Chapter 30
Axel finally understood how bad this was when the system flashed a red message in front of his eyes.
[Warning]
[Host is in critical danger]
[Chances of survival: Low]
Running wasn't an option and turning his back on Dane would get him melted in seconds. The only thing he could do now was keep fighting and hope something broke before he did.
[Infernal Slash: 80%]
That meant that he had eight Infernal Slashes left to use. It wasn't much, but it was all he had.
Axel tightened his stance and forced his breathing to steady.
He swung his arm again and a red wave tore forward, fast and wide. Dane jumped back with venom spraying from his mouth at the same time. The slash cut through the alley and slammed into the ground, melting stone, but the venom grazed Axel's leg. Luckily, it didn't bring his HP down. None of Dane's attacks had actually done fatal damage to Axel.
"Too slow," Dane mocked. "You swing like you're already dead."
Axel ignored him and pushed through the burn, sending another Slash forward.
[Infernal Slash: 70%]
The second slash came from lower, aimed at Dane's legs. Dane leaped over it, landing cleanly and spitting again midair. Axel rolled aside and luckily, the venom went straight through the wall behind him.
"You know you're wasting it," he said. "Every move you make just tells me how weak you are."
"Well, if I was truly wasting it, you wouldn't be dodging." Axel barked as he slashed his fingers through the air, sending another one.
[Infernal Slash: 60%]
The third slash was point blank. Axel had fired it with everything he had left in his arm. Dane crossed his forearms and twisted his body, letting the attack skim past him instead of hitting clean.
Axel knew he couldn't keep using the Infernal Slash, especially if he was going to keep missing. He rushed in and threw a punch aimed straight at Dane's head. If he could immobilize Dane, even for a second, he might be able to get the upper hand.
But Dane sidestepped and Axel's punch met nothing but air.
Then Dane caught his fist mid-swing, but Axel twisted his body and swung his other fist toward Dane's stomach.
The punch landed clean.
Dane let out a low grunt… then started laughing.
"That's it?" Dane said, still holding Axel's arm. "That's your punch?"
He pulled Axel forward and drove his fist into Axel's face.
CRACK.
[-1 HP]
Axel's head snapped back and stars exploded in his vision.
Before he could recover, another punch slammed into his jaw.
[-1 HP]
Now, Axel's HP was starting to reduce. That was when he knew that Dane was getting serious.
His knees buckled after the second hit, but Dane didn't let him fall. He dragged him closer and punched him in the ribs, then the shoulder, then the chest. Each hit came faster than the last.
Axel tried to block, tried to move, but his body wasn't keeping up anymore. With each hit to his body, it felt like Dane was getting faster because he was now moving at top speed. His punches were beginning to blur in Axel's eyes.
"My power isn't just spitting venom, you know." Dane laughed. "Every time I land a clean hit, I take something from you."
He tapped his own chest.
"I take your speed."
Axel's eyes widened slightly at that revelation. It was no wonder Dane seemed to get faster after every successful hit.
"You were quick at first," Dane said. "But I kept hitting you. And now? You can barely move."
Dane smashed his fist into Axel's head again.
[-1 HP]
Every attack to Axel's head took his HP. He was now down to a critical stage. He had 2 HP left.
"You feel that?" Dane said, grinning wide. "That's what a real punch feels like. A punch from a Spectra!"
Axel's legs gave out. His vision blurred and the world tilted sideways. His body felt heavy, slow and useless.
Dane released Axel's arm and shoved him back.
"Pathetic," Dane said. "You should've just given me what I wanted."
Axel swayed, struggling just to stay upright, his body couldn't keep up anymore.
He could barely stand. His legs shook under him, and his arms felt heavy, like they did not belong to him. Every breath made his body hurt.
"That look on your face," Dane said with a grin. "You finally get it now, don't you?"
Axel did not answer. He did not have the strength to and Dane rushed forward again, using his body as a weapon.
Axel tried to dodge, but his body reacted too late. Dane slammed his shoulder into Axel's chest and sent him flying across the alley.
Axel hit the ground hard and rolled, scraping skin and leaving blood behind.
He coughed, and warm blood filled his mouth.
Dane walked over and kicked him in the side, flipping him onto his back like he weighed nothing.
"Pathetic," Dane muttered.
Axel lay there, staring at the dim lights above. His vision faded in and out and that felt familiar.
His mind drifted back to the very beginning. To Kaze. To the feeling of being helpless. To dying on the ground while someone stronger stood over him.
'I was supposed to be stronger now…' Axel thought weakly.
[Warning]
[HP critically low]
[Immediate danger detected]
Dane knelt beside him and began patting down his pockets. He was searching for Axel's student handset.
He searched and searched but he found nothing.
"Where is it?" Dane asked, annoyed. "Your device. Send me the CNTs already."
He searched again, harder this time. Nothing.
"What the hell?" he snapped. "Where's your handset?"
Axel let out a weak chuckle as blood slid down the side of his mouth. The Oval officers had stripped Axel of that but Dane had no idea.
"I-I don't have it," Axel said, coughing.
"You wasted my time," he growled. "You really pissed me off."
He stood up and started hitting Axel again. His fist crashed into Axel's stomach. Then his shoulder. Then his ribs. Axel could not even scream. His body just absorbed the pain.
[-1 HP]
[HP: 1/10]
[Warning]
[Host condition: Critical]
Dane finally stepped back and looked down at him.
"Since you don't have anything to give me," Dane said coldly.
"You'll pay another way."
He raised his boot high, lining it up with Axel's face, ready to slam it down without a second thought about the possible consequences.
This might just be it for Axel.
Then a voice echoed from the far end of the alley. A possible deus ex machina.
"You know…" the voice said lazily, "you probably shouldn't murder someone on school grounds. You humans have laws and stuff, if my guess was right."
'You humans?'
There was only one person Axel knew who spoke like that. Who addressed humans like he wasn't one himself.
"Show yourself," Dane snapped.
Footsteps echoed as someone stepped into the light. A tall figure walked forward, hands in his pockets with a frown on his face.
Using a bit of strength, Axel lifted his head a little bit to see who it was.
"A-Ares?"