He brought it down like a hammer from the heavens, aimed squarely at Hector's chest.

Hector vanished.

"Not so fast!" he teased, sidestepping at the last second.

Eric's strike landed where Hector had been a heartbeat before. The result was devastation. The floor shattered, veins of cracks splintering outward from the impact. The tiles crumbled and then the ground gave way entirely.

He plunged downward.

Dust filled the air as Eric descended into the lower level of the compound. Seconds later, Hector followed, leaping through the hole with effortless grace.

He landed without a sound.

"That was raw, no doubt. But is that all your seriousness amounts to?" Hector asked, disappointment flickering behind his voice. "Because if it is... that's just pathetic. I need more than this."

Then, without warning, he raised his arms.

The air chilled.

From the depths of the corridor, a twisting cyclone of ice sprang to life. A swirling tempest of razor-sharp shards tore through the hallway, whistling with violent intent. Glass-like fragments flew in every direction, glinting like daggers under the pale lights. The ice tornado howled, its scream echoing off the walls.

They aimed to impale Eric in their wholesome.