novelraw Chapter 94: Dual Mutation
Chapter 94: Dual Mutation
Silence spread across the Nexus Field.
It wasn’t exactly the quiet kind that came after a fight ended in a bewildering way. It was the heavy kind. The kind that pressed down on everyone at once as thousands of eyes stared at the arena with only one fighter in it.
"Where did he go?" someone from the audience shouted.
"Did he chicken out?" another voice followed. Then another.
Inside the arena, Axel stood frozen, his grip tight around his sword. His eyes moved left and right, then behind him. But there was nothing. Drax Tan was gone. He had left without a trace.
’Where the hell did he vanish to?’ Axel thought.
For the first time since stepping into the Nexus Field, panic crept inside him. His heart rate picked up speed. His breath came a little faster. He hated that feeling. He hated having no idea where the danger was.
"Stop panicking!" Aurora snapped inside his head. "You are a demon, for infernal’s sake. Act like one."
Axel took a breath and forced himself to calm down. Panic would get him killed faster than an opponent ever could. Instead, he steadied his stance and focused.
’So he can teleport... that’s dangerous, yes. But not unbeatable."
A faint sound brushed past his senses.
’Whoosh.’
Axel barely had time to react before something slammed into his side. A dark ball of force crashed into him, lifted him clean off his feet and sent him flying inside the arena.
< [-7 HP] >
Pain exploded through his ribs as he flew backward.
Before he could hit the ground, a hand grabbed him mid-air. A hand that had a really solid grip. Then a fist drove straight into his stomach.
< [-3 HP] >
Axel coughed as the air was forced out of him. His body hit the floor hard, and the impact rattled his bones. He groaned and rolled onto his side.
Drax was now standing a few steps away, calm as ever.
"How the hell..." Axel muttered under his breath.
The question was how the hell he delivered two attacks from two different directions. One invisible. One direct.
The commentator’s voice echoed through the field.
"Oho! A clean hit! Our so-called King is showing off his tricks! A corny teleporter move if I’ve ever seen one!"
Axel pushed himself up, ignoring the sting in his gut. As soon as he stood, Drax vanished again.
"Shit!" Axel’s eyes widened slightly.
"No... that isn’t teleportation," Axel said in realization.
Everything clicked all at once. Drax wasn’t jumping through space, no. He was turning invisible.
And not just that. He was attacking with another skill while being invisible.
Axel’s chest tightened as the truth settled in. Drax wasn’t a Mono-Mutant. He had more than one ability.
He had the Dual Mutation.
That was it. That was why they called him a hybrid. That was why he was basically the ruler of the second years. That was why no one challenged him and walked away cleanly.
Not wanting to lose any more HP to this hybrid, Axel closed his eyes. He shut out the roar of the crowd and the commentator’s voice, the echoing arena. He focused on one thing only.
Sound. The faintest movement in the air.
His ears strained.
Then—whoosh.
Axel rolled to the side instantly. Unlike last time, he didn’t hesitate. A massive black ball appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the invisible dome of the arena, cracking the ground beneath it.
Drax reappeared a few steps away with a grin on his face.
"Well done!" Drax exclaimed. "It takes most people a few hits before they understand how my powers work, but you?" He tilted his head slightly. "You’re smarter than I thought."
Axel said nothing. Drax continued talking, his voice relaxed. "Either way, it doesn’t matter. You’re still going to—"
< [Hellrand Slash Activated!] >
While Drax was yapping on, Axel had already activated everything. Infernal energy surged through him. Demonic power followed. Ruin Echo, Energy Burst, and Fire Based Infusion wrapped around the blade in his hand. The sword hummed as the energy built up, growing heavier, denser. The moment it felt like too much to hold, Axel slashed it while Drax was still speaking.
The attack ripped through the air faster than any human eye could follow. It struck Drax square in the stomach and sent him flying across the arena like a broken doll.
"Ahh... he talks too much," Aurora sighed.
Axel didn’t wait. He dashed forward, closing the distance in seconds. With the Hellrand Slash activated again, he prepared two attacks at once. One poured fully into his sword. The other gathered in his free hand. The one in his hand was weaker, but still dangerous.
He released both and the slashes slammed into Drax.
But this time, Drax barely flinched.
"Enough!" Drax roared as he slammed his palms together.
Right there, in front of Axel and thousands of watching eyes, something formed between his hands. A dark golden metal took shape out of thin air. Black matter poured out from it like smoke clinging to steel, and within seconds, a sword was formed.
"Holy fuck! Matter manipulation?!" Axel’s eyes widened with shock.
That was Drax’s second ability.
Drax charged straight at him. A few feet away, he vanished again.
Axel’s heart jumped, but he was ready. The sword attack came from behind, just like before.
Axel turned and blocked it with his own sword. The impact rang through the arena. Before Axel could counter, Drax’s foot slammed into his gut.
Axel skidded across the floor with his boots scraping hard.
When he looked up, Drax was gone... again.
Movement brushed past his right side.
Axel turned just in time to see Drax reappear, with the sword raised to impale him. Axel rolled away, barely avoiding the strike. When he pushed himself up, Drax vanished again and the crowd erupted.
The commentator laughed.
"LOOKS LIKE THE RED IMP WAS DOING THE TOYING EARLIER, FOLKS! BUT NOW? NOW HE’S THE ONE BEING PLAYED WITH!"
Axel tightened his grip on his sword as he scanned the arena.
Aurora cleared her invisible throat in Axel’s head. "Let me ask you something, my dear Axel. What are you?"
"I’m a demon... why?"
"You’re not just any demon. You’re a shadow demon! Act like one!"