Despite the dark rush flooding Kai's veins - an intoxicating, maddening high that made every nerve scream with violent delight - Kai's mind remained sharp.

His instincts were feral, bloodthirsty, screaming for carnage, but somewhere beneath the haze, his analytical nature clawed its way to the surface like a dagger through fog.

And with it, he had figured it out.

Dominique's ability wasn't just brute strength or an enhanced physique. She could manipulate her mass and density at will.

The physics behind it? Nonsense. Utterly absurd. But most mutant abilities tossed logic into the bin and set it on fire anyway.

When she increased her mass, a dark aura bled from her body - an almost visible haze that coiled like smoke, oppressive and thick. In that state, her body became heavier, slower, but monstrously durable and strong enough to break buildings with her bare fists.

And when she needed speed?

That same aura would invert - a silvery-white glow shimmering faintly from her limbs as she lightened her body and launched herself like a missile. A perfect, brutal balance between raw power and terrifying agility.

He quickly surmised that he couldn't afford to get caught.

Not even once.

'If she grabs me, it's over.'

He knew it in his bones. One mistake and she'd crush him like a tin can. His blood armour would slow it, but it wouldn't stop it. She'd squeeze the life out of him, pulverise every organ before he could blink.

As for how he'd fight her.

Daggers? Useless.

Projectiles? A joke.

Her dense skin might as well have been plated steel when she was weighted down.

So Kai had come to the only viable solution, which he was already using.

Fists.

Impact.

Blunt trauma and concussive force.

If he couldn't pierce her, he'd rattle her from the inside out. Ribs. Organs. Spine. Anything that would break under pressure, he'd continue piling her body with attacks.

And it was working, albeit very slowly...

-

The ground trembled beneath their feet as Dominique stomped forward like a living war machine, dark aura pulsing with every slow, deliberate step.

Every motion made the air feel heavier. Like gravity itself bowed to her fury.

Each step cratered the stone beneath her.

Her presence drowned the arena.

"You're quite skilled, I'll give you that," Dominique hissed, voice rough as shattered rock. "But I've crushed the skulls of everyone who got in my way, even my own father. You're nothing different."

Kai stood across from her, blood armour swirling like living crimson steel. Massive gauntlets coated his arms and fists - each one layered, sharpened, built for destruction.

His red eyes burned bright, unblinking and wild.

Yet inside, cold calculation flickered, remaining alert.

And as he burst towards her, he couldn't help but wonder, 'What kind of lunatic brags about killing their own father?'

Clash!

The collision was explosive.

Sound ripped through the colosseum like a thunderclap. Dust blasted outward, rubble flying as shockwaves rippled from the centre of impact.

Kai's fist slammed into her ribs, hard enough to knock over a car.

She barely budged.

Instead, she twisted with a snarl, driving her knee upward.

Kai caught the blow with both gauntlets, blood reinforcing the block, but the impact still launched him backwards, boots skidding in a spray of sparks.

He spat blood. Wiped his mouth.

"Not bad," he muttered.

Dominique cracked her neck with a grin. "You're fast. But that pretty armour of yours? Let's see how long it lasts."

She surged forward again, dark aura thickening.

Kai tensed, already moving.

They collided again, and this time it was a maelstrom of motion.

Fists met flesh. Blood met bone.

Kai ducked a wild hook, spun low, and slammed his gauntlet into her knee, trying to compromise her stance. She grunted, barely shifted, and countered with a spinning elbow that clipped his temple, nearly sending him to the floor.

'Too damn strong. But she's stiff when weighted. That's my window.'

Kai danced around her, movements fuelled by instinct and blood. The crimson gauntlets hissed with every punch, spitting off droplets of liquified blood like sweat. He didn't let up - slamming hammer-blows into her arms, ribs, thighs. Targeting pressure points. Weak spots.

Dominique took it all, absorbing blow after blow.

Her body was steaming now, skin glistening under the pressure.

A deep breath, then her aura suddenly shifted.

Black turned silver.

'Shit!'

She moved faster than before, blurring forward abruptly, launching herself like a cannonball and tackling Kai mid-punch. The instant she made contact with Kai, she weightshifted to increase the impact.

Boom!

They smashed through a stone pillar, Kai grunting as they tumbled.

She straddled him in midair, fist raised.

Kai reacted quickly, and blood exploded outward in a concussive blast from his back, launching them apart mid-fall.

He flipped, landed in a crouch, gauntlets already reforming.

"You don't get to pin me just yet," he muttered, blood trickling from his brow.

Dominique landed hard, aura turning dark once again as she dug into the floor, absorbing the shock.

She smiled. "Then stop running."

"I'm not running." Kai stood, rolling his shoulders as his gauntlets thickened again, steam rising from his arms. "I'm softening you up. I'm sure you're starting to feel it now."

As much as she kept a strong front, she couldn't deny that his attacks were starting to have their effect.

The bruising, the stagger, the very slight limp - Kai picked up on it all.

Her body was certainly durable, but still far from invincible.

Kai was relentless with his attacks, but so was she, and neither showed any signs of slowing or backing down.

Their bodies moved with a fury that made the watching world hold its breath. Every blow was a message. Every dodge a gamble. Kai had the mind of a tactician but the soul of a berserker. And Dominique?

Dominique was a walking catastrophe.

They were two storms colliding, and only one would be left standing.

And now… it had become a battle of endurance.

Dominique's damage was starting to pile up, internal bleeding and fractured ribs. She had also slowed, and her regeneration was almost nonexistent compared to Kai's.

But she still hit like a truck.

And she'd landed some solid blows too. Slams that would've shattered a lesser mutant's spine. But Kai's blood armour had absorbed some of it, his body repairing the rest of it in seconds.

Despite that, he couldn't afford too many more and also wasn't in the greatest condition.

But both kept fighting with all they had.

This was attrition.

Whoever broke first… would die.

And Kai?

Kai was grinning.

Because he wasn't planning to lose...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.