Zeke lunged towards Kai, who had been lost in his thoughts. But this time it was with a twist of ingenuity. He launched himself into the wall with a burst of compressed air, ricocheted off the surface like a cannonball, and spun mid-air into a diving punch aimed straight for Kai's skull.

It was fast and brutal... if it landed.

Kai stepped to the side.

A clean pivot. No wasted motion.

Then he drove his elbow deep into Zeke's ribs with a sickening crack, using the man's momentum against him.

'His attacks are too one-dimensional. If someone can react quickly enough to them, he can't do much.'

The air left Zeke's lungs in a strangled wheeze as he spat saliva across the dusty arena floor. Still, he didn't collapse. He twisted in midair, used another shockwave to stabilise, and landed hard, sliding back a few steps.

Kai's red eyes flickered brighter beneath the low light of the colosseum.

"Not bad," he said, almost amused but truly impressed by the Black Fang's mutant ability. "You're fast and powerful. I see how you've racked up so many wins."

Zeke didn't reply. He was already coming again, fury in his eyes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shockwaves cracked through the air as his fists came in a flurry of strikes. Left, right, overhead - each one could pulverise concrete, but Kai didn't bother blocking.

That would be stupid and wasted effort.

He dodged and weaved, seemingly two steps ahead of his opponent at all times.

'He's got raw talent,' Kai thought, 'and his ability can deal some serious damage if his attacks land…'

But it wasn't connecting.

Every attack was explosive, but wild. Powerful, but undisciplined.

Zeke wasn't fighting with skill - he was fighting with instinct. With ego.

And that was something Kai had learned to dissect with surgical precision.

'He's probably never had to fight someone faster than him. Or smarter. Or particularly trained.'

It made sense, though - what was the probability of those trained in combat awakening mutant abilities?

Mutants were already rare, and in a somewhat peaceful modern society, before the Z Virus Outbreak, there was less of a need to be well-trained in combat. Some trained in boxing and the like for nothing more than sport and cardio, but that was nothing like being trained in the art of killing.

Kai was an anomaly alongside Sven and Nadya, who also seemed to have military training, which they integrated into the use of their mutant abilities. It was hard to tell with Takeshi, but it was safe to assume he'd also been wielding a sword for who knew how long.

As such, with his enhanced physical abilities thanks to his mutant physique, training, and Blood Pumping, Kai's movements were unbelievably fast and fluid.

A forearm parry redirected a punch. A sidestep carried him just out of range. A sweeping kick tripped Zeke mid-strike, forcing him to blast the ground to avoid slamming face-first.

Another dodge. Another opening.

Kai delivered a palm strike to Zeke's sternum that cracked like thunder and knocked the breath out of him again.

Zeke reeled, breathing ragged, sweat now pouring from his temples.

Kai didn't press immediately.

Instead, he cocked his head slightly, studying the younger mutant like a curious predator sizing up its prey.

"You could be crazy strong," Kai said, voice calm, almost disappointed. "But all your experience comes from fighting mutants who couldn't hold a candle to you, right?"

Zeke snarled, charging again.

Kai let out a small breath.

'Guess I got used to fighting Nadya and the others… this is just boring.'

Zeke came in with a wide haymaker, cocked back with another shockwave fist, but Kai stepped in.

He was too fast for Zeke to react to, especially mid-swing.

He ducked under the punch and swept Zeke's legs clean out from under him. The air cracked as the shockwave released mid-air, missing by inches.

Zeke caught himself with a blast from both palms, flipping upright.

Only for Kai to already be there, above him in a blink.

Thud!

A spinning roundhouse slammed into Zeke's chest and sent him flying across the arena like a ragdoll. Dust exploded around him as he skidded across the stone floor, coughing and groaning.

Zeke staggered back to his feet. Barely.

His hands trembled, and his chest heaved.

"Still standing," Kai rasped.

Kai adjusted his hood, walking forward like death made flesh, his crimson eyes glowing like twin coals in the dark.

"You've shown that you're quite capable," he continued.

"Shut up…" Zeke hissed.

Kai shrugged. "Hey, I mean it. For being so young and fresh, you're doing better than most..."

If Zeke knew that Kai had only been a mutant for little over a month, he'd likely lose his mind, as Kai added, "But that's not enough."

He vanished.

No sound. No flash. No warning.

One heartbeat, Zeke was standing, bracing for impact.

The next...

Thud!

A punch to the kidney.

Crack!

A jab to the throat.

Wham!

A knee slammed into the back of his skull like a hammer.

Zeke dropped to one knee, gasping, eyes wide, blood dribbling from his mouth. He tried to rise - only for Kai's foot to slam down beside him, pinning his escape route.

Zeke flinched, looking up, eyes glazed.

Kai stood above him, completely calm. Not a single bruise. Not even breathing heavily.

It didn't make sense.

"How…?" Zeke croaked.

Kai crouched beside him, voice dropping low. "I'll give you this. You're not the worst I've fought."

He reached out and gently tapped Zeke's forehead.

"But you're not winning this fight."

Then, after a series of powerful strikes from Kai, he stopped his beatdown, seeing as his opponent could no longer fight.

Zeke had collapsed fully, arms no longer responding.

'There's no point beating the kid any longer,' Kai thought as he glanced up at Dominique's private suite, as if asking her to announce that it was over.

Above them, the One-Eyed Viper's voice rang out through the crowd, struggling to hide her contempt. But she still had to wrap up her show.

"Well, well, well… looks like the Black Fang has been defeated! Red Eyes has dominated today's main event."

The crowd exploded. Cheers, screams, and chants. Some yelled Kai's moniker. Others howled for more blood. Most just wanted carnage.

Meanwhile, Kai stood there nonchalantly and brushed the dust off his sleeves with deliberate calm.

'Not a bad warm-up,' he thought, glancing at Zeke's crumpled form.

But little did he know that was truly only a warm-up in comparison to what was to come...

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