Belaris stepped confidently into the open clearing, the very picture of raw, sculpted power. His muscular form rippled beneath black compression shorts, comically contrasted by the simple flip-flops strapped to his feet. Black hair neatly framed the fierce intensity in his ice-blue eyes as he settled into a fighting stance.
"You sure you don't want your axes?" Belaris called out, flexing his powerful fingers and rolling his shoulders with practiced ease. "I'm pretty well-versed in boxing, Muay Thai, and more than a few forms of grappling. It's your funeral."
Warrex, calm and unbothered, cracked his neck from side to side, shaking his head firmly. "I don't know what any of those words mean, but I'll pass on the axes. Thanks anyway."
Roy groaned softly to Takara beside him. "He's doing it again, refusing an advantage just to prove a damn point, to who I don't know."
For a moment, both fighters remained perfectly still, sizing each other up. A tense silence enveloped the clearing. Then, like two lightning bolts, Warrex and Belaris surged forward simultaneously, fists colliding in a fierce, echoing clash.
Belaris immediately took control with sharp precision, a quick jab snapping Warrex's head back, followed instantly by a thunderous cross that rattled him. Warrex stumbled slightly, tasting blood, but steadied himself just in time to slip under a follow-up hook. Ducking low, he drove his shoulder into Belaris's ribs, eliciting a grunt of surprise. In that close range, Warrex delivered brutal, short uppercuts into Belaris's side, sharp, calculated strikes.
Belaris snarled with excitement, quickly adjusting his footing to slam a powerful knee straight into Warrex's chest, driving him backward. Warrex barely caught himself, breathing heavily, but a fierce grin had taken hold on his lips.
"Better brace yourself, bear," Belaris taunted, circling methodically. "I'm just getting warmed up."
Warrex charged again, slipping beneath another vicious jab and retaliating with a looping left hook, smashing it solidly into Belaris's jaw. Belaris's head snapped sharply to the side, droplets of blood splattering the grass, yet he barely flinched. With terrifying quickness, Belaris pivoted and responded with a brutal elbow across Warrex's cheek, splitting skin open instantly.
As blood poured down his face, Warrex growled in defiance, digging his heels into the ground and driving forward. He hammered Belaris's midsection with punishing body shots, relentless combinations that echoed like drumbeats. Belaris absorbed blow after blow with gritted teeth, suddenly grasping Warrex's head to wrench it downward and deliver a savage knee upward, nearly knocking Warrex off his feet.
Kaelor cheered wildly from the sidelines, practically bouncing with excitement. "Yes! This is what I'm talking about! Hold your ground, bearboy!"
Roy rubbed his temples anxiously. "They might seriously be at this a while…"
In the brig aboard the Nightshatter, the prisoners watched the violent spectacle through the Presidroid's monitor. Riven watched begrudgingly, silently impressed. Beside him, Skelly Mom shrieked delightedly, fists clenched tight. "Such brutality! I'm in heaven!"
Father Skeleton grinned broadly. "Is this pure muscular glory!?"
Belaris lunged forward suddenly, catching Warrex around the torso. Muscles strained as both fighters locked together in a fierce grapple, veins bulging from the effort. They twisted violently, each trying to unbalance the other, but neither could find purchase on their sweat-slicked bodies.
"Getting tired yet?" Warrex taunted through gritted teeth.
Belaris snorted, grinning defiantly as they shoved each other apart, breaking back into striking range. "Not even close," he shot back, immediately throwing another thunderous right hook. Warrex ducked, fists flying once more as their brutal dance continued without pause.
Belaris swung another fierce hook, catching Warrex squarely on the temple. Warrex's vision swam briefly, his legs wobbling dangerously, but he managed to catch Belaris's wrist, yanking him off balance. With unexpected agility, Warrex ducked behind him, driving a sharp elbow into the small of Belaris's back.
Belaris roared, spinning with an explosive backhand that cracked across Warrex's jaw, knocking him down hard. Warrex hit the ground heavily, blood spattering across the grass, but quickly pushed himself back up, refusing to concede an inch. He sprang forward again, fists blazing, each punch thrown with calculated timing and raw determination.
After three consecutive hooks, Belaris stumbled back and spat a mouthful of blood onto the dirt, grinning savagely despite his swollen lip. "Not bad, beastfolk," he sneered, wiping his jaw. "I haven't had my bell rung like that in years. Think you can keep me entertained a little longer, or do you need to get back to your crate?"
Warrex chuckled hoarsely, rubbing his reddened knuckles. "You kidding? This is the best fun I've had in months." His smirk widened as he steadied himself, adopting his stance again. "Just don't go passing out too soon, muscles. I'd hate for Roy to think I'm going easy on you."
The brutal rhythm set in: Belaris landed crushing blows that echoed loudly, Warrex countered with methodical precision, delivering strikes that gradually wore Belaris down. They traded heavy, damaging blows, both fighters staggering repeatedly, dropping and rising in turn.
An hour passed, then two, yet neither man yielded. Blood covered their bodies and soaked the earth, faces swollen, bruises spreading rapidly. Eventually, exhaustion slowed their movements to near-stillness, each strike requiring monumental effort.
Roy, overwhelmed by the dragging intensity, laid back on the grass, drifting into a reluctant nap.
Warrex and Belaris continued their grim marathon. Belaris lashed out with a sluggish right cross; Warrex, equally spent, swung with an exhausted left hook. Both strikes missed completely, momentum carrying each fighter past the other. They stumbled heavily forward, heads colliding brutally with the ground at precisely the same instant. Both fell unconscious simultaneously, collapsing face-down in the bloodied dirt.
Roy jerked awake to Kaelor's outraged bellowing nearby. "How could he lose to such a bumbling human!? Give me that human! I'll crush him like an insect! Captain, just say the word!"
Roy blinked wearily, sitting up. "Wait, what happened, is it finally over?"
Presidroids quickly stepped forward, carefully lifting the limp, unconscious forms of Warrex and Belaris, carrying them away in respectful silence.
Eryndra shook her head incredulously, lips quirking in an amused smile. "Two hours of beautiful unrelenting violence, and they knock each other out simultaneously. Seriously?"
Roy exhaled deeply, watching six other Presidroids quietly line up, preparing for the next duel.
The unpredictability of these duels weighed heavily on his mind, but he shook the thought away, focusing instead on the calm, mechanical readiness of the Presidroids now facing Rozhen, waiting patiently for their turn in this ruthless series of battles.