novelraw Chapter 53: The Blazing Fist of Destiny
Chapter 53: The Blazing Fist of Destiny
As narrated by the event keeper
Skepto staggered, steadying himself as Cipher’s uncanny energy sent a tremor through his confidence. “What is this power?” he demanded, his voice edged with unease.
Cipher stood motionless, his eyes unfocused as he plunged inward, his mind a battlefield of its own.
{
“2.0!” Cipher called into the depths of his consciousness.
“Yes, you fool!” 2.0 snapped, his tone sharp with exasperation. he had warned Cipher before about facing foes beyond his reach.
“I’m sorry,” Cipher said, resolute. “I have no choice but to fight him!”
“I told you I won’t let you get us killed! If this spirals out of control, I’ll override your reflexes and run!”
“Do what you must,” Cipher replied. “But I won’t stop. I’ll end him, no matter the cost. If I can’t protect the people I love, what’s the point of this strength?”
“You’re not thinking straight!”
“He’s unstable—a walking disaster that’ll destroy everything. If you want us to survive, you have to help me.”
2.0 relented, his tone grudging. “I’m certain you saw it too...”
Cipher nodded. “Yes. He released a wave of antimatter.”
“Even with my help, I don’t see a path where we survive this. That wave was a speck of his full power.”
“We’ll defeat him. Activate the Jet Coat!”
The interface of their shared power flickered to life:
Base Power Level: 4%
Strength: 3%
Speed: 1.2% the speed of light
Endurance: 6.8%
Internal Atomic Manipulation: 90%
Unlocked Abilities:
1. Rapid Healing
2. Surveillance Dome: Coverage = 1.5 km, Status: Inactive
3. Jet Coat: Status: Active
4. Power-Plug
2.0’s voice cut through. “The Jet Coat only works in Solid State. Meaning...”
“I’ve got fifteen minutes to end this,” Cipher finished. “Let’s begin!”
}
Cipher’s resolve burned bright-hot. 2.0 linked with him, activating the Jet Coat. Their combined power pushed his speed closer to Skepto’s, sharpening his reflexes to a razor’s edge. Without hesitation, Cipher launched himself at Skepto, unleashing a barrage of punches from every angle, holding nothing back.
Then, something inexplicable happened. Skepto stood still, absorbing every blow with an absent, almost bored expression. Five minutes passed, Cipher’s fists a blur—until Skepto’s fist lashed out, smashing into Cipher’s face. Bones cracked, his features flattened, and he hurtled across the arena, crashing into the shattered ground.
Skepto closed the distance in an instant. “Pathetic!” he sneered. “You had me worried for a moment with those eyes—thought you might be an elite. But you’re just a creepy, powered boy, too weak to protect anything, just like your father!”
Another punch landed, blood pouring from Cipher’s nose and mouth like a broken dam. Skepto raised his fist, antimatter energy swirling around it, a glowing promise of annihilation. The arena froze—Squadron-X, the elites, every onlooker—transfixed as Skepto prepared to end him.
“Go to sleep, kid,” Skepto taunted. “Let the adults handle the world’s fate.”
Silence engulfed Cipher’s mind, time stretching into an eternal void. Darkness swallowed him—then a figure surged past, moving toward Skepto.
Yukio? Cipher’s thoughts raced, but it wasn’t him.
William stood before him, his fist blazing with pure, radiant energy. His speed was unlike anything they’d seen, a comet streaking across the arena. In his right hand burned the Flaming Fist of Destiny. He charged Skepto, relentless and deadly. Their fists collided, unleashing a shockwave that fractured the ground beneath them.
Skepto’s eyes widened, his mind scrambling to comprehend how William’s blow nullified his power. Gritting his teeth, he poured more antimatter energy into his fist, intent on disintegrating William. But William’s right hand blackened, hardening into unbreakable steel. With a final surge of his dwindling strength, he drove his fist into Skepto’s jaw, knocking out two teeth and sending him hurtling backward.
William had given everything—every ounce of power in his body for that blazing, defiant stand.
As the dust settled, Cipher staggered to his feet and ran to William, who swayed, his energy spent, his fist still smoldering.
William’s chest was a ruin, half-blown away by Skepto’s antimatter assault. Cipher caught him as he collapsed, tears streaming down his face, blurring the world around him.
“Hey, what did I tell you? Girls don’t like crybabies,” William rasped, his hand gripping Cipher’s shoulder, a faint smile breaking through his pain.
His gaze drifted upward, memories flooding in like a tide. William had always believed his end would be a reckoning for his past sins. But in this moment, his heart found a rare peace. He saw himself on a sunlit day, laughing with his son outside their home. A ball rolled toward the road, and he turned away for a heartbeat. When he looked back, his world shattered—his son lay broken, crushed by a passing car. That day, his life had ended too. The ring became his refuge, but no fight could dull the guilt that gnawed at his soul.
Until now!
“Thanks for being with me all this time,” he whispered to Cipher. “Don’t falter. Your journey starts now. I’ll be watching, kid.”
His son’s face flickered in his mind one last time, and then William went still.
Cipher’s world darkened, grief swallowing him whole. Another loved one lost because he wasn’t strong enough. A new fear took root—that he brought nothing but suffering to those around him.
Skepto rose, fury radiating from him like heat from a furnace. He charged to finish Cipher, but Yukio’s blade, Void-Breaker, flashed, intercepting Skepto’s fist. The sword pulsed crimson, drawing energy from its surroundings and sapping its wielder’s strength to amplify its power.
“Cipher-san, get up!” Yukio shouted, but Cipher remained frozen, lost in despair.
Yukio pushed forward, his sword blazing brighter with each practiced swing. He shoved Skepto back, then darted to Cipher, delivering a sharp slap across his face. “It’s not over!” he roared. “William fought with his life! Stand up—make his sacrifice count!”
Cipher’s eyes cleared, resolve reigniting. He rose, joining Yukio’s assault. Yukio activated his Negative Dome, a field that slashed the power of every Neogen within by half—including Skepto’s. Cipher, however, was untouched, his immeasurable reserves—guarded by 2.0 to prevent self-destruction—negating the dome’s effect. He boosted his base power to 6%, countering the suppression.
“What is this?” Skepto growled, his voice laced with disbelief as Yukio’s unfamiliar power took hold. His speed and strength dulled, he faced two opponents now moving with lethal precision.
Cipher struck first, his punches a relentless storm, each blow landing with bone-rattling force. Yukio’s blade sliced through Skepto’s scaled skin, drawing blood for the first time since his powers awakened. Skepto’s nose bled, a stark reminder that his life was now at stake.
Targeting Yukio, Skepto unleashed an antimatter-charged punch, aiming to eliminate the greater threat. Yukio poured his energy into Void-Breaker, amplifying the dome’s effect and raising his sword to block. But Skepto’s restraints had loosened—he was done holding back. The punch detonated in a blinding explosion, incinerating Yukio, his body charred to ash.
That was the spark. Cipher’s rage erupted, a primal fire consuming him. Skepto felt a chill crawl across his skin, meeting Cipher’s blazing eyes. He knew he had to end this now. He unleashed a barrage of antimatter blasts, each one pummeling Cipher. The Solid State’s rapid healing kept him alive, but it couldn’t keep pace with the onslaught.
Darkness swallowed the arena as Billy activated his power, canceling visible light to blind their foe. He lunged to pull Cipher to safety, but Skepto’s senses pierced the dark. A brutal kick sent Billy sprawling.
“You’re one annoying kid!” Skepto snarled, watching Cipher’s wounds heal yet again. He struck once more, and Cipher rose, refusing to yield.
Cipher understood now—this was a fight for his life.
{
“Increase my power!” Cipher demanded, his voice echoing in his mind, a plea to 2.0.
“Not possible. Your body can’t handle it,” 2.0 warned.
“He killed my friends. I’m ending this, with or without you!”
}
2.0 sensed Cipher’s resolve—logic had fled, replaced by raw determination. With no choice, he boosted Cipher’s power to 8%, the maximum his body could withstand without disintegrating. Speed and strength surged, but it still wasn’t enough. And ended up breaking him instead.
Skepto loomed over Cipher, who knelt, exhausted, his body failing. “Did you really think you could defeat me?” Skepto taunted. “I decimated an entire planet! Your little mutiny here... is nothing to me.”
2.0 redirected the 8% power, channeling it into Cipher’s Internal Atomic Manipulation, pushing it beyond 90%. A faint hum pulsed through him.
“You just can’t give up, can you?” Skepto sneered. “Like your father, your stubbornness will be your end. I’ll make you and your friends an example—so that no one will ever defy me again!”
He raised his fist, antimatter swirling, and smashed it down, vaporizing Cipher’s head into a bloody mist.