The Exorc roared, thrusting its cybernetic arm. The arm morphed once more, this time, it formed an opening and spat out bullets like a gatling gun.
With his arms up and shielding his face, he stopped the bullets from hitting his softer parts. The bullets did not break through his skin to cause significant damage but he still felt the pain, like tiny hot needles pricking his skin incessantly.
Ardlan withdrew his defensive position and soared through the barrage of bullets. He punched down the arm, bullets hitting the metal ground, and with an inhuman swiftness dug two punches to the Exorc exposed abdomen, the creature groaned, arching its back and then swiped at Ardlan intending to pin him to itself.
Ardlan caught the arm and performed a seamless throw, turning the creature over. Its head was just by his feet and Ardlan stomped on it, breaking its small nose. It wailed and thrashed from the blow before its cybernetic arm went up, releasing a metal ball that dissipated an expanding sphere of energy.
The wave of energy repelled Ardlan away from the creature, and the Exorc swiftly got up, its face bruised and bleeding. It snarled against Ardlan.
"RAGGHH! RAGGHH!"
"Nothing but a feral beast," Ardlan stated, preparing himself for another round of attack from the creature.
It seemed like the Exorc changed tactic as it didn't storm at Ardlan linearly as it previously did, instead, it leapt side to side, almost in a zigzag approach and it jumped, arcing down an arm.
It left itself open and Ardlan was close to delivering a punch on its forehead when it flipped over him landing behind. Before Ardlan could turn, the Exorc's arms were about him, squeezing him.
Ardlan chuckled, "I cannot believe I was afraid of you. Even X12 had better tricks." He broke from the hold and caught its neck, hurling it to the force field.
Bolts of electricity sporadically spread across it, burning its skin and then bouncing it off. It did not take a minute when it got back to its feet struggling.
"You are a tenacious one," said Ardlan, levitating. If he wanted to, he could end things right there, but that would be grossly disappointing. He wanted to give the creature more chances to impress him.
The creature swung its head making grunting sounds. It was trying to say something, however, Ardlan could not understand.
It would seem the creature was not as beastly and unthinking as he had originally thought.
It stood upright and then swung its arm to the side, and it took the shape of a blade.
"Oh! Bold."
Ardlan simply remained levitating, he was like a god poised up there with the Exorc being a lowly creature due for vanquishment.
He awaited the Exorc at the height, the beast however didn't come. It seemed like it was having second thoughts about the matter, it was hesitant. Ardlan rolled his eyes, descending slowly. He had felt pity and sometimes worry for his opponents that he had held back even when he was not trying to, but this Exorc, he felt no such thing; It was more like a tool than a living creature in Ardlan's eyes.
It launched itself at Ardlan, arms stretched out wide, and then swung down the massive blade it equipped.
There was a clang, not from metal hitting metal but from Ardlan catching the massive blade. He slowly ran his eyes across the creature, from its feet to its deep blue eyes when It maneuvered itself, swinging backwards and then, landed a kick on Ardlan's face.
Ardlan was certain that he had had enough. His hand came in the creature's nape, the Exorc feet had not reached the ground when he asserted his dominance once more. He then turned his arm, and the Exorc's neck snapped.
He dropped the lifeless body of the beastly alien and it fell flatly on the ground, its flesh merely a husk of the life it once contained.
The crowd roared, excitement and joy roiling their insides.
"Primeboy once again has displayed his immense might, against an Exorc nevertheless. Impressive. With this, he ascends to the semi-finals!" The announcer cried and the crowd responded with cries of excitement.
Ardlan smiled under his mask, the Exorc had been formidable but his victory also came easy. He turned to the gold twins, and spotted them talking, their eyes eventually met his and they stopped.
Soon enough, he drifted out of the pentagon to have the next set of fighters have their match.
"He is immensely strong." Domitia said.
"I too am surprised with his easy victory." Aelius commented.
Then one of the lords cut in, a creature that looked like a large piece of turd with large blue eyes, "An impressive one you got down there, he might give Wepéné a run for his position."
More impressive than we had hoped. Domitia thought.
"I want him as a captain in my team. He would be a valuable asset."
"I doubt he would be honored, you would actually have to try to make your offer attractive, you know."
The alien frowned at the statement, taking it as an insult. Domitia had meant to insult him, and for good reason too. Ardlan had a brighter future than working for sketchy old farts, she knew that. To her, he even had more potential than them two.
She left the platform and zoomed to him, wearing a large smile. Her smile was infectious, and Ardlan smiled too. She got to him and ran her fingers through his rumpled hair, giggling.
This was the most expressive Ardlan had ever seen her—in regards to emotions. He could not help but share her feelings of happiness.
The two were oblivious to the wicked gaze fixed on them.
By the audience was a cloaked figure, he watched with disdain Ardlan and his peers. Ardlan was a significant threat, that had been established with his performance on the Exorc. The human had even come out more impressive than he had thought.
Though he hated the thought of his position being on the line with such a formidable opponent, a large part of him was excited, more so that his opponent was human like him for it had been ages since he had killed his own kind, and he craved that feeling of excitement he usually had when he took a life of one of the same species. It was different from killing an alien, in a way, it was his way of announcing that he was at the apex of human evolution.
Wepéné the Silver Lance