As the drone shot into the air, Ty’s focus broke under a faint but insistent voice in his head. "Let me take control, and I will guarantee this man’s demise." The voice, now weaker than before, carried a dangerous promise.
Ty’s attention shifted to his surroundings. He noticed several red laser dots targeting him. His eyes scanned the arena and caught sight of armored figures stationed with sniper rifles.
The realization dawned on him: the arena was not just a stage for combat but a monitored trap, ready to spring at the slightest hint of true danger.
"Wow, they’re really prepared for any move I make," Ty thought, a wry smile crossing his lips. To show he was not attacking, he slightly raised his hands, acknowledging the watchful eyes around him.
Just then, the announcer, still perched on his floating platform, descended toward the arena floor, microphone in hand. Anticipation tightened through the crowd as they waited for his next words and Ty’s response.
The announcer closed in on Ty with curiosity and accusation both on his face. He thrust the microphone mere inches from Ty’s face, his voice carrying a challenge.
"What was the meaning of that, Demon? Was that an act of rebellion against the kingdom, or simply a manifestation of your unbridled emotions?"
Before the announcer could retract the microphone, Ty’s hand shot out and caught his wrist. Drawing the mic closer, Ty spoke with practiced charisma and defiance.
"My aim is simply to provide the esteemed audience with an unforgettable spectacle! My apologies for any inconvenience to your equipment. I assure you, it was not intentional.
But, perhaps if it breaks, it wasn’t built to withstand a true show," he said, his tone laced with a hint of irony.
Releasing his hold, Ty watched as the announcer smoothly glided back on his floating platform, regaining his composure.
The crowd reacted with excitement and tension, Ty’s words and actions sharpening the mood in the arena.
The announcer, capitalizing on the moment, amplified his voice for the entire arena to hear. "Woah! There you have it, folks! The demon says he’s here to entertain! We can never fully trust a demon’s words, but let’s see if he can indeed be entertaining!!"
With that declaration, he guided his floating platform across the arena toward Fernando. Landing near the notorious fighter, he extended the microphone towards him.
"Tell us, how do you continue living with the heinous crimes you’ve committed? And what do you hope to achieve tonight if given a chance at freedom?"
Before the announcer could fully retract the mic, Fernando’s hand shot out, leaving a faint trace of electricity in the air. He snatched the microphone with frightening ease.
Clearing his throat slightly, he prepared to address the crowd, nothing like Ty’s showman’s mask.
The anticipation in the arena climbed, the audience eager to hear the response from this feared figure.
Fernando’s voice, cold and menacing, carried through the arena. "First, I’ll seek vengeance against the girl who led to my capture," he said, pausing to scan the crowd.
"Wherever she may be, watching tonight or elsewhere, I’ll ensure she endures the same agony her parents did as I watched them burn."
The announcer, sensing the dangerous turn in Fernando’s tone, interjected quickly. "Okay, that’s enough. Please hand back the microphone." He noticed several red laser dots targeting Fernando, a silent warning from the surrounding guards.
Unperturbed, Fernando continued, his eyes gleaming with malice. "And after my revenge, I’ll become the kingdom’s blade, eliminating anyone they command.
I know they revel in such deeds." He tossed the microphone back to the announcer, the lights dimming around him as he refocused on Ty.
The announcer regained control and pushed the excitement higher. "Well, folks, there you have it -- the confrontation of the evening! Let’s not delay any further. Let the action begin!"
The crowd held its breath as the announcer counted down.
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."
With a dramatic sweep of his hand, he bellowed into the microphone, "And FIGHT!!"
Fernando vanished from where he had stood, leaving only a ripple in the air. Ty’s mind raced as the voice in his head urged him to surrender control.
He refused to answer it.
The whistling sound of an attack snapped him back to the fight.
Just in time, Ty spun around to intercept a ferocious palm strike aimed at him. Fernando’s form briefly materialized, his body shimmering with a cold mix of blue and yellow energy, a twisted smirk on his face.
Ty braced himself, a thought flashing through his mind. "Whether demon or not, pain is universal. He’s going to hit me with an electric shock." Almost immediately, he felt a surge of electricity coursing through his body.
Reacting on instinct, he drew the assailant closer and unleashed a punch wrapped in black flames.
The impact sent Fernando skidding back a good 20 feet. The arena erupted in cheers and gasps, the crowd electrified by the sudden display of power.
Ty stood his ground, the flames flickering around his fist, his resolve unshaken.
The exchange told him enough.
Fernando was faster, but not untouchable.
That meant the fight was not hopeless. It only meant Ty had to make every reaction count and stop chasing the blur like an idiot.
Ty noticed his hair beginning to stand as Fernando recovered quickly, burn marks spread across his face. Fernando held both arms out as electricity cracked from both sides of him before he dispersed into energy again.
He emerged from the ground beneath Ty, dodging Ty’s materialized fist and trying to counter with a blow of his own. His other hand grabbed Ty’s leg, and sharp pain followed as Ty noticed a blade stabbed into him.
Ty retreated from the punch and clapped his hands together, releasing an eruption of black flames. Fernando flipped away from him, creating distance.
Ty dropped to one knee and tended to his wound as Fernando stated, "The first strike of the viper, with more to come."
"You might have a strong attack, but it’s pretty slow, don’t you think?"
Ty kept his focus on Fernando even as the voice in his head returned with a warning. "Don’t lose your focus, dumbass. He’s trying to distract you." At that moment, Ty realized Fernando’s form was incomplete; his hand was missing.
Before Ty could react, the missing hand materialized behind him.
Ty threw his hands above his face and spun around. He was just in time to see Fernando’s right hand, now behind him, unleashing a massive orb of crackling electricity.
The force of the attack sent Ty hurtling through the air, crashing into the arena wall with such impact that he became lodged in its structure.
Seeing his opening, Fernando quickly reformed his arm. He brought his hands together, channeling a colossal wave of electric energy and aiming it directly at the immobilized Ty.
Amid the chaos, the voice in Ty’s mind grew more insistent, almost desperate. "Let me take over before you actually die here, you dumbass." The urgency made Ty’s situation painfully clear.
He had reached the point where giving up control or fighting on his own terms could mean the difference between life and death.
Facing the blast, Ty’s voice stayed firm. "No, I have a plan," he declared, just as Fernando’s massive energy swallowed him.
Amid the chaos, a woman’s scream pierced the air, full of desperation, but the crowd’s cheers swallowed it.
The announcer seized the moment, his voice booming across the arena as a large explosion enveloped Ty. "Can it be? Has Fernando the Murderer truly taken down the first Demon to emerge in 50 years?
This could be the clearest display of power we’ve witnessed in a long time, folks!"
The crowd erupted, chanting in unison, "Fernando the Demon Killer!" The chant rolled through the arena, sweeping over the spectators.
But as the black smoke began to thin, the scene brought a hush over the crowd. Ty lay motionless, buried under a heap of rubble, his body looking lifeless.
The cheers gradually faded into a stunned silence, the audience grappling with the sudden turn of events.
Through the overwhelming pain, Ty’s thoughts churned with disbelief and disgust. "How can these people cheer for a murderer?" he wondered, his body aching in every inch. The crowd’s joy at Fernando’s brutality unsettled him deeply.
As he lay amid the rubble, a clear and desperate voice pierced the noise. It came from above, where a young woman stood, her plea echoing through the arena. "I don’t care if you’re a demon, I’m begging you! Please don’t let this man be celebrated.
He murdered my parents!"
Her anguished voice captured the attention of the entire arena. Fernando, hearing her words, let out a malicious whisper, "So you did show up after all, huh?"