Chapter 33: The Art of the Game
<hr>
The Calm Before the Storm
Axel stretched his arms, staring up at the massive holo-screens displaying the next tournament matchups.
<blockquote>
Axel Mercer vs. Silas Vale
</blockquote>
He already knew what kind of fight this was going to be.
Silas wasn’t like Griffin. He wasn’t a brute. He wasn’t going to rely on overwhelming power.
Silas was a strategist. A player of the long game.
Axel sighed. "This one’s gonna be a headache."
Tempo, sitting on a nearby bench, plucked an idle jazz-blues fusion riff on his guitar-axe. "Oh yeah. Big-brain types love messing with people like us."
Axel leaned against the railing, watching Silas from across the training grounds. He was calm, unreadable, his Cipher Beast—a sleek Clockwork Raven—perched on his shoulder, golden gears clicking softly.
"Yeah," Axel muttered. "He''s gonna be a pain in the ass."
"Who’s gonna be a pain in the ass?"
Axel turned to see Iris, arms crossed, a smirk on her lips.
Nyra, her Lunar Tactician, flicked its nine tails behind her, its glowing eyes watching Axel with something close to amusement.
Axel scratched his head. "Silas. You know how he fights?"
Iris leaned against the railing beside him. "Yeah. He doesn’t fight. He controls."
Axel frowned. "Meaning?"
Iris glanced at him. "Meaning if you play by his rules, you lose."
<hr>
A Growing Interest
Axel exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Great. Love that for me."
Iris chuckled. "You should be fine, though. You’re… different."
Axel raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
Iris shrugged. "You don’t fight like everyone else. You don’t think like everyone else. You’re unpredictable. And honestly?"
She leaned in slightly, her violet eyes holding his gaze.
"It’s kinda fun to watch."
Axel froze.
Tempo smirked.
Nyra, of course, grinned.
Axel cleared his throat. "Uh. Thanks?"
Iris smirked. "You’re cute when you get flustered."
Axel definitely wasn’t flustered.
Except he absolutely was.
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Before he could respond, someone else joined the conversation.
"Oh?"
A smooth, amused voice.
Axel turned—and Valeria was standing there, arms crossed, her Abyssal Wraith shifting like a living shadow beside her.
She smiled.
"Are we flirting with Mercer now?"
Iris raised an eyebrow. "What, jealous?"
Valeria tilted her head, her crimson eyes glinting. "Maybe a little."
Axel groaned internally.
Tempo?
Loving every second of it.
"This just got interesting," Tempo muttered.
Valeria stepped closer, invading Axel’s space just slightly.
"You are getting quite a bit of attention, Mercer."
Axel sighed. "Look, I’m just trying to prepare for my fight—"
Valeria smirked. "And yet, you have time to stand here… with two very attractive women."
Iris scoffed. "You’re so full of yourself."
Valeria chuckled. "And yet, here we are."
Axel sighed.
This was going to be a long day.
<hr>
Game Time
The tournament match was about to begin.
Axel stood in the center of the Helix Coliseum, Tempo adjusting his guitar-axe as the crowd roared in anticipation.
Across from them, Silas Vale stood calmly.
His Clockwork Raven, Vesper, spread its metallic wings, gears clicking rhythmically.
Silas offered a polite smile. "You’re interesting, Mercer."
Axel smirked. "I hear that a lot."
Silas tilted his head. "You know why you won your last match?"
Axel shrugged. "Because I punched my opponent harder than he punched me?"
Silas chuckled. "Because you were unpredictable."
He raised a hand. "But against me? That won’t work."
Axel raised an eyebrow. "Cocky, aren’t you?"
Silas’s golden eyes gleamed.
"Confident."
The announcer’s voice boomed.
<blockquote>
"ROUND TWO: AXEL MERCER VS. SILAS VALE!"
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
"BEGIN!"
</blockquote>
And instantly—the world changed.
<hr>
Rhythm vs. Strategy
The second the match started, Axel’s entire body felt off.
Not slow.
Not weak.
Just… wrong.
Tempo flicked a jazz-infused riff—but it sounded distorted.
Like the music was out of sync.
Axel’s eyes narrowed. "What the hell?"
Silas smiled. "Welcome to the game."
Vesper, his Clockwork Raven, let out a soft metallic chime.
And Axel finally realized what was happening.
Silas wasn’t fighting him.
He was controlling the tempo of the fight itself.
<hr>
Breaking the Game
Axel gritted his teeth. "Alright. You wanna mess with the rhythm?"
Tempo’s fingers danced along the strings—but instead of fighting Silas’s pace, he shifted gears.
Instead of jazz, instead of blues—he switched to chaos.
The notes became erratic.
No pattern. No structure.
Just raw, unpredictable sound.
Axel moved with it.
Instead of trying to regain control—he let go.
And for the first time in the match—Silas hesitated.
Axel grinned. "Gotcha."
He surged forward.
Vesper tried to react, but Axel was already gone, twisting mid-step, dodging in ways that shouldn’t have made sense.
Silas’s golden eyes widened.
Axel was unreadable.
He wasn’t playing the game anymore.
He was breaking it.
And then—
His fist connected.
Silas staggered, his controlled battle plan falling apart.
The crowd exploded.
And for the first time, Axel knew—
He had won.
<hr>
Aftermath
Silas exhaled, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip.
Then—he smiled.
"...Fascinating."
Axel raised an eyebrow. "You’re not mad?"
Silas chuckled. "No. You showed me something new."
He extended a hand. "Next time, I’ll be ready for it."
Axel smirked. "I wouldn’t have it any other way."
He shook Silas’s hand as the crowd cheered his name.
<hr>
The Attention Grows
As Axel stepped off the battlefield, he was immediately flanked by Iris and Valeria.
Iris crossed her arms. "Alright. That was impressive."
Valeria smirked. "Very impressive."
Axel sighed. "You two just waiting for me at this point?"
Valeria leaned in, whispering, "Of course."
Iris rolled her eyes. "Don’t let it get to your head, Mercer."
Axel sighed.
Yeah. His life was definitely getting more complicated.
Tempo strummed a victorious note.
"Hey, at least we’re winning."
Axel chuckled.
That was true.
For now