Drake. The offensive, demonic half of Ash and one of the most feared demigods. Klaus had witnessed his power firsthand during the Cosmic League when Drake fought Lance. Shade had also informed Klaus that Drake was present alongside Nekro when they stopped Xhin during the crisis. That was enough for Klaus to know just how strong Drake was.
However, Klaus noticed something unusual as Drake stood silently ahead. Drake did not carry the same demeanor that Klaus remembered from the Cosmic League.
"Greetings, Klaus Walker," Drake began, his voice menacing yet surprisingly calm.
Klaus couldn't help but ask, "You're not as... flamboyant as I remember."
"That is unsurprising," Drake replied, his gaze briefly shifting toward the observation room. "I cannot afford to disgrace myself in front of Father, after all."
Klaus's brief interaction with Drake was not what he had expected, but he knew it was too early to judge based on one encounter. "That's fair... I guess," Klaus muttered.
Then, Klaus remembered another point he needed to ask about. "Another thing bothers me," he began. "Last time Ash switched to you during the Cosmic League, he appeared to be in pain. But now, that didn't seem to be the case. Why is that?"
"He was not in pain," Drake explained. "That was merely my method of using the transformation to catch my opponents off guard and gain an advantage."
Drake's words made sense, and they shocked Klaus with their clarity. Still, Klaus chose not to dwell on it any further.
"Regardless of my past endeavors," Drake continued, "are you certain you want to spar with me in your current state? You realize this won't be any easier for you."
Klaus remained silent for a moment. He knew he was still somewhat fatigued, but his curiosity about how much he could actually fare against the half-demon was strong; this might be an incredibly rare opportunity for him.
"I guess you're right," Klaus finally replied, taking a fighting stance. "But I also have a hunch that you share the same levels of exhaustion as Ash, so the same goes for you, doesn't it?"
Drake looked at Klaus, a smile slowly spreading across his face, clearly impressed by Klaus's determination. "Is that so?" he said, assuming a fighting stance of his own. "Careful, Walker... or you might get burned."
"I doubt it," Klaus replied, maintaining his stance as he prepared for the battle.
The room fell silent as the fighters and spectators alike awaited the commencement of the duel. Klaus knew this fight was going to be incredibly difficult; if he had struggled so much against Ash, facing Drake would be no different. Suddenly, as they stood in silence, Drake shifted his stance, a smile still playing on his lips.
Drake straightened up and pointed his right index finger at Klaus, mimicking a gun stance with his gaze locked on his opponent. Klaus immediately recognized what was coming; Drake was about to use his ability to generate explosions.
Instinctively, Klaus raised his forearms to shield himself, hoping to lessen the damage from the anticipated explosion. But that was not Drake's intention.
Instead of the attack coming from in front of him, Klaus suddenly felt a massive explosion from directly behind him. The force hurled him forward, and he darted toward his opponent with uncontrolled speed.
As Klaus closed in, Drake raised his right foot to launch a devastating kick aimed directly at Klaus's head, the strike faster than a speeding bullet. Just as Drake's foot neared its target, it began to phase through Klaus. Klaus had activated his Phantasmal State, allowing him to barely evade the attack.
Drake's foot passed completely through Klaus while Klaus continued his forward momentum. Noticing that the attack had gone through him, Klaus planned to use the remaining momentum to launch a counterattack. But before he could, another explosion occurred.
Turning his attention to his right, Klaus saw that Drake had caused a small explosion at the tip of his right foot after it phased through him, sending it ricocheting back toward Klaus's head.
Everything happened so fast, and this attack was even quicker and more devastating than the last. It would have knocked Klaus out instantly if it had connected. Fortunately, thanks to his Perfect Precognition, Klaus had seen the strike coming and managed to reactivate his Phantasmal State once more, causing the blow to phase through him again.
Everything had happened within a single moment. With the momentum from Drake's initial explosion, Klaus was propelled forward until his body reached Drake, his Phantasmal State allowing him to phase through the demigod before he finally halted his motion.
Now directly behind his opponent, Klaus swung a hook with his right fist as he spun around. But when he turned to face Drake, he realized his opponent was no longer there.
Startled, Klaus suddenly felt a palm on his back. Somehow, Drake had maneuvered behind him without his noticing.
Instantly, deep red flames ignited from the palm Drake had placed on Klaus's back. The flames burst forth, propelling Klaus forward; he was hurled several meters before managing to stop himself from slamming into the wall. A noticeable section of the back of his shirt was also burned by the attack.
Klaus stood in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "How the hell did that attack connect?" he asked, concern in his voice. "And how did my Perfect Precognition fail to activate?"
Drake's latest attack made little sense to Klaus, and he began to wonder. But there was no time to think; when Klaus turned his head toward his opponent, he saw that Drake had already closed the distance without wasting a moment.
Drake now stood directly ahead, his expression focused as he stretched his right arm toward Klaus's head. This time, Klaus managed to react, shifting his head to the left to avoid Drake's vicious claws. But as he evaded, Klaus suddenly heard a small explosion on the left side of his cheek.
The force caught Klaus off guard, and once again, his ability failed to activate, causing the explosion to hit his left face. The impact forced his head to jerk back to the right, where Drake's hand, which he had previously evaded, still remained.
Capitalizing on the outcome of that explosion, Drake altered his hand's motion, tilting his claws toward Klaus's face as he advanced. Fortunately, Klaus activated his Phantasmal State just in time, phasing his head through Drake's claws. Although the explosion still impacted his face, Klaus managed to extricate himself, backing away immediately.
Klaus was baffled. He couldn't understand why his ability failed to activate at critical moments yet worked at others. He pondered briefly, but before he could collect his thoughts, Drake closed the gap once again and resumed his attack.
"Prince Drake is truly formidable," Jhin muttered from the observation room, watching the battle unfold. "He isn't giving his opponent any room to breathe or think."
"That is the goal in battle," Nekro responded. "Drake has mastered his offensive capabilities, ensuring his opponent has minimal time to strategize. And he knows Klaus is a strategic thinker, something he had observed during the fight with Ash, so now Drake is simply keeping him off balance."
"Ah, I see," Jhin said. "That explains why Klaus seems to be caught off guard so often."
"Indeed," Nekro added, "and also because the ability Klaus relies on... does not work against sudden, instantaneous attacks."
Klaus continued to evade Drake's rapid flurry. After a brief moment of assessment, he began to understand why his Perfect Precognition had failed: Drake's combustion attack and his ability to spawn flames occurred so instantaneously that Klaus's senses had literally no time to trigger his ability automatically. Consequently, Klaus realized he could no longer depend on it heavily. While it was beneficial against Drake's normal attacks, it was taking too heavy a toll, much like in his battle with Ash.
However, Klaus had no time to dwell on this or decide whether to turn the ability off entirely. He was being overwhelmed by Drake in a way unlike any fight he had experienced before.
Drake's offensive pressure was insane, and his speed was equally terrifying. While his speed was roughly on par with Ash's, his fighting style made it seem far more overwhelming. Unlike Ash, who gracefully switched between defense and offense, mostly maintaining a defensive stance until an opening appeared, Drake fought in an erratic, impulsive manner.
Drake's attack patterns were unpredictable and wild; he swung his body in a crazed fashion that left his moves nearly impossible to anticipate. Klaus managed to evade a few of these attacks, but he had to rely on his Perfect Precognition to dodge up to ten swings in under seven seconds. Drake's intense focus and ferocity baffled Klaus, who found himself struggling to compare the half-demon's relentless assault with what he had expected.
Klaus knew the situation was dire. Maintaining a purely defensive stance against someone like Drake was a losing battle, and he was rapidly losing steam. Yet, the brief moments when his Perfect Precognition activated allowed him to strategize, leading him to conclude that his best chance against an unstoppable force like Drake was to match that same relentless nature.
After evading an attack, and before Drake could launch another punch, Klaus fixed his gaze on his opponent. His eyes gathered over billions of light particles, which he released in a burst to create a Solar Flash. The blinding light provided him with a brief opening, and for the first time, Klaus had a chance to strike.
He swung his left fist toward Drake, landing a blow directly on his opponent's head. However, when the strike connected, Klaus realized that Drake barely flinched. Shocked, Klaus backed off as the light around them dissipated.
But as Klaus retreated, Drake raised his hand, seizing the moment. Immediately, another explosion erupted directly behind Klaus, propelling him forward once more. As Klaus drew nearer, Drake positioned himself and delivered a lethal uppercut to Klaus's jaw.
The strike was so severe that Klaus's vision blurred, and he was thrown upward and away from his opponent. During that motion, yet another explosion occurred near the nape of his neck, forcing his body back toward Drake. As Klaus returned to face his opponent, he was met with a devastating right arm lariat that sent him flying at immense speed before he crashed against a wall.
In the observation room, Jhin flinched in shock. "Oh my gods!" he exclaimed. "Is the Prince not going a bit too far?"
"Klaus knew what he was getting into," Nekro explained calmly. "You don't have to be overly concerned about his well-being."
"Even so," Jhin added, "if this keeps up, he's going to get himself killed."
Nekro glanced back at the training room. "You give Klaus Walker far less credit than he deserves," he muttered, convinced that the fight would not remain one-sided forever.
Klaus lay unconscious in a dented hole in the wall for a few seconds before snapping back to reality. His body ached with pain, and for a moment, he feared he had died. The fact that he was knocked unconscious was the only reason Drake had paused his vicious onslaught for the first time in the fight, a brief uncertainty as to whether Klaus was truly out. After a while, Klaus managed to pull himself up, his body clearly in agony as he grunted in pain.
"Don't quit on me, Klaus Walker," Drake said calmly. "That last assault couldn't have been too much for you."
Klaus slowly rose to his feet, head bowed and consumed by rage, the anger of being utterly overpowered in the brawl. The anger of being unable to land a single attack upon his opponent. He knew he was outclassed, yet he refused to lose in such a disgraceful manner without giving it his all.
Then, as a flood of anger and frustration surged within him, photon particles began to gather around Klaus. A radiant glow enveloped his body, forming a luminescent aura reminiscent of his battle against Xhin during the crisis. Klaus finally lifted his head to face his opponent, his yellow eyes glowing with clear, unbridled rage.
Recognizing that Klaus was ready to continue, Drake smiled slightly. "That's more like it," he said, his tone carrying a hint of approval.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Drake immediately lunged toward Klaus, preparing to punch. Moving at an incredible speed, Drake landed a devastating punch directly onto Klaus's chest. Yet, despite the impact, Klaus remained standing firm and swung his left fist at Drake without delay, landing an attack of his own.
Neither attack caused either combatant to flinch significantly, but Klaus managed to forcefully push Drake away from the wall before charging forward again. Drake's mind briefly wondered why his attack had felt underwhelming, a thought that quickly vanished as Klaus unleashed a flurry of furious strikes.
Klaus and Drake exchanged rapid punches and kicks, each landing significant blows on the other. Internally, Drake questioned, "He's much faster than before?" but then realized, "No... he just isn't holding back anymore."
Drake noticed that Klaus was performing much better than he had a few minutes earlier. Unlike before, Klaus no longer prioritized his defenses; he was entirely on the offensive, even keeping his defensive abilities deactivated. This aggressive approach mirrored Drake's own style throughout the battle, where he focused solely on offense and left no time for his opponent to strategize.
The two continued their exchange. Although Klaus wasn't landing as many hits as Drake, he was matching his opponent's assault somehow. Moreover, while Drake's attacks were more frequent, they seemed to have a diminished impact on Klaus compared to earlier moments, and were somehow even less devastating than the blows Klaus was delivering. This realization puzzled Drake for a moment until he quickly understood the reason.
Because of the aura of light surrounding Klaus, the trajectory of his punches was slightly altered since he was compensating for the extra inches of light covering his body. This subtle adjustment meant that Drake's attacks, which relied on pinpoint precision, were less accurate.
Additionally, the light around Klaus provided him with two distinct advantages. First, due to its nature, the light slightly disrupted Drake's visual precision, preventing his sight from being completely accurate. Although the effect was minimal, it was precisely why Drake's eyes were not forced to adapt to it, making the ability effective against another demigod.
Second, within the thin layer of light around Klaus, photon particles moved in a specific pattern. These particles, carrying momentum, constantly traveled outward from Klaus's body to the edge of the aura before circling back. Though this might seem insignificant, the sheer number of photons meant that any incoming object with mass directed toward Klaus would be slowed down by this momentum, diminishing the effectiveness of Drake's strikes in this instance.
These combined benefits, along with Drake's initial miscalculation issue, gave Klaus a slight but evident advantage in the fight.
Noticing this, Drake smiled, recognizing that Klaus had now exceeded the minimum expectation he had originally set for the demigod. With renewed determination, Drake ramped up his ferocity, intensifying his offensive strikes.
Using his Explosive Step ability, Drake closed the distance between them and swung a devastating punch that landed squarely between Klaus's chest. The force of the blow sent Klaus flying several meters; he instinctively placed his palm against his chest as he slouched momentarily from the strike, but he did not yield.
Without wasting a moment, Klaus charged back into the fight, matching Drake's similar forward momentum. The two continued to exchange heavy blows, though it became increasingly clear that Drake held a significant advantage.
Realizing he was beginning to be overwhelmed, Klaus quickly retreated before conjuring a Solar Ball in his left palm. He charged at his opponent, swinging his left hand with haste in an attempt to land his attack, but Drake proved too nimble. Despite this, Klaus continued to hurl the ball of light at him.
As Drake continued to dodge, he suddenly noticed that the Solar Ball was expanding dramatically; it was rapidly evolving into a second-grade ball and growing even beyond that. Knowing that any sudden contact might trigger its detonation, Drake realized he needed to limit his movements, but by then, it was too late.
Klaus had already elevated the ball to its next grade, a feat he had only accomplished once before, during his fight with X in the Divine Tournament. He gasped for air as he held the attack up in the sky, clearly strained by the immense energy required to create a third-grade Solar Ball.
Even though Klaus was visibly exhausted, Drake hesitated to capitalize on the opportunity, understanding that the sheer destructive power of Klaus's attack was formidable, especially considering how much force even a first-grade Solar Ball could generate.
Klaus paused to catch his breath, but Drake, determined not to let his opponent charge such an attack again, made a mental note to avoid that situation. Drake knew he could use his flames or explosions to detonate the ball while Klaus wielded it, yet he also understood that would be counterproductive because Klaus's Phantasmal State rendered him immune to the explosion, a benefit Drake did not possess. Still, Drake knew he had to do something.
"Is he insane?" Jhin commented from the observation room in shock. "If he detonates that attack, it could destroy both the training and observation rooms."
"Calm down," Nekro replied, his eyes fixed on the ongoing fight. "You'll be fine."
Though Jhin still had concerns, he trusted Nekro's words.
Determined to force Klaus to detonate the ball from a distance, Drake chose to retreat, acting quickly before Klaus could further increase its size. But his retreat was exactly what Klaus had anticipated.
As Drake fell back, Klaus detonated the Solar Ball himself. However, the resulting explosion was not what anyone had expected.
Before creating the Solar Ball, Klaus had suspected that landing his attack in its first-grade form would be nearly impossible given Drake's speed and reactivity. To mask his true intention, Klaus made it seem as though he intended to land the attack immediately. In reality, Drake was unaware that the Solar Ball Klaus held was merely a decoy.
Using this strategy, Klaus continued to grow the attack while still swinging it at Drake, knowing that constant pressure would allow him to build up its power. He also ensured his actions were perceived by his opponent as blind, irrational rage rather than deliberate strategy.
With this in play, Klaus deliberately failed to gather the necessary photon particles required, creating a decoy third-grade Solar Ball instead, which was simply a massive, hollow ball of light. His feigned exhaustion only emphasized his performance, even though the energy expended was equivalent to about one and a half Solar Balls.
With his plan in place and his opponent beginning to back off, Klaus detonated the ball. Instead of a devastating explosion, it was focused to produce an intensely bright flash that filled the entire room, giving Klaus a temporary advantage.
Seizing the moment, Klaus charged at Drake and swung a powerful left fist punch at maximum force. Although he knew his physical strikes were barely effective against Drake, given the demon race's renowned resistance to damage, he had another plan.
As he swung his fist, Klaus generated a miniature Solar Ball about three inches in diameter at the tip of his left elbow and immediately detonated it. The explosion propelled his left arm with tremendous speed, delivering a deadly blow to Drake's head and sending the demigod reeling backward before he crashed into the wall behind them.
The impact was unmistakable, even as the room remained bathed in blinding light. When the light finally began to dissipate, the aftermath of the attack was revealed.
Klaus knelt on the ground, clutching his left arm as he grunted in pain. His last action had sent a tingling shock through his entire hand and left his elbow badly bruised. The force from the Solar Ball and the impact with his opponent had clearly taken its toll as he struggled to regain feeling in his left arm.
Drake managed to rise from the debris despite the force of the attack. But as he came into view, his face revealed a fresh bruise with blood beginning to drip from his forehead, with one of his horns even broken off.
Drake glanced at Klaus, shock evident on his face, before a daring smile slowly crept in, and giggles began to escape his lips. "Impressive, Klaus Walker," he spat, his tone louder than before. "Show me more of that."
His giggles soon morphed into maniacal laughter before abruptly ceasing. Drake's smile faded as he shifted his gaze toward the observation room and then back to Klaus. He cleared his throat briefly, restoring his expression to normal.
After a moment, Drake resumed a focused stance."No more games," he muttered, his piercing gaze fixed on Klaus.
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted behind Drake, propelling him toward Klaus at an incredible speed. Drake swung a right hook at his opponent, and although Klaus managed to evade the attack, it was only just.
Drake continued unleashing a flurry of attacks, his ferocity more intense than before. Klaus was forced to maintain a defensive posture and had to resort to his Phantasmal State to dodge several blows. He attempted to jump away and break free from a purely defensive stance, knowing it was futile, but Drake refused to give him any room to maneuver.
After Klaus leapt backward, Drake charged forward and placed a palm on Klaus's chest. Immediately, a burst of bright orange flame erupted violently from his palm, engulfing Klaus's upper body as it roared around the room.
"Oh my gods!" Jhin exclaimed in shock from the observation room, watching as Drake unleashed the violent flames on Klaus.
Jhin then turned his attention to Nekro, noticing that the god remained silent and focused. This observation calmed him, and he returned his gaze to the fight.
Following his burst of flames, Drake suddenly witnessed Klaus stretch out his hand from the lingering fire to form a Solar Ball. Recognizing his opponent was momentarily immobile, Klaus swung the Solar Ball at Drake, and the attack landed directly on Drake's chest, forcing him back several meters.
The bright light that filled the room was brief, as the Solar Ball Klaus created was smaller than usual. This was also why Drake had managed to withstand the attack, although his shirt suffered damage from the direct hit. But what surprised Drake even more was that Klaus had been able to create the Solar Ball in the first place despite having been burned moments before.
Drake watched as Klaus stood tall and steady while the flames covering his upper body began to dissipate. Although parts of Klaus's shirt were burning away, he simply tore off the remaining fabric, leaving his upper body exposed.
As the flames died down, his radiant aura remaining, it became clear that Klaus had sustained no damage from the attack. His expression remained stoic, his skin unmarked by burns, and not a single hair on his head showed any sign of having been affected.
"He is unharmed," Jhin muttered. "How is this possible?"
"Klaus Walker possesses a very interesting ability," Nekro explained. "He doesn't just have the power to manipulate light; he also adopts its properties. This includes allowing objects to pass through him, moving at its exact speed..."
"And resistance to heat," Jhin added in shock and understanding. "Incredible."
Klaus stood tall, shirtless, yet completely unharmed by Drake's assault. "That won't work on me," he said softly but menacingly.
Drake's irritation grew as Klaus's advantages became more apparent. Frustrated, he stretched his hands out and placed them a few inches ahead of his hips, his fingers pointing upward.
Orange flames erupted from both palms before suddenly intensifying into a bright yellow glow, burning more aggressively than any previously equipped flame.
"Everything burns eventually," Drake said softly, his tone low and serious as he wielded a hotter version of his previous flames. "I'll show you."