Chapter 63: Luke
Luke
Mike and Excellent_Render stared each other down for a few seconds, neither side choosing to act first as they watched their opponent closely.
Around thirty seconds passed before Excellent_Render realized that he was still on a bit of a timer, as it was clear that using his ability for prolonged periods wasn’t done easily by him.
Hence, he stopped hesitating and attacked first.
Mike naturally anticipated this. But instead of dodging or backing off, he moved to meet him.
Both of them clashed once more, and this time, the difference was clear.
Excellent_Render had done his best to avoid a head-on collision due to his inferior strength, striking in a way that would ensure he didn’t take the full brunt of Mike’s strength.
But even then, the sheer power behind Mike’s strike was immense, and his arm was thrown back from the recoil. He didn’t hesitate to back off just as Mike swiped his claws where he was, and they ripped into the ground viciously, creating deep marks in the ground where he’d been.
Mike didn’t let up, though, as he charged forward, his claws brandished as he performed swipe after swipe, his momentum immense as he forced Excellent_Render on the defensive.
To be clear, Mike had no idea how wolves fought. Even after realizing where he was going wrong, at the end of the day, he used techniques intended to be used for humans whenever he fought consciously.
In fact, he only knew about wolves when the system told him how Lupines worked, and he did some research on them when he was being shipped off to Proxima Centauri.
So realistically, his sudden enlightenment shouldn’t have done much to change the status quo.
Which is where his instincts came in.
Since he got them, Mike had always found his instincts to be a bit strange.
At first glance, it seemed to do a few things. The most obvious being how it allows him to know if he’s being stared at, as well as the intent behind said gaze.
The other obvious thing it did was allow Mike to get a read on people, like being able to have a general idea of how they felt towards him.
He’d originally believed this occurred when his senses subconsciously picked up on small but telltale signs in an individual, like their heart rate, muscle tension, breathing, and so on. Which would explain how he knew someone was staring at him even when his back was turned.
However, as time progressed, he realized that his instincts were far, far more complicated than that, with many things he still didn’t understand.
An example of this was when he’d interacted with Masha after his first class. When she asked if he was lazy when it came to learning how to fight or was just so bad at it that he couldn’t make any progress, he wanted to explain that he’d never gotten the training. And yet, his instincts wanted him to stay silent, and that was how he managed to obtain the Crimson Ladder style.
There was also the time he wondered if Kris would stop seeing him favorably once he knew that Mike was an orphan who had no background. It was a real possibility, and yet he subconsciously knew it would be fine, and it ended up being so.
There were numerous other examples of his instincts behaving in ways that couldn’t be explained properly or be attributed to his incredible senses, and Mike was sure there was some strange metaphysical stuff going on behind the scenes that he couldn’t even begin to start comprehending.
Anyway, as said, Mike had no idea how wolves fought, so even if he knew what he was doing wrong, he shouldn’t have been able to rectify the issue easily.
However, he recalled the time he first fought Theresa and how she’d made him lose his temper, causing his ferocity to rise to the point of him nearly losing control of himself.
He briefly relived that moment, deeply considering how his instincts had taken over and how they made his body move despite him not being in any control.
With that, his body started to move.
Simar to back then, he began moving like a beast with his overwhelming might, and the fact that he was on all fours only cemented that fact.
Despite this, though, Mike wasn’t satisfied. Mostly due to how this specific approach worked.
He recalled Theresa talking about that specific moment, and how despite his strength being overwhelming when he lost control, he moved like a wild animal with pretty straightforward attacks and patterns, and that the only reason she wasn’t able to immediately suppress him was due to his overwhelming stats.
Moreover, while his entire goal for using the Fighter’s.Inc, other than learning to fight better, was to allow his wolf side more room to express itself, he had no plans to make it fully take over as it was simply counterproductive, since he couldn’t learn anything while he was a wild beast, and again, he’d be easy to read in a fight.
This once more put Mike in a situation where he needed to walk a very fine line. He fully intended to give his wolf side more rein to allow his instincts to bleed in freely. But he still had enough intellect to think and prevent his movements from being entirely beast-like.
It was a thin line, one many would find hard to balance as the smallest mistake could lead them into giving in to their instincts and losing control, making it very risky.
And yet, Mike pulled it off.
Excellent_Render could almost see the moment everything seemed to click into place for Mike.
His movements were primal, but controlled. Overwhelming, yet careful. Powerful, yet calculating.
It was like he’d become a living Paradox of instinct and control, and Excellent_Render could only appreciate the moment as he started getting absolutely thrashed.
Mike stopped holding back as he used his entire body as a weapon.
Another difference between the two was that while Excellent_Render had the advantage in agility and nimblness, his primary sources of attack were the claws on his hands.
That didn’t apply to Mike. His claws shredded like knives, but his fists hit like bulldozers, and his legs struck like wrecking balls.
The sheer power behind each strike was simply devastating, but it wasn’t mindless or uncontrolled, as Excellent_Render was still fighting another sentient being with intelligence.
One that was learning rapidly as they fought.
All of a sudden, Excellent_Render found themselves getting suffocated. Despite his agility, it was like he was being closed in from all sides. Every dodge became riskier, and the close calls were getting increasingly closer.
All it took was one small moment. One tiny mistake, one small lapse in judgment.
And it soon came.
Excellent_Render barely dodged a claw swipe aimed for his collarbone, but he took a moment too long to consider his next move, and that’s when Mike pounced.
Like a whip, his arm shot out, his claws brandishing. Excellent_Render couldn’t only raise his own claws to block, hoping his fingers wouldn’t immediately break from the impact.
However, instead of their claws colliding, Mike suddenly switched his actions as he rapidly closed the distance and tackled Excellent_Render to the ground, pinning him.
The feline fighter tried to wriggle himself free, but Mike pressed down hard and pulled his fist back, about to end it.
[Excellent_Render has surrendered.]
However, his opponent suddenly turned into particles of light as he vanished from the arena, leaving Mike still there with his arm raised.
It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and his ears and tail drooped as a distinctly canine whine of dissatisfaction escaped his lips, and he lowered his arm, pouting slightly.
’Aw man. I wanted to finish that myself.’ He huffed and folded his arms, unhappy at the end result.
’Sigh. Whatever, I guessed I can’t be too dissatisfied. That entire fight had been pretty fruitful. Who’d have thought I’d meet such a skilled opponent while still in the Wood Tier? Was he an exception or the rule? Because if it’s the latter, then maybe things will get even more interesting.’ Mike thought as he smirked to himself. He looked at his time and saw that he could do a few more fights before he had to be removed. So without wasting any more time, he clicked the prompt that asked him if he wanted to fight again.
***
Within another location in Proxima Centauri D
Within a bustling city of technology and prominence, a single high-rise building stood above the rest.
Near the top floor in a large and luxurious room, a sleek pod could be seen, and a moment later, it slid open with a soft hiss as a figure sat up inside.
He looked young, around thirteen, with warm, almost yellow skin, and jet black hair with yellow pupils that were shaped like slits, resembling those of a cat.
As soon as he sat up, he groaned and tugged at his hair.
"What the heck was that?! Who was that guy?! Who fights like that???" He questioned no one as he fumed.
After spending so much time training since the moment he manifested his ability, his father finally agreed to buy him a Fighter’s.Inc Pod so that he could actually fight and not just stay cooped up in his room like usual.
He’d been excited, finally prepared to go there and prove his worth by defeating everyone he came across, but who would have thought he would meet a monster like that?
’But to mimic my movements like that, and even adapt it to suit his own style... Who was that? Is he like me? Some super-talented hidden son of a powerful family who decided to use Fighter’s.Inc to blow off some steam?’ He wondered with furrowed brows.
"Young Master Luke. Could you come and open the door?" A deep voice suddenly asked from behind his door, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Coming!" He said and jumped out of the pod, landing on his feet silently as he went to open the door.
As he did, his eyes burned brightly.
’Regardless, I’m determined to fight that guy again. Mr_Lupine? Alright, we will meet again.’