《I Reawakened as an Inferno Hero》 Chapter 1: Reawakening as an Inferno Hero Chapter 1: Reawakening as an Inferno Hero"Run, Axel! Run!" Axel ran and threw a glance backward. His father was on the floor, on his knees, his face bloody. The street was in chaos. Gigantic monsters with three arms, some two, while some with five, were tearing the street apart. Cars were upside down, some already burning to ashes, some just starting to. Axel''s eyes were teary¡ªhis father was going to die. Portals appeared in front of him, some tiny, some enormous. Nonetheless, all shimmered, the edges scintillating. "Try to enter a portal! I''m sure you''ll awaken doing so!" his father shouted. That seemed to be the last thing Axel heard from his father. Throwing a glance backward, he saw a monster''s claws buried into his father''s neck. His father slumped, and Axel surely knew he was dead. Axel was seventeen, tall, slender, with dark curly hair and a quite handsome face. He was clothed in black joggers with a yellow shirt. As he ran, he seemed to sway with the wind. Since he had lived on this earth, he had never seen anything as preternatural as this. Two monsters, their maws drooling with blood, were after him. A ladder was just a few steps away from him. It lay against the wall of a building, and Axel bet he could climb it. It seemed to be the only way to survive because the monsters were after him at an amazing speed. The tears welling up in his eyes were starting to trickle down his cheeks, but he continued running, ignoring the emotional pain of losing his father. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel, now near the ladder, leaped with great force onto it. He hurried up and rolled onto the top of the building, noticing that the surface was cemented. It seemed to be a row of buildings because he could see about five more up ahead, many portals on them. His goal now was to get into one, and as it seemed, it wouldn''t be easy. A monster jerked its hands forward, almost reaching Axel''s neck. Axel ducked, tumbling on the floor, then leaped onto another. He was lucky because he almost fell. A portal was shining brightly in front of him now. Looking backward briskly and seeing the monsters charging at him fiercely, Axel plunged into the portal. At that moment, he saw darkness. _____________ Axel lived alone with his father, he had never seen his mother because she died giving birth to him. And so, his father had brought him up to his current age. It seemed like an apocalypse because two days ago, the people of the city Axel lived in started seeing small portals at the corner of the streets. It seemed shocking and the government, confused, decided to hire special scientists to research on it. When they made their discovery, they discovered that there was a mistake in an alternate realm filled with monsters, causing the monsters to come out of portals into earth, but the problem was, they couldn''t come up with a solution to stop it. This morning, dastardly monsters and villains started to come out of the portals. The government sent soldiers to fight the monsters but it seemed to be nothing because all the soldiers were killed. The government then, wanting the safety of the citizens, closed all schools and advised everyone to stay at home. Axel and his dad had a plan though, to enter into one of the portals and go to the alternate realm. Because from what Axel''s dad studied, as he was himself a former scientist, that doing so would make them awaken powers and then they could use it to come back to this world, killing all the monsters. Axel''s father had also discovered, with the help of an ancient looking book he found in a library about awakening. The book had made him know that there were many powers behind the portal and all they needed to do was to reawaken them. Now on their way to enter one of the portals, Axel lost his father. ________________ Axel now saw light, but it still seemed dark. He now stood in the middle of an empty, dilapidated-looking place. Around him were pebbles¡ªsmall and seemingly irrelevant. The sky was cloudless and colorless, looking dour and somber. A few centimeters from him was a giant sword, thrust into a heavy-looking rock. Axel, now sobbing, walked over to it. He examined it for a few seconds before stretching his right hand forward to hold it. It felt mighty to the touch, if not anything, it seemed daunting. Just by mere impulse, he was compelled to take it out of the rock. His hands shook slightly, and with all the strength he could muster, he removed the sword from the giant rock. At that moment, he heard a sibilant noise. It echoed in his head, and then, with the weight of the sword dragging him down to a fall, he heard: [TING!] [YOU HAVE REAWAKENED] Axel, now struggling to get on his feet, squinted his eyes. He expected to reawaken as a Lord or something powerful. [YOU HAVE REAWAKENED AS AN INFERNO HERO] ''What does that mean?'' Axel thought. He knew the meaning of inferno¡ªat least, according to his understanding, it was another word for fire. And a hero? That meant someone who saves the day and does good stuff. Now he had reawakened as an Inferno Hero. Meaning, to his understanding, he was a hero with fire power? [TRANSFORMATION INITIATING] Axel felt a gust of wind plunge him up into the air. A whirlwind, burning silver in color, surrounded him. It spun and rolled and spun more. The feeling that Axel felt was incredible. It felt unreal. His bones felt like they were cracking apart. He felt a firestorm raging inside him. His clothes were starting to tear off his body. A silver fire was burning all over him. A seething pain soared over his body, and then, it all stopped. Axel was on the ground. He was now fully transformed. He was clothed in a long white robe. Over this was a black outer cloak, sleeveless and fastened at the shoulder with a silver flame-shaped clasp. On his wrists were white arm guards, designed to withstand intense heat. He was wearing black trousers, and his feet were encased in dark leather boots. His body radiated silver burning flames, one that was more eminent on his head. He now carried a cool, unreal look. Axel heard a sparking sound, and in front of him was a tiny screen. [TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE] The screen became wider, and then: [Hero profile scanning] [Hero profile complete] [Hero Profile] Name: [Axel] Rank: [Amateur] [F] ¡ú Hero Points: 0 / 500 [Attributes] Power: 40 Speed: 70 Endurance: 25 Intellect: 63 [Hero Skills] 1. [Active Skill] Power Punch (Rank F) ¨C Throw powerful, tooth-aching punches. (Next Upgrade: 10 more uses required) 2. [Passive Skill] Battle Instinct (Rank F) ¨C Slightly enhances reaction speed in combat. (Next Upgrade: Defeat 3 Elite Enemies) 3. [Unique Ability] ??? (Locked) ¨C (Unlock at Rank C) [Inventory] Golden Armor (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno sword- Go through your opponents with the similitude of flames. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. Axel shrugged. He even had a system. Chapter 2: Duties as an Inferno Hero Chapter 2: Duties as an Inferno HeroAxel felt like he now carried a very great power. But what he kept wondering was, if he was just awakening these powers, he didn''t have them before, so why was the term: ''REAWAKENING''? With that thought, he seemed to see visions. He closed his eyes, and it felt like he was in the sky. In what seemed like a vision, he learned that he wasn''t the first Inferno Hero. There were actually thirteen, and the last one was slain beside the rock. But before he died, he thrust his sword into the rock so that another person could ''reawaken'' the powers. Axel opened his eyes now. He had just done it. He had reawakened as the Inferno Hero. But what would he do now? Everywhere seemed deserted. He could only see rocks and pebbles. He sighed and remembered the death of his father. He wanted to cry, but he noticed the tears wouldn''t come out. He guessed it was because he now possessed a certain degree of power that wouldn''t give way for tears. Out of impulse, he leaped, and then he saw himself flying up to the sky. The sword he found on the rock was still in his hands, and he gripped it tightly. He could fly! Well, he had now discovered the first of his powers. Up in the air, he looked forward and saw a tiny village up ahead. He realized that there was at least life in this dilapidated realm. Looking to the clouds, he heard a voice. It sounded soft, and then: [HOST] "[You have reawakened the powers of the last Inferno Hero, making you the new Inferno Hero. With great power comes great responsibilities, Axel. This realm is on the brink of disaster, and when I say disaster, it will soon be no more. It''s about to be destroyed. And with it destroyed, Earth will face a greater disaster. There are many monsters, creatures, and villains in this realm, and if this realm is destroyed, all the monsters, creatures, and evil villains will enter portals and go to Earth, ripping it apart.]" Axel felt a bit startled by the words of the voice from the clouds. "But monsters have already started entering Earth! They killed my dad a few minutes ago!" The voice seemed to smile. Axel couldn''t see it, but he felt it did¡ªif that was even possible, by the way. "[That is just the least of what will happen. From your street, soon it''ll spread to other streets, and then to countries, and then Earth will be no more. And don''t worry about your father. All superheroes must lose a loved one. I don''t know why, but it seems to be compulsory. You must not worry about that. Just take heart, because the fate of the world lies in your hands.]" Axel let that sink in. "And who are you?" he asked the voice. "[Just call me ''The Voice'' because I''m more of an entity than a being. I have guided all the past Inferno Heroes, and now I''m going to do the same with you.]" Axel furrowed an eyebrow. "So what do I do now?" "[Only you can save the world now. Like all superheroes, you will face villains and meet heroes. You will also have to choose your own superhero name as you are only an Inferno Hero. I will summon a group of super heroes who will help you out and train you. Their timing might be late so you are on your own for now. You will still go to Earth, but not now¡ªit''s too dangerous to do so.]" Axel turned back and was about to leave when the voice shouted, halting him. "[No one must know your true identity. You must hide it at all times. If you want to transform back to your normal self, just snap your fingers, and the same applies if you want to transform into an Inferno Hero. Note, this realm you are in, called the Khaos Realm, is a place for heroes and monsters. I bet soon you''ll find more heroes with similar powers as you¡ªand more dangerous villains. Good luck!]" Axel didn''t hear the voice again, and now he flew forward. Squinting his eyes, he could see what looked like a small village. He put his hands backward, his face stretching forward even more, and then he was speeding toward the village. The wind drifted backward, hitting his face. He looked different now. One wouldn''t recognize him as Axel, the teenage boy. His face was now half covered in flames, his eyes completely white. He also looked more grown up, no longer like a boy. He could see a tall building now, gigantic in size, dwarfing other buildings. He flew over to it and landed on top. The flames on his body swayed with the wind as he did so. He was about to snap his fingers to return to his normal form when he heard a woman''s scream for help. Looking down onto the village, he heard even louder screams¡ªfrom men, women, and children. Rolling like a whirlwind and coming through a small gate that led to the village was a figure made of dust. It seemed like a man, bald, with no legs. Where his legs ought to have been was a cloudy form, made of dust. Axel was bemused. ''Who could this be?'' he wondered. The figure now swirled and twirled, rolling toward the inhabitants of the village. "I will tear this place apart and destroy all of you!" People ran, helter-skelter, not actually having an actual place in mind to go. Some entered their houses, some made of bricks, while others made of sticks. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel knew it was time to be a hero now. He would have to save the village from this being. He leaped off the building and landed with a¡ª THUD! On the ground. The dust figure paused and looked at him, surprised. The villagers also paused, scared that there were now two figures who wanted to destroy the village and kill them. "Who are you?" Axel asked the figure. He felt it was dumb to ask, but asking would drive him forward nonetheless. "Well, I''m Dust. What of you?" Axel swiftly drove his hands forward, hitting right into the face of the figure. He had just replied to the question. Chapter 3: First villain Chapter 3: First villainThe figure, Dust by name, jerked backward a bit with the punch. Axel''s hands seemed to sink into the face of the being. It felt moist to him, like his hands had just entered the face of sodden ground. "Oh, so you''re a hero!" exclaimed Dust in his thick, heavy voice, shaking his head sideways to shake off the impact. "Apparently, yes, I am!" Axel replied, his voice commanding. The villagers stopped and stared at the scene. They were no longer running; they just paused, their gazes directed at the position of the Inferno Hero and the villain, Dust. "Well, well," said Dust. "It''s been a long time since I faced superheroes. The last one I faced was a lightning hero, and, well, I defeated him. And you, you''ll be a piece of cake for me." Axel inhaled and exhaled loudly, the flames on his body burning more intensely, causing no harm to him. He looked at the villain he was about to face, already braced for a challenge. He knew he possessed many powers, but he had only discovered one, so perhaps fighting this villain would make him discover the others. Dust now stretched his hands forward and sent a punch toward Axel''s jaw. It hit the spot, and Axel jolted backward, hitting his back against the wall of a building. The villagers gasped, and Axel realized this wasn''t going to be easy. He managed to get on his feet, using his right hand to touch his jaw where the punch had landed. With a torpid move forward, Axel trudged over to Dust, who was now grinning. Apparently, his powers were dust, and Axel didn''t quite like it because now he was sneezing. He needed a pragmatic approach to things if he was to defeat this villain. He had an active skill to throw tooth-aching punches, but he had already used that. He also had golden armor, but he guessed that was too much for the situation at hand. Axel guessed the only thing that could be worth a try was to summon his basic combat suit. Out of impulse, he whistled, guessing that it would summon the suit. It did, though, because a golden suit was now on him. Dust seemed to be shocked by that, although he smiled and tried to be indifferent. And so the fight went on. Axel gripped his sword tightly and, with a seemingly preposterous thrust of his sword forward, aimed it at Dust''s belly. Dust was indifferent. He only stared blankly into Axel''s eyes. Axel now made a face¡ªhe knew he was cooked. Dust sent Axel a kick, putting his left foot into his face. Axel fell back, grunting in pain. Dust didn''t relent now; he held Axel by the neck and sent him flying backward. Axel grunted again. Truly, this basic suit offered minor protection. He felt he was too amateurish in battle. He hadn''t been a great fighter before, though. Then, it felt like a normal thing, while now, it felt like a really bad thing. The villagers were watching now¡ªsome with arms akimbo, some with their mouths slightly open, while others had grimaces on their faces. But nonetheless, all were on their feet, shocked that the hero who had come to save them was now getting beaten. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel managed to get up, his brave demeanor now overshadowed by the fact that he was about to be defeated. He staggered backward, trying to stand on his feet. Dust drove his fists yet again into Axel, now hitting him censoriously in the belly. Axel plunged into a door of a building, smashing it open with his back. He let out a loud shout as he tumbled like a tumbleweed on the ground. There was a stylish-looking table in the middle of what looked like a sitting room. A lightbulb hung from the ceiling, but it was off. Axel quickly stood up. He couldn''t defeat this villain? He shook his head sideways and staggered backward lethargically. He needed a plan. He couldn''t defeat this villain with mere punches. The worst part was that he couldn''t fully use his superpowers. Dust kept coming at him. Now, he had shoved the table in the center of the room away. On his face was a mean, stern expression. Axel didn''t quite know what he came for¡ªperhaps he just came for his usual round of causing havoc? Dust, with a spinning motion, now came at Axel, holding him tightly by the throat. The building they were in had no light except for the one shining through the broken door. The burning silver flames all over Axel''s body did nothing to Dust. It seemed Dust wasn''t affected by fire. Axel grunted now, breathing very heavily. Peering through the door, he tried to find a means to save himself, but he saw nothing. "Well," Dust said to Axel, "I was expecting a competition, to be honest. But with this, it seems you''re not putting one up. For the record, this should be the easiest fight I''ve had in my life. And, well, I''ve been around for quite a while." Axel was breathing hard now. He stared into Dust''s eyes as the villain squeezed his neck tighter. And then, it felt like his ear was on fire¡ªhe could hear a tiptoe! Axel was stunned by that. Wasn''t a tiptoe supposed to be very low in sound and almost silent? He was surprised he could hear one so clearly. Soon, a lady was at the door. She was clothed in a velvet gown, old-looking, the edges worn out. Her hair was made into a bun, and she looked pretty. In her hand was a bucket of water. Axel was almost excited¡ªhe had just discovered a superpower. He could hear things that were far away from him. Dust was already strangling Axel to death, but then, the lady was whispering to him now: "His weakness is water." Axel almost cried out. He shouted, "Then what are you waiting for? Pour it on him!" But then... wasn''t he made of fire? Chapter 4: Fighting the Villain Chapter 4: Fighting the VillainHe was, actually. That only dawned on him later when the lady had already poured the bucket of water toward Dust, who was now stunned, his mouth opening slowly. SPLASH! The water was on Dust, who let out a loud scream and lunged forward, landing on the table and breaking it to pieces. A few drops met Axel, who panicked a bit, fearing something might happen to him. He felt that water, at that moment, was deleterious to his body. Closing his eyes and hoping for the worst, Axel fell backward, holding his neck gingerly now, completely out of breath. He knelt by the wall, and extemporaneously, Dust was doing the same, his body slowly dissolving to sand. The lady looked frightened, and so she ran out of the building, panting very hard like her life depended on the breathing. Dust was cursing under his breath, murmuring, saying, "No!" He did so repeatedly, holding his stomach. Axel just sat where he was, his face almost purple in color, his breathing also hard and heavy. Dust now was crawling out the door, and Axel, seeming like he would die, felt bolstered by the scene. He staggered after him, and so they went out of the building. Outside, the villagers were perplexed. They stared at the scenario, too stunned to even say a word. Dust was trying to leave now; he seemed to not be fighting anymore. Axel wanted to leave him¡ªhe, too, was tired¡ªbut then he heard Dust mutter, "Boss won''t be happy. I''ll be in trouble." Axel furrowed an eyebrow. So he was actually here for something and not just to steal. He decided he would not allow him to go free; he would have to pull up a fight and find out what he came here for. Axel discovered he wasn''t with his sword anymore. He felt alarmed. The sword seemed special to him; it sort of possessed his power. He must have lost it fighting Dust. He decided to abandon following the villain and look for his sword. He flew in the air, his hands downward, steadying himself. His eyeballs moved around his eyes, trying to find his sword. And then, his eyes now closed and focusing greatly, he sensed something. "Perhaps another power was at work?" he thought. He looked backward, out of impulse actually, his eyes peering with great effort at Dust''s direction. Hidden in his inner skin, like a camouflage, was his sword. Axel was appalled. He swiftly, even forgetting to breathe, dashed at Dust, who was now making a silent, unsuspecting getaway. The wind blew the flames on his body sideways, and it lit him up even more, setting his head ablaze. The villagers stared in astonishment, not knowing what to say. Soon, they started to clap their hands repeatedly. It was an applause. Axel was too appalled to notice. He did, but he didn''t take it to heart; he didn''t take it seriously. Dust was starting to increase his pace now, jogging and breathing fiercely. The dust around him rose up. It entered his nose, and he drove it out with great force, by the way, causing a torrent of dust to roll around him. He wasn''t looking backward, but he knew he was being followed. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel had to give him credit. He was living up to his name. As someone with powers of dust, he was quite strong. Well, Axel bet he was stronger. He plunged at Dust, who, just stealing a glimpse backward, dashed forward now. Axel felt like he was sweating, but how could he when he was covered in flames? He eyed his sword, which was well held under the hands of Dust. They were well outside the village now. They could still see the little gate, though, but that was it¡ªnothing more. Their surroundings were now barren, just like where Axel first found the sword. The horizon was dark and cloudless, and there was nothing again, just a large empty landscape. It seemed that the village was the only sign of life in this realm, but he doubted that, actually. He knew there would be more, only that he hadn''t really checked the place. Axel finally, after contemplating how to stop Dust, spun around him. He did it swiftly, carrying a large amount of wind with him. The wind coupled with the flames burning on his body, and it seemed to blast forward at Dust, who halted now, almost falling. "Give me my sword!" Axel shouted at Dust. Dust only smirked. "You do not merit it. You do not value it. You are not fit to use it!" Axel only blinked. He tried to be calm, but it was hard to do so. He seemed to have a disadvantage. Would he call it his weakness? He was hot-tempered. He hadn''t actually seen it on bigger occasions, as he just got his powers not far from an hour ago, but he knew he had it, and now he would have to learn to control it. "I am the rightful owner," Axel said. "You see, I own the sword, and you have no right to it." Dust smiled. "You sound childish. You seem to be a child silhouetted in a hero''s body." Axel acted like he was paying attention, but he was actually calculating his next move and how to get back his sword. At least he was good at physics back in high school, and he guessed it would be quite helpful in this situation. Dust was rising into the air now. Axel''s sword was in his right hand, well gripped. "I''m sorry, mate," Dust said, "but you''re not getting your sword." Axel squinted his eyes, looking at the sky. He didn''t know why, but he wasn''t moving. Dust was laughing now; he was slowly getting away. Axel remained calm. He was sniffing something, and it was something good. Dust laughed more menacingly now. He raised his hands to the sky and looked at Axel, now smiling because he was surprised why he wasn''t doing anything. "Seems you''re dumb also. Won''t you put up a fight for your sword?" Axel smiled. "I don''t think I have to." Dust was disturbed now. "Why?" Axel only pointed to the sky. Dust looked at it. It was drizzling. It dawned on him, and before he could react, a downpour of rain had started. Chapter 5: Victory? Chapter 5: Victory?Axel had always noticed when rain would fall from the sky. Since he was a little child, he had always sensed its coming. It always came with a peculiar smell¡ªone that he quite liked. Now, while chasing Dust over to this place, he had sniffed the peculiar scent of rainfall. His survival actually depended on when it would fall, and he had hoped it would fall sooner. And when Dust had started to talk and boast, a drizzle had caught his skin. His hope was for it to just fall, and to his expectations, it drizzled¡ªand now, it was falling averagely. But his actions seemed to have consequences. Dust''s enemy seemed to be water because of what it did to him¡ªbut what about him? Wasn''t he made of fire, and wasn''t water the real enemy of flames? Dust was falling now, shouting. His hands were raised upwards, soon falling down. The sword landed with a THUD! Onto the ground¡ªit seemed to fall with a clatter. It was similar to the sound of plates falling and breaking into pieces. Axel sped to the sword and took it from the ground, gripping it very tightly. Dust was shouting now, holding his face¡ªpressing it, actually. Axel seemed to be unaffected by the rain, although the flames all over his body were starting to go away. It seemed like the rain was quenching them, which, apparently, it was doing. Axel decided he would have to find shelter to avoid anything more serious. He looked at Dust, who was on his knees now, coughing wet sand. He decided he would ask him who sent him. "Who do you work for?" Axel asked sternly. Dust coughed more now. "I work for¡ª, I¡ª" He paused and raised his head, looking at Axel intently in the eyes. "You cannot save this realm, and you cannot save Earth. He''s stronger than you and, as well, more strategic." "Who?" Dust smiled. "You better give up. You alone can never defeat all the villains coming out of this realm or in this realm. All former superheroes have gone into hiding because of their failures. I''d advise you to do the same." Axel didn''t blink the whole time. Stunned, he couldn''t voice a single word as he watched Dust slowly dissolve into the sand. He didn''t know if he was dead, but well, he didn''t care. Soon, he was facing back, and instead of walking back to the village for shelter, he walked down the deserted area, snapping his fingers. His flames lit up more, and he was back to his normal self¡ªas Axel, no longer an Inferno Hero. He could see a tree very far away and decided to go there. He would have flown over, but it was raining, and as he had discovered, he wasn''t that good at using his powers near water. That seemed to be his weakness. Walking towards the tree, he thought about home. Now that his father was dead, he was automatically an orphan. He had an uncle, though, and he guessed he could go there, narrate what happened to his father, and then live there. At least he had a place to stay. The tree was a few steps away now, and upon reaching it, he stayed beside it, under the branches. He was surprised because the rain didn''t meet him again. The tree looked sort of magical to him¡ªlike an umbrella, giving him shade. He had a friend back on Earth, and he wondered what had happened to him. He missed Earth, and it felt like he should go there. But the voice said it was too dangerous. But well, he was a hero, and his duty was to save people. What was the use of his powers if he couldn''t use them to save Earth? Saving Earth did not, to him, mean staying here and doing nothing. Moreover, he was in his final grades back at home and would be writing his final exams in about five months. Axel decided he had to go back to Earth. He stood up and thought about seeing his stats, and BOOM! A screen appeared in front of him. It was small at first, but then it became wider. [Hero profile scanning] Some letters were scattered on the screen, and then they arranged into: [Hero profile complete] [Hero Profile] Name: [Axel] Rank: [Amateur] [F]¡ú Hero Points: 200/500 +200 Added for defeating your first villain. [Attributes] Power: 40 Speed: 70 Endurance: 25 Intellect: 65 +2 added for using your brain to defeat Dust instead of just combat. [Hero Skills] 1. [Active Skill] Power Punch (Rank F) ¨C Throw powerful, tooth-aching punches. (Next Upgrade: 10 more uses required) S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. 2. [Passive Skill] Battle Instinct (Rank F) ¨C Slightly enhances reaction speed in combat. (Next Upgrade: Defeat 3 Elite Enemies) 3. [Unique Ability] ??? (Locked) ¨C (Unlock at Rank C) [Inventory] Golden Armor (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno sword- Go through your opponents with the similitude of flames. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. Axel squinted his eyes. He had just three items, and he thought of them as very useful. The most useful one being the Energy Potion. It could be very useful when facing a big villain. Axel sighed, and that seemed to signal his stats to go away. He was about to sit down again when he heard the voice: "[Axel, your school is in danger.]" Axel''s eyes widened, and he became alarmed. "Montre''s High?" he asked. "[A villain by the name Corusca has just escaped to Earth via a portal. He is causing havoc in the school.]" Axel snapped his fingers, and his body lit up. He was now the Inferno Hero. "[A portal will open in front of you now. Enter and go save your school. Note: The villain''s power is a mixture of bright light and electricity. Now, go save the day!]" A portal sparked open in front of Axel, and without hesitation, he lunged into it. WHOOSH! It was more. Chapter 6: Another Villain Chapter 6: Another VillainAxel felt like he entered into a void. WHOOOSH! He was in front of his school. He could see students running to his direction. Seeing him, they shouted and even ran the more. ''I thought the government stopped schools from opening?'' he thought. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He flew up now, trying to find where the villain he was going to face was. The school was an average building. Montre''s High wasn''t actually a big school, but it housed quite a population. He flew forward now, his eyes lit with flames around. He moved them a bit occasionally, trying to find where Corusca was. "Run! Run! Be afraid of me!" Axel heard the voice. It sounded distant, but he knew it was near. According to his ''scientific'' knowledge, he thought that perhaps because the villain''s power was bright light with a mixture of electricity, it would affect his voice when he spoke. He plunged forward now though, at an amazing speed. To him, it felt like he was moving at the speed of light. The things he saw were just blurs. Everything was now blurry in his sight. He was trying to head to the back of the school''s building. He noticed it was that direction that the voice was coming from. OSSSHHH! He stopped now, his motion a blazing flame. He was sensing a weird reaction in his body system. He paused and looked around, trying to find anything that would allay his fears. At least, assure him that his villain was at sight. Axel saw nothing. His head was throbbing though. Something was about to happen. He knew it, and it carried a strange feeling. He occasionally swirled his head around, trying to see something, but he saw nothing and then¡ª WASSHHHHH! Axel jolted backwards. That took a lot of flames out of him, but nonetheless, he had just dodged an electric light ball. He turned his head sideways and knew he could behold Corusca. He was clothed in what looked like overalls, cooler in appearance though. They were light blue in colour, with stripes of white all over. On his chest was a circle that had two little light bolts on it. He wore what seemed like underwater goggles, and Axel, with a nod, concluded that he looked like a sophisticated nerd. To crown it all, he even had a red cape flowing at his back. The edges of the cape looked tattered, and Axel concluded that the villain made it so to add a more villainous look to him. "Well, well," Corusca said and grinned. "I see you''ve got fast reflexes. That comes in handy, doesn''t it? At least, it just saved your backbone and your heart and even your lungs!" Axel shrugged and smiled. He guessed he was up against some scientific genius. "What is your motive for causing havoc on the school?" Axel said seriously. His voice very bold, he was quite surprised. "You''ll get many students killed!" "Oh, I see you''re a hero?" Corusca asked jeeringly. "I am," Axel said. "I am an Inferno Hero." "An?, wouldn''t it be the? You''re ''THE'' Inferno Hero." "Quit challenging my name. An or the, I''m Inferno Hero, and you''re going down!" Axel shouted. "So I''ll do this the easy way, but if you want me to take the hard route, I''ll do that too. Now, kindly go away and leave the school alone. C''mon! You''ll get the innocent students killed." Corusca smiled. "Even though you''re covered in flames, you are no match for me. Finally, I get to breathe some fresh air and tap pure sweet electricity to upgrade my powers after escaping from that tattered place called Khaos Realm, and you come to stop me? No way!" Axel squinted his eyes, looking into his opponent''s eyes. What he was actually visualizing was a teenager in a superhero costume with goggles who was quite good in physics and chemistry. "My duty is to save people, and since yours is a contrast, then I guess we don''t have any job speaking to ourselves. I''m sincerely sorry, but I''ll have to stop you." Corusca burst into a menacing laugh. His lips seemed to be expanded with the motion, and he jolted his head backwards. "It is common superheroes always win, but I must say, this time, that boring troupe will come to an end!" Corusca said. Axel made no comments as he stared at the villain. He only thought; ''Well, I just started.'' Corusca raised his hands up in the air, and doing that, he seemed to pilfer all the electricity from the school into his body. And now, he was aiming it for Axel, who had sensed that and was bracing himself to move sideways. Corusca swiftly shot an electricity ball from his hand, and it was about to meet Axel at the throat, but he quickly yanked himself backwards. Doing that, he was on his back, rolling in a somersault. The students who were running paused now, and they watched the scene in surprise. "A superhero!" a student shouted. "A superhero has come to fight the super villain." Axel furrowed an eyebrow and quickly threw a glance at the student. He recognized him to be Greg, their time keeper, a brainy kid actually who was very brilliant. Brilliant to the height he can explain almost all theories in physics. "What''s your name, brave hero!" a girl asked. Axel felt the creeps. His body seemed to shake down to his spine. He recognized that voice. Well, wasn''t it the voice of Katie, his crush? He tried to act brave, even though it was in vain because she wouldn''t recognize him. "I''m the Inferno Hero!" he said, over-faking his voice. It came out as too manly. Katie smiled and blurted in her sweet voice, emitting a beautiful smile; "Thank you, Inferno Hero!" That was it. The praises went up to his head. He just paused and stared at her, not knowing what to say. A tiny electric ball entering his mouth seemed to bring him back to life though. Chapter 7: Up for the Challenge Chapter 7: Up for the ChallengeThat shot Axel backward, and he went in a swoop before hovering hard into one of the school''s windows. Pain. Excruciating pain. That was what he felt. He was seeing phosphenes now. Blue stars, red stars. All dancing in front of his eyes. He landed on a table and broke it. He was in a classroom. He guessed it to be grade five. A table hung on the wall in the middle of the place. Chairs surrounded him, with tables at the front. He coughed and coughed and eventually coughed out the electric ball from his mouth. Axel''s head throbbed now. He was hearing distant voices. They seemed to be mocking him. Or was he being pitied? He picked out an exclamation and a mocking remark. He noticed the former came from Katie, while the latter came from Corusca. Axel cursed under his breath. Of course, he was feeling woozy, and his head ached badly, but that would not stop him from going outside and facing the villain. He wasn''t going to go down easily. It would be a shame on the name Inferno Hero. He got up and, closing his eyes to avoid the seething pain going all over his body, he threw himself out of the window, and he was flying. Axel saw double actually. Or could he call it triple? What seemed to be a tree was now four trees in his eyes. It seemed things were doubling to three times in his sight. Corusca was out of sight now, and just the mere thought made him see clearly again. ''Where are you?'' he thought, but still nothing. He looked to his left, his right, and then to his left again¡ªstill nothing. And just when he was about to fly away to look for him, he heard a sweet voice: "He''s inside the school building!" It was Katie, and hearing that, Axel did the sign of a salute to her and flew towards the school building''s front door, his motion very swift. The door was open, and Axel entered gingerly, wondering why Corusca had abandoned the fight and was instead inside the school building. The door leading to the school was now damaged, and Axel, looking at it, didn''t know why it gave him the creeps. He decided Corusca was up to something¡ªsomething cheeky, actually. He came to the school with a plan, but he kept wondering what the school could have that he possibly wanted. At that moment, Axel realized that being a superhero wasn''t as pleasant as he had imagined. He hadn''t even rested since reawakening the powers of the Inferno Hero. From a fight-minded, face-to-face villain to a cheeky one. All in just an hour. Axel would have been worried if he didn''t know his way around the school, but since he was a former student, it seemed to be a piece of cake for him. Well, it would have been a piece of cake if the lights didn''t go off. Now, all he could see was complete darkness. The darkness wasn''t so complete, though¡ªthe damaged door provided some dim lighting. At least the natural light came in from the sky where the door had been. Axel held his breath now in panic. His eyes went over the place. There was a light switch in front of him, and when he flicked it on, nothing happened. Axel sighed and released his breath, almost forgetting he was holding it. He then concluded he would have to try the method. It sounded silly, but he thought he would give it a chance. He snapped his fingers, and woala! A small white flame was floating above his hand. Now, he walked slowly. Forward, actually. "Hello!" he called. "Show yourself, you cheeky villain." Nothing happened. He continued to walk forward¡ªvery slowly, though. His footsteps were unheard. This was starting to look like a horror movie scene, and he disliked it, but well, what could he do? He had to save the school. He walked up the stairs now, his footfalls unhurried, balancing on each with surprising stamina. For some reason, he felt that the stairs were slippery, and soon, he was almost sliding down¡ªif he hadn''t flown up. He looked at the ground clearly and noticed what looked like oil on it. He simply continued moving, and soon, he was flying just a bit over the ground through a corner at an average speed. The atmosphere was eerie, and as he walked, he felt scared as hell. It seemed to look like those psychological thrillers he watched back then with his dad, where the killer would hide and the victim would just wander helplessly and eventually get killed. What seemed to bring his fears down a bit was the fact that he had fast reflexes, and he was very glad he had this power. He was hearing a sibilant noise now, accompanied by a soft whistle. It made him curious, and he stretched his neck sideways, trying to trace the sound. Scared as hell now, he had to say, "Come out now! Come out!" He saw nothing, but he still continued to hear the sound. He took cautious steps now¡ªhe was no longer flying. A corner was less than ten steps away from him now, and he walked over to it with caution. "BOOM!" he shouted when he put his face at the end of the corner. Still, he saw nothing. He began to check all the classrooms now. Opening each door and closing it quickly, he did not see anything. He kept on checking, opening each door like a school prefect checking to see if everywhere was well closed. He kept going through this routine, certain he''d find something. Certain he''d see something because he was sure the villain he was after was somewhere here. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, he heard a grunt, loud enough that he could trace the sound to a room. Opening a room door, he saw, to his greatest surprise, Patrick, his best friend in school, lying almost lifeless at one corner. Corusca''s goggles were beside him, and the most shocking part? He was encased in Corusca''s clothing¡ªonly now, it was tattered and showing his real clothing inside. Axel had to gap. This could only mean one thing. Chapter 8: Surprise Chapter 8: SurpriseThis could only mean one thing. That Patrick, his best friend, was a villain? That Patrick, his best friend since he joined Montre''s high, was a bad guy? That Patrick , his best friend, was Corusca! It felt sickening for Axel to comprehend and then conclude on the fact that all these assumptions were true, as it seems, apparently. He had to flutter his mind to reality! Axel went over to what seemed to be Patrick and knelt beside him. He was seriously hurt and his eyes were closed. ''But how can this be?'' Axel thought. Corusca was fighting him just a few minutes ago and now he is here, in pain? and looking like someone at the point of death. It seemed Kinky, unbelievable if that was the right word. Patrick glided his eyes open now and stared into Axel''s face. He struggled to pull himself away. "Leave me alone!" Patrick said, pulling away Axel who just continued to stare. "With your face covered in flames and you beside me, I feel like I''ll melt already." "What happened," Axel said, faking his usual voice again and standing up. Looking through the window and trying to act stern and unperturbed. "None of your business," Patrick said, trying to cover his face. "Damnit!, you''ve known my identity now. And I swore to myself I''ll keep it hidden." "I don''t even know who you are," Axel lied. "And moreover I''m not from this world so..., yeah, I guess your identity is safe." "Well, aren''t you going to hand me over to the cops?" Axel smiled. "No, I won''t hand you over to the police. But that''s under one condition." Patrick struggled to sit, holding his shoulder with his hand. "What condition?" "That you''ll tell me your reason for coming here and what happened, or else I''ll hand you over to the police." Patrick, with his blonde hair and a face filled with freckles, stared for long at Axel, looking at him intently in the eyes. "How am I certain you won''t betray me after I spill the bag?" He asked in his almost tiny voice. Axel smiled and shrugged. "Well, you seem to be left with no choice. Don''t tell me and I will hand you over to the police, tell me and you have a chance of getting out of here." Patrick bent his face downwards and cogitated on what Axel had said. Axel looked at his face and saw that he was ready to talk. But then he started to hear that faint hum of sirens. Axel was alerted and looked at Patrick, controlling the urge to land a slap on his face in order to quicken the words out of his mouth. There was a noxious look on Patrick''s face, one that made Axel surprised because since they had been friends, he hadn''t seen him look so deleterious. "I can hear the distant whining of police sirens, a student might have phoned them and they are here to arrest you. Speak quickly and go." Axel said. The only reason he was going to let Patrick, aka Corusca, go free was because he was his best friend and he wouldn''t want any harm to befall him. "It started earlier today." Axel began. "Portals started to appear all over the city. Out of curiosity, I entered one and appeared in a dilapidated place. There was a blue orb floating in the air in front of me and then I touched it and awakened this light - electricity power I have. And then explored the world, it seemed like a realm and found nothing and so I tried to come out. Luck was on my side because soon I found a portal which I entered and got back to earth." Axel squinted his eyes as he looked thoughtfully at Patrick, almost obliquely. "You just explained how you got your powers. My question is, how did you get here? What is your reason for getting here and why did you come to the school?" Patrick was about to speak when Axel cut in. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "And why are you in stupor and at the point of death." Patrick sighed and shook his head sideways. "I came to upgrade my power, but while I was here, I heard a voice. An electro sonic voice actually and before I could react, I felt a force beating me to stupor. It was merciless and if not because of you coming to intervene, I would have been dead by now." Axel could hear the sound of the police sirens now, very loudly. He looked at Patrick now, and asked, his voice urgent. "What is the force?" "I don''t think the force is here already," Patrick said. "I think it is caught in an inter dimensional state. Stuck in a loop in time, and trying to come to earth." "Then why was it able to touch you, even to beat you when it''s stuck in an inter dimensional stuff?" "I don''t know for certain but it seems that it was its force, it''s struggle that came on me. I don''t know how I know this but I think it''s because I have powers of electricity and light, that''s why it could get to me." "Come out now!" A police voice echoed from outside. Axel and Patrick were alarmed now. "They''ll arrest me!" Patrick panicked. Axel quickly thought of a solution. He told Patrick to take the villain costume and lay on the ground, so that policemen could come and rescue him, thinking he''s a victim and injured by Corusca. Patrick thought it brilliant and complied, taking off his clothes and laying on the floor, faking as a victim. Axel could sense some policemen running into the school building, he could hear them climbing onto the stairs. He decided to leave now but as he was the door and was about to shut it, he heard Patrick say: "Thank you." Axel shrugged. "Sure, but just don''t do bad again. You could use your powers to do good. Be a hero." Patrick smiled and it immediately turned into a wide grin. "I might." Axel quickly shut the door and ran to his left, upwards. To his surprise he was quite fast compared to his normal speed at that moment, it felt good. He had to not be seen, he had to avoid that. There was a window by a corner leading to a lobby that led to where trash cans were kept. He would have to jump on through it. "Hey, hold it there!" Axel ignored the voice of the policemen, they could only hear his footsteps but not see him, so to him, it felt like they were chasing blindly. Just when he thought he would tumble and fall, he lunged himself forward and with a plunge, like he was diving to swim in a river, he dived through the closed windows and fell. Just then, he heard the click of the gun and a BOOM! Of a bullet. Chapter 9: Apocalypse City Chapter 9: Apocalypse CityAxel quickly snapped his fingers, and landing in a trash can, he changed back to his normal self. He knew the policeman¡ªor police ''men''¡ªwho had fired the bullet would look out the window now, so he tried as hard as possible to conceal himself inside the trash can. The place was dark and reeked badly, but he ignored the unpleasant smell and held his breath. "I think the villain flew away," he heard a policeman say. "Damn, my bullet didn''t go into¡ª" "It''s okay. Why kill him or her, by the way? The government needs information. I heard the portals gave some people powers. The government wants all of them, even heroes or villains. I don''t know, but I think they will be killed." Axel heard footsteps now and the stretching of a neck through the window. "We better get going," he heard a policeman say. "I think we have a boy who was beaten by the villain. We could ask him questions." "Alright." And so, he heard them leave. He waited for a few seconds before getting out of the trash can. Fresh air felt piquant to his nostrils, and he was happy to finally leave the stuffy, bad-smelling trash can. He quickly started forward, the movement of his legs brisk. If one didn''t look well, they''d think he was scurrying. He turned a corner, a smile on his face. The smile soon disappeared when he saw¡ªafter quite a bit of squinting¡ªa monster heading his way. "Shit!" he exclaimed. He had actually forgotten. He had completely forgotten, actually, that the apocalypse stuff was still occurring. It seemed lesser now than a few hours ago, before he ran into the portal and reawakened his powers. Axel was about to trace his steps backward and break into a run when he saw about three men in armed clothing after the monster. Axel was temporarily stunned, but at the same time, elated. At least the government was taking full measures to end this apocalypse. Axel wished he could tell them it was beyond that¡ªthat this was beyond natural and that he had been chosen to stop it. He couldn''t tell them, though, because, as he had learned from the policeman, if he did, he would be killed. That was where he really hated the government. Why become so cruel? He was getting off his street now and heading into the heart of the city. He was going to his uncle''s place¡ªat least temporarily¡ªuntil he discovered his other duties as the Inferno Hero, which he knew wouldn''t be long. He had a gut feeling that soon, he would be on an interdimensional journey to stop the force Patrick (Corusca) had said had beaten him. The street was almost deserted, just a few motorcycles on the road and a few taxis. If not for that, it almost looked like Khaos Realm. Axel crossed to the other side, not even bothering to run like he had always done since he came to this city. He just walked normally, even carrying some steeze with him. A bus was stopping now, and from what he guessed, it was heading upcity¡ªthat was where his uncle lived. He waved to the bus driver, a grumpy-looking old man with a mustache. The driver stopped the bus, and Axel entered, bowing slightly in greeting, even though he got no response. He sat by the window in the third row of seats. No one was beside him, which made him happy because he reeked badly, and he didn''t want to bother anyone with his smell. Axel looked out the window, seeing monsters run around the city with soldiers after them. He sighed. This felt like the end of the world. He sighed again and held his jaw in his hands, looking bored. Soon, he felt sleepy, and as he was about to fall into a little slumber, he heard a loud noise. It sounded like the crashing of a car. Inside the bus, there were actually seven people, including him and the driver. Well, with that sound, they all veered their heads in the direction and saw that it was a car being attacked by a large, big-looking monster. Axel felt alarmed. Just then, an emergency news broadcast rang out from the bus driver''s radio. It was: "This is a message from the governor. Everyone should stay inside¡ªcars, buses. You have been warned. We don''t want any vehicles on the roads, even motorcycles. So we advise everyone to clear the road. We want not a single human on the road! In short, the governor is officially issuing a lockdown!" The voice went off, and Axel and the bus driver exchanged glances. The bus driver''s glance was quite terrified, while Axel''s was indifferent. "NOOOO!" The voice tore through the air, and now Axel had to scream at the bus driver: "I''ll stop here!" The driver, surprised because they hadn''t arrived at upcity yet, stopped, and Axel hurried out of the bus, which quickly sped away. The passengers looked at Axel in astonishment. Axel felt nostalgic. The scream of "NO!" was actually familiar in a pungent way. He turned his head sideways and looked at the scene of the large monster. To him, it seemed like a monster villain. It was enormous, with shadow eyes, a white cloudish figure, and gigantic hands that could smash through anything. Axel stared at it and shook his head sideways. This was certainly a hell of a monster. He heard a shout for help again. Actually, many people were shouting for help, but this one seemed directed mainly at him. He walked nearer to the scene and saw the monster tearing the car apart. It was a taxi. And then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a man, his face covered in blood, stretching his hands forward at him, calling for help. Axel gasped. The man had slumped out of the car window, his body wounded, his face familiar. Axel''s eyes almost exploded when reality sank in. That was his uncle¡ªthe one he had entered the bus to go meet. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 10: Fighting the Villainous Monster Chapter 10: Fighting the Villainous MonsterAxel was gobsmacked. He felt traumatized by the mere sight. Appalled was an understatement. With a swift motion, even ignoring his own safety, he ran over to where his uncle lay and held him by his head. "Uncle¡ªun- un," Axel stuttered. He found no words, and so he couldn''t¡ªhe couldn''t speak. He tried to, but apparently, his words came out as stutters. Axel''s uncle looked him in the eyes, breathing softly now, as though the wind would soon jerk his last breath out of him. "Run to safety, boy, run to safety," his uncle said. Axel''s eyes were filled with tears, and as the words came out of his uncle''s mouth, they slowly trickled down his face. "Don''t die, Uncle. I just lost my father earlier today." Axel''s uncle smiled and touched him on the face. The monster was going berserk, now raising the taxi into the air and shaking it around, swerving the remaining people out viciously. The monster''s actions didn''t seem to affect Axel, who now thought his surroundings oblivious. He was focused on his dying uncle. "I guess I''ll go meet your father in the afterlife, and we can have a chat." Axel was sobbing loudly now. He felt a large amount of grief, and at that moment, he thought it would choke him to death. "This city is in shambles. If you have a means to stop this apocalypse, do. But if you don''t, I''ll say you run," Axel''s uncle said. "I believe there are many worlds out there. You only need to find them." Axel was crying loudly now, and his face was twisted into an ugly expression. "Don''t die, Uncle. You are the only one I have left in this world!" "Death is not the end," Axel''s uncle continued. "I see it as the beginning." With that, Axel''s uncle closed his eyes and plunged into a deep slumber. It was death¡ªscenic, coming with its usual silence. Death had taken his uncle. Axel wanted to cry out loud and mourn his uncle''s death. He didn''t know why, but it seemed worse than the death of his father. Losing his father, he had taken heart and tried to let go, but now he had lost an unexpected person in his life. His only hope of still living on this earth was gone. He was about to cry when the monster''s bulky fist went into his mouth. BAM! Axel was in the air, and before he could open his eyes¡ª WHIMM! He had hit his back on top of a building''s roof, the surface bruising him slightly. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He had been so galvanized by his uncle''s death that his surroundings became oblivious to him. He seemed to have lost meaning at that point¡ªlife had seemed to lose its texture (if you could put it that way). Axel gritted his teeth now, not hesitating to snap his fingers as he lit up and became the Inferno Hero. The monster paused for a brief second, staring at Axel in shock, surprised he had just lit up and turned into¡ªliterally¡ªa demigod! Axel was burning with fury now, pure rage coursing through him. He was furious at the monster for killing his uncle. He flew up, ascending slowly. The flames all over his body burned so fiercely it seemed they would burn him to pieces. "You killed my uncle!" Axel shouted. The monster squinted its eyes at Axel, licking its lips and looking indifferent. It couldn''t understand words, and the sooner Axel realized that, the better for him. Axel dashed forward, swirling around like a tornado. He spun in a loop and, stretching his hands forward, sent fireballs at the monster, which opened its mouth and swallowed them. Axel halted, his face twisting into a grimace. He knew something wild was going to happen. And it did. PUTTT! The monster spat out the fireballs from its mouth, and Axel, stunned, fell in an effort to dodge. He was just in time, stretching his neck backward as he saw the fireballs enter a building. WHOOSH! Axel watched the fireballs, now covered in monster spit, go through the walls of a building, and he sensed that they kept going. He realized this monster villain standing in front of him wasn''t going to be easy. It was already proving to be a real competition. Getting on his feet, Axel closed his eyes for just two seconds, but that was enough for him to see his inventory. [Hero''s inventory scanning] In a split second, he saw darkness, and then, flooding his vision was: [Hero''s inventory complete] [Inventory] Golden armour (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames to be golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno sword- Go through your opponents with the similitude of flames. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. ''I find the golden armour too powerful so I won''t use it now.'' Axel thought. That seemed to be the only useful thing In his inventory, the others were quite useless to him. Useless? Yes, that seemed to be the right word. All these thoughts and the inventory message happened within three seconds. Axel noticed it as another perk¡ªtime would pause for him if he closed his eyes and wanted to see a special aspect of his stats. Noted! Another perk of being an Inferno Hero¡ªnoted. The only thing that would be useful here was the basic combat suit, but he had tried that on the first villain he fought in Khaos Realm¡ªDust, by name. It had been useless. It didn''t help to defeat Dust. It only proved to be quite useless. The inferno sword was useful. He didn''t know why but he felt like not using it. [Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E)] Upgradeable at Rank E? Which rank was he currently at? Closing his eyes and scanning, he saw that the basic combat suit was currently at: [Rank F] ''Just one more to climb!'' Axel thought. He decided he was going to use it. Even though it was going to be useless (so he thought), he could upgrade it. And so, reality was in front of him again. Everything seemed normal again. BOOM! The monster''s fist slammed into the side of his cheek. Axel was whooped into the air, landing hard on the bare ground. THUD! His heart almost leaped out of his chest. He grunted and groaned, looking around to see if anyone was watching him get beaten. No one was. The place was basically deserted apart from the dead people lying on the ground¡ªincluding his uncle. He felt roasted, actually. "RARRRGH!" the monster shouted. Axel sighed. "Damn." He was lifted off the ground and, with an enormous fluke of strength, flung toward the sky. A swerve sideways sent Axel through a building''s window. He landed on a large bed, but the force of the impact sent him up, out the window, and crashing down onto a parked car. RISSSHHHH! Glass splintered, shattered, and some landed on Axel, who was now so dazed he was seeing dragons flying in the sky. An illusion! The way he landed on the car was mesmerizing, by the way. For a better scene, just imagine one of those action films where the main character plunges onto a car after getting kicked off a building by the villain. Be wild with your imagination. Axel was out of breath and felt hot. But the question he asked himself at that moment was why. Wasn''t he covered in flames? And weren''t his powers fire? A swift climbing motion interrupted him. The monster was running (shockingly) up the building he had earlier crashed into. Before Axel could even release the breath he was holding, the monster had reached the top¡ª Then it was rolling down. From Axel''s viewpoint, it seemed like a rocket was shooting straight at him. "Holy shi¡ª!" Axel exclaimed. The monster was coming at him. And from the way it was moving, Axel realized something¡ª This thing must have been a big wrestling fan. Because it was rolling down on him like Rey Mysterio. Hell, it must have been a wrestling fanatic. Chapter 11: Awakening a Skill Chapter 11: Awakening a SkillWhen the fall came, Axel couldn''t have expected it any sooner. WHOOSH! And... BOOM! The monster was on him. "ARGGH!" Axel exclaimed. He seriously tried not to puke, but it was hard because it seemed like the knot tying his food system together was going to explode and let out the pizza and soda he had taken for breakfast before his father ran out on their failed quest. The monster bounced off his body and landed on the ground, and Axel, feeling like he would die now, dramatically slumped on the ground, clutching his stomach tightly. The reason he wasn''t puking after that hit from the monster was just bravery. If not, he would have been spilling some contents of his breakfast now. He was seeing phosphenes. It seemed usual, at least he was expecting it, coming from the severe hit that had struck him. But the phosphenes¡ªan enormous hand¡ªwere diving and scattering now, coming at his face. "Shit!" Axel muttered. It was the fist of the monster, bulky and huge, landing under his chin heavily. He swam into the air with that and spat out blood. He panicked that he was doing so, actually. Wasn''t he supposed to be immortal or strong? Caught in midair now, the monster plunged upwards and sent a kick into Axel''s stomach. "Argh!" Axel muttered, falling down. "I''m doomed." He wasn''t indestructible. He was feeling every amount of pain that the monster had been sending him, and if he fell again, he was sure he would die now. Axel had to stop himself from falling! He jerked his hands backward, and in doing so, a gust of fire came out of his hands and reeled him upwards. Struggling in the air, he somehow managed to land on his feet. He soon fell, though, and upon landing, he hit the ground hard. It did him nothing, though, because the fall wasn''t from such a high distance. And so he felt pain, but not that much. The monster was bent like a bull now, drawing every morsel of wind into its nostrils and releasing it out. Looking at the monster¡ªa glance, actually¡ªAxel saw that it was ready to go through him, and if it did, he was sure it was going to be fierce and with all of its strength. Axel gave up. He couldn''t be a hero. It was too hard. In movies he watched and comics he read, it seemed easy¡ªjust defeat a bad guy. But his was on another level. His was hard, very stressful, and taking a lot of emotion. He couldn''t do it. He had lost his father, a few minutes ago his uncle, and now he was sure he was going to lose his own life. As it seemed, that was, apparently, by the way. He breathed in and out, inhaling and exhaling, the act alone becoming hard and very difficult. Axel was about to cough when he heard a sneeze and looked at the monster, who was all pumped up now to smash him. The monster had sneezed! And by sneezing, it had precipitated itself forward¡ªnot blindly at all, but instead targeting its target, who was Axel. Axel sat up now and watched the monster, not missing its every move. He was ready to embrace death now. But then, with just four steps forward, Axel noticed that everything became slow. So slow that the monster was now moving at the speed of a snail. Axel was stunned. He wasn''t scanning for any inventory stuff or powers, so why was everything slow? Nothing was in sight again, so he couldn''t say for sure what was slow. Perhaps it was only the monster? A housefly was crawling in flight past his nose. Axel saw it, and he was momentarily stunned. So it wasn''t only the monster that was slow¡ªeverything was slow. He smiled and was surprisingly elated. Perhaps he could make a run for it. He could run out of here now and not have to die? That sounded like a splendid idea! But as he tried to stand up, he couldn''t do so at his normal speed. He was doing so very sluggishly. He sat back down and realized that he too was slow, but unlike the monster, who was now also slow in mind, he was fast in mind. At least he could think fast, but could he speak fast? He tried to speak. The words came out slowly: "W.... h....... a ...... t....., I........ s...." He didn''t speak again. That was too slow. It would be ages before a word came out. And so he resigned to speaking in his mind. ''What is the cause of this?'' he asked himself. [DING] A small screen was in front of him. It was the usual screen that appeared when his stats wanted to show. [YOU HAVE AWAKENED A SKILL] ''Death?'' he thought. [YOU HAVE AWAKENED THE PINCH SWOOP LOOP] Axel''s face was a grimace. ''The Pinch Swoop Loop?'' Was that actually a thing? The voice was angelic and female-like. But still, it sounded electro-sonic. [POSSESSING INITIATING] Axel''s head throbbed immediately, and for just a split second, and then¡ª [POSSESSING COMPLETE] He heard the hum of an electro-sonic trumpet. [YOU HAVE NOW POSSESSED THE PINCH SWOOP LOOP SKILL] [DING] [YOU MAY NOW USE] Axel''s throat burned now. It only did for a second before it stopped, and then the screen vanished. A gust of wind tore into the place now and... WHOOSH! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The housefly now zoomed past Axel''s nose. He could also hear the footfalls of the monster now, loud and hitting the ground hard. Axel was just a chill guy now. He felt unnerved by the run, and for the safety of his damn life, he wanted to know why. THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! And... WHOOSH! The monster was ready to make himself a spear and go into Axel. Axel, inhaling now, somersaulted, the monster diving at the place he had somersaulted off. Axel, totally unperturbed now, with a swift motion that came with the similitude of a bolt of lightning, pinched the monster by the tip of its finger. The monster was about to pause and stare at him, but Axel simply didn''t have time for all the drama, so he simply let go of the pinch and... WHOOM! The monster was in the sky, in a swoop loop. Chapter 12: The Pinch swoop loop Chapter 12: The Pinch swoop loopThe wind tilted the heavy monster to the left, moved it a bit to the left again, and now it was coming down. Not near Axel, but just a few steps away from him. Axel didn''t hesitate to stand up very quickly¡ªso briskly, you wouldn''t even see his shadow moving. In his inventory was the ultimate weapon he would use to defeat this monster, and then... He slowly raised his hands up and clenched them, closing his eyes a bit. A single crack of lightning did it. Striking his hand, the lightning ignited a sword. The sword, coming onto Axel''s hand with the similitude of a streak of lightning, jerked the holder backward. Axel seemed to move backward a bit, but that was it. With his speed (another superpower), everything became slow in his sight. So slow, the falling of the monster looked like the falling of a snail. At that moment, everything became anticlimactic. And then, thrusting his left foot forward, Axel cut through the wind. SWOOSH. His motion came with a flair, and so his robe-like clothing swayed backward with the wind. Axel smiled¡ªperhaps he did so unconsciously¡ªbecause a split second later, he was wearing a frown. A frown so deep, it gave his already flame-lit face wrinkles. Axel raised the sword upwards, and as he did, it was lit with flames. This was the sword. The sword he removed from the rock. The sword that gave him his powers. It was the Inferno Sword. That blade was the most valuable thing in his inventory. He knew it alright, and he acknowledged the fact that it was useful. Even though at times it magically disappeared from his hands, he didn''t know where it usually went, but he knew it went back to his inventory. The villainous monster was slowly falling now¡ªhis motion, to Axel, slow and like a movie scene slow-motion droplet of water falling onto sodden ground. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To Axel, he would relish this moment. He was going to take revenge against his uncle. But now, in this slow-motion scene, he cogitated. Was this worth it? Aren''t heroes meant to save the day and not take revenge? Aren''t superheroes supposed to even forgive villains? In that slow-motion situation, Axel rebuked the thought. This wasn''t an ordinary villain. This was a monster! Superheroes he read about in comics and watched on TV fought villains. And by villains, they fought people with superpowers¡ªhuman beings with superpowers who, instead of doing good, decided to do bad. Well, this was a monster, and even though it felt like a bad thing to do, as he had never killed anyone before, he had to do it. The Inferno Sword up in the air. The villainous, gigantic, enormous monster falling down. SLASH! Axel sunk the sword into the villain''s midsection. "ARRGH!" The monster''s voice tore out loudly in the air. Axel somersaulted¡ªhis main reason for doing so was to dodge the monster falling on him. THUD! The monster landed on the floor. PLUMPD! Axel''s feet were on the ground, just a bit away from the monster who, except for the earlier "ARRGH!", said no word again. It was done. Axel had killed the monster. Axel had killed, and so, for the first time in his life. Everything felt mellow. He heard sounds¡ªnot really sounds, but instead emotions. And so he knelt and embraced his resolution. His resolve. He was about to sigh, at least to give out an expression that he had just saved his life, when he heard the loud, head-throbbing sound of propellers. He was shocked, actually, and so he looked upward to the skies. And what he saw left him bemused. It was the propellers of helicopters¡ªgreen helicopters, to be precise. Around four in number. Surrounding him. "Hey, you!" A loud voice thundered from one of the helicopters. From the sound, it was coming from a microphone. Axel, feeling languorous, found the shouting at him from the helicopter unnecessary. "Put your hands up in the air," the voice thundered. "I repeat, put your hands up in the air." "Is this an arrest?" Axel asked, trying to steady himself on the ground as the wind from the propellers was seemingly fierce enough to lift him off the ground, noting that it came from four different helicopters. "Apparently!" the voice thundered. Axel twisted his face into an expression that was a mixture of surprise, shock, and astonishment. "Why? I mean, I just saved the city!" "This is not exactly an arrest, but looking at it, it might seem like one. The thing is, the government acknowledges your efforts, but you are a product of this apocalypse. In short, the government wants to experiment on your powers¡ªhow you got them, the nature of them¡ªand then make you work for them." Axel let this sink in. It was hard to, though, because he was just noticing that the helicopters had front lights, and all were pointing at his face, directly into his eyes, so he had to squint to see. He couldn''t make out their motive for turning on the front lights because, to him, it was just stupidity. Why turn on blinding lights in broad daylight? He dismissed the thought, though. It would take ages to process stupidity of this height. Axel finally spoke. "You want me to surrender myself so the government can experiment on my powers and then make me work for them?" "Yes!" the loud voice thundered in reply. Axel furrowed his eyebrows. He didn''t know that the government was this cruel. Why arrest a hero for saving the day? The same government that should be finding solutions on how to stop the monster pandemic was now arresting heroes who were trying to stop it. Axel weighed his options. If he surrendered, the whole city would know his secret identity. Second, he might be killed. And third, he didn''t know what they would do to him¡ªperhaps they could turn him into a monster. Axel decided, at that spot, that he was going to run. He knew he would be chased, but perhaps he might just have a bit of fun. Chapter 13: RUN! Chapter 13: RUN!The wind the helicopters propelled came at Axel like a torpedo. He instantly broke into a run with that, his footfalls hitting the ground very briskly and his motion faster than normal human speed. His head throbbed, at least it ought to, noting he had just taken part in a very rigorous fight, one that almost took his life. The helicopters followed him now, and Axel, looking back, felt he was in trouble. Now, he knew the nooks and crannies of his street. But this city? He was well a newbie, and so it would be hard moving around. The thing was, he hadn''t really mastered how to fly, and so at times, swerving around corners and ducking in the air might be impossible. Axel knew superheroes trained when they got their powers, but him? The case seemed to be different. Axel took a corner that led to a more remote part of the city. A dustbin was in front of him, one that he had to jump over to dodge. He almost fell, but with a little heave of his chest upwards, he steadied himself and moved his head back to prevent a fall. All around him was windy now. The helicopters were the cause, and so to run, surrounded by them, was the problem. It felt mentally taxing to Axel, who felt like giving up altogether. "Don''t run, fire guy!" the voice said and seemed to add a mocking laugh. "There''s honestly nowhere for you to go." Axel had already decided that he wouldn''t argue or mince words with them. There was no time for bickering. His life now depended on his own hands. Only he could save himself now. But it seemed daunting. He had literally been bloated from the fight, and now a chase? ''Why me?'' he thought. The sound the helicopters made, sounding like choppers, was almost incessant, and it got on his nerves. Throwing a glance backward, Axel could see a figure silhouetted in black clothing, gesturing for him to stop. Axel looked forward now, and when he looked back again, his mind felt like exploding. His mind couldn''t seem to fabricate this reality! The figure was now on a sleek and fancy-looking bike. And then, before Axel knew it¡ª VROOOOOOOOMM! The bike was coming down, and the rider was somersaulting on it. ''Holy shii¡ª'' Axel exclaimed. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Surprisingly, the bike landed on the roof (cemented) of a building and was now heading his way. Axel knew he had to fly. It was the only way. And even though he hadn''t really mastered his flying skills, he at least could fly, and that, right now, was all that mattered. With a hard and loud stomp of his feet, Axel, with the similitude of a hawk taking flight from the ground, plunged very fast into the sky. So fast his movement seemed like the blinking of an eye. Axel flew just a bit above the ground, not going too high as he dreaded being cut to pieces by the helicopter propellers. And now, as he was battling to balance himself in the air and fly fast, he heard a sibilant sound, and then... [DING] A screen was in front of him. Axel felt livid by that. It was blocking his view. He couldn''t see where he was going now. "Damn! Damn! Damn! I don''t need this now!" he said loudly, although the loud sound of the helicopter subdued it a bit. [Hero profile scanning] The screen acted like it was going to radiate a bright light, but then... [Hero profile complete] [Hero Profile] Name: [Axel] Rank: [Amateur] [F]¡ú Hero Points: 500/500 +300 Added for defeating a great villainous monster. Axel wasn''t seeing anything forward now. The screen had blocked his way completely, and he was pissed off. He was almost triggered to punch the screen, but he just stared at it, peeved. "C''mon! Why didn''t the damn screen show earlier?" [Attributes] Power: 40 Speed: 70 Endurance: 25 Intellect: 68 +3 added for wits against the previous villains you''ve faced. Axel sighed. ''Why does only my intellect keep upgrading and not the others?'' [Hero Skills] 1. [Active Skill] Power Punch (Rank F) ¨C Throw powerful, tooth-aching punches. (Next Upgrade: 10 more uses required) 2. [Passive Skill] Battle Instinct (Rank F) ¨C Slightly enhances reaction speed in combat. (Next Upgrade: Defeat 3 Elite Enemies) 3. [Unique Ability] ??? (Locked) ¨C (Unlock at Rank C) {NEW SKILL UNLOCKED} 4. [The Pinch Swoop Loop] [Takes your opponents on a swoop loop, flinging them into the sky.] [Currently at RANK 1 ¨C You can upgrade to more ranks to see more dope swoop loops.] Rank upgrade limit ¨C Rank 11 [Inventory] Golden Armor (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno Sword ¨C Go through your opponents with the similitude of flames. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. The screen vanished, and Axel, blinking now, saw that the wall of a building was in front of him. He only gave out a sigh. To him, his system appearing and blocking his view was pure tomfoolery, but what could he do? The situation felt pathetic to him, by the way. He had been flying forward the whole time at such an amazing speed. He hadn''t looked where he was heading, and now, reminiscing on it before he hit this wall, made him smile. THOOOOM! He bumped into the wall, and doing so, he did that with great force, as it seemed he had no control of actually regulating his speed. Axel fell. It was more like ''Axel slumped'' He could hear the tearing of the bike engine now. Feeling dazed and his head throbbing very hard, what could he do? He would just blindly follow his fate, he had resolved. His fate of damnation. Axel could see the helicopters, all landing around him now. The bike had already stopped, and the rider was out, walking toward his path, brandishing a gun that looked like a pistol in her hand. Axel felt damned. Was this the end? Chapter 14: The Arrest Chapter 14: The ArrestThere was a chance, actually. It only depended on whether he could think of it quickly. He stared at the scene, seemingly resurgent. He blinked and blinked again. He was now hopeless. "If you take a step forward, I shoot!" the lady with the pistol-like gun said. Axel wouldn''t take a step forward. In this position he was in, it was a death call. So the lady telling him he shouldn''t take a step forward was quite unnecessary. His vision seemed ephemeral, and so, as he looked forward to what he had resolved to call hullabaloo, he couldn''t pick out anything. Men in corporate-looking suits, black in color, by the way, came out of the helicopter and came at him. They were holding guns¡ªlong stuff, the edges all looking ragged and jagged like the end of a cliff. Axel looked at them, and with a faint sigh, he concluded they were stupid. Why arrest a hero for saving the day? It was ridiculous. One of the men in suits held handcuffs, and with a rather too swift, kind of preternatural motion, he came at Axel and roughly put him in the handcuffs. Axel remained silent and obliged, not even protesting once. He just remained calm, as protesting would put him in danger. They could fire a bullet at him if he did that. And so, they led him toward the helicopter, his hands behind his back. Him, all uncomfortable and looking like someone that would be out of breath at any second. Axel was shoved to the back seat of the helicopter, the others starting to ascend toward the sky now. Axel sighed and even let out a shrug. He would have to let nature do its stuff. He would have, at this point, to go with the flow. His head still throbbed. The headache was still there, and it ached badly. Imagine hitting your head hard against a wall. He ought to be in a hospital now. The propellers of the helicopter he was in started to rotate very slowly, and soon, it was in the air, going upwards very slowly. Axel felt sad now. Although it seemed like he was indifferent, he was actually sad, but not sad to the extent that it was evident. The driver of the helicopter he was sitting in was actually a woman, a headphone on her head¡ªon her hair, actually¡ªmade into a ponytail. From the back of her head, Axel thought that she was stunning. A man sat beside her, and Axel, with the squinting of his eyes, concluded that this helicopter was quite odd. It wasn''t the one he knew. The other helicopters surrounded him. Axel smiled at that. They were fervent in making sure he didn''t escape, and he too, with a smile, was happy that he still had a sense of humor on. The seat he was seated in was very small. He concluded that it could only fit one person. His vision was perspicacious now, and he could see quite clearly. The man seated beside the lady was with a phone now, which he put near his ear. An act that Axel wondered¡ªif he didn''t do so, would the phone fall off? The man dialed a number, and then he put the phone close to his ear again. "Hello, Mr. Governor. We have him now." Axel held his breath now, trying, almost desperately, to hear what the man was saying. A voice spoke on the phone. It sounded gibberish to Axel, so he couldn''t pick out those words. It was like an electronic gibberish rant. Axel could sense, just by mere instinct, that the voice was complaining. "We are taking him to the base. We''ll then check out his powers." A voice at the other end. "Okay, Grimm." The man had been speaking in a whisper all along, a whisper so low it was impossible for any human to pick out what he was saying. But Axel? The Inferno Hero? He could hear words from miles away, so this seemed like nothing. Axel''s mind raced now, trying to think. He had many questions. 1 - Who is Grimm? 2 - Is Grimm the governor? 3 - Is the governor a villain? 4 - Which base is he being taken to? 5 - What actually would be done to him? The man was gazing at him, trying to see if he heard what he said. Axel tried to look indifferent, and he avoided the gaze now, trying to act cool and calm. Relatively calm, that is¡ªone that the man in the corporate black suit staring at him now could relate to. One that would make the man think: ''Oh! This is a relatively calm look.'' It worked because now the man was looking forward again. Axel continued to think. Time wasn''t on his side. He could sense that they would soon be at their designated place, and that was what he dreaded now. He thought and thought and thought very hard. He was about to continue when, not knowing how it happened, he saw a bright wave of light break through the place. And by place, everywhere. Everywhere was completely white for a complete second. It returned to normal, and now the man and lady in the helicopter were starting to panic. Axel too panicked but only briefly. Something was about to happen, and this could save him. The man stared at him, and now the lady driving the helicopter was speaking into a tiny speaker Axel hadn''t noticed earlier that was connected to her mouth. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Round this helicopter! I repeat, round! The fire guy must not escape!" she said. They complied and rounded the helicopter Axel was in, all moving at a very slow pace. CRANNKKK! One of the propellers was off, and now it was falling. "No!" the man in the corporate suit said with so much vigor it reached the heavens. "Damn! No!" Axel was stunned. Was this help, or something on its own? WRAANNKK! Another propeller was off. Axel, out of impulse, looked sideways, and through that window, he could see a helicopter exploding. And he was just in time to watch it... BOOOOOMM! "Holy shii-!" Axel exclaimed. The man in the corporate suit was coming at him now, a gun in his hand, pointing it at his face, ready to shoot. Axel wanted to duck but stopped when he heard another propeller fall off. He was jolted off his chair and to the door of the helicopter, which was now upside down. The damn helicopter was falling. Chapter 15: Intervention Chapter 15: InterventionHe tried not to panic, but it was hard. The man in the corporate suit was down now, the gun jerked out of his hands by the wind. Axel was panicking real bad. They would be hitting the ground any second, and by any second, it was near. The lady flying the helicopter was on her knees now, holding on to her seat so she wouldn''t fall. Axel could count the seconds. They would be hitting the ground anytime soon. He was still handcuffed, and to him, that seemed to be the problem. He couldn''t move freely, so his chances of escape were, well, thwarted maybe. He struggled to get near the window, and with the elastic stretch of his neck, he saw that in a split second, they would be down. "Damn!" he muttered under his breath. Death had come to take him too? BOOM! Something had punched the helicopter. It plunged it upwards and then¡ª SWOOSH! Axel saw a figure breaking the window of the helicopter beside him and shoving him out. The figure lifted him upwards a bit and then, with quite a great amount of strength, used his hands¡ªone of them encased in a glove¡ªand hit it hard against the handcuffs, splitting them and making Axel free. Axel was stunned by his generosity. He hadn''t seen this person before. He was about to speak when¡ª BOOM! The helicopter Axel had gotten off exploded. The figure looked at Axel and said in a deep, manly voice, "Let''s get out of here!" Axel looked at the figure. He was a man, by the way, and with the look of things, he was a superhero. He was clothed in a form-fitting bodysuit, crafted from a durable yet flexible material that clung to his athletic frame. The suit was mainly deep blue, decorated with bold silver streaks running along the sides, giving it a sleek, modern look. A symbol was stamped on his chest¡ªa stylized design of a fist, actually. He was wearing a cape, one that flowed effortlessly behind him like a cloak, made of what seemed like fabric. His boots were sturdy but streamlined, matching the overall color scheme. He was also wearing a pair of gloves, dark, metallic, and segmented, radiating two dot lights by the sides. Faint neon-blue lines pulsed along the surface, sparking with raw power as he clenched his fists like he was about to plunge forward. The hero was also wearing a mask, one that covered his face but left his eyes, nose, mouth, and chin visible. Axel felt thunderstruck looking at him. He was completely in awe. The hero now plunged forward, and Axel followed. The pain he was feeling all over his body was suddenly gone. It wasn''t actually gone, but the excitement in Axel was overwhelming. It made his brain fail to register it. Axel wasn''t really an expert in flying, and he acknowledged that. Hitting his head against the wall of that building had made him think of himself as an amateur, so he really didn''t have the bravery to fly too well. But now, flying with this mysterious superhero who had come to save him, he decided he was going to act well, at least to look tough and all. The mysterious hero kept going on top of buildings. Axel kept following, like an apprentice. The scene they had left was now chaotic. The place was basically on fire, and now Axel decided it would be in shambles. Flying up above, they saw nothing of interest. The city was completely empty, and no one was outside. Not even a single soul. Occasionally, they saw a few police cars, though. But they paid no attention to them, considering them a threat since the government was now against them. Axel, looking at the superhero and trying to keep up with him, finally asked, "Where are you taking me to?" The hero threw a glance at him and replied almost abruptly, "To Superpolis." S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel was bemused by the reply. "And where''s that?" The superhero abruptly swerved to a corner, and Axel, like a sheep, sheepishly followed, steadying himself so he didn''t hit his head against the wall of the building beside him where they were turning. "It''s in Khaos Realm. I''m quite disappointed you didn''t know," the hero said, his face hard and forward. He was chocolate in complexion, and he had a black British accent. Axel actually fancied the accent, finding it cool and adding a certain pinch of aura to the hero. "My bad, I actually reawakened my powers earlier today, so please pardon my immaturity." The hero shrugged and said, "No p, I bet with time you''ll get the hang of it." Axel was about to say something when¡ª "RARRGHH!" He cursed under his breath. This was the second time he had been interrupted when trying to speak, and quite frankly, it was kind of frustrating. To the left was a large monstrous figure. It had three eyes, and its hands were large, its shoulders brawny. They could only see half of its body, as a row of buildings blocked the complete view. It seemed weird because the monster seemed to dwarf the tall building, which Axel, with a grimace, thought was ridiculous. Axel was about to speak to the hero when, swiftly, he was already dashing at the monster. BUUUNCHH! The hero''s clenched fist went into the monster''s jaw (to the left, to be precise). The monster reeled backward and was about to steady itself when the hero put another into its face. The monster went through a building, demolishing it along with another. That held it, though, preventing it from falling as it bounced back up and aimed itself at the hero, who moved back a bit and was rolling his fists now, ready to put them into the monster''s face. The monster roared, and in doing so, it spat onto the hero''s face. The hero remained indifferent and only stared at the monster in disgust. Axel could only watch and say in his mind, ''Absolute cinema!'' The monster came at the hero, who expected it. Then it happened rather immediately. With a brisk motion, the hero flew down a bit and was now lifting the monster up. He was lifting a monster twelve times his size. It looked unreal, and even Axel had to gasp. And then, with an extraordinary move, the hero threw the monster down¡ªon top of a building. It demolished it completely! Chapter 16: The Epic Fight Chapter 16: The Epic FightThe wind that blew toward Axel''s face felt unreal. It was a gust of wind, precisely from the monster falling on the building. The action, actually, created a sort of force¡ªa wind that ravaged through the air and zoomed in his direction. The hero''s eyes were ablaze now, not with fire but with an electric current. His presence now was dangerous. Axel thought that he was in full force. The monster was struggling to get up. Axel was thinking that it was time for the hero to capitalize and deliver a punch or something to the monster''s face. To Axel''s surprise, the hero did just the opposite. He paused and stared at the monster, slowly getting up. "Won''t you punch it?" Axel shouted at the hero. To him that felt like the next thing to do in that situation. The hero slowly turned to him and said subtly, "Don''t teach me my job." The monster was on its feet now. The hero clenched his fists, and as he did so, the gloves he was wearing sparked. WHOOSH! The monster came at him. The hero only held his breath and stared fixedly at the monster, who leaped now. Axel watched it do so, and without even looking like he would take the motion, he swerved to the left. The monster, its hands wide, seemingly hoping to grab the hero and tear him to pieces, grabbed nothing. The hero''s frown deepened, and he stared at Axel for a split second before looking at the monster again. Axel swallowed a hard lump of saliva down his throat. It seemed like he did so unconsciously because he had intended to spit it out. The hero''s stare made him swallow it instead. The stare, to him, was damn hard-looking. And then, in a low voice, the hero said to Axel, "Watch me do it my own way." Axel inhaled, and in doing so, held his breath. He was now braced for what was about to happen. It seemed like he was grabbing a large cup full of popcorn and preparing to see a movie. The monster was midair. The hero was beside it. The monster was about to fall when the hero held it by its leg in a very brisk manner and threw it into the sky. The monster flew upwards, not in control but instead being controlled by the force that came with the throw. The situation seemed like a rocket being launched into space¡ªonly that the monster was the rocket, and Axel was the launcher who had launched it. THOOOM! The monster tore through the semi-texture of the wind. It was like a car failing its brakes in the skies. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel released his breath now. This was damn scenic. The hero plunged into the air, his fists still clenched, as if the force had propelled him into the sky. Axel had to fly up a bit to get a better view of the fight. But he did so with caution, staying as far away from the battle scene as possible while still being able to see clearly. Axel heard the monster make a grunting sound. He squinted his eyes more at the hero, who was now holding the monster by its legs in a rough manner. The next thing, he had thrown the monster toward the sky. Again! Axel saw the beast disappear into a cloud. The hero didn''t make a move. He just paused, still in the air, arms folded, waiting for the monster to fall. A loud hissing sound¡ªa windy version, actually. And... ZHOOM! The monster was in sight now, falling. The hero didn''t move; he only watched the monster fall. Axel was about to tell him to do something but stopped, quickly remembering the response the hero had given when he had earlier tried to speak. So he only watched the hero, who was now watching the monster, who was now falling with such celerity. Watching the monster fall and shout: "Ooooo!" Axel wondered why it couldn''t steady itself, resume flying, and attack the hero. It was then Axel realized that this hero''s gloves were exceptional. They seemed, quite apparently, to be his source of power. And so, when the hero had thrown the monster, Axel, with his scientific mind, realized that perhaps the gloves had some magnetic field surrounding them, and it submerged (he didn''t know if this was possible) the air. Nothing much, probably a tiny submerging, making the monster unable to move, as there was a certain magnetic field around him. The monster was close to the ground now. It was going to hit the ground. That was where the hero came in! WHOOSH! He rushed at the monster. Axel, his eyes almost teary from the scene, felt the sight was preternatural. For the first time in his life, he was witnessing what, to him, was an epic fight. It was so epic it felt mesmerizing. Like Axel was in space. With each punch and each throw, he saw galaxies shattering. Planets exploding. The earth rotating faster. The sun burning his eyes, draining every drop of blood in his goddamn body. The feeling was sensational¡ªnothing like he had ever experienced before. He felt like a child again. He felt like he was watching his childhood heroes fighting. It felt like... The hero thrust his left foot into the monster''s chest. That ought to do it, but it didn''t, at least not to the hero. Spontaneously, as if he were kicking and punching at the same time, he also delivered a punch¡ªheavy and thick¡ªinto the monster''s midsection. The monster plunged into the ground, making a hole in it. A last: "Ah!" Escaped from its mouth. It was dead. Another soul for death, successfully taken. Axel was flying down now, his hands in the air, his mouth saying, "Absolute cinema." But the hero paid no attention. He seemed to have noticed something when he punched the monster. So he flew into the small hole and, examining the monster''s body, saw a symbol. It was a tattoo, actually¡ªa tattoo symbol. Chapter 17: First Mystery Chapter 17: First MysteryThe hero, with a surprising amount of strength, lifted the dead monster out of the hole it was in. He dropped it roughly beside the hole and examined the tattoo, which was a symbol, Axel now nearing him. The symbol, or tattoo¡ªanyhow you may put it¡ªwas an art of three spaceships flying in what symbolized the sky, or space? Yes, space. Axel furrowed his eyebrows greatly, trying to fathom the symbol. A figure, robust-looking, was on top of the spaceships. Its body wasn''t showing, and Axel and the hero could only see its face and down to its waist. Its hands were up in the air, and on top of it were the words: "ROYSTED ETH DLROW." It was written stylishly, making it almost invisible at that point. But with a great deal of squinting, they could see it. Axel stared at the hero. "Hero man," he began. "What does this mean?" The hero smiled and gazed almost jeeringly at Axel. "My name isn''t Hero Man. Call me Electro Sonic Fists." Axel''s eyes widened. ''So that is your name. I see, suits you, apparently.'' Axel quickly came back from thinking. "Okay, Electro Sonic Fists!" Axel said. He used a great amount of force to pronounce Electro Sonic Fists, which slightly irked the hero. "What does this symbol mean?" Axel continued. "It seems it''s a message," Electro Sonic Fists said. "It appears to be cryptic, but don''t worry, I''ll scan the meaning now." Electro Sonic Fists squinted his eyes and then, with a swift motion, used one of his gloved hands to cover the symbol. Doing so, the gloves, like picking up energy, radiated and sparked. Electro Sonic Fists closed his eyes and inhaled. He exhaled, and then his eyes were wide open now, like he had just seen something. Axel stared at him, bemused. "What?" he asked. Electro Sonic Fists didn''t answer immediately. Instead, he squinted his eyes and stood up. "It''s a reshuffle," he finally ejaculated. Axel was astonished. "Shuffle?" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The hero coughed. "Apparently." Electro Sonic Fists moved a bit from the scene, his hands behind his back. He quickly turned to look Axel in the eyes. "ROYSTED ETH DLROW" is a reshuffle of the words "DESTROY THE WORLD." Axel was stunned by that. He had to say: "Oh!" "You see, it wasn''t obvious at first. It was rearranged quite professionally. The only place I think failed a bit was DLROW, which, with the tilt of your head sideways, you will obviously know is WORLD. Nonetheless, it''s great stuff. But the question is, what is the motive behind this, and who wants to destroy the world?" Axel shrugged. "I dunno?" Electro Sonic Fists used his hand to hit his forehead, accompanying the act with a sigh. "You''re just a kid," he paused and then sighed again. "I honestly don''t know why I was discussing delicate matters like this with you." Axel felt abashed by the words. "No, no, I''m almost an adult. At least, I will be by November." Electro Sonic Fists sighed again and resumed talking. Now, it seemed like he was talking to himself. "So there is a mastermind behind these monsters coming out of portals, and perhaps villains? Someone definitely is behind all this, and his or her or... its plan is to destroy the world?" Axel stared at the lifeless monster, not knowing what to make of the symbol. The thing was, when he had been chosen to save the world, he had found it almost impossible. Impossible in the sense that stopping the portal wouldn''t be something he could easily achieve, noting that it ought to involve some strategic stuff and all. He remembered the Voice telling him that it had summoned a group of superheroes who would train him and all, but he hadn''t put it to heart. He had even forgotten about it, and now, seeing this superhero come to his rescue, it was exhilarating! Electro Sonic Fists paced around the place, his hands behind his back, thinking. Staring at him, Axel wondered what he was thinking. He couldn''t guess it by the hero''s appearance, though. Electro Sonic Fists'' expression was stern, and he looked like he was calculating something¡ªall in his mind. Soon, to Axel, it happened unexpectedly. Electro Sonic Fists'' left hand was by his ear, and now he was saying: "I have the new superhero. Uhh... a teenager, acting almost daft and stuff. You know how teenagers behave. He seems fine. At least if he''s from the Voice, then it''s all good." Axel squinted his eyes as he stared at the man in front of him. He felt embarrassed by the remarks about him, but with a shrug, he realized he could do nothing. "We''ll be heading to Superpolis now," the hero said to Axel. Axel nodded promptly. "Okay, Electro Sonic Fists!" That seemed to irk the hero because now he sighed and looked at the sky. "See," he began. "Enough with this. Call me Dan." Axel almost chuckled. It was a close call, but he was able to put it in just in time. "Dan! Right! Now that is easier on the mouth." Dan smiled and said: "I''ll try to conjure a portal. The process isn''t that easy, so you have to be fast, got it?" Axel nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, sir." Dan looked at the sky and twisted his neck sideways. The motion was like a prep, him being ready to... He plunged into the sky! Even startling Axel, who was almost bewildered. Dan rotated like a windmill¡ªonly that he was faster. "Get ready, mate. When I conjure the portal, you must have super speed in flight because I need you to plunge into the portal," said Dan. "With full force!" Axel nodded in the affirmative, and Electro Sonic Fists (Dan) went to work. He spun with the similitude of a ceiling fan¡ªone put at a very high speed, that is. He swung his right hand forward and... WHOOOSH! "Now!" Dan shouted. Axel was about to do as told when... Looking sideways, he saw Corusca (Patrick, his best friend!) conjuring a portal and a familiar figure beside him, the two ready to enter into the portal. But who was the figure? It was Dust! Chapter 18: A slow motion situation Chapter 18: A slow motion situationThe sight was an aberration to the earlier portal plunging. It was unexpected! To Axel, it was an abnormality. It wasn''t that Axel wasn''t used to something as anomalous as this, but this was shocking. His heart ached now and... Time paused. Everything was slow again, and it felt like he could pick out a morsel of the air and chew it. Slow motion. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was a usual thing for him, but he wondered why it was happening now. [DING] Axel''s eyeballs moved around, trying to find where the noise came from. Just as he was about to release the breath he had inhaled, he heard an angelic voice: [TIME PAUSED FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE SITTING ON A FENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DON''T KNOW WHAT TO DO IN THIS SITUATION] Axel furrowed an eyebrow. He thought: ''Should I enter the portal as instructed or should I go after Corusca and Dust?'' The angelic voice seemed to be hearing his thoughts because soon it said: [IT''S LEFT TO YOU. AND SO AS TO NOT BE TORN UP WITH CHOOSING, EVERYTHING HAS BECOME SLOW IN YOUR SIGHT] It was true. Everything was indeed slow. Axel looked around. Electro Sonic Fists was now moving at the speed of a snail (actually, X3 slow motion). It felt so slow that it ached Axel''s brain. He looked at Dust and Corusca. Corusca''s hands were lit with electricity, and Dust was looking sideways, making sure no one saw him. That was how they paused, by the way¡ªnot that they were doing the act or had done it, just that they were in the middle of doing it. Axel''s head almost throbbed. Everything was too slow. He was sure this would be a hell of a punishment for prisoners; they would even prefer death over this¡ªover having to stare at this, this seemingly classical-looking slow musical art! Axel decided that he would do one thing at a time. Since everything was slow, he would just fly over to Dust and Corusca, throw them punches, and tie their hands with a rope. He would then lift them up and fly towards the portal that Electro Sonic Fists would have opened. Then everything would return to normal, and he would quickly fly inside, and they would be at Superpolis, with Dust and Corusca behind him. Axel wouldn''t want to hurt his best friend, but since he had chosen the dark path, Axel would do the same (in a good way). He would have to do what was right, even though it went against his best friend. With that, he decided to go with his plan, but then, that was when the angelic voice came along: [IF YOU MAKE A DECISION, TIME WILL TURN BACK TO NORMAL] ''Shit!'' Axel thought. That was the disadvantage of the goddamn power, he realized. Any decision taken would result in time returning back to normal. That meant that he had to act with wisdom. He decided to do something weird. He squinted his eyes, and by doing that, he could see a tattoo on the side of Dust''s shoulder. He couldn''t go near the villain, and that was a setback because doing so would result in time returning back to normal. Axel then resorted to squinting his eyes even harder from where he stood, not moving a bit so as not to trigger anything. Doing so, he saw that the symbol was exactly the same as the one on the dead monster''s shoulder. It was three spaceships and a stylish lettering of: ''ROYSTED ETH DLROW'' Axel quickly interpreted its meaning: ''DESTROY THE WORLD'' This made Axel think. This was pretty interesting. While facing Dust back in the Khaos Realm, he had discovered that Dust was working for someone. Dust had said the person was more cunning and strategic than him (Axel) and that he could never defeat him. So Dust is working for ''IT'' also. ''Fascinating,'' Axel thought. He then put his mind back to the situation at hand. What should he do now? Enter the portal with Electro Sonic Fists? Or Go face Dust and Corusca? But Axel was stubborn. He really wanted to ask something from Dust, and he wanted to stop Corusca from following Dust, as that would make a real bad villain. He decided to check his system, perhaps something useful would be there. He closed his eyes, thought about it, and then: The screen that showed his stats was in front of him. [HERO PROFILE SCANNING] A blank screen. [HERO PROFILE COMPLETE] A screen full of words. [HERO PROFILE] Name: [Axel] Rank: [Amateur] [F]¡ú Hero Points: 0/800 [ATTRIBUTES] Power: 40 Speed: 70 Endurance: 25 Intellect: 65 [HERO SKILLS] 1. [Active Skill] Power Punch (Rank F) ¨C Throw powerful, tooth-aching punches. (Next Upgrade: 10 more uses required) 2. [Passive Skill] Battle Instinct (Rank F) ¨C Slightly enhances reaction speed in combat. (Next Upgrade: Defeat 3 Elite Enemies) 3. [Unique Ability] ??? (Locked) ¨C (Unlock at Rank C) 4. [The Pinch Swoop Loop] {RANK 1} [Takes your opponents on a swoop loop, flinging them into the sky] [UPGRADABLE] [INVENTORY] Golden Armor (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno Sword ¨C Cuts through your opponents with the force of flames. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. Axel nodded slightly. What could he choose here now? It seemed nothing could help him at this point. What would he do? That was the question actually. What could be done? He almost felt a bit of a headache. His head throbbed, and his eyes were glazed. Perhaps he would have to do what he should do, or he would do what his mind wanted him to do? But then, he came to a conclusion. He was going to choose something. He would have to pick something from his inventory. Something he hadn''t wanted to use, at least not now. He would have to use it. What? He would have to use the¡ª Golden Armor. Chapter 19: Decision Taken Chapter 19: Decision TakenHe had finally made a decision, and now time could continue at its usual pace. The wind tore right into his face, and now he could hear the last stretch of Dan''s voice. Dust''s body was looking like a cloud¡ªonly the wind was blowing it, and it appeared like he was dissolving. Not away, but around. The dust''s components swirled around him. Axel''s decision was, well, to go after Dust and Corusca. Of course, it sounded daft and dumb, but he was going with his gut. SWOOSH! Axel went after them. Corusca was raising his hands up in the air, conjuring the portal. It was a swift move, very fast, because soon a shimmering portal was in front of him. It was tiny, but nonetheless, Axel thought they would just fit. The flames around Axel''s body sliced through the air. And ZOOM! His flamy fists were delivering a punch to the side of Dust''s jaw. Dan (Electro Sonic Fists) had already summoned the portal. It was a large thing, seemingly looking like it would contain a very large elephant. Dan was shouting very angrily now. "What are you doing!" His hands were forward, the portal blazing, and then reducing in its blazing appearance, looking dimly lit. He was still holding the portal and shouting at Axel: "Damn, don''t do this. I can''t hold this portal open for long! It drains my energy!" Axel acted like he wasn''t hearing him¡ªwhich, obviously, he wasn''t, noting the mode he had entered. Dust reeled in the air with the punch and hit his head on a wall, making him slide down and hit his head on the ground again. Axel spun himself very briskly in the air. Doing so, he rotated like a drilling machine and thrust himself at Corusca, who fell with that, a loud cry even escaping from his mouth. Dan was shouting loudly now. "If I close the portal, you''re on your own! Enter!" Axel looked at him and said¡ªa shout, actually: "I''m coming, a sec!" Axel was about to use the golden armor, but he stopped. He wasn''t in trouble now, so he didn''t see the need to use it. That was his earlier plan¡ªto use the golden armor and tear these villains apart. But Corusca had been his best friend before this apocalypse stuff, so he didn''t see the need to cause any harm to him. And so Axel only stared intently into the eyes of Dust and came at him, holding him by his neck. "You''re not going anywhere!" Corusca only looked at Axel, there on the floor, his hands behind him, also by the floor. He felt terrified by the sight of Axel, the Inferno Hero. Dan was grunting loudly now. He had now concluded that Axel was a jerk, and if he hadn''t been sent to rescue him and bring him safely to Superpolis, he would have abandoned him. In fact, he saw Axel as a big jerk. He was in pain¡ªa big one¡ªand the person he was enduring it for didn''t know the sacrifice he was making because of him. Dan saw Dust and Corusca, all right, but he didn''t know them. And so, there were many villains in Khaos Realm and Superpolis. Going after all of them unnecessarily would be a waste of time. Moreover, the only reason he had defeated the monster was because it was a menace and was going to hurt people. "Damn!" Dan finally said. What was he even doing? With a loud grunt, he clapped his hands, and that closed the portal. The thing was, he wasn''t mad at Axel for fighting villains but for it being uncalled for¡ªand at the worst time, when he was supposed to enter the portal that would get them out of this goddamn city. Damn! Dan rushed over to where Axel was. "What was that, man?" he asked. "Why are you fighting these villains? This place has got enough of them already." Axel dropped Dust hard to the ground now. "They''re up to something. They want to go into Khaos Realm," Axel said. He pointed to Dust''s shoulder, even touching the place roughly. "Look at this symbol. It''s the same as the one we saw on the dead monster''s shoulder!" Dan was thunderstruck by the words. So, after all, he had been underestimating this kid. Perhaps Axel was onto something, and he had been insulting him in his mind earlier. He smiled at the thought. Maybe he was the jerk after all, and not Axel. Dan gently pushed Axel aside from Dust and held the latter by the neck, slamming his back against the wall. "Who do you work for?" Dan asked. Dust almost looked appalled. Dust remained silent, and when Dan was about to throw him a punch, he twisted his face¡ªand the shape and form also shifted, leaving it faceless and with a hole. Dan punched the hole, and his clenched, gloved fist met the wall behind him. Without even giving space for Dan to react, Dust made himself a spear and drove it into him. THOOOM! That lunged Dan onto the ground. Axel was about to intervene and attack Dust, but instead, he received a shocking sensation that drove through him. It was like he had hugged a transformer. He fell to the ground and lay there. Dan was now struggling to get up. Dust and Corusca quickly plunged into the skies¡ªCorusca flying and Dust swirling himself up. Axel was about to chase them when he saw a cascade, just in the corner of his right eye, of bullets aimed at them. He quickly, not even minding his own safety, grabbed Dan by his cape and threw him upwards. He followed and shouted: "Please summon the damn portal!" Men and women in corporate suits, thick, heavy, and dangerous-looking guns in their hands, were all firing bullets at them. Dan was weak, but nonetheless, he shook his head sideways and tried to gather his strength. Then, with all the power left in him, he spun in the air and thrust his hands forward, summoning the portal. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And then... BOOM! It was in front of them. Axel didn''t hesitate this time. He plunged into it, catching a last glimpse of Dust and Corusca entering theirs. Dan, too, entered the portal and... Zilch. ...it was no more. The bullets being fired from the people in corporate suits just went into the air. Chapter 20: Floating and stuck in the middle of the portal Chapter 20: Floating and stuck in the middle of the portalIt felt like a palpable sensation. They saw darkness, seemingly whittling down their faces. It felt like an endless void coming like a brainwave and hitting their damn brains. They saw darkness. It wasn''t the regular darkness. This was different¡ªgrayishly dark and piercing to the eyes. SWOOSH! A gust of wind swept past them, but they were oblivious to it. They were now floating in a dark place. "Damn," Axel heard himself say. Dan sighed. "Simply your fault." Axel looked distraught. "How?" "We''re stuck in the portal zone," Dan began. "When I conjured the portal, you didn''t enter immediately. And so, your wasting time and my tiredness, due to the strength of summoning the portal, caused this. Meaning we''re stuck in the middle of the portal, seemingly an inter-dimension." Axel was starting to sweat now. His mind raced. ''How we going to be stuck here forever?'' ''Christ!, we''re doomed!'' S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ''No!'' ''Damn!'' ''Shit!'' Finally, he exclaimed verbally: "We''re doomed!" Dan was indifferent. Although he looked kind of angry, he wasn''t, though. He thought that Axel must have been up to something, and them being here wasn''t for nothing after all. "How do we get out!" Axel asked Dan, alarmed. Dan shrugged. "Don''t kill yourself, mate. I''ve got a friend, also a superhero. He''s got portal powers. I clenched my fists very hard thrice, and that has summoned him. He''s on his way." Axel almost exhaled out of relief. It was relieving, actually. Those words¡ª ''He''s on his way''¡ª were soothing. He decided to wait and see what would happen, hoping in the words of Dan. Darkness sprawled in front of them, and when Axel stared at it for long, it made him sick. He decided to close his eyes and not see it. Just to be plunged out of this damning reality into oblivion. "How did you get your powers?" Dan asked. Axel shook a bit at the question. He looked at Dan and then closed his eyes before responding in a cool voice: "I reawakened them. Portals started to appear in the city, and my dad, knowing that they would lead to a place of power, brought up the idea that we should enter one. We did¡ª more like we tried¡ª because about two monsters killed my father on our way into one of them." Axel paused now, his voice faltering. "They killed my father. Those jerkful monsters. And then I ran into a portal and saw a sword. Having prior knowledge that I was to awaken a power, as my dad had told me, I took the sword, and instead of awakening new powers, I reawakened the powers of the thirteenth Inferno Hero, making me the fourteenth, I guess." Dan looked sad, and he sympathized with Axel. "Sorry for your loss, man. I dunno, actually. I doubt if it''s true, but we all¡ªsuperheroes¡ªlose a loved one. It''s a must. It''s a superhero tradition." Axel blinked now, the tears that were beginning to come out going inside again. "Did you lose a loved one?" Axel asked. Dan nodded in the affirmative and said in a somber voice, "Yes." He paused for just a second and then continued: "I lost my daughter. She was only eleven." Axel gasped. "Christ!, I''m¡ª I''m¡ª your loss is graver than mine." Dan only nodded. "I had lost my wife just five years after we got married. But here''s the crazy part¡ª a villain caused the accident. Six years later, when I got my powers, I seemed to discover him, and then a year later, he kills my daughter." Axel felt like vanishing. This was the saddest story he had heard in his entire life. "Holy shit!, this..., woah, that''s pain, man!" Dan only smiled. "I try to forget about it. At least I''ve gotten over it. But man, life was hard and difficult for me." Silence engulfed the place. It was deep and very somber. "What about the villain?" Axel finally asked, disrupting the silence. Dan smiled¡ª a grin, actually. "You don''t want to hear about it." Axel shrugged and said, "Next year, I''ll be eighteen. I''m an adult already. Tell me. I mean, I''ve seen worse." Dan kept the grin but said nothing. "You killed him, I see," Axel said, at last guessing what Dan had done. Dan shook his head sideways in the negative. "No, I didn''t. I wouldn''t do that." Axel had to laugh¡ª a chuckle, actually. "Oh, you let him be? After his vicious deeds?" he asked, the flames all over him going down slowly. Dan maintained a smile and said, "I tore his limbs, burnt his fingernails, drove my fists into his jaw, chainsawed his kidney, pricked nails into his brain." Axel was in shock. He could only imagine the scenario. "Gosh!, that''s... well, shocking!" Dan smiled and floated closer to Axel, who was still shocked. He held him by his shoulders and said in a soft voice, "But, I¡ª" He sighed. "I regretted my actions." "You shouldn''t. I''m shocked hearing you tell me, but frankly, I would have done the same." Dan laughed. "Being a superhero is very difficult. At least in reality¡ªnot what you read in comics." Axel shrugged. "I see. I even lost my uncle, did I tell you? Technically, I''m now an orphan." Dan sighed. "So what you did back there? I got mad at you, but what''s the point? You''re only a kid." "But those villains... they are the only villains I''ve faced since I became a superhero. I''ve faced a monster, but those two were the only human-like villains I fought. And seeing them enter that portal and go back to Khaos Realm¡ª it felt like my responsibility to take them out," Axel said. Dan sighed and was about to speak when, seemingly like it traveled with the speed of light, a portal appeared in front of them. WHOOOSH! It was quite large, and before they could move, a figure came out of it. SWOOSH! It was so fast it seemed like the speed of lightning. The figure swept them both off their floating positions and took them into the portal. Zilch ~ Chapter 21: Superpolis Chapter 21: SuperpolisA burning sensation went through their bodies. They saw darkness, actually, but only for a split second. THUD! They fell. Axel struggled on his knees, looking at Dan, who was also trying to do the same. Getting on his feet now, Axel beheld the figure who had come to their rescue. Before he could utter a word, Dan touched him on the shoulder and said, "Axel, meet Portalwalker, or you can call him by his real name, Jeffery." Axel was stunned merely by looking at the superhero. His sight seemed to carry a certain pinch of aura¡ªAxel didn''t know if he was in awe or just stunned and speechless. Portalwalker was a tall, athletic man with a lean, agile build. His short, wavy black hair had streaks of shimmering violet. His deep silver-violet eyes resembled swirling portals, glowing faintly as he moved them slightly. His smooth bronze complexion added to his otherworldly aura. He wore a sleek, form-fitting black bodysuit with deep purple and blue highlights. He was wearing just an eye mask. It was sleek and angular, with glowing energy lines that shifted in sync with his power. Now, as he moved to extend a handshake to Axel, faint distortions rippled around him, making it seem as if he was always slightly out of place with the world. "Hey, kid," he said, giving Axel a handshake. Axel took it, too stunned to speak. "Nice to meet you, sir," he stuttered. "And thank you for helping us." Portalwalker waved his hand. "Nah, you don''t need to thank me," he said. "Helping is my job. Moreover, Dan is a very good friend of mine." The building they stood on top of was more of a skyscraper¡ªstylishly crafted and so tall it dwarfed other buildings, making them seem little. Axel, from where he stood, could see a megacity. He could see many superheroes, male and female, flying around. There was no sign of a bus, truck, car, motorcycle, or even a bicycle. What''s the use? Axel thought. This is Superpolis. Hell, everyone has powers here. Dan interrupted his thoughts with, "Let''s all head to HQ." Axel furrowed an eyebrow. HQ? he thought. Interesting. Dan flew a bit off the building, and Axel, sheepishly, did the same. Portalwalker (Jeffery) only smiled. "I can''t fly, so I''ll just conjure a portal that will take me there," he said jokingly. "You might want to enter, as that''ll be simpler and easier." Dan laughed. "Enough with entering portals for a day. Last one to HQ mops the lobby for a week." Portalwalker smiled. "You''ll just¡ª" Dan had already zoomed away, holding Axel by the hand and dragging him as he did so. Jeffery giggled (in a manly manner) and rolled his hands forward, slowly conjuring a portal. THOOOSH! The portal was in front of him. Without hesitating, and also fearing to lose, he plunged into it. --- Superpolis was more of a megacity. Located far away from where Axel found the sword in the Khaos Realm, it was the most stunning and beautiful place in the dilapidated realm. Some said it was located at the end of the Khaos Realm, some said at the middle, while others said at the beginning. But as it was in the history books, the Khaos Realm didn''t have an ending. It was more of a galaxy on its own, even housing sub-realms. If one wanted to estimate the size of the Khaos Realm, one might say it''s a quadruple billion times larger than Earth (and that''s not even close at all). S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And now, Superpolis¡ª it was more like a country. If one wanted to compare it to Earth, one might say it''s like the tenth-largest country on Earth. A city built for the powered, by the powered. Everyone here had an ability ¡ªsome strong, some weak, but no one was normal. That meant everything, from the streets to the skyline, had to be built to withstand a city where power was a part of daily life. The buildings? Reinforced. Glass wasn''t just glass¡ªit was impact-resistant, energy-absorbing material designed to hold up against stray blasts. Skyscrapers stretched high, connected by suspension bridges and skyways, because half the population didn''t even bother with roads. Some buildings had landing platforms instead of doors, designed for fliers to enter straight from the air. Others had power-adaptive architecture¡ªwalls that absorbed shockwaves, streets that repaired themselves after damage, and entire districts designed to suppress out-of-control abilities. The Super District was the heart of the city, where the strongest heroes operated. Every skyscraper there was sleek, modern, and lined with defensive tech. No one caused trouble in Power District unless they wanted to disappear. Villains dreaded that part of the city. The Common District housed most of the population. High-rise apartments, mid-level housing complexes, and power-friendly homes lined the area. The HQ served as a place for training superheroes for the future. There, they were taught how to control their powers, use them correctly, and even awaken dope skills and classes, upgrading their abilities. It was more like an academy for training superheroes. Then there was The Arena. A massive structure¡ªpart stadium, part battleground¡ª built to handle powered combat. The walls were self-repairing, the floors adaptive, shifting to create different battle terrains. It was where grudges were settled, training happened, and champions were made. Superpolis wasn''t only a city for superheroes; it was also a city for villains. Long ago, superheroes living there wanted to change the name to Heropolis but stopped, as there were many villains living among them. The villains had their place in the city, though. It was called the Restricted Zone. The Restricted Zone was different. It wasn''t officially recognized, but everyone knew about it. A part of the city that had been abandoned¡ª too dangerous to be reclaimed, too lawless to control. Old buildings still stood, cracked and leaning, covered in graffiti and energy scars from battles no one wanted to remember. The ones who lived there weren''t registered, weren''t controlled, and definitely weren''t safe. It was ruled by villains¡ªthe strongest, actually. Superpolis had quite a complex world, evolving from being medieval to now being too modern. Some said it had been around for over 500 years. It was a city that never stopped moving. Sky traffic, ground traffic, teleportation hubs. The air hummed with power, the streets vibrated with energy, and every day, someone rose while someone else fell. It was a city that produced and groomed the next world-famous superheroes. It was more like a place of training if you thought about it. In Superpolis, having power wasn''t special¡ª it was as normal as breathing. But knowing how to use it was. --- Axel felt himself being dragged to an elevator. They were inside a building now (apparently the HQ), and Axel was still shocked at how they got inside. It was a surprisingly unconscious mystery. Inside the elevator, he and Dan remained silent, catching their breaths. With the elevator door now opening, Dan said in a cool voice, "Welcome to the HQ¡ª or should I say, the academy." Chapter 22: The HQ Chapter 22: The HQThe elevator door opened to reveal a spacious hall, the walls adorned with intricate, tech-looking decorations. There was even something like a bulb, seemingly piercing to the eyes; it sort of glowed, tiny and unique in its own way. Dan and Axel stepped out of the elevator, and in doing so, Axel exhaled, letting out a nervous breath. The hall was filled with people, all clothed in costumes ¡ªsuperhero costumes, that is ¡ªsome looking silly while some carried a great amount of "steeze." Some also looked average¡ª nothing too good, nothing too bad, and nothing too great either. Axel, squinting his eyes a bit to see them clearly, realized that they were all teenagers like him. Some weren''t actually teenagers but weren''t far from it. Axel guessed they were at least in the age bracket of 21¨C25, or something lesser. They all looked at him, almost indifferently. But then, Axel noticed that they were now gazing at him. At his head, in particular. He almost shrugged. He knew the reason. His look wasn''t that superhero-like. He looked at all of them¡ª they were clothed in normal superhero clothing. At least, clothes sewn to fit their superpowers. Bodysuits and all, slim-fitting, nothing unique. The only one that caught his eye was one clothed in a robotic suit. But he soon dismissed it; it was nothing that special. He could name at least eight superheroes¡ªvery quickly, that is ¡ªwith this sort of suit. Axel shifted quite uneasily when the stares became too piercing, and Dan had to clap to halt it. "Cool look, eh?" he asked, looking at the inhabitants of the hall who were staring at Axel. "Stunning sight, isn''t it?" Dan continued. "Meet¡ª um ¡ª" Dan almost laughed. He didn''t actually know Axel''s superhero name. He knew him as the new Inferno Hero, but his real name? He didn''t know. "What''s your superhero name?" he whispered to Axel in a very low voice. Axel felt very nervous now. He didn''t know his superhero name. It seemed funny, but he hadn''t really thought of it. This would seem like an embarrassing situation to him at this point¡ª in front of these people, superheroes¡ª and he didn''t know his superhero name? The Voice had earlier told him to create one. He hadn''t done so and had not thought it to be important, but now it seemed to be. "I''ll say it tomorrow," Axel whispered. "Just tell them I''m the Fourteenth Inferno Hero." Dan was a bit shocked that he didn''t have a superhero name but nonetheless composed himself. All eyes were on them now¡ªtheir whispering seemed cringe, and the audience felt it quite awkward. Dan coughed to cover up the delay and hit Axel lightly on the shoulder. "Meet the Fourteenth Inferno Hero!" The crowd wasn''t that welcoming, as only a few clapped. The way it was done and with the sound, it seemed like they had actually patted their hands and not clapped. Axel found it weird. Did they not want a new addition to the superheroes, or were they just jerks? Axel didn''t know. Dan felt a bit embarrassed. Fourteenth Inferno Hero? Yeah, right! That was actually a bad way to introduce someone. Soon, they all faced forward, no one even showing a bit of sign to make Axel feel at home. Well, you basically couldn''t blame them. Seeing a new superhero wasn''t a new thing for them. If it had been another superhero, they wouldn''t have even clapped or looked at him or her. The reason they even stared at Axel was because he had white flames all over his head, which seemed cool. Dan led Axel into the crowd, and they stood there. A bit of gaucheness accompanied them. The crowd soon spaced away from them¡ªnot because of anything discriminatory but because of the flames on Axel''s head. They were afraid it would burn them. Dan was thinking the same because soon he voiced out with a smile: "You guys should quit acting like babies. It will do nothing to you. Just harmless flames." After he said that, Axel''s flames flickered a bit, and the people staring at him gaped for a split second. First, they were scared. Second, they were fascinated. And third, they were impressed. To them, Axel seemed to be the coolest superhero in this hall. The girls (superheroes too, of course) were already starting to gossip in a corner, impressed with the aura that came with Axel''s presence. Axel just looked downward and occasionally glanced at them, a bit nervous. A certain girl caught his attention, though. She only glanced at him once and returned her gaze forward. She was clothed in a white bodysuit¡ªslim-fitting and all, the normal stuff. She was light in complexion, a bit tan, her hair beautifully tied in a ponytail. She was stunning. Gorgeous. Axel thought of her as beautiful and would like to know her name. "Axel!" Dan interrupted his thoughts. He was startled and immediately turned to face Dan, who was staring at him with a smile. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So, seen Jeff?" he asked. Axel shook his head. "No, not at all." Dan laughed almost silently. "I actually thought he would beat me, you know? I actually did. I''m shocked he hasn''t even arrived yet. I mean¡ª" Dan laughed again, not too loudly. "He entered into a damn portal!" Axel smiled, his nervousness suddenly gone in that moment. "Perhaps he''s stuck in the middle of the portal?" Dan had to laugh out very loudly. Not even holding it in for one bit. He moved his head backward and laughed loudly, all the people in the hall looking at him with a touch of disdain. Axel smiled uneasily. "That laughter was erratic," he said. Dan only grinned, still getting out of the laughter. "Don''t worry. I''m a top superhero here." Axel only nodded, wondering what they were all doing, just standing here. He wanted to ask when¡ª An electro-sonic voice thundered from a seemingly invisible speaker all over the hall. Dan smiled. "He''s here." Axel could only wonder. Who? Chapter 23: ’Royal cloak’ Chapter 23: ''Royal cloak''The superheroes in the hall remained quiet, acting like they knew who was coming, which Axel had to agree, they did. All stared at the top of the wall in front of them, almost towards the ceiling. Dan did the same, and Axel wondered who was coming. SCREECH! With the sound of a tire screeching, an opening was made at the top of the wall in front of them. Axel squinted his eyes, looking at it. It came slowly, and seeing just half of it, Axel decided it looked like a wagon without having an animal to pull it. The only difference was that it was more modern. It slowly came out of the wall, and Axel could already see a figure on it. He couldn''t see the figure too well, though, because the wagon was high up and the figure was well covered in it. Then, with a censorious speed, it came down, and upon reaching the middle, it halted. What seemed like a small podium in the carriage was now raising the figure up. The figure came up, now where they could see it, and Axel saw that it was no longer just a figure. Instead, it was a royal hero. It was a man, actually, a bit old¡ªat least, he had grey hairs by the sides of his head. He was clothed in a bodysuit (the compulsory attire for any superhero Axel had seen). But it wasn''t a normal bodysuit, though, and that alone stopped Axel from scoffing. It was a royal bodysuit, golden in color, the edges shimmering slightly with high-tech enhancements. Over this was a cloak, radiating a cool, mesmerizing light at the edges¡ªneon-like, actually. Faintly glowing golden-like patterns traced along his arms and back, pulsing brighter as he stared down at the superheroes. He had a mustache, almost covering his mouth. It wasn''t a normal mustache, though. This was more angular and a mix of black and gray¡ªblack had the majority, though it was by almost a pinch that gray would pass it. He carried an almost prudent face, and for a second, to Axel, he seemed like a villain. The electro-sonic voice from the seemingly invisible speaker spoke now: "Meet Royal Cloak!" The audience, instantly¡ªjust a quarter of a split second after the voice had spoken¡ªjammed their hands together. Axel had to force himself to clap. To him, the name sounded ridiculous. Royal Cloak? Yeah, right, he thought and chuckled a bit. Dan didn''t even notice that Axel chuckled. His eyes were on Royal Cloak, looking intently into his. They clapped loudly for nine seconds straight, and Axel decided that this superhero was a powerful one. And, at that, he was a respected superhero. "Welcome!" he said in a stunning voice. Stunning because it was a mix of angelic and hoarse¡ªone that Axel was fascinated with. "Welcome to Superpolis Academy. An academy inside the famous HQ. Well, not everyone knows that an academy is inside this HQ. That''s because people don''t really know how large and massive the HQ is." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He paused and looked at the people he was talking to. Noting that they all were paying attention, he continued: **"The HQ is approximately the size of a town on Earth. So, you can see it''s big. What makes it big is also that it extends underground. Here, we train and guide the next heroes who will save and protect the world from danger. All of you here have your goal¡ªnot necessarily that we should know, but you do, and that''s what makes you superheroes. Because being a superhero comes with responsibilities. "Here, we guide and train you for just a month before letting you out to live on your own and do your duties as superheroes. Here, you learn more about your powers, how to use them, what to do as a superhero, and then what not to. Here, we teach you about being a superhero. "Why is this necessary, you may ask? Why must I go to an academy? Why must I be taught how to use my powers? Well, we''re not necessarily teaching you how to use your powers. I mean, how could we? We''re only teaching you how to make greater use of them, how to upgrade them, and lastly, how to make use of them at a certain degree. "Importantly, you may not be able to save the world on your own, so here, we make it easy to do so."** Axel was a bit bemused by that. How? he thought. Royal Cloak seemed to have heard Axel''s thoughts¡ªor was it just coincidence?¡ªbecause soon he was saying: "Making it easy isn''t actually providing shortcuts. What I meant by making it easier is that now, you''ll be able to meet other superheroes, and you guys might team up and help each other once in a while when the going gets tough." Axel nodded in the affirmative. This, to him, was quite interesting. What if they all teamed up and defeated a very mighty villain? That would be dope. "The world is in danger. Many planets are being torn apart by different villains as we speak now¡ªvillainous overlords, mighty villains, overturning planets. Only you guys can save the world, this realm, this damn galaxy. You all awakened your powers for a purpose, and we, we help you reach full potential to save this cursed world, engulfed in supernatural perils." Axel''s eyes swirled around, and he saw that everyone was well concentrated. "I won''t want to waste your time or bore you all, so I''ll go straight to the point and why we are here. This is more of an inauguration ceremony, only that it''s not a ceremony. We have, through our high-tech technology, scanned your names and powers, and that''s what we are here for¡ª to say it and enroll you guys into the academy." The words rang deeper into Axel''s brain. Say our names and powers? To everyone''s hearing? He couldn''t say what was wrong with him, but at that moment, he felt a chill crawl up and clicked his teeth. Chapter 24: Inauguration: Name and super powers Chapter 24: Inauguration: Name and super powersRoyal Cloak cleared his throat and said, "There are thirty-three superheroes here, and now I''ll be listing your names and your powers." Axel didn''t know why, but he was the sighing type, and this felt like hell to him. Why am I suddenly acting like a jerk? he thought. Royal Cloak held what seemed like a tablet and, with a loud, clear voice, said, "First, I''ll mention the females before moving on to the males. When your name is called, a red light will shine on you for identification." The superheroes all looked at him, excited¡ªsome even elated. Axel was surprised as hell. He was scared, yet they were happy. What a contrast, he thought. And so, Royal Cloak began: "FEMALE HEROES 1. AURASTRIKE ¡ª Rhea Voss Generates and manipulates energy halos that can be used as shields, weapons, or thrown like boomerangs. The red light, a sort of laser, pointed at the girl Axel had been admiring earlier. He looked at her, shocked. Dope powers she''s got, he thought. Royal Cloak immediately continued: 2. EMBER LANCER ¡ª Valerie Kain Can condense fire into solid, piercing lances; the hotter they burn, the sharper they get. 3. PIERCE ¡ª Elise Ward Her voice creates harmonic shockwaves that can crack solid objects or enhance her agility by rebounding sound. 4. SILKEN VEIL ¡ª Naomi Chen Secretes bio-silk from her fingertips, weaving it into armor, traps, or razor-sharp wires for combat. 5. NEON BLITZ ¡ª Zadie Cross Converts absorbed light into kinetic energy, allowing for speed bursts and plasma-charged attacks. 6. GRAVITONIA ¡ª Carmen Sloane Alters gravity within a set radius, making objects heavier, lighter, or completely weightless. 7. DUSKRIDER ¡ª Mira Holloway Summons spectral horses from the twilight realm, riding them through solid objects and shadowy dimensions. 8. CINDERSPAWN ¡ª Liana Torres Controls volcanic ash, shaping it into smokescreens, weapons, or golems. 9. MIRRORMELD ¡ª Seraphina Lyle Can duplicate herself using reflections, each copy acting independently until shattered. 10. SPINAL EDGE ¡ª Natalia Pierce Generates and ejects bone blades from her body, regrowing them instantly with each attack. 11. HONEYQUEEN ¡ª Veda Alston Produces bio-honey with healing properties and can control swarms of golden wasps. 12. RIFTBLADE ¡ª Olivia Kade Wields a sword that cuts through space itself, allowing her to step through her slashes to teleport. 13. LUMINARA ¡ª Isla Vaughn Absorbs starlight to enhance her strength, speed, and healing during the night. Royal Cloak stopped, looking at the audience. He cleared his throat and continued: "MALE HEROES 14. OBSIDIAN TIDE ¡ª Kai Mercer S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Can liquefy his body into black volcanic glass, reforming at will and shaping sharp edges for combat. Axel panicked. Soon, it would be his turn. He felt almost terrified now. But really, there was nothing big about it. When someone was called, they just stood there; some waved, but it wasn''t compulsory. Then why was he so scared? 15. VOLTSPURGE ¡ª Jasper Orion Generates bio-electric arcs that grow unstable the longer they''re contained before release. 16. IRONROOT ¡ª Elias Boone Has living metal vines embedded in his body, which grow and adapt to his will. 17. ASTRAHOUND ¡ª Dante Riven Summons astral wolves from a cosmic plane, each one embodying a different celestial force. 18. FROSTVEIN ¡ª Nolan Keats His blood is liquid ice, and any wound he takes instantly freezes over, forming jagged armor. 19. GEARFORGED ¡ª Viktor Hale A walking clockwork warrior with gears and pistons in place of bones, making him nearly indestructible. 20. PHANTOM GALE ¡ª Orion Thorne Controls the wind''s afterimage, leaving behind clones made of compressed air for brief moments. 21. EMBERLOCK ¡ª Ronan Drake Captures and stores heat from his surroundings, releasing it in high-impact thermal bursts. 22. FERROSHIFT ¡ª Damian Crowe Can break apart his own metal-infused body, shifting between a solid and liquid state for combat. 23. NOVA CHAMPION ¡ª Zane Ryker Can summon miniature supernovas, condensing them into high-powered energy spheres. 24. STORMCRUX ¡ª Callum Raine Generates lightning-infused clouds that act as extensions of his body, forming defensive shields or attacking with storm bolts. 25. PYRESTEED ¡ª Ezra Maddox A fire-charged centaur, able to generate a burning steed out of flames for high-speed movement. 26. CRYPTONIC ¡ª Magnus Vail Manipulates unseen pressure waves, crushing or repelling enemies with invisible force fields. 27. SPECTRON ¡ª Felix Quill Converts his body into pure prismatic energy, shifting colors for different combat effects. 28. VOIDBREAKER ¡ª Rael Draven Channels black hole fragments into his strikes, causing brief distortions in gravity around his attacks. 29. MOLTEN VIGIL ¡ª Corbin Stroud His bones are superheated magma, allowing him to release devastating lava-powered strikes. 30. TERRA STORM ¡ª Julian Holt Summons geo-charged tornadoes, combining earth and air for defensive and offensive storm barriers. Royal Cloak paused, scanning the crowd as if searching for Axel, who now felt uneasy. It''s my turn! My damn turn! Axel thought, breathing hard. Dan looked at him for a split second and whispered, "You''re the only one left, kid." Axel forced out a faint smile. "I guess," he muttered under his breath. Royal Cloak spoke now. "And lastly, quite a newcomer we have here." He paused, then announced: The fourteenth inferno hero [Super hero name undecided at the moment?]¡ª Axel Generates and controls supernatural infernal flames that intensify with battle. [Little info for now] The red light shone on Axel, who now felt somewhat intimidated. He felt embarrassed because all eyes were starting to stare at him now. Then, the air shifted. Vociferously, like with the blast of a gust of whirlwind. A sudden crackle of energy rippled through the room. The air pressure dropped, and a strange hum vibrated through the walls. Without warning, space itself split apart, a jagged tear forming in midair, swirling with embers and flickering shadows. A portal. The superheroes tensed. Some backed away instinctively, while others stepped forward, ready for a fight. A fiery glow pulsed from within the rift, illuminating the room in shades of crimson and gold. Axel''s breath caught. His body reacted before his mind could process it¡ª his flames flared to life around his hands, responding to whatever was coming. Something was stepping through. And in that moment, Axel knew ¡ªhis introduction was the least of his worries. Chapter 25: Disruption caused by the strange Portal Chapter 25: Disruption caused by the strange PortalIt wasn''t actually a figure coming out of the portal but instead, two. Dan was alarmed now and turned to look at Axel. "How could this be? This¡ª this place is off-limits to anyone. How come?" Axel couldn''t answer the question. He only clenched his fists, ready for battle. Some superheroes were beside him, while others were unsure because they were at his back, appalled looks on their faces. Dan stood in front of Axel, his fists also clenched, radiating cosmic energy all over his body. The portal was still there, the edges scintillating and shimmering and all, but the problem was that the figures that should have come out of it weren''t coming out. They seemed to be prolonging their entrance. Axel, squinting his eyes, realized that they might be calculating the situation at hand. Royal Cloak''s voice thundered now: "We''re in danger, the damned people of this hall. I have already listed your powers. It''s now time for you all to use them." Axel almost frowned, at least to act cool, but he didn''t¡ª not when he was nervous. Some superheroes who had earlier been scared to fight now stood beside Axel, ready to battle. Axel looked at them very quickly, by the way. Doing so, he saw Ember Lancer. She was fully activated, ready to fight. Royal Cloak still stood where he was. Axel threw a glance at him and shrugged. You couldn''t blame him. He was safe, all right. That was a safe spot. Before any danger was to reach him from where he was, a superhero would have intervened. Axel, now looking forward, threw a glance backward again at Royal Cloak and saw that the wagon stuff was slowly going up. Soon, it was all the way up to the roof, and two hefty-looking men in cool superhero-like suits, black in color, flew in the air and stood (also in the air) beside Royal Cloak. Apparently, they were protecting him. Other men, like the guards, flew and surrounded the portal, the superheroes beside them too. They all paused and... Silence! It was very loud, and that seemed ironic because silence had never been heard before, but at this point, it was. Piercing, fueled with tension. Everyone was sweating now, their hands clenched. The open portal was dashing out gusts of wind into their faces, and they had to twist them into grimaces to reduce the effect. Dan shouted now: "Who the hell are you? Come the f**k out!" They paused, even holding their breaths, but still, nothing happened. No one was coming out. They could only see two figures standing toward the end of the portal, their presence tenebrous. Ember Lancer was shooting fire fragments from her hands now toward the portal. Aura Strike was about to do the same too, to throw something at the portal with her powers when¡ª WHOOOSHM! Portalwalker was thrown out of the portal. He hit his face on the ground, his breath coming in ragged and rough. Dan was shocked and was about to move closer to Portalwalker (Jeffery), but then Portalwalker raised his face upwards and went on his knees before saying: "I wanted to come here. I¡ª I had summoned the portal. But out of not wanting to lose, I entered a villain''s lounge. God! I''ve been beaten as hell. I had to struggle to summon this portal. And ¡ª" Jeffery (Portalwalker) looked frightfully pale now. He looked at the portal and said, almost in a whisper, "They are primitive-looking, have no superpowers. But they have technology. Goddamn technology." Dan looked at him and said, his voice hoarse and loud: "Move. C''mon, move! Get out of there. Come!" Jeffery let out a sad laugh. "If I move, they''ll kill me!" he said in a very low whisper. "I don''t know what to do. Help me! If I move, I''ll¡ª" KA! The sound of a bullet from the portal. It came at rapid speed toward Jeffery. Everyone seemed to see it¡ª even Jeffery. It was going to meet him. [STOP] Time slowed down, fervently. It reduced. Axel could now see everything very clearly but then, very slowly. He realized that things weren''t actually slow, at least to everyone. It was only to him. This wasn''t the first time things had been slow now. This was actually the third. And any time things became slow, it was in a dangerous situation. Something was about to happen, something dangerous. And so, time, due to his system, stopped. Axel blinked and looked at the portal. A bullet had shot out of it, and now it was heading toward Jeffery''s neck, who was now pale. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel sensed that Jeffery must have heard the sound of the bullet, and so he had welcomed death. Death was about to kiss his neck. Not metaphorically but instead, literally. Death was about to grab him. Axel was like a messiah now. He was Jeffery''s savior. ''Enough of thinking!'' Axel thought. ''Time to get into action.'' Like a speedster, Axel dashed forward, very swiftly, the flames all over his body flickering as the wind licked them. But Axel actually wasn''t fast. Since everything was in slow motion, his speed was suppressed by the ''slow motion'' force in the hall. And so, Axel struggled forward, very swiftly. A single kiss of the wind against his skin set him ablaze even more. Axel smiled at this. He was ablaze? Hell! He had already created his superhero name now. He was going to call himself: INFERNO BLAZE! Not too unique or original, but at least it was better than many of the other superheroes who had weird names. To Axel, they weren''t even cool. They seemed like something a robot would come up with. He almost tripped but steadied himself, and with a spin, he was almost at Jeffery, who had already started to close his eyes, ready to die. The bullet was just a decimeter (if that was a thing and if it was possible) from Jeffery''s neck. Axel felt like he couldn''t do it. He held his breath. ''Would Jeffery die?'' Chapter 26: Extremats! Chapter 26: Extremats!Axel was tensed, and that drove his motion. The hall suddenly felt hot. A life was in his hands. He was panicking now. With his eyes wide open, he saw the motions: The bullet rolling slowly. Dotted sweats all over Jeffery''s face. The shock on Dan''s pale face. The soft hum of the wind. The shimmering portals. The... ... Two figures in it. Axel opened his mouth now in a shout. The wind drove slowly into his face. And then, Axel knew. This was it. Time would return to its normal pace again, and could he stop the inevitable? Axel stretched out his hands frantically, the flames all over his body slowly going down, no more ablaze. He had to save Jeffery. As Jeffery had rescued him earlier. He lunged with all the strength his body could muster. He had come to a conclusion. He wasn''t going to catch the bullet. He was going to¡ª Time now returned to normal. Axel gave Jeffery a hard, tooth-cracking punch, and that sent him down. With a somersault, Axel leapt over the portal and landed on the floor, dodging the bullet. He didn''t stop there. He knew if he did, he and Jeffery would be dead. And so, he moved swiftly and grabbed Jeffery, running as fast as he could and entering into the crowd of superheroes. With the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of them coming out of the portal. "Damn!" Axel muttered under his breath, dropping an exhausted Jeffery onto the ground. The portal pulsed violently now, its edges crackling with unstable energy. The swirling mass of fire and shadow expanded, warping the air around it until two figures emerged from its depths. They stepped forward in perfect coordination, their sleek, armored forms glinting under the flickering red light. Their suits looked like they were forged from some unknown alloy, dark yet lined with glowing neon veins of energy that pulsed in an eerie rhythm. Helmets concealed their faces, smooth visors reflecting the stunned expressions of the superheroes around them. The two figures held a weapon unlike anything seen before¡ªhigh-tech rifles humming with power, their barrels lined with rotating energy coils. Strange symbols glowed across the surface of their firearms, shifting and flickering as if alive. The air around them crackled with suppressed energy, as if the weapons barely contained destruction waiting to be unleashed. One of them tilted his head slightly, scanning the room. His visor flickered, and a deep, mechanical voice emerged from his helmet. "Destination arrived." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The second figure lifted his weapon, the coils glowing a menacing electric blue. "Now in the damn HQ." Royal Cloak shouted now: "Holy shit! These are the Extremats!" Dan tensed. Of course, he knew the Extremats. They were one of the deadliest villains alive, always finding a way to conquer Superpolis. They resided in a sub-realm in the Khaos Realm, far away from Superpolis, not even knowing where Superpolis was. Royal Cloak looked like all morsels of blood had left him. He turned swiftly and looked at Jeffery, a stunned expression in his eyes. "What have you done? You have just summoned one of the deadliest villains alive!" Jeffery could only stare back and, in a faint voice, say: "I''m sorry, sir. It was an honest mistake!" Royal Cloak didn''t want to hear that. The whole of Superpolis was in potential danger now. He turned to the superheroes and shouted: "You guys are thirty-two. With Dan, you are thirty-three. I want you to take on them! Don''t let them escape here, and more importantly, don''t let more come out of the portal." The superheroes nodded in the affirmative, and now Royal Cloak looked at Axel: "I saw what you did now, saving Jeffery. You''re good." Axel felt bloated with praise. Royal Cloak telling him he was good? Hell! BOOM! One of the figures from the portal shot his gun up to the ceiling. "Enough of words," he said in a bold French-Spanish-like accent. "Let''s get to work." Axel was a little surprised. So they wanted to fight? He clenched his fists, and that lit him up the more. Jeffery was now saying to him: "Thank you for saving my life!" Axel smiled. "Kinda repaying a favor." With that, he stormed forward, surrounded by all the superheroes ready to join him in battle. Royal Cloak was shouting to the guards protecting him now: "Close all doors! Ultra close them so no one, not even us, can get out!" The guards pressed a button by the side of their wristwatches, and all doors were closed, locked, and ''ultra'' locked. One of the figures from the portals smiled and said: "No. Don''t do that. You''ll only be wasting your energy and¡ª and your precious time. When we are done killing every one of you, we will then burn this place to ashes!" Axel''s bravery instantly left him. ''Do what?!'' he thought. He had to whisper to Dan, who was by his side: "Tell me they''re bluffing." Dan''s face was stern. "No, no, they''re not." Axel sighed. This was sure going to be tough. The figures sauntered forward a bit, their hands clenching their guns very hard, their faces unseen, but Axel could tell that it was tough and stern. "Who''s ready to die first?" one of them asked. No one moved. They were all scared as hell. Stepping against these villains was a death call, and well, they weren''t ready to die yet. No one in the hall was ready to. Royal Cloak, from where he stood, was shocked at their disposition. He had to sigh. They were surely dead. But then¡ª SWOOSH! Molten Vigil was forward now, in a very swift motion, sending lava fireballs looking from his hands towards the villains. Everyone held their breaths at his bravery, but then¡ª CRIKK - KK - MM The cracking of bones. Axel''s eyes were wide open. One of the Extremats was holding Molten Vigil by the neck, squashing his bones. Doing so, Molten Vigil was on fire, and then they could only see his skeleton, which soon disengaged and fell to the ground. The superheroes gasped, except Royal Cloak, who looked very pale. In this situation, being doomed was an understatement. Axel had to, due to shock, release the fart he hadn''t known he was holding. Chapter 27: All hope is lost? Chapter 27: All hope is lost?The Extremats cast a stern look at the superheroes now, who were still shocked. "Honestly," the Extremat who had brutally murdered Molten Vigil said, "fighting us is a waste of energy. Our technology is from the future. Nothing ever seen. We may not possess powers, but we are far stronger than you clowns." Dan was breathing heavily now. He was also sweating, his gaze shifting occasionally from the high-tech guns the villains were holding to their faces, which seemed ominous. "Who''s next?" the second Extremat said. "Who wants to die next?" Dan had to ask, "Can''t we surrender?" Royal Cloak cast him a stern look for saying that. The Extremat smiled. "You see, I''m a truthful creature. Not only me but my brother also. What is the use in deceiving you to surrender when, in the end, we will later defeat you?" He paused and twisted his neck sideways. CRAKK-KK-KK! It sounded like his neck was breaking, but it wasn''t. Like his throat was disengaging and crumbling down his neck to his lungs. But it wasn''t. For a second there, Dan had thought that it was, and for that brief moment, he had sort of been elated. "We fight with nobility. We don''t take corners or do something that, after victory, we will know we didn''t deserve it. We want to conquer valiantly and with an open mind so that when we celebrate, deep down, we know that we deserve all the praise. It''s like not writing a book and being credited as the author. Deep down, you''ll know you don''t deserve the praise." ''Deep,'' Axel thought. Suddenly, they seemed like good guys, and for a moment there, he believed that. ''They will kill us all.'' "You guys are in luck that we are even exchanging words with you," the first Extremat said. "We are more, actually, but the others went to destroy two cities, leaving us to guard our base." He laughed now. "Seriously, I was expecting a competition, being that we are the weakest of the Extremats." Axel gasped. ''Being that we are the weakest of the Extremats...'' ''We''re cooked.'' S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He was tense now. They all were, actually. The words had crept fear into his bones. All the bravery left in him was suddenly gone. Not one bit remaining. All the ''wanting to battle,'' the ''I will fight till my last breath''¡ªall gone. Hell! He himself was currently out of breath. He could hardly breathe now. The Extremats paused and waited patiently for about ten seconds. Seeing that none of them would budge and fight irritated them. "Scared superheroes," the first Extremat said. "Well, I guess we''ll have to make you fight by force." Axel didn''t see it coming. In fact, if someone had told him the day before that a bulky clenched fist would lace itself and enter the side of his jaw, he wouldn''t have believed it. Even if he had been told that, due to that punch, he would hit his back on the ceiling and fall so hard onto the ground, he would have said it was an alluring fairytale. Well, the above-mentioned was happening to him now. He was down, on the floor, his face bloody, weak, and out of breath. He had been punched in the side of his jaw, thrown up to the ceiling, cracking it, and then falling hard onto the floor. They went at the others, not even slowing down. Their breathing was so silent that Axel wondered if they had even done the act at all. They punched Pierce, slapped Iron Root, kicked Aura Strike in the stomach, and used the back of their gun to hit Astra Hound on his forehead. And then, they shocked Axel. Not only Axel but everyone. They murdered Luminara. It was a brutal action. The two of them held their guns and blasted her brain out of her skull and then her head. Lifelessly, she slumped to the ground. Royal Cloak opened his mouth in shock. He was paralyzed from the sight. He could hardly move himself to breathe. Massacre! The Extremats continued, and soon, one of them gave a blast from his high-tech gun. It immediately killed two superheroes. And so, Silken Veil and Nova Champion were gone. "No!" Dan shouted. "Stop this madness! Don''t kill us! Let us just leave. Please! Spare our lives and take over Superpolis while we live, please!" The Extremats paused and looked at Dan, the expressions on their faces indifferent. To them, a tiny mosquito had just spoken. The words meant nothing, absolutely nothing at all. They were about to kill him too when Ember Lancer threw heat-like things from her hands. They caught it and, with a grimace, shot her in the chest. Ember Lancer tried to suppress it, to stop the bluish thing wrapped like an electric current coming out of it, but it was nothing. Nothing at all. And so, she couldn''t control it or suppress it either. It spiraled through her chest and left her dead. Axel was stunned at that. That was apparently the last straw, or at least the obvious one. They didn''t relent, the vicious Extremats. They didn''t stop one bit. They were at the superheroes, who were now fighting back. Even Dan was starting to throw them punches now. But it wasn''t enough to stop them. It wasn''t enough to stop the almighty Extremats. They clenched their fists, and that made their hands into daggers (with the help of their high-tech technology). SWOOSH! The first Extremat had chopped Gearforged''s head off, which fell instantly on the floor. Axel was about to puke now. He thought Superpolis was safe. Apparently, this was worse than the apocalypse-looking Earth. THOOOSHHKHHHH! Ferroshift''s head had also fallen off his neck. This time, it was the second Extremat that cut it off. Axel felt like crying. He didn''t know superheroes could die. They always won. But then he realized¡ªthese dead superheroes weren''t the main characters in his story. It was then he truly realized. He was the main character. This was his story. He was the one to save Khaos Realm and Earth from their impending doom. And now, the lost bravery returned to him. It was time to be a hero! Chapter 28: Time to be a Hero! Chapter 28: Time to be a Hero!Axel stared fiercely at the Extremats, who were ready to continue their onslaught. His breath came in ragged and hard, but he was determined. His face carried a brave look. For a split second, the Extremats stared at him. In that moment, Axel looked like a competition. "Halt your move," he said, his voice commanding. The Extremats didn''t stop. Instead, they exchanged glances, then scoffed. "Finally, a bit of competition. Let''s get started," the first one sneered. Axel clenched his fists. Heat pulsed through his veins, igniting something deep within him. His body responded instinctively ¡ªfire licked at his fingertips, his aura flaring brighter than ever before. The room grew hotter. It seemed like his powers had engulfed the whole place. He stood gallantly, staring at them, his expression emitting braveness and a spark of power. "Since you don''t want to stop the easy way, I guess we''ll have to do it the hard way," Axel said, stepping forward. His eyes burned¡ªnot just with fire, but with purpose. The Extremats laughed with an electric, sonic-like voice. They exchanged looks, and the second said to Axel, "Good of you to be brave. At least that''s how superheroes should behave. But if you''re doing it for nothing, no matter how many flames you radiate, it results in nothing. I will still get you killed." Axel shrugged, and with a grin, he said, "Then go on with it." The Extremats hesitated. Just for a second. Then they attacked. Axel swerved to his right, dodging a heavy punch. He somersaulted forward and, with a duck, gave a punch to one of the Extremat''s thighs. That made him reel backward a bit, and Axel, not hesitating for one bit, saw that as momentum. He ran forward very swiftly and made himself a spear, throwing himself into him. THUD! The Extremat fell onto the ground, cracking it. Axel rolled on the floor very briskly, even forgetting to breathe. He ran to safety. The other Extremat was now pulling the trigger of his high-tech gun. Axel had known he would do it and so had two seconds of prep time, and his prep time was rolling on the floor and swiftly putting his feet on the wall, taking three steps on it. BLAST! The Extremat shot the bullet. The one that had murdered Ember Lancer. Axel, without even looking at the electric ball bullet that was heading his way, somersaulted down from the wall. It felt like an unconscious move. The flames all over him slowed down a bit. It did so with that motion. Axel forgot to panic. He forgot to be nervous. He forgot to be human. He learned to be a superhero! Damn! He landed on the floor and threw himself upwards again, this time in flight. The whole time, the remaining superheroes had been staring at him¡ªsurprised, stunned, bewildered, in awe, in shock, in astonishment, in amazement. Royal Cloak''s eyes were wide open the whole time. Surprised. He had underestimated what Axel could do, and now, him taking on the almighty Extremat all alone¡ªhe had exceeded expectations. He had done the impossible. He had... he was... ...Inhuman! Axel blasted white fireballs from his hands at the Extremat who had shot the bullet. He didn''t even know he could do so. Doing it¡ª it was cool as hell. It was impressive! He had always watched anime where the characters did so. It had felt cool watching them do it. And now, him doing it ¡ªit was unreal. The Extremat was taken aback by that, and so it staggered backward a bit. The Extremats paused now and looked at Axel, who was flying above them, ready to defeat them. They stared at him grimly, with a dry look that Axel noticed was void of human sympathy. "I underestimated you," the first Extremat said. "I mean, I had thought you would be easy. But seeing you now, I''m impressed." Axel didn''t say a word. He only stared at them in disgust. The villain continued, "You should be happy I''m praising you. It''s not every day you see an Extremat do that. We only acknowledge worthy opponents, and quite frankly, you''re¡ª" Axel cut off the talk and scanned his inventory now, trying to find the perfect weapon to end this. He squinted his eyes: [Hero profile complete] He released the squint, doing so with less effort. [Hero Profile] Name: [Axel] Rank: [Amateur] [F] ¡ú S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hero Points: 0/800 [Attributes] Power: 40 Speed: 70 Endurance: 25 Intellect: 65 [Hero Skills] 1. [Active Skill] Power Punch (Rank F) ¨C Throw powerful, tooth-aching punches. (Next Upgrade: 10 more uses required) 2. [Passive Skill] Battle Instinct (Rank F) ¨C Slightly enhances reaction speed in combat. (Next Upgrade: Defeat 3 Elite Enemies) 3. [Unique Ability] ??? (Locked) ¨C (Unlock at Rank C) 4. [The Pinch Swoop Loop] {RANK 1} ¨C Takes your opponents on a swoop loop, flinging them to the sky. [UPGRADABLE] [Inventory] Golden Armor (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno Sword ¨C Goes through opponents with the similitude of flickering flames. Axel shrugged. That was an edit to the former description. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. He thought and calculated. Which could go to use? Which one would defeat these villains once and for all? The Basic Combat Suit was a big no. It was as useless as a broomstick. He would use the Energy Potion when he had been beaten real badly and was on the verge of dying. The Pinch Swoop Loop was interesting too. But it was grabbing the pinch that would be the problem, and with these guys, it would be really hard. His hope¡ª and what he had decided to use, actually ¡ªwas the Golden Armor and the Inferno Sword. To him, the new description made it more epic. Axel came back to life just now, just in time to hear the ending of the Extremat''s words, which, apparently, he had missed many of. It was: "Then, we were playing. Now, we get to action." Chapter 29: Transformation Chapter 29: TransformationThat made Axel furrow an eyebrow. ''Now we get to action?'' It sounded terrifying. Axel looked at them, starting to get a bit nervous again. Then, the Extremats, without a pinch of warning, moved. Their sleek suits hissed as hidden mechanisms activated. Panels shifted, metal plates unfolded, and in seconds, their bodies expanded¡ªtwisting and reshaping into massive robotic armors. The dim glow of their visors intensified, and the sound of grinding steel filled the air. THU - THUNK! Towering over Axel now, they stood like walking war machines. Their once -humanoid forms were now encased in high-tech exoskeletons, their arms morphing into cannon-like weapons, their legs reinforced with hydraulics that rumbled as they stepped forward. Axel swallowed hard. His fire flickered slightly. The first Extremat raised an enormous, armored fist and clenched it. "Now... we really rumble." It seemed insane. Royal Cloak, Dan, and the other superpowers were in shock. This was pure sci-fi. ''These guys are from the future!'' Axel thought. A sharp hiss filled the room. The cannon on its right arm whirred to life, glowing with unstable energy. Axel, staring at it, eyes wide open, couldn''t really predict what would happen, but he knew it was going to be bad. BOOM! ¡ª it fired. Axel barely had time to react. It came at him, his eyes not blinking even once. He stared in disbelief, watching a cannonball-looking thing coming at him. It swirled roundly in the air, coming with a sibilant sound. Axel was paralyzed. He stood rooted to the spot, in complete shock. He couldn''t believe what his eyes were seeing. It seemed unreal, completely out of this world. It was mesmerizing in a kinky way. Axel felt like the technology behind it had some kind of magic because he couldn''t stop staring at it. A few centimeters from him now. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Dan pushed him down. The cannonball thing blasted into the wall, giving it a hole. The hole was enormous, and that... ...that was only a testament to how large the cannonball was. It was massive. Massively massive, almost the size of a human. It was so large and powerful that if it had even slightly touched Axel, he would be dead. Axel had to look up his inventory. He thought this might be repetitive, but... ...just the inventory. [HERO PROFILE SCANNING] [Inventory] Golden Armour (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno Sword ¨C Go through opponents with the similitude of flickering flames. Axel shrugged. That was an edit to the former description. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. Axel sighed and decided that he would have to use the Inferno Sword. Not only that but also the Golden Armour. He was going to go full mode now. He was going to go berserk, as that was what his enemy had just done. But first, Axel told the other superheroes, "You guys have to help me. If I''m going to defeat them, you guys really have to." The superheroes looked at him in his weak state and hesitated a bit, which peeved Royal Cloak. And then, they all nodded, stepping closer, their faces now carrying a touch of bravery. They even clenched their fists, showing their full commitment. And so, Axel stood up and twisted his neck sideways, looking at the Extremats, who were surprisingly standing still, watching the scenario. The thing with them was that they loved to face their opponent, knowing that they were aware. They didn''t like to, most of the time, come unexpectedly. They liked to see their opponents come at them and then thrash them brutally, but still with honor. Axel clapped his hands instantly, and swoosh! A blast of wind lifted him up, turned him around, every single fragment in the hall swirling around him with the similitude of leaves falling down tree branches. He felt a great amount of pain. Excruciating pain. It burned down his body, piercing through his soul, striking through his heart. But that only happened for two seconds. But... ...it was enough. The job had been done. Dan had to move back a bit during the transformation because of the heat that came with it. A large amount of it, capable of setting a normal building ablaze. Axel was fully transformed now. Clothed in the Golden Armour, holding a large sword in his hand and gripping it very tightly. Very tightly, that if the sword was bread, we would be seeing breadcrumbs now. Axel waved it over his head. His face silhouetted in flames, his eyes not even showing. The Golden Armour was slick and clean. Not even a bacterium or a single drop of dirt was on it. It was seemingly unreal, like from another galaxy. And the sword? It was covered in flames. White flames that burned greatly. Axel now appeared like a god, possessing another level of power. His look was on another level. He looked like a god locked in a dungeon finally reawakening. The Extremats looked at him, and with the way their faces were twisted, they were shocked and surprised. They were upgrading to another level. They hadn''t expected Axel to do the same. They hadn''t expected Axel to upgrade too. Axel wasn''t smiling now. He was thinking of ways to tear them apart. He had learned the real truth about being a superhero, and it was: ''Sometimes you have to be brutal to save guys. Sometimes you have to be a bad guy to be a good guy. Sometimes you have to be vicious.'' Realizing that, that was what he would do. The Extremats faced Axel now, with their towering figures. To Axel, it was nothing. They looked like dwarfs now. Like ants. Axel wasn''t overpowered, but now, he would have to be. He would have to summon a great amount of power to defeat these villains. But first, he would have to act and appear brave. He would have to appear powerful to at least scare them. And now, the real epic battle would begin! Chapter 30: A confined fight Chapter 30: A confined fightAnd so, it began. Axel had a plan. He was going to make this real quick. He didn''t see the use in prolonging the fight or even exchanging words. He had decided that even if they talked, he wouldn''t reply. He would just be silent and fight. He stood by the middle of the superheroes. Them standing and some flying beside him felt cool. It felt like he was a leader even though he wasn''t. Well, technically, here he was, and he was going to implement that very much well. The other superheroes flexed their powers, Dan clenching his fists and radiating a sort of electromagnetic field around him. Axel looked at the dead bodies of the superheroes and shook his head in sympathy. He came to a conclusion: The Extremats didn''t deserve to live. And he was going to make them cease existing. He pounced forward like a bullet being shot out of a pistol. His motion was so swift and in sync, the others were doing so also. Dusk Rider was summoning a horse now. It came, and she mounted it, flying it in the sky and briskly going through an Extremat. Spinal Edge''s powers were weird and not the most pleasing to look at, but she used them. She removed her neck bone and forged it into a glowing, laser-like bone weapon, now throwing it at the Extremat Dusk Rider had gone into. Spinal Edge''s power was fascinating and, to Axel, the most unique and unreal-looking. Her neck bone had instantly grown back. Axel doubted if the act of removing the neck bone would have ached her because she showed no sign it did. Even if it ached her, it would just be a little bit. Mirrormeld was duplicating herself now. Duplicating powers weren''t that unique or shocking to Axel, as he had read a comic about one and watched an animated series about another. But Mirrormeld''s own wasn''t the common duplicating power. Any time she duplicated, a ghost-looking mirror appeared in front of her, following the copies and even her anywhere they went. And even though they might seem or look useless, they were actually the perfect distraction. Axel was impressed. These were really cool powers. But before, when the Extremats first came, everyone had been scared. No one had a morsel of courage to take on the Extremats, and even those that did went in blindly without any teamwork or cooperation. Perhaps him (Axel) standing up against the Extremats had given them hope. Perhaps he had made the almighty Extremats look vulnerable, and they were not so powerful after all? BOOM! Axel hit the first robotic-looking Extremat in the middle of his face with his Inferno Sword. The face of the Extremat was protected by the steel high-tech armor of its robotic suit, which made Axel think he should have struck better. Stormcrux sent cloudish-looking fire bolts at the Extremat Axel had just hit with his sword, and that made him stagger backward more greatly, ready to fall. Ready to fall? This was the perfect moment to gain momentum. This was the perfect moment to take the lead in the battle. That was where Pyresteed, a fire-charged centaur when transformed, known as Ezra Maddox in real life, made himself a spear and charged into the falling Extremat. BOOM! He fell! Axel was thrilled by the sight. The other Extremat was angered by that and raged at them, emitting all sorts of weapons from his hands, but the superheroes were flicking them away. Axel glanced over to Royal Cloak and saw that he was whispering at him to fly closer. Axel looked at the villains they were fighting. Well, villain now because the other Extremat was on the floor and struggling to get on his feet, as some key stuff in the suit might have been damaged by the fall. Axel decided to answer the call. At least now, the other superheroes were fully taking care of the fight. Royal Cloak was very tense now. "Great display of leadership you''re doing, man," Royal Cloak said. "But enough of the punching and spearing and all. Apparently, you won''t go anywhere if you continue to do like that." Axel furrowed his non-evident eyebrow, now covered in flames. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How?" he asked. Royal Cloak signaled for the two flying guards standing in the air beside him to give Axel something. They did so, and now, in Axel''s hands were two electric chips. Axel stared at them, bewildered, not knowing what to do with them. Royal Cloak explained: "During the fight, I was slowly and silently studying the Extremats'' powers. I scanned through my vision and saw that their weakness is actually their tech. Their tech might be their power, but it''s also their weakness." Axel was bemused. "How?" Royal Cloak smiled. "That''s why the electric chips come in," he said. "We need to make their tech ineffective, and doing so will make them vulnerable, making it easy for us to send them back through the portal, and then Portalwalker can shut it." "So what do I do?" Axel asked. Royal Cloak said, "Well, the electric chip is magnetic and clings to tech. So all you have to do is throw it in their direction, and that would render their tech useless, and boom, we''re free!" Axel didn''t hesitate now. He dashed at the Extremats, wanting to end this all. His golden armor burned more, and with a motion of good turpitude, he slashed his sword briskly at both of the Extremats, and that chopped off their right and left arms, respectively. Then, with preternatural speed, he threw the electric chips at the Extremats, who didn''t see it coming. They clung to the robotic suits and... TING! They crumbled down. The first Extremat looked at Axel intently in the eyes now, its gaze still vicious. "You deserve to win. You were the best today, but not tomorrow." The portal, which everyone had forgotten was there, sparked more loudly and vociferously now. Axel raised the Inferno Sword up in the sky and hit it hard onto the ground. BLAST! The Extremats reeled into the portal. Portalwalker clapped his hands hard and loud, and that closed the portal. Everyone in the hall sighed now, including Axel and even Royal Cloak, who said to the guards standing beside him: "Open all entrances now!" Chapter 31: Aftermath Chapter 31: AftermathNoon... Superpolis... HQ... The superheroes that were murdered from the battle with the Extremats were all silhouetted in white clothes and put in body bags, which they took out of the place on stretchers. The air was engulfed in grief. Axel looked at the dead people, slightly shaking his head. Royal Cloak flew down from the tech wagon he was in and landed beside Axel, patting him on the shoulder. "Great work you did, man. I''m impressed," Royal Cloak said. Axel didn''t smile or feel happy from the praise. On his face was a sad look that was silently hidden by the flames. "But we lost superheroes. I mean, we shouldn''t have. That is what saving people is all about. I personally think we could have saved them. They shouldn''t have died." Royal Cloak looked at the dead superheroes being taken out of the hall by masked officials. "Well," Royal Cloak said, "they were saving the day. They died being heroes. To pay them respect, we will be burying them at the prestigious Superpolis graveyard for superheroes who died but were great when they were alive." Axel said nothing. He looked at Dan, who crouched by a corner beside the wall, catching his breath, a grim expression on his face. Royal Cloak said, "Not that they deserve to be buried among great heroes, but I have to do it so I don''t turn out to be a bad guy." Axel was a bit surprised by Royal Cloak''s words. "Sir," he said, "but they are great. To me, what they did here was... selflessness. Of course, they deserve to be buried in the prestigious Superpolis cemetery." Royal Cloak looked at Portalwalker, who lay on the ground, weak and out of breath, and walking over to him, he said to Axel, "When you''re older, you''ll know what I mean." The statement sounded laconic to Axel. He squinted his eyes in thought, trying to grasp a meaning in what Royal Cloak had just said. It sounded mysterious, seemingly ominous. Portalwalker raised his head and stared at Royal Cloak, his facial expression apologetic. "I''m sorry, I¡ª it was a silly mistake. It will not¡ª" Royal Cloak scoffed. "Silly mistake, you say!" The man was furious. "Your incompetence killed¡ª" Royal Cloak paused and thought for a few seconds. "How many?" One of the officials carrying the dead body out said, "Six dead superheroes, sir." Royal Cloak felt exasperated. "Six! Six damn superheroes!" "They came here to be taught how to be heroes, how to use their powers, and how to be competent enough to save the world. But what do they get instead? They die. They bloody die!" Portalwalker was terrified. "Sir, please, it wasn''t intentional. It was a silly mistake, and I accept all the blame. I didn''t know the portal I conjured led to their realm. I wanted to come here, I¡ª" Royal Cloak clapped his hands to stop Portalwalker from speaking again. "You know what?" Royal Cloak shouted. "You''re fired!" Portalwalker''s eyes were getting teary now. "But sir, I can''t¡ª I cannot possibly lose this job. I cannot. It''s my only hope of surviving in this city. Please, sir!" Royal Cloak was not moved by the pleading. He was even enraged by it. "Begging won''t restore the dead lives. This was an inauguration. And after I had called all the names of the superheroes, you decide to show up with a portal, bringing a bunch of sci-fi jerks in big tin cans." "Here, we need seriousness. Honestly, absolute seriousness. We cannot keep doing this bullshit. What if Axel wasn''t here? We would all be dead by now. I call your act incompetent, and I will not condone it." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Khaos Realm harbors more villains than heroes, and even Superpolis, which is supposed to be filled with superheroes, is on a shortage. In a recent survey made by the prestigious Superhero Academy, of which I''m a proud member, it''s said that the population of superheroes is 58.1. Meaning about 52.9 percent of people living here are villains. Isn''t that outrageous?" "Then, instead of us protecting the citizens of the goddamn city, we kill ourselves." Royal Cloak laughed almost hysterically. "Isn''t that outrageous? To me, it''s daft and highly stupid!" Dan walked over to Royal Cloak in an effort to placate him. "Please, sir, forgive him. I think anyone can make this mistake," Dan said. Royal Cloak shot Dan a stern, piercing look. "Beg me again, and you''ll be fired too!" Dan bent his head and exchanged a quick look with Portalwalker, who was seemingly devastated. The other superheroes stared at the scene, afraid even to speak. Royal Cloak went on, "We lost: GEARFORGED FERROSHIFT EMBER LANCER NOVA CHAMPION SILKEN VEIL and MOLTEN VIGIL!" "People that should have been valuable in saving the world." Royal Cloak turned to the guards and said grimly, "Get him out of here. And any weapon we had given to him, revoke it!" Portalwalker was in tears now. He was on his knees, face flat, sobbing. --- The activities for the day were put on pause. Axel lay on a soft bed, staring at the ceiling. It was his room, actually. A bit average in size, not too posh in decorations or equipment, but it was better than the one he had been staying in back on Earth. A dim bulb lighted the place, the light soft. Royal Cloak had announced that early tomorrow morning they would resume teaching after briefly going to the deceased superheroes burial. Just thinking about all that had happened today made Axel woozy. The mere thought alone felt sad to think of. Well, he took it as life. Life being cruel and all. He forgot about the past and tried to think about tomorrow. So basically, this was a school but only for superheroes. He was the main hero now, and everyone looked up to him. To him, he didn''t quite like being looked up to because it created a sort of pressure, and if one failed? Well, he would be bashed and all. Axel only shrugged at the thought and lay more comfortably, saying in a very low whisper that it seemed like only he could hear, "Well, I''m not here forever. Only for the meantime." He went to sleep. Chapter 32: Learning Chapter 32: LearningHe had woken up out of mere impulse. Nothing much, just a feeling to get out of bed. His eyes were heavy, and as he trudged to the small bathroom in the room, he almost stumbled and fell. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Everything was surprisingly available in the room, so he didn''t really have to ask for much. Facing him, hung on the wall in what seemed like a small basket, was a new toothbrush and toothpaste. Axel took it and started brushing, not wasting time and doing so quickly. He showered quickly, the water warm and nerve-soothing. His face was indifferent, and if one didn''t look well, one would say he was just sleepy. Having bathed and creamed and all, even dressing up in a really ''cool'' outfit he found in a wardrobe in the room, he paused for some seconds, looking the room over before saying with a slight nod: "Impressive stuff." He then went out of the room, taking an elevator downwards. --- Firstly, before any other thing, they went to the dead superheroes'' burial. The atmosphere was sad and gloomy, the sky even. Axel watched as their coffins were laid inside the ground, and for a split second, he almost cried. It was a sad scene. And then, to make the scene more scenic, it started to drizzle. Light droplets of rain fell on them, and some superheroes, in sympathy, sobbed sadly. It was a picturesque scene for sadness, actually. The girls sobbed more loudly, the boys¡ªwell, about two sobbed, but they were strong. Axel stood afar off, Dan standing by him, their heads bent down. "They didn''t deserve to die," Axel said. Dan smiled. "They actually deserved to," he said grimly. Axel was so stunned by the words he had to look Dan over. "What do you mean?" Dan smiled. "All superheroes deserve to die. It''s just by luck that we actually don''t." Axel nodded repeatedly and remained silent, his face bent downwards. The words were deep, and at that point, he understood. "You didn''t deserve to lose your mother, father, and your uncle. That is, on a normal note, by the way. But, well, you did, you lost them. You didn''t deserve to. You are too young and naive to do bad, but then, BAD did you bad," Dan said. Axel looked at the sky and then let the droplets of rain enter his eyes. He blinked, and then, tears followed. Axel was crying now. Dan looked at him, now concerned. "I''m sorry if I sounded harsh or blunt. I''m just trying to tell you how the world works." Axel nodded his head in the affirmative, using the back of his hands to wipe the tears that were trickling down his face. "I know. I''m not crying because of anything but just because of how life can be cruel," he said. Dan nodded slowly, and coming out of it, he said: "And the thing is, this is the fault of the people in power. Power causes pain, and pain causes hopelessness and death." Axel could relate. He could relate in the sense of what the government almost did to him. They wanted to kill him because he possessed powers and wanted to save the earth. Axel had been sort of happy when he got his powers, but now, just about two days after getting them, he felt it unbearable. Moreover, he wasn''t going to get paid for saving the day. He decided to ask Dan. "Would I, by chance, get paid for being a superhero?" Dan nodded in the affirmative. "Of course, all superheroes get paid. But you¡ªRoyal Cloak seems to like you because of what you did back there, and so, using you to save Superpolis, he will definitely be paying you handsomely." "But I''m to save Khaos Realm and Earth." Dan smiled. "Well, you''ll do so, but you''ll sure be needing the help of other superheroes, as the mastermind behind all this might control an empire on its own. Noting the symbol stuff we saw and the type of supervillains and monsters we had encountered, this is done by an almighty supervillain, so yeah, it''ll be very tough stopping him or her." Axel immediately remembered the force that had beaten Patrick. Patrick had told him that it was stuck in an interdimensional realm and was seeking to get out. Perhaps that was another villain entirely. He had a gut feeling that soon he would be up against it. --- HQ... Axel leaned against the wall, watching with blank eyes as the superheroes flexed their muscles and powers, getting prepared. This training session was combat, and they were awaiting the arrival of Royal Cloak. Axel didn''t know how they would do it, but, well, they would have to combat, he knew. He had seen on the training board the stuff they were meant to do. He had seen: Combat training Survival training Instinct training Superpower training Realm battle training And lastly¡ª Dimensional training (Interdimensional, semi-dimensional, ultra-dimensional) What caught his attention was the realm combat training and dimensional training. So they would be going to realms to battle and even dimensions? Axel decided they would be doing so only on missions. Royal Cloak stepped out of an elevator and walked into the hall, nodding slightly to greet Axel specially before turning to greet everyone officially: "Morning, students, or should I call you almost real superheroes?" He accompanied that with a short laugh before clearing his throat and continuing: "Today, I''ll be training you guys on combat. But before I do so, I would love to see your levels in combat, and so, each of you will face each other. And so I''ll know who''s the strongest and your weakness, helping you to improve on it." The superheroes all nodded in the affirmative. "Firstly, it''ll be Neon Blitz versus Aura Strike." Axel was a bit surprised. Aura Strike¡ªthe girl who he had earlier admired? Royal Cloak continued: "Neon Blitz''s profile: Zadie Cross Converts absorbed light into kinetic energy, allowing for speed bursts and plasma-charged attacks. And, Aura Strike''s profile: Rhea Voss Generates and manipulates energy halos that can be used as shields, weapons, or thrown like boomerangs." Axel nodded slightly. ''Two females with dope powers. Well, this is going to be interesting.'' Chapter 33: Combat training Chapter 33: Combat trainingTheir powers were a contrast, and to Axel, that was the thing. How epic would the fight be? Not necessarily a fight because it''s training? Royal Cloak spoke now: "The point of this fight is to know your combat level, so make it quick, nothing epic. And don''t hurt anyone too bad, okay?" "Yes, sir!" the hall chorused. Rhea (Aura Strike) faced Zadie (Neon Blitz), and they both bowed. Rhea, even though her face was indifferent and looked like someone who didn''t care, still showed a bit of sportsmanship by saying: "May the best fighter win!" Zadie smiled, and as it spread to a grin, she said: "Which is me, ''cause now, you''re going down." It was unexpected. Literally, no one would have seen it coming. Zadie zapped into the air, her sight like bright sparks of electricity, flickering. With her speed, she delivered a punch to Rhea by the side of her stomach. The latter fell to the ground, holding her stomach and gritting her teeth. The other superheroes, including Axel, moved back a bit, forming a space in the middle, which now looked like a battleground. Royal Cloak was only observant. He did nothing. He just put his hands behind his back and kept his face stern. If one glanced at him very quickly, one would think he was unperturbed. But Royal Cloak was very observant, his eyes not even leaving their sights. Zadie smiled, and now, rushing at Rhea, was ready to finish her completely. It happened rather too immediately. Rhea quickly generated a large boomerang and threw it at the mouth of Zadie, who wasn''t expecting it, and so... VROOSHHH! She was jolted backward in the air, and Rhea, seeing that as a measure to gain momentum, grasped it because now she was jumping on Zadie and, with an unreal move, kicked her in the stomach. Firstly, THOOD! For the kick, WHOOSH! For the motion of falling at a great speed towards the floor, and THUUDDD! For the fall. Zadie let out a loud cry: "ARRRGH!" Even though it was coming out of her mouth due to pain, it was still sort of soothing to hear, by the way. Royal Cloak applauded now, and all the superheroes in the hall, seeing that he did so, joined him too. "Great work, Aura Strike. Also, Neon Blitz, you almost had her." On Zadie''s face was a frown. Apparently, she didn''t like the result, but well, now it was history. Royal Cloak spoke now: "Now it''s Frostvein versus Emberlock." Axel squinted an eye. Frost and Ember? Now, these were the real contrast. Heat and cold. This might be the most interesting one now. "Frostvein," Royal Cloak said. "Real name: Nolan Keats. His blood is liquid ice, and any wound he takes instantly freezes over, forming jagged armor." Axel was fascinated by the description. This, to him, had surpassed Mirrormeld in cool superpowers. Although they had mentioned all the superheroes'' powers before, he hadn''t seemed to hear it. And just hearing it now, it was very dope! Royal Cloak continued: "Emberlock, real name: Ronan Drake. Captures and stores heat from his surroundings, releasing it in high-impact thermal bursts." Axel whistled silently. ''Let''s see how these two fight!'' he thought very loudly (in his mind). He didn''t know why, but he was very happy now. Watching them fight was like cheering for your favorite sports team. It felt exhilarating and cool. But the not-so-cool part now was fighting. It seemed a bit daunting to Axel now that he thought about it. Frostvein and Emberlock were starting to fight now. While Emberlock was busy submerging the heat he would send to Frostvein, the latter was doing absolutely nothing. He just stared with completely white, almost placid eyes at Emberlock. Axel immediately dismissed the thought of Frostvein being afraid and not having the guts to fight. ''Wait,'' Axel suddenly heard himself think. Before he jumped to conclusions, he asked himself again: "What''s Frostvein''s power?" ''His blood is liquid ice, and any wound he takes instantly freezes over, forming jagged armor.'' Axel suddenly smiled now. That was a very cool superpower. So it meant Frostvein does not attack first, according to his nature of powers. Meaning that Frostvein only retaliates and does not actually start a fight. He only fights back. And Emberlock¡ªAxel almost laughed. He wouldn''t see what would hit him next. Frostvein stood motionless, his face grim. For someone who didn''t have attacking superpowers, he would have been used to being wounded and beaten and all, as that''s the way his powers worked. He could only fight because of a wound or injury. Severe or just minor, either way, he had to have one nonetheless. Frostvein allowed Emberlock to hit him and use his powers against him. Everyone was starting to see Frostvein as a joke, apart from Axel (because he already knew), when, A frost, jagged armor filled all over Frostvein''s face and hands, and with a single picturesque punch, Emberlock was on the floor, his breath taken away and his body aching pretty bad now. The fights continued. Axel was fascinated by each superhero''s powers and their combat training techniques. Royal Cloak just assigned who to fight next and put his hands behind his back, sometimes saying: "Good!" Or "Put more effort." Or "A little more to the right." Axel was expecting Royal Cloak to call, but each time, he didn''t. The fights were about to become boring to him when: "Axel, Inferno what?" "Inferno Blaze!" Axel corrected, finally able to say his superhero name. Royal Cloak smiled and said jokingly to Axel: Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Finally, you have a superhero name like the others. Cool name for an Inferno Hero, by the way." Axel smiled and was about to say thank you when Royal Cloak said: "Next, Inferno Blaze versus Frostvein." Axel was stunned. Frostvein? Maybe Royal Cloak was overrating him because he defeated the Extremats. Of course, he did and looked very tough, but that was because many lives lay on his shoulders. Hell! He couldn''t pull that kind of fight daily? Well, now all these didn''t matter. Axel had to fight Frostvein. Chapter 34: Frostvein Chapter 34: Frostvein~To fight or not to fight, that is the question ~ Well, Axel had to fight. He hesitated for about two seconds before stepping forward, his face trying to conceal his nervousness. Frostvein, with jagged, pointed armor-looking stuff around his body, saw Axel as a BOSS. He even respected Axel; at least he was the one who had defeated the extremats. He bowed to show sportsmanship, his facial expression not visible as he was staring downwards. Axel, too, bowed. In a split second, seemingly like a superpower, he calculated his chances against his opponent, who was staring at him now, his facial expression blank and his next actions unpredictable. That was where the problem lay, actually. This opponent seemed to conceal his emotions and even looks, not letting his opponent predict even a bit of his emotion (being nervous, sad, brave, and all). He was just calm and relaxed and took what came at him with an open mind, not once showing any sign of emotion or what he was feeling. Axel took that to notice and put it into consideration. Since he absorbed punches and kicks and¡ªany form of attack¡ªand used it in retaliation, Axel limited that if he wanted to survive and go far in this fight. Axel would have to be pertinacious, alright, but with caution. Sometimes, he would have to be beaten. He had dope powers and cool skills and even a quite (not so ''too'' quite) inventory, so that made him stand a chance against this villain. Royal Cloak tore him out of thinking. "Begin!" he shouted. Axel flew up. Frostvein couldn''t fly, so he had an aerial advantage over him, one that was ''too'' evident. Frostvein moved backward a bit, his next move unpredictable. Axel wanted to strike first, but then, he waited, obliquely staring at Frostvein''s overall appearance. He, too, didn''t budge. Axel was expecting that he wouldn''t. And he wasn''t too shocked at it. That was obviously how Frostvein would win. Him. Axel. How would he win? He calculated his chances. Frostvein would be expecting a strike, as he did with every opponent he faced. That was the neat part now. Axel, too, wouldn''t move. He would act like Frostvein, and in doing so, he would prolong the fight. Axel expected Frostvein to get bored of it and then, using the injury he had from his previous fight to create armor and weapons, including the one he had earlier, he would attack him. That was when Axel would start to dodge his attacks since he had fast reflexes. Or¡ª Axel could prolong the fight and then, without even a sign of warning, dash at Frostvein since he had fast reflexes. Axel almost smiled now. He was done thinking real quick. It was time to fight. He had two plans now: Plan A Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And Plan B Plan A was the sweetest, the one he was to go with, while Plan B was more of an alternative than the original. It was something he would do if his original plan didn''t work out. And so the fight really began. But it started slow. Not with punches and kicks and the likes. It was a fight where the opponent went tactical. They stood facing each other for fifteen long seconds. Axel was expecting Royal Cloak to tell him to fight hard or fast or¡ª but he didn''t. He only winked at them both and said: "Going tactical, heh? I like it." Royal Cloak liked tactical moves, or he liked watching them, actually. Combat driven by fighting, to him, was very predictable. You knew who would win and who wouldn''t. It was lively, alright, but sort of not too impressive, at least according to Royal Cloak. He loved fights with twists and unexpected winners, and this might prove to be one. Axel and Frostvein exchanged glances, almost puzzled ones, only that Frostvein''s was almost puzzled, but nonetheless, it was blank. Axel''s was puzzled for a split second, but after that, he succeeded in making it blank also. Axel could see Rhea staring at him, and he suddenly felt another level of pressure on him. He¡ª WHOOSH! Axel turned to look¡ª A weapon made out of ice was entering his face. Axel jerked backward and hit a wall. Frostvein took that as momentum and plunged his jagged fists into Axel''s stomach. That jolted quite an average amount of blood out of Axel''s mouth. He immediately realized. "Damnit!" Looking at Rhea had been a distraction. He couldn''t ponder his mistake now. Not in this state, not when he was being beaten. ''Wait, was this Frostvein''s plan?'' A sinister smile from Frostvein proved that. At least, a ''superhero-looking smile'' from Frostvein proved it. So that was his plan? "Shit!" Axel muttered under his breath. A damn distraction! Tactical but good, and by the way Royal Cloak was nodding his head repeatedly now, Axel knew he found it good. But how had Frostvein given him the punch when he was flying and Frostvein was down? Frostvein seemed to answer his question by leaping very high and hitting his legs very hard against the ceiling. He came at Axel with a rapid amount of insane damn speed! Axel smiled in his misery. So Frostvein could jump high? If so, then he had a really cool superpower. But that seemed to be the least of his problems, that is, according to the situation at hand. ''Why did Frostvein hit his legs at the ceiling?'' he asked himself. ''To injure it,'' Axel heard himself reply to himself (in his mind). ''But why?'' he asked himself, almost amused because he was asking himself questions and then replying to them. ''To wound himself.'' ''Why?'' Frostvein replied to him by walking on the wall and heading his way in a rapid rush. "I see now," Axel muttered. He could see it, actually. The adrenaline, the rush, the loud footfalls heading his way. He could smell defeat. THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! Axel suddenly smiled. Perhaps he had a plan C? Chapter 35: Blazing tactics, icy resolve Chapter 35: Blazing tactics, icy resolveFrostvein ravaged the place he stepped upon, his facial expression saying it all. A young man who wanted to defeat his opponent. But why was Axel smiling? That was the question. Why? Frostvein was seeing it now, and he couldn''t quite say why Axel was doing it. Axel suddenly closed his eyes and scanned his skills. [Hero Skills] 1. [Active Skill] Power Punch (Rank F) ¨C Throw powerful, tooth-aching punches. (Next Upgrade: 10 more uses required) 2. [Passive Skill] Battle Instinct (Rank F) ¨C Slightly enhances reaction speed in combat. (Next Upgrade: Defeat 3 Elite Enemies) 3. [Unique Ability] ??? (Locked) ¨C (Unlock at Rank C) 4. [The Pinch Swoop Loop] [Rank 1] ¨C Takes your opponents on a swoop loop, flinging them to the sky. [UPGRADABLE] His smile widened into a grin. By the way, this all happened in just a second (to him). Frostvein ran closer to him, and, clenching his fists, he gained distance and¡ª The unexpected happened. Axel pinched Frostvein, with a very swift motion one couldn''t see, by his index finger, and... KAPOOOW! Frostvein was high in the sky and¡ª THUD! He hit the ceiling, cracking it once more, and now he came down. SWIIIIOOO! Axel only watched, not budging. The expression on his face was grin-like. Royal Cloak almost stared in awe, but his gaze was seemingly fastidious, studying every detail¡ªwhat was about to happen, anticipating what Axel would do. Just a few steps from the ground, Frostvein almost fell when, with the speed of lightning, Axel came at him, maneuvering his feet under where he was supposed to fall so he landed on his legs. Axel didn''t want to hurt him, and he made that known through his actions by not allowing him to fall and instead showing sportsmanship. Frostvein was kicked up gently, and so he was on his feet, a really scared expression on his face. He had been terrified, alright, and Axel could see it now. Sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, and a face that screamed: "Man, I''m scared." Axel was shocked by that. To be honest, he never meant any harm. He simply did what was instructed. And when Frostvein had taken it way too seriously, he too had done the same, taking it a bit too seriously as well. Frostvein was about to walk away when Axel held him by the shoulder and said: "Great fight, man. I''m impressed." Royal Cloak watched, not wanting to interfere, pleased with what Axel was doing. "Must have had good parents," he whispered to himself. Frostvein smiled and turned to face Axel, hugging him tightly now. That stunned everyone in the hall, and some girls even had to gasp. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Frostvein had certainly gone out of character. He now acted like a kid (at least to the other superheroes). Axel didn''t mind. He took in the warm embrace and said: "Sorry if I made you scared. I just had to make sure you didn''t kill me, as apparently, that was what you were trying to do." He accompanied that with a laugh. "I get a bit awkward when fighting, and when I lose, I feel anxiety and act all weird, like a psychopath." Axel smiled and said, not even minding that others were looking at him: "Nah, don''t act like that. Be confident." Frostvein nodded in the affirmative. "Thank you," he said. Axel stretched his hand forward for a handshake. "So, we cool?" Frostvein hesitated for a few seconds (about four) before taking it. "Thanks." Royal Cloak clapped now, just three hits of his hands, actually. "Nice show of sportsmanship, Axel," Royal Cloak said. "You are a real gentleman." "Thank you, sir," Axel said. "And nice work too, Nolan." Nolan (Frostvein) bowed slightly and said: "Thank you, sir." "Well, class dismissed," Royal Cloak said. "In a few hours, I''ll be sending those who did well to my office for a talk." With that, Royal Cloak sauntered to the elevator and entered. The other superheroes chatted and hung around. Frostvein sat alone in a corner, a book in his hands, reading. Axel decided he was a kid. He looked the part, and he decided he was going to dig up information on his life and stuff. Rhea was staring at him now. He didn''t know, but she might have been impressed with his performance. Her face concealed her true emotion because it was just blank. Axel, looking at her, really found her beautiful. She had alluring lips that he himself already felt like kissing. Her eyelashes looked unreal, and her white-tan skin made her simply a goddess. Axel hadn''t really had a girlfriend before. He had crushes back at school, but he was just too shy to ask them out. He hadn''t been too obsessed with any, by the way, the only one he was almost obsessed with being Katie, but she¡ªwell, let''s say he was afraid to talk to her, so he even agreed to just let go. He could hear one of the girls say now: "Oh, the Inferno guy is simply the best-looking out of the guys, but we haven''t really had to see his face. But him covered in flames¡ªhe is hot." He didn''t actually know what they meant, but he was HOT anyway. Covered in flames¡ª wasn''t he hot? Axel''s costume was the most mysterious here. Only he was someone one could not guess the secret identity of. He appeared to look inhuman. Completely covered in flames, his head ablaze and sprawling backward. His eyes were white, and the most awkward part was his costume. While others were clothed in bodysuits or robotic-looking armors, he was clothed in a dope-looking ancient Chinese outfit. His hands were gloved. Well, he was unique, alright. That was what made him different. To him, they didn''t know him, he guessed. They didn''t know he was only an Inferno Hero, and at that, the fourteenth Inferno Hero. A soft voice brought him out of his thinking zone. Turning to look, he saw that it was Rhea. "Hi," she said. Axel was startled, and that was even an understatement. Chapter 36: Impressions Chapter 36: ImpressionsAxel tried really hard not to stutter. "Hi- hey!" he said, nervous. Rhea only chuckled. "I''m Rhea. Apparently, my name had already been announced," she said with a smile. Axel was already in the galaxies now, intertwining through corners, feeling like he was in heaven. "I''m Axel." Rhea smiled. "Yes, I know. You look hot, by the way," she said. "And when I say hot, I mean literally." Axel stuttered. He wasn''t actually a stammerer, but here, the words wouldn''t come out of his mouth. "Th- th- thank you," he finally managed to say. Rhea touched him by his shoulders. "I would love to see your face, by the way." Axel smiled. "I guess¡ª" She cut him short. "Don''t worry yourself. You just got yourself a fan." Axel grinned and giggled in a manly manner. "Fan? I''m honored," he said. Rhea winked and was walking away now. "Think of it more as a ''friend.''" With that, she walked away, Axel staring at how her averagely sized and really attractive bum twitched. He was even fascinated by it. But he quickly looked away not to arouse suspicion. --- The HQ was large, actually, and as Axel walked to the cafeteria now, he could agree to it. They had been summoned, actually, and led by a guard to the cafeteria. They passed what looked like a lobby, the walls sleek and smooth, without a single morsel of stain on them. The ceilings were adorned with light bulbs¡ªones that were made to be inside the ceiling. They looked high-tech, and Axel, staring at them as if invested, was really impressed. The seemingly lobby they were in didn''t go in a straight path. Instead, it went zigzag, not actually having a straight route. Finally, they arrived at what was the cafeteria. It wasn''t an ordinary cafeteria, all right. It was more of a tech hub or something more tech-ish, related to that area. There were chairs, with tables in between them. The tables and chairs were made of steel¡ªgood stuff, at least good-looking. They formed a line in front of a woman (a young woman, not so young, in her early thirties¡ªnonetheless, she was young). She was the one serving the food. A guard stood beside the counter where she leaned, his face stern and his demeanor dour. Even with superpowers, the superheroes were afraid to look at him twice. They served rice with a really good-looking sauce, vegetables, and a lap of chicken by the side. The first thing that came to Axel''s mind when seeing his plate of food was: ''Oh, Superpolis has chickens here too?'' He carried the tray containing his plate of food and found a seat, sitting calmly. The motion was cool on its own. On the tray was a bottle of water and a glass of milk. He was stunned by what was in front of him. On Earth, he didn''t eat this much at once. The last time he did was at his twelve-year-old birthday party when his dad had gotten some really good cash, and they had eaten very lavishly. Axel and his father weren''t poor. They were just average. They had enough to eat, but not TOO much as to eat lavishly. Anyways, Axel was content with what he had, though. Axel started eating. Since he became an Inferno Hero, he hadn''t actually eaten. It had been from fighting one superhero to another. He had even forgotten he hadn''t eaten. It sounded ridiculous, but it was true¡ªthe feeling of hunger had left him. And so he ate with the similarity of a madman, tearing the lap of chicken apart and wondering where they got them from. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ''No chicken, please. I''m a vegetarian.'' It was Axel''s powers¡ªthe ''hearing from far'' one. He looked backward and recognized it to be Nothing Nolan''s (Frostvein). ''Vegetarian?'' Axel wondered in his mind. ''Cool.'' He respected people''s choices. If being a vegetarian was okay with Nolan, then he respected it. While eating, Axel decided to check his stats. With all the fights he had participated in, he was sure something would have been added. He closed his eyes and¡ª [Hero profile complete] [Hero Profile] Name: [Axel] Rank: [Amateur] [F] ¡ú Hero Points: 250/800 +250 added. [Attributes] Power: 40 Speed: 75 +5 added. Endurance: 35 +10 added. Intellect: 65 [Hero Skills] 1. [Active Skill] Power Punch (Rank F) ¨C Throw powerful, tooth-aching punches. (Next Upgrade: 10 more uses required) 2. [Passive Skill] Battle Instinct (Rank F) ¨C Slightly enhances reaction speed in combat. (Next Upgrade: Defeat 3 Elite Enemies) 3. [Unique Ability] ??? (Locked) ¨C (Unlock at Rank C) 4. [The Pinch Swoop Loop] {RANK 1} [Takes your opponents on a swoop loop, which flings them to the sky.] [UPGRADABLE] [Inventory] Golden Armor (Rank F) ¨C Makes your flames golden and fierce. Can burn opponents easily. Inferno Sword ¨C Go through opponents with the similitude of flickering flames. Basic Combat Suit ¨C Offers minor protection. (Upgradeable at Rank E) Energy Potion x2 ¨C Restores stamina in battle. Axel quickly opened his eyes. Meanwhile, to him, all this happened in just a second. That was one of the coolest things about the system¡ªshowing stats happened, to the user, in just a split second or a second. Axel continued munching his food away. He had since eaten the chicken, and now he was done with the rice, full. He didn''t know why, but he was served quite a large amount. He could say his was the biggest. Axel felt a bit lonely sitting all alone. Other superheroes had already made friends, but he seemed to have not. He wasn''t a social person, and, well, Patrick, his former best friend? Well, he had been just eleven when they became friends. Axel quickly thought about him¡ªhow he had chosen to go to the dark side. To become a villain. He was about to delve more into thinking when he heard footsteps. Looking up, he saw Rhea, a tray of food in her hands. She was staring at him. There was an empty chair facing Axel, and now, Rhea asked him: "Can I sit?" Chapter 37: Summoned Chapter 37: Summoned"Can I sit?" Axel''s face contorted in a grimace of shock. "Of course," he said, trying to rid the shock from his voice. Rhea put her food on the table and smiled, sitting down and saying to Axel, "Thank you." Axel tried to smile, stunned by her kindness. When he first saw her, she had been observant, her facial expression almost grim, and at that time, Axel had concluded that she was someone who didn''t care. But now, coming closer to him and smiling often, it really sounded cheeky. He couldn''t actually believe it. Rhea slowly ate her food, maintaining eye contact with Axel, who tried to look away. He seemed to alleviate his panicking mind by looking at the ceiling and not uttering a word. Rhea then stopped eating and looked at him, saying, "I don''t like being alone. That''s why I''m here. So it might come as a shock to you, but well, I need someone to talk to." Axel looked at her, not knowing what to say. "Oh," he said, hesitating for a second. "I''m normally alone, you know, and I just try to stay like that. Moreover, I''m always anxious to speak to people." Rhea was smiling all the time. "I think you''ll be really handsome, but I don''t know why you''re still Inferno Blaze and not Axel. I''d like to see your face." Axel chuckled. "I¡ª well, I just like to conceal myself." Rhea was starting to open her mouth slowly, saying something when an electro-sonic voice broke out from a speaker in the cafeteria. "Inferno Blaze, see me now in my office." Axel instantly stood up, all eyes on him, which he didn''t mind. "Excuse me," he said to Rhea. She only smiled and nodded. --- Axel was out of the elevator now, heading down the lobby when he met a guard who said, "Let me show you the way." And so Axel followed him, his eyes moving around, walking torpidly but in a swift motion. The reason was because he had been bloated¡ª apparently, the meal he had eaten was, well, very mighty. Following the guard, they took to corners, each having an artwork of a great superhero fighting a villain or a monster. The first corner they took had an artwork, seemingly a portrait (only that it wasn''t). From afar, it looked like one, with the style dating back to the Victorian era, the edges having decorations¡ª stylish stuff that looked alluring. The first portrait was a superhero clothed in a bodysuit, only that his was thicker-looking than the others. It was torn and bloody, a testament to his victory. A Senora Beast lay apparently dead on the ground, its maw drooling with blood. At the superhero''s back were spaceships. Axel was immediately immersed in the sight. It reminded him of his favorite sci-fi movie about an alien invasion. The second artwork was just a portrait of a smiling lady, who was clearly a superhero. The third was a villain punching a monster who was sprawling backward, while the fourth was a picture of a super-looking superhero carrying a very large piece of land. There were many, actually, but soon, Axel wasn''t paying attention anymore. He was only looking forward, his eyes focused. He could see a door now, very far ahead¡ª a steel door, actually¡ª and that was the reason why he was focused. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The walls down this path were adorned with statues, small ones, by the way, perfectly placed on a tiny board-looking thing, which was made of steel. Axel couldn''t hide that he was amazed by the sight. It looked picture-perfect. Picture-perfect in the sense that Axel imagined this as a museum, with the fragment-looking statues on the wall as actual statues in museums. It looked posh, the surface sleek and glistening. He noticed that one of the fragment statues was an impression of a man clothed in a spiked superhero suit, a golden helmet (literally the same as the other thing on it¡ª the thing it was made of) on its head. Axel momentarily slowed his pace to study its features, and in doing so, he could see that its feet were encased in golden boots, dotted with tiny, almost unseen fragments, looking like spiked dots of gold. Axel, fascinated, was tempted to pick it up and take it along when he heard the guard say, "Don''t touch anything, please. That is history itself." Axel paused and stared at the guard, who was far away from him and almost at the steel door up ahead. "And quicken your pace!" the guard said to him in a loud voice, one that was almost a shout. "Sorry," Axel said, running with the speed of a tumbleweed to catch up. Now near the guard, he said, "Once again, I apologize. I didn''t know¡ª" The guard cut him short. "No need to apologize. You are good, so you deserve to be here." Axel furrowed an eyebrow. He was to be here? Why? "Why?" he asked the guard, a tall, hefty, light-skinned man. His skin was light but more a mixture of light chocolate and completely fair-skinned. "Because only important people come here, and you are going to be the only one that will¡ª out of those superheroes in the cafeteria," the guard said. This was sounding mysterious, and frankly, he liked it. Axel loved to be hooked on a certain topic. He loved to be in suspense. He liked information to be stretched out only for him to be later told. He liked something brooding and mysterious, and back on Earth, he had been a huge fan of thrillers and novels laden with mysteries and plot twists. "Why am I here then?" Axel asked. "Why was I summoned?" The guard''s gaze twitched in a grimace. "You were earlier told by Royal Cloak that all who did well would be called to see him." Axel nodded. ''Go on, go on,'' he said in his mind, suddenly too curious. "But the reason you were called isn''t the reason he wants to see you. He''s called to see you for a more important purpose." Axel squinted his eyes and peered at the sleek-looking floor. This was the twist! Chapter 38: Royal cloak’s office Chapter 38: Royal cloak''s officeThe guard knocked at the door, slowly at first, and then, when he wanted to knock more harshly, they immediately saw the door open itself. Axel''s eyes met a small room, looking as small and futuristic as it could be. It had bulbs built into the ceiling, radiating a soft light that illuminated exquisitely. He was instantly besotted with the place; it seemed like paradise. The guard urged Axel inside, and now in, the steel door closed. Axel, now looking forward and not around the place as he was earlier, saw Royal Cloak standing by the corner of the wall, his face grim. A table and a chair were in front of him, both made of steel, the surface smooth, silky, and superbly stunning. And then, with the corner of his eye, without even realizing it for a split second, without even knowing that someone was there, he saw a lady. She stood tall in shiny silver knight armor, its sharp, angular design radiating strength and confidence. The light caught the smooth metal, showing off the layers of protective plates that still allowed her to move freely. Her gauntlets, marked with delicate engravings, held the hilt of a sword, ready for anything. A deep violet cape flowed behind her, contrasting with the cool metal of her armor. The sleek helmet she wore left only her eyes exposed, burning with determination and calm confidence¡ªshe looked like a warrior and, more so, like one ready for battle. Axel was temporarily in awe of her appearance; her presence alone carried an air of power. Seemingly, by the looks of it, Axel thought she could make her enemies suffer, crush them, and make them plead for mercy on the verge of death. Her appearance was a mix of science fiction and fantasy. Fantasy in the sense that she was clothed in a knight''s armor, looking like something from a typical high-fantasy setting, and science fiction in the sense that the knight''s armor didn''t look ordinary¡ªit looked like something from the future, a reality of it. Axel slightly bowed in greeting, and she did the same, their eyes locking for a second. She was beautiful, really beautiful. Axel debated whether she was prettier than Rhea. Her hair was covered by the helmet, but Axel could see her eyes¡ªblue, light blue, looking like someone from a cosmic reality. Her presence alone told Axel that she was extraordinary. Royal Cloak nodded and signaled for the guard to go now. The guard, getting the message, bowed and took his leave, his footfalls almost trampling on the ground. They trampled, though, but think of it as a more muddled derivation. Soft, and instead of the regular¡ª THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! It was instead¡ª PAT! PAT! S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. PAT! PAT! Like the sound a cat''s paw makes when walking away. Royal Cloak watched the guard go through the door, and Axel, with his superpower, could still hear his footsteps. Royal Cloak clapped his hands now, and the door automatically bolted. Axel was not surprised for a single bit. Since coming to Superpolis, he had seen way worse, and this was simply nothing to him. Royal Cloak cleared his throat and, pressing a tiny button on the table, a seat slid out from the table and onto the floor behind Axel. Royal Cloak forced a smile and said, a subtle note in his voice, "Have a seat." Axel looked at the chair, and for a split second, he was surprised. "Oh, thank you, sir." Royal Cloak waved his hand in the air, and waving toward the lady in knight''s armor, he said, "Meet Chrysa, also known by her superhero name as Space Knight. She''s a teenage superpower like you but more of a warrior." Axel exchanged quick glances with the lady before finally saying, "Nice to meet you." The lady¡ªSpace Knight¡ªonly nodded, which seemed harsh to Axel and even rude. He quickly dismissed it, though. Royal Cloak stared intently into Axel''s eyes for nine awkward seconds before finally saying, "I need your help." Axel, being speechless, didn''t know what to say, but Royal Cloak had him covered. "You don''t need to say anything," Royal Cloak said. "I''ve got you covered." Axel sighed. ''Okay, go on,'' he thought in his mind. Royal Cloak, holding a remote, pointed it at the wall behind him¡ªnow in front of him, actually, because he was facing it. The wall turned out to be a screen, which, to Axel, seemed like an illusion because he was like¡ª ''WTF!'' A monster appeared on the screen. It was a video of it, but Royal Cloak, with the remote, paused it now at a scene where it stood upright. The monster was tall, covered in thick, battered armor that looked old and worn, like something that had fought countless battles for decades. Its face was deformed, with rough, uneven skin stretched over a sharp, bony structure. Three eyes sat on its grotesque face, glowing faintly as they moved independently, scanning its surroundings. Its mouth was twisted, with jagged teeth jutting out at odd angles, and scars ran across its face. Royal Cloak played the video now. The monster was walking, and its armor creaked with each step¡ªheavy and reinforced, built for both protection and intimidation. Its large hands, wrapped in plated gauntlets, looked strong enough to crush stone. Everything about it was built for war, from its massive shoulders to the way it moved¡ªslow, deliberate, and filled with menace. It looked like destruction itself. Royal Cloak turned to look at Axel now, and with a grim expression on his face, he said, "This is one¡ªjust one¡ªof what will be many monsters that will rage out in Monseryan, a sub-realm in Khaos Realm." Axel tried to remain calm and indifferent and let Royal Cloak do the talking. Royal Cloak hit his hand on the table now, a pale expression on his face. "They''re trying to open a large portal that will bring them all to Khaos Realm and tear it apart. And the first place they''re going to start from is here." Axel, even though it felt stupid, had to ask, "Where?" Royal Cloak was enraged. "Here!" he shouted in Axel''s face. Chapter 39: Revelation Chapter 39: RevelationThe words sunk deep into his mind, his expression almost pale. He looked at Royal Cloak and, with a pale voice, he asked, "How? Why? When?" Royal Cloak took a deep breath, his eyes dark with something unpredictable ¡ªanger, fear, or maybe both. He leaned forward, placing both hands on the steel table, his fingers pressing into the surface as if grounding himself before speaking. "Monseryan," he started, his voice low but edged with precision. "A name that should''ve been erased from history, but here we are." He let out a slow exhale, tilting his head slightly as if considering where to begin. Then, finally, he continued. "Monseryan is not just a place. It''s a wound. A festering scar in the heart of the Khaos Realm. A sub-realm created from war, betrayal, and madness¡ªwhere the worst of the worst were cast away. Long ago, before even the first great war of Khaos Realm, the realm was still young, the superheroes in it, shaping themselves, planning on how to make Khaos Realm great. But power, real power, attracts monsters. Not just creatures, but men, beings who crave destruction, who want nothing but chaos, who see war as sport and peace as weakness. "These monsters and creatures had a backstory. They were actually once superheroes, but in a bid to get stronger and driven by a crazy desire to rule over Khaos Realm, they decided to use spells to make themselves stronger. They almost did, though, but then a mistake. Just a simple mistake they made while casting a spell backfired on them and turned them into monsters, foul creatures, ugly beasts." Royal Cloak''s fingers tapped against the table, a rhythmic sound, slow and measured. "The great superheroes of Khaos didn''t know what to do with them at first. Execution? Too merciful. Banishment? Useless. No, they needed something worse, something permanent. So they did what no one thought possible¡ªthey ripped a piece of Khaos itself, tore it apart, reshaped it, and locked every monster, every war criminal, every abomination into it. A prison-realm. A place where time barely moves, where agony and hunger never fade, where only the strongest can survive. They named it Monseryan. And they thought that was the end of it." His gaze darkened. "They were wrong." He straightened now, his jaw tightening. "Because Monseryan wasn''t just a prison¡ªit was a crucible. A place that didn''t break monsters. It hardened them. Shaped them. Forced them to evolve, to get smarter, stronger. For many decades, they slaughtered each other, fought, adapted. The weak died. The strong grew into something else. And those that survived? They weren''t just monsters anymore." Royal Cloak gestured to the frozen screen behind him, the image of the grotesque, armored creature staring back at them. "This?" He pointed. "This is just one of them. One of thousands. And now, they''ve stopped fighting each other. Now, they''ve found a leader." Axel tensed. "A leader?" Royal Cloak nodded. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The one they call The Monseryan King. No one knows what he is, no one knows where he came from, but they follow him. They worship him. And under him, they''ve done the impossible. They''ve built a portal. A gateway big enough to tear Monseryan open, to unleash every nightmare onto the Khaos Realm. And guess where they''re coming first?" Royal Cloak''s fist slammed onto the table. "Here, to Superpolis, to come make us slaves, servants! To work for them." Axel exhaled sharply, his mind racing. "So how do we stop them?" Royal Cloak''s lips pressed into a grim line. "There''s only one way. Destroy the portal before it fully opens. Because if even half of them get through, we''re done. Khaos Realm will fall, and everything after it¡ªevery realm, every city, every life, even Earth¡ªwill be nothing but ruins beneath their feet." Silence hung between them, heavy, suffocating. Then, Royal Cloak looked Axel in the eyes, his voice dropping to something colder. "That''s why I called you here. We''ve known about this for a month now, and so, we decided to recruit many superheroes and choose just the best to go on the mission. You''re going to be part of the team, the team of superheroes we''ve created, that stops them!" Axel cogitated deeply; this was risky, alright. He was going to be putting his life on the line here. He turned to look at Royal Cloak, exchanging a quick glance with Space Knight, who he had totally forgotten was still here. "So how do we go about it?" Axel asked. "How do we get into the sub-realm and stop them from completing the portal and entering it?" Royal Cloak stroked his beardless chin now. "That''s where we come with a tactical approach," he said. Axel was listening. "We try to sneak into the sub-realm. Don''t worry, we''ve got you covered. We''ll provide you with any high-tech equipment you want, and with your powers, well, you''ll do well. We assure you." Axel stared at him with an unsatisfied look. "It''s not safe. I don''t know if I can do it. The purpose I got my powers is to save Earth and Khaos Realm, so¡ª" Royal Cloak cut him off, hitting his hand hard on the table. BAM! "C''mon!" He shouted. "Are you this dumb, this daft!" He sighed and tilted his head towards Chrysa, who could only shrug and stare downwards, not once uttering a single word. Royal Cloak''s voice was soft and calm now. "I''m sorry if I sounded harsh or like a dictator. I can assure you I''m not, but the thing here is that, being the head of the Superpolis superheroes, the pressure is on me, and I don''t want to fail. I don''t want the world to crumble and watch it do so when I knew I could have done better." Axel said nothing and showed not a single emotion, at least not now; he was deep in thought. "I''m not forcing you to help me, but I''m certain with you on the team, even though the mission seems impossible, it will be possible," Royal Cloak said in a low and calm tone. "I see potential in you, power, and greatness. And I just wish you would help me, as I seem to have no other choice." Axel furrowed his eyebrows as he thought. Should he help? Chapter 40: Convergence Chapter 40: ConvergenceAxel cogitated tentatively, his mind enshrouded in the aftermath of if he went. What would happen? The situation at hand sprawled before him, his mind almost into oblivion. He obviously had no training, at least basic ones. He thought he would get them here, but that obviously wasn''t the reason he was here. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel hadn''t known the world was this dangerous and something as cruel as this ever existed. He didn''t know there was a realm with so many vicious souls and so many problems and troubles. He had no idea. The voice had just told him to go, that it would be guiding him, but as it seemed, it wasn''t. Or was it? Was there supposed to be a certain situation where it had to help? When he was in peril? On the verge of dying? After a long thought¡ªlong thinking actually¡ªhe decided he would go. He had to. The monster villains escaping and coming into this realm was apparently the end of the world. And then, that was why he got his powers¡ªto save the world. He was to save both worlds. He stared at Royal Cloak now, who looked tense and worried. Axel sighed, and with a soft heroic voice, he said to Royal Cloak, "I''ll help." Royal Cloak felt like hugging him. In a raw burst of emotion, he smiled (the first time Axel was seeing him do so). He looked at Axel and offered his hand. Axel took it, almost smiling too. "The reason I reawakened my powers is to save the world, and I''ll try and do anything in my power to ensure it stays so." Royal Cloak turned back to business now, his face suddenly too serious. He exchanged a quick glance with Chrysa and turned to face his table, taking a file from it¡ªa sheet of paper actually, but since it was very important stuff, it was a ''FILE.'' He spread it on the table, and eyeing Axel uncomfortably, he said, "Please turn back to normal. Let''s cut the heat." Axel gaped for a split second and said, "Oh." It felt weird turning back to normal in front of Royal Cloak, let alone Chrysa, who was now goggling at him. Anyways, he snapped his fingers and¡ª WHOOSH! He was now Axel, no longer an Inferno Hero, no longer Inferno Blaze. Royal Cloak only looked at him for about two seconds and returned to the work at hand. Meanwhile, Chrysa was staring at him with keen eyes, like she was fascinated, like she was impressed. Axel, too, returned to the work at hand, to what Royal Cloak was about to show him. With the sheets all spread on the table, Royal Cloak indicated for Chrysa to come closer, and she did, her eyes on the sheet of paper. Royal Cloak spoke now, "So, um, I''ve made a plan actually, on how the mission should be. Out of the academy, I''ve selected four superheroes, you included." Royal Cloak paused now, as if to catch his breath, before continuing, "Chrysa, Space Knight, will join you." "But why wasn''t she in the academy?" Axel asked. "Because her parents are the most successful superheroes alive. They are famous, alright, and brave. But now, they''ve grown old, not so agile to go on interdimensional battles or the likes. That''s why they''ve sent their daughter, Chrysa, here¡ªto come represent them." Axel looked at Chrysa, fascinated by her history. Daughter of the most successful superheroes alive? It was actually an honor to be standing beside her. Royal Cloak continued, "I''ve chosen SPINAL EDGE, VOIDBREAKER, MIRRORMELD, and Inferno Blaze, which is you. Then Space Knight comes along. Actually, it''s an academy of six." ''Six?'' Axel thought. "But sir, you''ve only mentioned five," Axel said. Royal Cloak smiled at that. "That''s where Dan comes in." THUD!¡ª DHUUUM! It was Electro Sonic Fists (Dan), landing at the center of the room, reeling gravity itself a bit for a split second. Axel was in shock as he stared at him. "Now that''s how you make a dramatic entrance," Dan said, a smile on his face. Axel quickly ran and gave him a hug, a smile on his face. "Great," Royal Cloak said. "But make sure you use them against the villainous monsters in Monsyeran Realm, okay?" Dan grinned. "You bet!" he said. Axel turned and looked at him, still surprised. "Where''d you come from?" he asked. "From heaven," Dan replied and laughed slightly. Royal Cloak cleared his throat, and getting the attention of the people in the room, said, "Now, I chose you guys ''cause I find you capable, and I hope you live up to expectations. Now, this may seem unnecessary or not needed, but I will go through your profiles, highlighting your powers and telling you guys why I think you should be on the team." Royal Cloak pointed to the screen now, and pressing some things on it, it showed their profile. Space Knight - Chrysa Powers - A high-tech knight-looking armor. She doesn''t actually have a superpower, but her armor alone is power. Also in possession of many dope weapons and gadgets. Can also summon high-tech vehicles, jets, and robotic horses. Also very experienced in combat. Axel nodded his head slightly, really impressed. MIRRORMELD ¡ª Seraphina Lyle Powers - Can duplicate herself using reflections, each copy acting independently until shattered. VOIDBREAKER ¡ª Rael Draven Powers - Channels black hole fragments into his strikes, causing brief distortions in gravity around his attacks. SPINAL EDGE ¡ª Natalia Pierce Powers - Generates and ejects bone blades from her body, regrowing them instantly with each attack. Axel sighed. This wasn''t new to him. It sort of bored him. He didn''t know why Spinal Edge, Voidbreaker, and Mirrormeld''s powers were being repeated again. The screen continued displaying: Electro Sonic Fists - Dan Powers - His powers lie in the gloves on his fists. Can deliver hard and supernatural punches. Can also fly. Axel smiled now. It was his turn. Inferno Blaze - Axel Powers - White flames, speed, flight. [Not too detailed as his power is still being studied] Axel had to chuckle. ''Being studied?'' he thought. And then a large block of letters appeared on the screen. [PROTECTORS OF KHAOS REALM] Chapter 41: The Team Chapter 41: The TeamAxel was impressed. Protectors of Khaos realm? Precise! Royal cloak faced them, clapping his hands so the screen could be turned off, which it did. He stared at them now. "I have a backup plan, which is bringing in Nolan, Frostvein, when things get too tough. Which I hope not." Dan was blunt. "Things will get tough, I''m certain. This is like a death call, so yeah, keep him as backup, we''ll definitely use his help." Axel looked at Dan and was speechless. Death call? Well, he had committed his corporation, him volunteering to be part of the team, so he couldn''t pull out. "What about the other superheroes in the academy?" Axel asked. "What happens to them?" Royal cloak faced the screen, his hands crossed behind his back. "We leave them there. We keep training them. Bringing them in the ways of a superhero for a month, and then, they will be part of a team too that will work together and fight against the bad guys in Superpolis. I''ll probably name them, Guardians of Superpolis." "What if they don''t want to be part of the team?" Axel asked. Royal cloak smiled and turned to face him. "We''ll brainwash them. In a good way, to be part of the team. We''ll teach them good things and all. It''s not like they have a chance actually." Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel didn''t say a single word. He didn''t know, but he just couldn''t decide if Royal cloak was a good guy or a bad guy. He concluded that he was both. He was a good guy and then a bad guy at the same time. He realized that Royal cloak would do bad to get good results. Well, that was being good, he guessed. --- They didn''t spend up to twenty minutes before leaving the room. Axel had been told by Royal cloak that they had a week before they left on the mission. He would be trained exclusively by a martial arts fighter. Axel was happy about it. He had liked Kung Fu since he was a child, and even though martial arts wasn''t actually like Kung Fu, it was combat nonetheless. Now that Rhea was starting to gain interest in him, it was the time he was being sent on a mission. And by the looks of it, he wouldn''t be so free to be talking or doing anything irrelevant, as he was going to be very busy with training (with the martial arts teacher), also with Royal cloak who had earlier told him that he was going to be his tactical and back history teacher. What Royal cloak would actually be teaching him was more history about monsteryan, their weapons, and how their spells worked. Royal cloak would also be teaching him tactical approaches to the matter. The monsters'' and villains'' powers. What to do when he got there, and again, what he shouldn''t do. Axel realized that Royal cloak now saw him as a sort of messiah. He saw him as a fierce, young, and courageous warrior (superhero) who was only naive and needed to be taught how to use his powers. Axel exhaled and inhaled. He smiled. He ought to have inhaled and exhaled, but now he was going against nature and doing the very opposite. He was going down a corridor now, alone. Dan was still at Royal cloak''s office, together with Chrysa. Perhaps they were discussing. He stared at the medium-sized clock above his head and sighed. He was to go and meet Rhea as apparently, she had wanted to have a conversation. But now, seeing the time, 4:50, he remembered that he was supposed to go meet his martial arts teacher by five. Royal cloak had told him that he wasn''t going to start training today, as he needed to rest. The only reason he would be going there was to just do some basic stuff and so his teacher could ask him some questions. Axel sighed. He was about to have a girlfriend now, but duty was in his way. It seemed he was cursed or something, he wondered. So in his life, he wasn''t going to have a girlfriend? "Pathetic," he heard himself mutter. He looked for his martial arts teacher now. Royal cloak had told him that the door had a sign of two figures. Peering at all the doors, Axel searched for the martial arts teacher''s office. After two minutes of scouring, perhaps less, he saw the door. It was by his left, and he had actually passed it before he realized that it was the door to the martial arts teacher. Axel, standing in front of it and looking quite sheepishly, inhaled and then, exhaling, he simultaneously knocked on the door. It was instantly opened. Axel was surprised. It hadn''t taken any effort for it to be open, and he was quite surprised. It was then, with a slight effort in thinking, that he realized¡ª THE DOOR HADN''T BEEN LOCKED. TWIST! He grinned. Twist! ''Hell yeah!'' Axel didn''t enter, at least not yet. He only stared into what the door led to, his eyes wide open. The place was dark and so he couldn''t see anything, not even a morsel of any shadow. Axel was getting scared now. This was giving him horror vibes. Something like that, and he didn''t like the feeling. He felt the sensation crawling up his spine, tickling his brain and whispering horror into it. He stared blankly at the dark space. For a second there, he was tempted to run and scream down the lobby. Wasn''t he supposed to say ''Hello?'' he asked himself. Right now he was even afraid to do so. Of course, he knew he had superpowers and was a superhero, and he could fight and¡ª BUT NOT AT THIS POINT! He was Axel now and no longer INFERNO BLAZE. Axel was tense. Staring at darkness for long made him see phosphenes. It made him dizzy and dazed. He concluded that he was going to say hello now, and if he didn''t get any response, he was just going to run away. "H-" the words stuck in his throat. A bulb light now lit where the door led to, the martial arts teacher''s office. He heard a soft voice: "Come on in." Chapter 42: The Art of Combat Chapter 42: The Art of CombatAxel hesitated for a split second as he was still in shock, and then, with slow steps¡ªvery slow ones, actually, ones that even he could bet a snail was faster than¡ªhe entered the office. After doing so¡ª BAM! The door shut back. Axel was terrified by the sound, but nonetheless, in his terrified state, he tried to remain calm. A man with huge muscles, light complexion, clothed in a white singlet that clung to his body, making his muscles feel all pumped up and looking really sight-pleasing. He was clothed in black trousers, seemingly made of cotton, considering that they looked light. His facial expression was similar, and Axel thought he would easily fit as a model. He had a pointy nose¡ªnot too pointy, a little backward¡ªthe top seeming like layers of a painting. It was dotted with sweat, and looking at it, only it alone was hot. His eyes were almost almond-shaped, only that his almond was trimmed a bit by the top and a little by the bottom, making them really pleasing to stare at, considering they were blue¡ªlight blue. His mouth was almost small, almost big, and almost average. It looked like the mouths of figures in Renaissance paintings. Axel felt like he looked like a statue, even having woman-like lashes. His feet were encased in nothing! He was barefooted, and that added to his unique look. The martial arts teacher was sitting on a table with two steel chairs facing it. Axel noticed that the room wasn''t that spacious. It was similar to Royal Cloak''s, with less sophisticated things, though. "Welcome, my new student," the teacher said. Axel bowed slightly. "Thank you." The teacher pointed to the seat in front of him. "Sit," the teacher said, pointing to the seat in front of Axel. Axel complied and sat, the expression on his face showing uneasiness. The man came down from the table and gently sat on the other chair. His eyebrows perched upwards, making him seem weird. He looked directly at Axel and said in his soft voice: "Name: Axel. Superhero name: Inferno Blaze. Cool! So, um, yup, ummm." Axel''s eyes shifted uneasily. "So, um, Royal Cloak told me you''re good. You can fight¡ªthat''s on the norms level. But on this mission you''re going on, you''ll have to be able to fight more, and that''s where I come in¡ªto teach you. And teaching you, that''s for a week," the teacher said. "Correct," Axel said slowly. "Nice," the teacher said. "Don''t worry, you''re here for talking, as you already know. We won''t be starting tomorrow." Axel only nodded, genuinely not knowing which other action to take. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So, uh, um¡ª" Axel, watching the teacher speak, found his accent weird. It was Gen Z-like, similar to the ones the DUDES back at Montre''s High had. He had noticed that people like this tended to use OMG or LOL in their words. But then, that was mainly for girls. His now martial arts teacher, looking like someone in their late twenties, almost thirty, was using "um" and "uhh" more often as he spoke to him now. "Okay," the martial arts teacher said. "Let''s say you can fight but not with precision. Let''s say you only see a challenge, face it, get beaten up, and then depend on your powers to help you¡ªwhich they do¡ªand boom! You''re free!" Axel didn''t say a word, at least his teacher wasn''t expecting him to. "You see, sometimes luck runs out. That''s why you see many famous superheroes die or are killed trying to save the day whilst being attacked by a villain. That''s what you upcoming superheroes should learn from¡ªtheir mistakes. "There are many superheroes out there who don''t have powers but are really, really good in combat, and so that is actually their power. Some have high-tech weapons, while others don''t. But you see them pulling up a really epic fight against great villains with great superpowers. "And then, you guys that have superpowers don''t actually learn real combat training. You just depend on your fancy powers to help you, which, even though it is quite good, isn''t really." He paused, caught his breath, and quickly continued. "If you want to be doing normal superhero stuff¡ªsaving falling cats from trees, fighting powerless individuals who are just normal thieves with bombs and guns trying to rob a bank or something, or that sort of thing¡ªthen you don''t have to learn martial arts or combat training." Axel was listening. This was good information, actually¡ªsomething he perceived as golden. The teacher continued: "But if you want to be saving planets, stopping warlords, and going on epic fights with nemeses¡ªdangerous villains who can tear towns apart¡ªthen you need to learn how to actually fight and how to be tactically good when fighting. How to dodge punches effortlessly, deflect incoming blows, and really be tough like your opponent." Axel nodded like he was really immersed in what he was saying. "So, I''m here to teach you, and I can assure you that after I''m done, you''ll really be a superhero. At least, a really good one. By the way, I have just six days to teach you, as you''ll be heading to the Monseryan Sub-realm." Axel nodded in the affirmative and was tempted to ask, which he eventually did: "How are you a superhero?" It came unexpectedly, and so the teacher had to smile, gently stroking the dark curly hairs on his head. "I was, but not anymore. I retired, and now I teach people how to fight in martial arts. Not necessarily martial arts, as I teach other fields of combat too. Only that I fight more in a martial arts style, and so if I want to teach other styles, I incorporate martial arts into it." "I see," Axel said, trying to stop himself from asking another question, which he greatly wanted to ask now. Not being able to hold it in any longer, Axel asked the teacher: "What is your superpower?" The teacher smiled, and hesitating for about two seconds, he said with a wide grin: "Combat." Chapter 43: Fight, don’t dance Chapter 43: Fight, don''t danceAxel had thought that the martial arts training would be something cool. He hadn''t imagined it to be simple, but he had really thought it would be, well, thrilling. Like something he would actually enjoy. But, alas. It wasn''t so. It seemed insidious. The act. Axel thought of it as harmful. The first factor of him doing so was that he had to wake up very early in the morning. Around 4am, and go to train. They basically trained in a hall, small, Axel finding ok. Axel would always be sleepy, trudging to the hall and dozing off sometimes when walking. He had complained to the martial arts teacher about it, but he said the mind was always clear early in the morning and that was the best time to fight. In his words: "This is literally morning. You should actually be waking up at twelve as that is the start of a new day." Axel found it ridiculous, in fact outrageous. The days went by, to Axel, it went by quickly because anytime he was done training, he usually just jumped on his bed and went to sleep. Feeling exhausted and all, he usually slept till the next day when it was time to go to the hall. He had come late for once and had been seriously bashed for it by his teacher. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "We have four more days and at the rate you''re learning, it''ll take ages!" Sometimes Axel had to stay more than usual, his teacher complaining that they had many things to cover. The fifth day of training was when, to the martial arts teacher, Axel really put on a good show. That day Axel, as usual, came into the hall, looking sleepy like someone needing some good shut-eye. The hall had been dimly lit, more umbral, with a seemingly gloaming flair. They had gone through the basics, the teacher teaching Axel how to throw jabs, dodge one and all sorts. He was basically just going over it again as to him, Axel hadn''t learnt a thing. The first day had been hell because that was when the teacher went over the basics. Dodging, how to maintain stance and all. Axel had felt the whole day to be almost too painful because the whole training stuff had been on another degree. And then, on the fifth day, with the teacher going over them, it felt like he was reliving the first day. "Duck when you sense a strike," the martial arts teacher said. "Not necessarily you see it, but when you sense it, just duck. Ducking is the only safe move as moving sideways or swerving to the left or right might not be too good. You might get the punch, kick, slap or whatever it might have been." Axel only nodded. Knowing what the enemy wanted to do wasn''t his problem. At least he had the powers, he could sense stuff. His body system was frigid and acting like it wouldn''t respond to what he wanted to do. And so, they got to practice. A combat actually, Axel trying to use all the basic training he had received into test. But to face the martial arts teacher always seemed daunting and so it always tugged at him. The teacher threw Axel a punch, which he dodged, tumbling on the ground as the force with which the punch came was tremendously incredible. It felt sensational actually, and even though it hadn''t met him, he still felt something. Perhaps the aura it carried? The atmosphere was glacial now, not literally but more metaphorically. It was cold. There were no windows actually in the room, but Axel still felt cold. The combat teacher was sending him a jab now. It was incredibly dangerous, and if Axel hadn''t dodged it, it would have certainly plucked out one of his teeth. The reason the fight seemed dangerous or unbeatable to Axel was that he was without his powers. He wasn''t an Inferno Hero, he wasn''t Inferno Blaze, he was just Axel. And right now, being Axel sucked because the whole stuff just seemed insurmountable. "Fight with precision," the combat teacher said. "Fight for real, like your life is in danger, like I''m some bastard you need to defeat to progress. Don''t dance, fight!" The last words stunned Axel. ''Don''t dance, fight!'' ''Hell, then what am I doing all along!'' He received a kick to his midsection, two punches that clapped his nose and cheeks respectively. That really hurt, and he couldn''t help but grunt. "Don''t be pathetic, Axel, c''mon!, you''re a fkin superhero!, you''re gonna save the world, act a goddamn hero, a fkin superhero!" Axel could only stare, his eyes not blinking. They went on. Already he had fallen on the ground about three times, and Axel was doubting if Axel was actually good without his superpowers. He seemed not to be. Exhausted, Axel fell to the ground, almost motionless, unless that he moved his head and used his hands to hold his mouth, which was already letting out blood. The martial arts teacher wasn''t pitying him. He was ready to go ultra mode in his pound for pound if Axel didn''t quit acting like a crybaby. "Axel!" the teacher screamed into his face. "Act!, the fate of the world is in your hands, man, your damn hands. Don''t be afraid!" The words bolstered Axel up on his feet, his demeanor all changed. ''Now we''re talking,'' the teacher thought. The teacher threw a punch, Axel dodged, ducking, and from his opponent''s point of view, he seemed colossal, like a menace. He seemed titanic. Axel threw a punch, the teacher ducked, for the first time in years, now moving back in an actual face-to-face combat when training a student. It seemed exaggerated, but it was true. Axel pressed on. Shaking off any punches he received, watching his steps, acting real cautious, yet brave. His teacher was impressed, dodging every punch he received from Axel with flair. Well, Axel pestered on, and soon, his teacher couldn''t dodge his seventh punch, which layed by the side of his opponent''s face, landing on the floor and making him to fall. Chapter 44: Lessons leant Chapter 44: Lessons leantAxel, immersed in the fight, quickly went to help his teacher who lay on the ground, nursing the place he had hit. "I apologize for the hit, sir. I didn''t mean to, but I guess I took it way too personal," he said. The teacher could only laugh as he struggled to get up, now giving Axel a hug. Pulling out of the embrace, he held him by the jaw and said softly, almost a whisper: "You''re now almost ready!" --- The next series of training went more smoothly than before. It was due to the fact that he was no longer desolate-looking when training, or after, or even in between. Now, he was just happy and serious. Days went by with the speed of light. Axel, since when last he saw Rhea, had never seen her again due to the fact that he was with the martial arts teacher all day long. Normally, he was with him 14 hours a day, training really hard. It was not like he spent all day training as he had breaks, but he was with the martial arts teacher all the time, and even when they weren''t training, they discussed, killing time as he told him tricks and techniques that had helped him during his time as a superhero. They also cracked jokes, and after an hour they got back to work, the martial arts teacher that was once jovial turning mean, only so to make Axel really learn, which he eventually did. Throughout that time, Axel learnt a lot, and when he was finally over, this was what he now knew: Control Over His Power ¨C At first, Axel''s abilities had flared wildly, raw and unstable. His flames going high when not needed. The martial arts teacher had drilled precision into him, forcing him to control his energy, not let it control him. Footwork & Balance ¨C "A warrior who cannot stand cannot fight," the teacher had said. Although it wasn''t a unique quote as Axel had heard often when he was on Earth, at this point, it was useful. Axel had spent hours practicing stances, movement, and maintaining balance even under attack. Striking & Defense ¨C He had learned the difference between attacking blindly and striking with intent. Each punch, each kick was a calculated move. Defense had been even harder¡ªthe teacher had taught him that surviving a fight was just as important as winning it. Reading an Opponent ¨C "The body speaks," his teacher had said. "Learn to listen." Axel had trained to recognize shifts in an opponent''s weight, the flicker of their gaze, the tension in their muscles¡ªall signs of their next move. Although he had sensing powers, it was still valuable as perhaps there might be some things he couldn''t just sense. Mental Discipline ¨C Martial arts wasn''t just about fighting. It was about focus, patience, and control. The teacher had made Axel meditate, forcing him to sharpen his mind as well as his body. Pain Tolerance & Endurance ¨C Training had hurt. Waking up early, standing for hours and collecting punches. Every mistake had earned him bruises, every failure had been punished with extra drills. But pain had become a lesson, not a weakness. Precision ¨C Axel had learnt to remember things and not to be too forgetful. At times before, he had needed to summon his stats every single time when he was fighting and when he wasn''t even. But now, he had learnt to be mature, agreeing that he''ll only be doing so once in a while. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. --- "Seems you''re ready," Royal Cloak said to Axel, stroking his breadless chin. He looked at the ceiling, biting his lower lip just a bit. Axel only nodded, expecting Royal Cloak to say something which he didn''t do. Silence tugged at their chests. Somewhat piercing and dense. With a grim face now, Royal Cloak said: "Don''t worry, I''ve already told the others. Told them the mission was a dangerous one and they were the best I had. They seemed happy to embark on the journey nonetheless. Seems they enjoy going into realms and all. It''s cool, I guess." They were seated in Royal Cloak''s office. The atmosphere was warm. If anything, it was almost cold. Still, it was a good place to be as Axel felt more relaxed being there than normal. The large screen Royal Cloak had used to show them the monster was still there (it wasn''t going anywhere actually). It was off. Royal Cloak sighed now, and Axel could only look at him, not knowing what to say actually. Since he came here, Royal Cloak had been unusually silent. His demeanor taking a strange twist and him being not so ''normal'' as he was before. Royal Cloak lowered his voice now and said to Axel, drawing closer to him. "You will face many monster hordes. Being a superhero in Khaos Realm, it''s more likely to face monsters than actual villains. You will face villains, but not where you are going." Axel listened, his face expressionless. His eyes fixed on the screen on the wall, not wanting to make eye contact with Royal Cloak. It was nighttime already. About 11 am and Royal had sent for Axel, saying he would like to see him. And now here they were. "If the going gets tough," Royal Cloak said, bringing a very tiny stick-looking object from his pockets. "Break this stick into pieces. It''s electronic, by the way. Doing so sends a signal, and then we send large robotic machines to Monsyeran to help you. Even though you don''t break it, perhaps you get seriously beaten in battle and the enemies mistakenly break it, then we''ll send backup." Axel nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, sir!" he said. "One last thing," Royal Cloak said, giving Axel the stick-looking object. "Kill the king, the Monsyeran king!" Axel only nodded to that, not replying. He only asked, "But why the stick? Why can''t we just talk to you through a small device in our ears or something?" Royal Cloak grinned and said in an unfettered voice: "In Monsyeran Realm, words are death." Chapter 45: The ’Voice’ Chapter 45: The ''Voice''Axel could barely sleep that night. His mind went over everything he had known throughout the day. Going to Monseryan realm was sure a tough task but thinking about it, it wasn''t too much. Royal cloak had told him that he didn''t have to kill all of the Monseryan monsters as they were many. He was even told they each had ranks and classifications. Royal cloak hadn''t told him of the ranks of classifications, but had instead given them a device, which, anytime they sensed any of the monsters, the device would scan it and they would know its rank, powers and how strong it was. Axel was holding a cup of coffee and sitting at the edge of his bed, his mind very occupied. He sipped the coffee tentatively, very slowly that from being so hot, now it was warm. Being a superhero wasn''t easy he had realized. The fun part about his was as far as he was with Royal cloak, he would be getting paid. Not like it was that paying. But he got free food, free clothes, cool gadgets but no single cash. He didn''t quite need money anyways, he had nothing to do with them at this point. He thought about earth. He wouldn''t be missing out on much by the way. Considering the fact that the government had closed all schools and he was sure his final exams would be proponed at this point. He needed someone to talk to, someone to tell all his... He suddenly heard a phosphorescent voice, phosphorescent in the sense that it sounded like pure light. Like an energy on its sound. It sounded glorious to the ears, it sounded mesmerizing! ''[Axel, longest time]'' Axel''s eyes suddenly opened very wide. It was the voice! Axel was elated. He had even forgotten all about it, thinking it wouldn''t appear again. Axel decided it was time to throw some drama, act all childish and all. "You abandoned me," he said, his face down. The voice was very soft now: [I didn''t abandon you, I only left you to think and be on your own. If I had been with you and had taught you everything, what makes you a superhero. By the way, I earlier said that I''ll summon a group of superheroes that''ll come take you in and train you, that is why you''re here now] "But they came late," Axel said. "They came after I had been mercilessly beaten by monsters and even arrested by the goddamn government." Axel could feel the voice smiling. ''[Well, at least look on the bright side. It gave you growth and made you feel some things. And now, here, aren''t you safe?]'' sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Axel shook his head sideways and gulped the cup of coffee down his throat like a hungry lion or some wild animals. He slowly dropped the cup on the table and lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling, imagining that the ''Voice'' was there. "Well, I''m not safe," he said. "I''m going to be in danger by tomorrow when I go to the Monseryan sub realm to save the world." ''[Tell me about it]'' the voice said. Axel started to explain but just four words into, he paused and turned to look at the cup of coffee, saying: "Aren''t you supposed to know, I mean, you''re an entity, you know all things." The voice didn''t say a word and when Axel was about to complain about it not saying anything, it said: ''[Well, I had thought your version to be cooler]'' Axel smiled. "You''re quite a cheeky fellow aren''t you?" ''[Well, at least I still have my sense of humor after all this years]'' Axel laughed. "Well, what do you think. About me going to Monseryan realm." The voice seemed to cogitate about it because it hesitated for some seconds before saying. ''[The monsters in Monseryan realm are tenebrous, dark and cheeky fellows. Well, they all had powers before they were banished there. And so, now, with all the knowledge they had garnered after all this decades. They are more stronger than before. So, I''ll say you trust Royal cloak, he is actually trying to save galaxies and even dimensions with this.] Axel just paused, not saying a word, deeply immersed in what the voice was saying. ''[You don''t have to defeat all the monsters as that will be impossible. The only way to do the work perfectly is to defeat as many monsters as you can and get to the portal, a big stuff actually. Now, your aim is to destroy it]'' "And how do we do that?" Axel asked. "How do destroy the portal." ''[You guys have to explode it and that''s where Royal cloak''s gadgets come in. You will be given a tiny bomb. It being tiny is just a disguise, a contrast of what it''s able to do. Just drop it on the ground, set a timer of about seven seconds, about time to summon a portal and go into it and... BOOM!, the portal explodes.] Axel stroked his beardless chin now. "So do we kill them?" he asked. ''[You''ll kill some alright, but not all. You''ll only kill hundreds of them, but they are thousand and immediately you blow up their invention on world domination. They simply come together, swear at you all and build another one. They''ll work for perhaps decades before they build another one again as this took them almost half a century to make.] Axel furrowed an eyebrow. "Half a century?, wouldn''t they die, how do they live up to that?" ''[When they were turned into monsters and sent to Monseryan, they all awakened the immortal rank. Making them immortal] Axel could only stare at the ceiling in fright now. "Are you sure I have a chance against them?" he asked. [35 percent chance] the voice said. Axel sighed. "Shit." ''[It might take you a day. It might take you a week, it might even take you minutes, or a couple of hours, or even months, or perhaps a year. But just know that, you reawakened your powers for this. You reawakened them to be a superhero and save earth. If you then don''t stop this invasion from the monsters. The whole world, earth, Khaos realm, planets and galaxies are at risk. You just have to be a world superhero! and save the world!] Chapter 46: The Portal room Chapter 46: The Portal roomAxel went into the bathtub feeling all sleepy. The thing was that he had spent the whole night thinking. He had a warm bath, brushed his teeth, and wore a very casual outfit. It was a blue top and black trousers that were made of cotton. He wasn''t going on a vacation or graduating out of high school so why should he bother appearing with ''steeze'' and being classy? Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He had even concluded that he would just go naked. Not that he would appear before Royal Cloak naked but he would not just put on any clothes and just snap his fingers and KABOOM!, he would be silhouetted in the Inferno Hero costume. He made coffee and quickly gulped it down. As he did so, he remembered he didn''t tell ''The Voice'' that he had come up with a superhero name. ''Well, next time,'' he thought. He then remembered that next time might be a long time away as ''The Voice'' only appeared when there was an important situation. --- Axel walked down the lobby, looking all smart and almost handsome. He had decided that he would be avoiding Rhea for now, in fact, he didn''t want to see her. Reasons? Well, firstly because it had been a long time since he spoke to her or had seen her so her seeing him might feel, you know, awkward? And he would have to start explaining his reasons for not seeing her and stuff like that. Secondly, he might have been offended and he would have to start apologizing when he didn''t even do anything wrong (to his understanding). Well, he decided he would focus on the mission at hand, moreover, Royal Cloak had announced that they would be leaving in less than an hour. He had been afraid to go on the mission to Monseryan and even though Royal Cloak had assured him that it wasn''t too much harm and him even agreeing to go on the journey, he still felt scared, terrified, and not that willing to go. But ''The Voice'' had changed his mind. It had explained what was most important to do and what not to do. Telling him about the Monseryan and the portal and... The Voice explained things more clearly to him than Royal Cloak who just sounded obscure. Like he served to obfuscate the true nature of the mission. Axel doubted it anyway. He was sure Royal Cloak wouldn''t do that. He was approaching the door of Royal Cloak''s office now. It was just in front of him and almost to it, he quickened his pace, pushing back the urge to run. Less than six steps to the door, he snapped his fingers and WHOOSH! He was now INFERNO BLAZE. The feeling of the transformation felt soothing and refreshing. He made his facial expression more of a frown now, trying to be heroic. A single knock on the door and he opened it and entering inside he could see Spinal Edge, Voidbreaker, Mirrormeld, Space Knight, and Dan (Electro Sonic Fists). Axel nodded at them and they responded with a nod. Dan gave him a warm handshake and said in a loud voice: "My Man!" That made Axel break character as he smiled. Royal Cloak stood behind the large screen, the expression on his face grim and looking like someone that was going through a lot. Axel walked over to him. "Any new news?" he asked. "They''re almost done with the portal," he said, his voice almost quivering. "In just a matter of time they''ll come here and destroy our worlds that''s why I say we act very quickly. We act with swiftness!" The superheroes all nodded. Their faces expressionless, not knowing how to act or what to do. Only Axel and Dan exchanged glances, ones that were also indifferent. Something that was: ''Tough stuff.'' Royal Cloak tilted his neck sideways and wanting to say something, abruptly stopped and looked at the ceiling. "Let''s go to the teleportation room, where you guys will be sent off. It''ll make more sense if I speak there and not here." They all nodded in the affirmative, not knowing why Royal Cloak was looking at the ceiling... The ceiling cracked and with insane speed, it cracked and divided with the similitude of a jet, a jet on fire actually. And then, it happened rather too briskly. Like defying the laws of geometry, the room twisted like blocks, spiralling at an average speed towards the ceiling. It seemed ghastly and for some seconds there they were all appalled with the current situation. Royal Cloak wasn''t, he just stood rooted to the spot where he was, not even twitching a part of his body. It eventually stopped. And for a second there Mirrormeld almost puked. Her face contorted into an ugly grimace. She stood by the corner of where they were now and held her stomach, pushing back whatever she wanted to puke back inside. They were in a circular empty hall now, the walls white and blank. The ceiling was perched high and when Axel stared at it, it looked like that of a dome. The ground was like glass, having no designs and looking blank but beautiful. A jet-looking airplane stood tall and large at the middle of the place. It was sleek and slick, looking like one of those spaceships in sci-fi movies where the MC enters to go save a planet. Its edges were angular, you would say pointy. Just standing and looking at it gave one space vibes. Mirrormeld was done with her act of holding down her puke now and she managed to walk forward, getting on her feet. Axel was still on the ground, trying to get up now as he was feeling woozy. Dan was on his feet, shaking his head sideways to shake off the weariness he was feeling. Space Knight fell but just for a second or less. The transformation hadn''t had any impact on her and she looked unaffected. It seemed as though she had been trained for this. Spinal Edge was on her feet now and Royal Cloak looked at her and then at Mirrormeld to whom he waved and said: "My apologies for the inconvenience." Mirrormeld nodded. Royal Cloak took that as an apology accepted and now he faced the jet-looking spacecraft and said: "Meet Realm Plunger, the device that''ll be taking you to Monseryan." Chapter 47: Realm plunger Chapter 47: Realm plungerDan and Axel exchanged excited looks. Nothing too much but enough to show that they were sort of surprised and as well excited with what was in front of them. Royal cloak inhaled and exhaling he stood very closely beside the space ship. "One last thing to note before embarking on your journey," he said, his voice more soft than usual. The superheroes all looked at him, too intent even he had to look away a bit. "It''s about the monsters," he began. "They''ve got ranks and as their ranks differ so do their combat levels." Axel was more focused now, ready to grasp into his brain, whatever he was about to say. Royal cloak turned back and clapping his hands the place became dimly lit. A screen appeared in the middle of the room, carrying a sort of aura to it. Royal cloak just watched at and very quickly, words appeared on the screen. Axel squinted his eyes as he read them, together with everyone. Royal cloak was just very focused. Looking at the screen more precisely. Monseryan monster profile: 1. Monseryan Whelps (Lowest Rank) The most common and weakest of monsters, often smaller and lacking intelligence. They are easy to dispatch individually but can overwhelm in large numbers. 2. Catchylm (Second Rank) Elite, formidable monsters with unique powers and strength. These creatures are often leaders within their species, feared by lesser monsters. They are tough and often highly intelligent, making them dangerous adversaries. 3. Voidborn (Third Rank) Born from the Void, these are terrifying entities imbued with dark, otherworldly powers. They are incredibly strong, can manipulate shadows or dark matter, and possess near-immortal resilience. Voidborn monsters can reshape environments and bring chaos to entire regions. 4. Abyssalyt (Highest Rank) The ultimate monstrous beings, born from the Abyss. Titans are cataclysmic forces capable of world-shattering destruction. They are ancient, near-immortal, and have vast control over the fabric of reality itself. Abyssalyt are often worshiped or feared as gods by lesser creatures.] Axel shook his head forward now. Like he had understood about their ranks. He looked at others, they were immersed with what was on the screen. Royal cloak clapped his hands and everything became normal. The lighting was as it was before and screen was no longer there. Royal cloak turned to face them. "That was what we could bring of their profiles. Just what they are, their classification." He paused and seeming like he was tired of talking, continued nonetheless: "This was made by our artificial intelligence who studied the resources we brought to them and gave us this. But it is accurate by the way." Spinal edge raised up his hands. Royal cloak waved at her to speak. "Go on." She said, "But how do we identity them." Royal cloak and Axel exchanged glances and Axel tried to suppress his laughter which was quite insurmountable at this point. But he held it in though, doing so by looking the ceiling and avoiding eye contact with Royal cloak who faced Spinal edge now. "That''s where I was about to go to." Silence... Royal cloak exhaled and brought out six tiny devices from his pocket. They were round and circular, looking like a soccer ball, only that it was twenty times more smaller but at least visible to the normal human eyes. It was more of the size of a beetle. Royal cloak threw each of them, one at a time, to the people facing him. They caught it and looked at him with expressions that said: ''What do we do with it now?'' Royal cloak had them covered. "Place to them by the side if your stomach," he said. They complied and did as he said, placing them by the side of their stomachs. It quickly stuck there, like some magnet. Mirrormeld even tried to remove hers but she couldn''t. Royal cloak said, "They''ll be taken off once you''re done with the mission." He stroked his beardless chin, the place suddenly becoming sombre- only to him. "You''re embarking on a quite dangerous journey. You ''ALL'' are going on a mission that will save the words. Now, I''ll give you some tips, survival tips actually." They all listened attentively, Axel sense that this would be the last piece of advise he would be giving them. "Be keen on your survival instincts. Try as much as you can to survive. Be strategic in battle, y''all should have a plan when fighting. And as well, work together, no one should try and be heroic here, we''re not awarding you guys individually, we''re rewarding you collectively, as team!" Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes sir!" They all affirmed in unison. "And lastly," Royal cloak said, his voice dropping to something more cold, like this was going to be his final words. "Your aim is not to defeat them, it''s not to win against them. So, I''m begging you all, don''t start a fight. Don''t even let them see you, blend in. They reside more in a central place. But well, their are many places in Monsyeran. It''s a large realm. Think of it as an entire country, perhaps the sixteenth largest country on earth. So you have places to explore. Be strategic, don''t go at once. Let your brains work here. You have Dan, he''s experienced, let him be the leader on this mission. "Note, once there, I can''t communicate with you again. And this jet stuff. We could have sent you there though a portal but you''ll have nothing to eat or water to drink or how to survive. So in there is a vast majority of food, snacks and enough water to last you all two weeks. But I''m sure you''ll be done by then." Royal cloak steeped aside and watched them enter into the realm plunger. Royal cloak winked at Axel when he was seated in his seat now, Axel smiling and winking back from the window. "GOOD LUCK!" Were the last words they heard from Royal cloak. The engines of the realm plunger blasted very loudly, it noise reaching the ceiling. Them it hummed with a seamless sound. Axel saw a bright light and... Then... The realm plunger moved just a bit. That was enough, enough to plunge them into darkness, into oblivion. Chapter 48: Arrival to Monseryan sub realm Chapter 48: Arrival to Monseryan sub realmThey saw piercing darkness. Coupled with a slight seizure (only for a split second). An obliterating sound. Low, almost silent, yet almost too loud. Axel heard a loud cacophony of voices. Roaring into his ears. It was... Seemingly too dark, he couldn''t... Oblivion. --- The realm plunger halted, and Axel, sighing, could only look out the window. All he saw was a brown, parched ground. It seemed foggy, and he could only squint his eyes, guessing why it was so. The other superheroes stood up from their seats, going near the window to look out of it. They saw the scenery, and they were quite amazed at it. They heard a whisper now; it was from the realm plunger: "Destination arrived, location, Pebbleeh." Dan stood near a window, looking at it with more focus, tilting his neck sideways, his lips perched upwards, his gaze unfettering. "Empty place," he remarked, still near the window, looking through it. "Indeed," Axel added, not even looking through the window again, the glance he had stolen before was quite enough. He could only talk to Dan and not to the others; he felt kind of shy around them and so he had resorted to minding his business. Chrysa went to the fridge, which was built into the wall of the realm plunger, and took out an average-sized can of soda. She used her teeth to open one and gulped it down greedily. Axel was amused as he stared at her for about two seconds before returning his gaze back downwards. She took out another can of soda, the one she was holding not even finished. Axel was about to call her crazy if she was going to take it, but surprisingly, she said to Axel: "You''ll drink?" Axel, surprised with that, nodded in the affirmative, and she threw him the can of soda, which he gulped down his throat. She did the same for others who collected, except Mirrormeld, who said she was allergic. That made everyone laugh out loud, Chrysa saying: "I didn''t know you could be allergic to soda, weird as F." They all laughed, including Mirrormeld, who was being made fun of. "You drink British coffee instead, m''lady?" Chrysa said again, and Axel decided that she had a good sense of humor. She also had a Scottish accent, and Axel wondered if she was from there or her parents were. It was quite amusing that everyone had different accents, Axel noticed, smiling slightly at the thought. Mirrormeld went to the fridge and took out a bottle of coffee, which she drank averagely, definitely not gulping but instead drinking with class. "Nice," Chrysa said, and they didn''t know why, but they laughed, not because it was funny but because they were happy. Chrysa wasn''t wearing her helmet now, and Axel, staring at her, thought that she was really pretty, miles ahead of Rhea. She had blue hair and light blue eyes. Axel squinted his own eyes to be sure it was still the same as when he first saw her. She almost had no lips, but the part that was there was tiny but beautiful, a fitting lip to kiss. She looked like she came from some high family. Like someone from royalty. She looked rich. Axel thought of her as a knight princess in one of those high fantasy movies he usually watched, only that this was more futuristic. Axel turned his head to look at Dan, realizing that he had been silent the whole time. He had laughed with them on the first joke but hadn''t on the second. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What do we do now?" he asked him, feeling all too playful. "Do we go straight to the mission or kill time here a bit?" Dan said no words; he only stared through the window, his gaze focused, like he was seeing something no one else was seeing. Suddenly the atmosphere became gelid, and at that point, Axel knew something wasn''t right here. He walked up to Dan and looked through the window he was looking through now. He had been told by Royal Cloak that no one outside the realm plunger could see through the window, and only the people inside it could, so only vice versa, they could see outside the window. Axel gasped at the sight. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, shocked. Dan, his face now too serious, only looked at him. Axel could see ugly-looking creatures, with wings, falling down, like some large, mighty sound was cutting the wings. The others stood rooted to the spot, not really understanding what was happening. "Scan them," Dan told him. "I did, but only I could see it." Axel just thought about scanning, and easy peasy, it appeared before his eyes: --- Monsteran Beast Profile: Skyrenders ? Classification: Abyssborn ? Threat Rank: Monsteran Whelp ? Manifestation Type: Aerial Form, Flame-Infused, Winged Beast ? Habitat Zone: Volcanic Peaks, Storm-Torn Skies --- Form & Presence A medium-sized, bat-like creature with dark, charred wings. Its body is covered in rough, patchy scales, and its claws flicker with small sparks of fire. Its eyes glow faintly orange, and it emits a low, ominous growl as it soars. --- Apex Traits & Abilities Flame Lash ¨C Strikes with fiery whips from its tail or claws, setting targets ablaze upon contact. Ember Wind ¨C Beating its wings, it generates gusts of hot wind, causing minor burns and disorienting foes. Ignition Dive ¨C Performs a dive attack, briefly engulfed in flames, creating a small explosion on impact. Infernal Glide ¨C Aerial maneuverability that lets it glide swiftly but with limited speed and stamina. --- Defilements & Banes Shock-Tipped Arrows ¨C Electrified projectiles that can briefly paralyze its wings and slow it down. Chain Traps ¨C Strong chains that can restrict its movement on the ground and limit its flight. --- Instincts & Behavior The Skyrender is a scavenger, hunting smaller prey or picking off weaker creatures. It relies on hit-and-run tactics, swooping in to attack before retreating to the skies. --- Combat Style: Hit-and-Run, Aerial Skirmishing Agility: Moderate Intelligence: Instinctive, Opportunistic Resilience: Low Axel turned to Dan. "What do we do?" The voice from the realm plunger system: [Camouflage activated!] Chapter 49: Skyrenders Chapter 49: SkyrendersA processing occurred, although apparently, it was silent. [Camouflage initiating] A bit of silent processing then, a sibilant sound. [Camouflage initiated] Axel looked back and just then, he and Chrysa exchanged puzzled looks. [Realm plunger is now invincible] Dan walked to the middle of the realm plunger and, looking at the ceiling, he asked no one in particular, but obviously, it seemed he was talking to the voice that had initiated the camouflage, which was that of the realm plunger. "How can I get out?" Dan asked. The electro-sonic, angelic voice replied: [You can''t, going outside is like going to die.] Dan grunted and went to the window again. The voice said again: [No need to do that] Axel squinted his eyes. "Why?" he asked, now curious. A disengaging sound was heard, one that resembled bits and bits of electronics falling apart. Axel couldn''t see it, but he could imagine it very clearly. Then, a large screen was at the middle of the ceiling; it came down a bit and stuck itself to the wall. On it was the view of outside: Massacre. A small (not so epic or important) war of Skyrenders. Small creatures with wings and arrows and swords, fighting. Some had their wings being clipped by shots of arrows. Some were bleeding, violet-looking blood oozing from their mouths. Some were on the ground, slowly dying from their wounds. While others (the more fit) were in the sky, dashing their skulls and brains out. Mirrormeld made a facial expression of being disgusted, and frankly, Axel couldn''t blame her; this was very irritating. Grotesque-looking creatures, with ugly faces, big eyes, tiny lips, and then a large flat nose cemented on top. Axel could only stare in disgust, thinking that a long time ago, these were once human beings. The only advantage they had was being immortal, which was useless. He had thought of them being uniquely immortal, but this wasn''t it. They were immortal; they could live for thousands of years if...! If brought their disadvantage. They were only immortal if they weren''t killed. Axel, standing in the realm plunger, looking at them fight themselves, speculated something. Perhaps they were immortal based on ranks, and perhaps they hadn''t fully harnessed the power completely. As the second weakest, it seemed that the Skyrenders'' immortality was limited, and that was to death. And with what Axel was seeing, they were easy to kill because just a shot of an arrow into one of their heads had sent it sprawling downwards. So perhaps, only the Abyssalyts and the Ember Colossus had the real advantage of immortality. They ought to be stronger, and perhaps when shot with an arrow or thrust with a sword, it would cause no harm. Again, it depended on their rank. By the look of it, Axel was guessing the Ember Colossus might be tough and literally immortal, but not like the monsters above their rank, which were the Abyssalyts. And then, he thought. What if they could level up? For example, the Monsyeran Whelp-ranked monsters could level up to the Catchylm rank and then to Voidborns and then to Abyssalyts. Well, maybe some had. He couldn''t quite be sure. But something confirmed that that might be true. He could see larger Skyrenders, their wings more massive than the rest. Perhaps they leveled up? This, to Axel, was quite interesting. He had never known they could be as complex as this. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Well, he couldn''t quite conclude on his speculations as they were just: ''Speculations.'' He blinked now, some teary stuff getting out of his left eye. He looked at Chrysa. Well, she was focused, squinting her eyes as she stared at the screen, her gaze intent. Well, the last word was with everyone. Everyone was intent, looking at the screen precisely and with focus. However, Dan''s gaze was keen; he was staring like he could take them all out. Axel found that highly ridiculous. He too was brave, but not to that extent. Moreover, the point wasn''t even about being brave; the point was, the monsters were just fighting, causing not a morsel of harm to anyone. So what was Dan''s problem? Going out there was just pure stupidity because he was just putting his life on the line for nothing. The realm plunger was now invisible, meaning the monsters outside couldn''t see it. So they weren''t bothering anyone. And them fighting was quite a win for them, less work to do. Axel stopped gazing at him and did so to the screen. The monsters remained just a few now. When the fight had started, they were large in number, around two hundred or so; now they were only about thirty remaining. That is, at least according to Axel''s rough calculations. One of the monsters held one by its wings now, and it was maliciously ripping it apart. Axel could hear a scream and then: "DAMN!" That came as a surprise to them all. They all had the same thoughts, which was: ''Oh, so they can speak.'' Axel almost laughed at that. ''Of course they should be. I mean, they are monsters.'' Royal Cloak had explained to him that they were cursed by a spell they created. The spell had turned them to monsters, Royal Cloak had said. But come to think of it, Royal Cloak didn''t say that it actually made them monsters. They were monsters in looks and appearance, but perhaps in intellect and behavior, they weren''t. So it means that it didn''t alter their voice or brains. But apparently, it messed with their brains a little as sometimes they behaved primitive and a bit wild. Soon, the fight had less action. They were only five now, and Axel nonetheless watched with keen interest. He normally loved movies with epic fights, and it had been long since he watched one actually or anyone at all, and this, this was literally real. The epic battles he watched were just CGI, but this, this was real. The deaths, blood oozing, and brutal stuff was just real. He felt no pity for them actually; they were monsters, though, and he was trying to stop them from coming to the real world, so as a superhero, it wasn''t his duty to stop the fight. Now, only one Skyrender remained. He was standing tall, his wings clipped almost completely. His face was bloody, and clearly, he was in bad shape, but to him, it was actually nothing. He seemed unaffected by his state, at least he had won... A sharp claw sliced his neck off, and the latter fell, his body slowly slumping to the ground. They all gasped, Mirrormeld''s more evident. A tenebrous figure was behind the... Chapter 50: Unidentified Monster Chapter 50: Unidentified MonsterSpinal edge looked pale, Mirrormeld extremely terrified, Voidbreaker seemed like he would vanish into thin air any minute now, Chrysa was almost indifferent, although she seemed nervous but not too bothered. Dan had a deep frown on his face while Axel was well, extremely nervous. They all were silent. And in those few seconds, Axel thought of many possibilities. Firstly, who was that. It looked like a monster villain. It''s cloth making his appearance more sophisticated. Royal cloak had told them that this place was only filled with Monseryan monsters. He had given them four and even how to recognize them so they would know how to react when fighting against one and now, they meet an unrecognizable villain? ''Damnit!'' They couldn''t see what it was doing now and that was their disadvantage. The solution? Well, they would have to go outside and find out who this villain was and what was it problem. It could see their spaceship though so their was no need of them hiding. It seemed pointless, the monster would clearly be ripping the realm plunger now. Voidbreaker blurted: "Fly the jet out of here!" That was a solution and well, they would go for it. Dan faced the ceiling and said: "Fly away." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The realm plunger artificial intelligence voice said: [The realm plunger isn''t designed to move like a spaceship or a jet. It only moves when it is on it''s way to another realm. It is only meant for realm travels.] Spinal edge sighed. "Argh, damnit!" Dan faced Axel : "Someone would have to go outside," he said. Axel paused, he literally did because now, he wasn''t even breathing, he was just staring at Dan who was clenching his fists, obviously he was the one going. "Send to me out!" Dan shouted, talking to no one in particular even though the words were targeted at the realm plunger. THOOMP! A hole was under his feet and... ZIIIII ! He was down (out), the hole he just went through closing back. They all exchanged glances and Chrysa shrugged. "So...," she said. Axel opened his eyes widely and stared intently into her eyes. ''C''mon, go on.'' Chrysa continued: "So what do we do now?" Axel shrugged. "I don''t know." Chrysa shrugged. "Shouldn''t we go help him or..." "Nah, I think he''s fine," Voidbreaker said. They all looked at him and for a moment there, he felt nervous. "Yeah," Mirrormeld finally blurted. Her eyes wide open, she continued: "I mean, he''s the most experienced out of us all and again, he''s obviously the better Hero." Chrysa shrugged. "Agreed," she said, sitting down on a seat. "Soon, the monster will be crying for help, just watch and see..." Axel stared at them, not actually saying a word. The scan stuff and clearly said that the monster was stronger than the abyssalyts (the damn strongest monseryan monster). So how, just how could Dan, beat it. Then, they heard a loud noise, more like a scream for help. It was simple and very precise: "Help me!" Axel was alerted by that, they all were. Chrysa getting on her feet. Axel had to say the words that they all avoided. "Let''s go outside and help!" Voidbreaker hesitated. "Um, um, um, I, ah-" Axel was slightly infuriated with that. "Cut it," he said. "If you aren''t coming then stay, I''m sure Royal cloak would be surprised if he saw this. You''re noticed hero, you are just a scared son of-" "I''ll come," Voidbreaker blurted. "C''mon no need to get angry." Axel sighed. "You all amaze me, it seems only I, Electro sonic fists and Space knight are really brave, Spinal edge too. And both of you, both of you are just scared." After he was done talking, he was surprised with what he said. He must have gone off track with his words. But then... They understood. "I''m sorry, I guess I''m just a scared type," Mirrormeld said. "Me too," Void breaker added. Axel suddenly raised his hands very high in the air. "Then, prove yourselves wrong!" With that, he turned to the ceiling and said: "Get us out if here..." The hole stuff happened and... WHOOM! They were down. The place felt like another planet. The ground was dry and parched and on up ahead, very far from them were signs of hills which were almost dwarfed by mountains. By their left was a mountain though, a bit small, with a cave underneath it. Axel quickly guessed that that was where some skyrenders must have hid or some out from. He decided that their house ought to be in the sky, as their name implied. Dan layed almost lifeless on the parched ground, his face bloody and so was his body. Axel pitied him and almost went to help but he had to take care of the task at hand first. The villain was on his feet, his hand bloody, obviously as from a result of using his claws to cut off the head of the skyrender and from beating the hell out of Dan who, Axel stealing a glance at, could see that he was in stupor. Hell, his eyes was even swollen and about four of his own teeths surrounded him. Axel felt a weird sensation crawl into his spine has he thought about the hell Dan must have been through. The beating! They could have heard earlier his grunts and shouts of pain and come to his rescue more earlier if the realm plunger wasn''t an inches from being bullet proof. Thinking about it, he looked around and couldn''t even see it. It was really invincible! The monster gritted his teeth now and the sound that came from it made Axel, spinal edge, space knight, Voidbreaker and Mirrormeld to look at it''s direction. It was like it was calling them to do so. Like it was drawing their attention. Axel swallowed the air hard. Now that Dan was in stupor, he was now the leader of the: [PROTECTORS OF KHAOS REALM] Axel clenched his fists and that made his flames go up and flicker more vibrantly. Space knight brought out a blue shining Lazer like sword and waved it forward. Mirrormeld duplicated herself to seven, her fists clenched. Spinal edge removed the bone of her two legs (the act hurting her slightly as she was used) and forged them to be large curved swords, looking deadly. Voidbreaker only clenched his fists and hit them together. They had assembled. Now, it was the monster''s turn and by the look of it, his wasn''t going to be as ''CUTE'' as theirs. The look on his face showed that his was going to be viciously EPIC! Chapter 51: ’To survive or not to survive, that is the question’ Chapter 51: ''To survive or not to survive, that is the question''Anxiety permeated through their veins as they stared at the monster whose face emitted its vicious thoughts. What would they do? Well, they could only find out. The monster now gazed at them like he would sunder their skulls. Well, they were ready, but then, so was he. He didn''t show any signs. He only somersaulted; the act felt like he leaped. And coming down, he landed with his two hands hard on the ground. The wind the act generated sent them away. It jolted them backwards and they hit their heads on the floor, every one of them, grunting in pain. ''To survive, or not to survive, that is the question.'' Axel grunted. Now it was more: ''To get your brain crushed or not, that is the damn question.'' Axel watched Spinal Edge get up, Space Knight behind her. Soon, others followed, their footfalls very loud and hitting the ground very hard. Axel watched them go; he didn''t even move, perhaps now, laying on the ground, he actually had a chance. He now analyzed it. He had speed. And so, the other heroes going after this monster actually gave him a chance. This was how he saw it. The other heroes would distract the monster; they didn''t know they were distracting instead of fighting, but to him, that was how he saw it. Them distracting the monster would give him a chance to run really fast, summon the Inferno Sword, and get this goddamn monster down. His plan sounded good, and he liked it, nodding in affirmation to assure himself that it was pretty good. He had to lay on the ground and pretend to be weak so that the monster wouldn''t pay too much notice to him. The other superheroes didn''t quite notice his absence. They just fought with all their might. Spinal Edge''s bone sword was useless and so in no time, she had been shoved away. She persisted and lost about a tooth or two. Voidbreaker didn''t even get to use his powers; the monster had seriously damaged his ribs, he was on the verge of dying. It was now remaining Space Knight and Mirrormeld. What had helped Mirrormeld was that she could duplicate, and many of her duplications had been mercilessly slaughtered. Well, she was still alive. Space Knight was a very skilled fighter and as Axel watched, he couldn''t but admire her skill. Mirrormeld was breathing hard, obviously exhausted from too much duplicating. And so as she was about to bend a little and catch her breath ¡ª THUUUDDDD! It came like a jab given by a 400 feet tall giant. It felt massive, and as it hit Mirrormeld, she couldn''t help but faint. It was remaining Space Knight; she looked at Axel, wondering what TF was wrong with him and why he couldn''t come help them. The monster sent her a blow to her jaw, she sidestepped, and bending down, she sent herself upwards into a somersault. Her motion was quick and flexible like a cat. The monster looked upwards, immersed in the skill... Axel wasted no time. WHOOSH! He swiftly dashed towards the monster, running forward with the energy of a vortex, his face contorted into an expression that looked like he was trying to poop. DASH! His flames flickered vividly, and with a pause of the scene, one would get a picturesque scene. The monster''s hands drove into Space Knight''s face, reeling her downwards into a... BAM! ...fall. ZOOOSSH! Axel shot two fireballs from his hands, sending them into the mouth of the monster, who fell and gave out a loud shout of pain. Space Knight, although in pain herself, didn''t hesitate to give Axel a thumbs up. She now realized why he had been waiting all along. Before the monster could recover from the fireball, Axel leaped high in the air, closing his eyes for a split second as he summoned the Inferno Sword. [Summoning the Inferno Sword] A strike of what looked like lightning struck Axel''s hands. A foggy atmosphere. And then... ...Lo and behold, the Inferno Sword was tightly clutched in Axel''s hands. His grip more strong than ever. [Inferno Sword Summoned] He raised it in the air, in those split seconds, and aimed it towards the monster... WHAM! Excruciating pain. THAM! Axel''s back hitting the ground. The monster appeared to be very lithe, considering its almost monolithic size. Axel''s brain seemed to move from its usual position and his backbone seemed to have been broken. The force that accompanied the fall had been too much, way too much. It seemed like Axel had been pushed off the moon and he had landed on a very hard rock on earth. The parched ground had been a main cause of the pain, it was so hard it felt harder than the surface of a mountain, and as well more jagged. Axel''s sword lay behind him but he couldn''t pick it. He couldn''t move a muscle at that moment. The monster only stared at him, taking slow steps forward, like it was taking its time. Axel gave up. Everyone was in stupor at this rate. He closed his eyes and then saw the words of his system: [Opponent too powerful, death incoming] Axel grinned. Life is cruel, he had to acknowledge it. Which he was doing; he was accepting death with a grin. The monster came at him and raised him up by his chest, unaffected by his flames. He threw him up and then watched him fall. Axel was spitting blood now, thick blood. [DEATH!] Axel was almost lifeless at this point. [DEATH] His system kept reassuring him that he would die. How splendid! Axel was too weak, he automatically changed back to himself, Axel. [Host on the verge of dying. A hit from the monster seals it. The fourteenth Inferno Hero about to die] Axel heard a cacophony of footsteps, all too many, flooding his brain system. "So this is how I will die!" he muttered. Nothing could save him now, not the voice or even Royal Cloak. This was... ...DEATH Blood oozed from Axel''s nose, and as he lifted his head slightly to see the monster, blood oozed from the side of his head. The monster now near him, stopped and started to cry. Axel wasn''t one bit surprised, he had seen more. But then... The monster was starting to transform, dust swirled around him, and in the end, Axel, at the verge of dying, could only gasp. "Dad?" The monster, now a man, hugged him tight. "Axel, my son." Tears trickled down Axel''s face. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man''s voice quivered, "I''m-, I''m sorry."