Chapter 27: The Blood Price of Power
<hr>
A Night Without Peace
Axel couldn’t sleep.
His body felt wired—every nerve on edge, every instinct screaming that something was coming.
Valeria’s words echoed in his mind.
<blockquote>
"You’re evolving, Mercer."
"And the things watching you? They like rare things too."
</blockquote>
Who the hell was watching him?
And why did it feel like the answer was just out of reach—hidden in the static?
Tempo, perched on the window ledge, was strumming his guitar-axe idly, watching him with a knowing look.
“You’re thinking too much again.”
Axel exhaled, rubbing his temples. “It’s kind of hard not to when I feel like I’m gonna wake up one day and find out I was part of some ancient prophecy or something.”
Tempo plucked a discordant note. “That’s usually how these things go.”
Axel groaned.
Then—
His holo-band flickered.
A new message.
But not from any name he recognized.
<blockquote>
Come to the Abyssal Arena. No questions. Bring your beast.
</blockquote>
A location link pulsed beneath the text.
A chill crawled up Axel’s spine.
Tempo leaned in. “We going?”
Axel cracked his knuckles. “Hell yeah.”
<hr>
The Abyssal Arena
Helix Academy had many training grounds.
But the Abyssal Arena was different.
It was off the books—a place where fighters came to settle disputes without rules.
Brutal. Unregulated. A proving ground where only the strong left standing.
As Axel entered the underground structure, he saw figures gathered in the shadows—hooded, masked, Cipher Beasts glowing in the dim blue light.
And in the center?
A lone figure stood, waiting.
The air thickened with an oppressive force.
Tempo tensed. “This guy’s different.”
Axel stepped forward, his boots echoing in the silence.
The figure finally spoke.
“Axel Mercer.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The voice was low, calm—but lethal.
Axel clenched his fists. “You know me?”
The figure raised his head. Crimson eyes. A jagged scar along his jaw.
And then—
A single name.
"Revenant."
Axel’s breath caught.
His first Blackthorn opponent.
And judging by the sheer pressure in the air?
This fight wasn’t just a test.
It was a warning.
<hr>
The Fight Begins
Revenant didn’t move at first.
He simply watched.
And that was somehow worse.
Axel’s instincts screamed at him—attack first.
So he did.
He lunged—fast, calculated, Tempo launching from his shoulder with a burst of electric energy.
But before they could even reach him—
Revenant moved.
No—he disappeared.
Axel barely had time to register the motion before—
CRACK.
A knee slammed into his ribs.
Pain exploded through his body.
Axel barely managed to twist away before Revenant’s fist came down like a hammer, sending shockwaves through the ground.
Tempo swung his guitar-axe, sending out a sonic blast—
But Revenant’s Cipher Beast materialized behind them in an instant.
Axel’s stomach dropped.
A Warp Stalker.
A creature of pure void energy—distorting light, bending space, unreadable.
It lashed out—shadow tendrils ripping toward Tempo.
Tempo barely managed to dodge, flipping mid-air, his weapon screaming with raw sound.
Axel staggered back, recalculating.
Revenant wasn’t just strong.
He was precise. Relentless. Unreadable.
And the worst part?
He wasn’t even trying yet.
<hr>
Pushing the Limits
Axel wiped blood from his lip.
He could feel it—Adaptive Resonance kicking in.
His mind was already adjusting, analyzing.
But was it fast enough?
Revenant gave him a small, almost disappointed smirk.
“You’re hesitating.”
Axel’s muscles tensed.
Then—Revenant vanished again.
A shadow blurred behind him.
Axel barely spun in time to block—
But the impact still sent him flying.
He crashed into the stone wall, pain flaring through his ribs.
Tempo landed beside him, panting. “Okay. This dude sucks.”
Axel spat blood onto the floor.
Then—he grinned.
“You’re not wrong.”
But he wasn’t done.
Not even close.
<hr>
Breaking the Limits
Revenant came again—
And this time?
Axel met him halfway.
His body moved faster than his thoughts, instincts kicking in as he weaved past the first strike, countering with a vicious knee to the stomach.
For the first time—Revenant actually staggered.
Axel didn’t let up.
Tempo leapt onto his shoulder, strumming three rapid chords.
The vibrations rippled outward, distorting the air—momentarily disrupting the Warp Stalker’s shifting form.
Axel moved in sync, his fist crackling with kinetic force.
And then—
Impact.
His punch connected with Revenant’s jaw, sending the Blackthorn fighter skidding back.
The watching crowd stirred.
Axel grinned. “Not so unreadable now, huh?”
Revenant wiped a thin trickle of blood from his lip.
Then—
He smiled.
Axel’s stomach dropped.
Because that wasn’t the smile of someone who had just taken a hit.
That was the smile of someone who had just decided to start trying.
And then—
Revenant disappeared.
Axel barely had time to react before—
Pain.
A fist slammed into his stomach with brutal precision.
His vision blurred.
Then—another impact.
And another.
Revenant’s attacks came like a storm, every hit breaking through Axel’s defenses like he had already memorized every counter.
Axel tried to adapt—tried to move.
But Revenant was too fast.
Too efficient.
A final strike cracked against Axel’s skull.
And then—
Darkness.
<hr>
The Price of Power
Axel woke up to the taste of blood in his mouth.
The crowd was gone.
Tempo sat beside him, arms crossed. “You got your ass kicked.”
Axel groaned. “Don’t rub it in.”
Tempo smirked. “Oh, I will. Forever.”
Axel exhaled. His body ached. Every nerve burned.
But he was still alive.
And now?
Now he understood.
Revenant was a different kind of monster.
And if Axel wanted to survive the tournament—
He had to become something even worse.