The air was charged with anticipation, each movement tense with strain. Ava clutched the blue flag close as she ran, her breathing harsh and jagged. Atlas was only inches behind, shoving off Sigma's minions as they fought to close the distance. The goal line lay inches away, but the burden of the game weighed upon them all.
"Almost there!" Ava called out, her voice filled with determination.
"We're getting this done!" Atlas replied, his booming voice carrying over the chaos.
In the meanwhile, Axel's battle with Cyrus had escalated to a frenzy. Cyrus had never been anything less than brutal beforehand, his fists slow and hammering. However, now there was something different—a raw and unbridled force propelling him. Cyrus was faster and more powerful now, his attacks shaking the earth and toppling walls between the two of them.
"You're not going to win this, Sage," Cyrus growled, his voice deeper, his tone brimming with malice. He lunged at Axel again, his fists moving like a storm. Axel dodged just in time, the force of the strike sending a shockwave through the air.
"What's the matter with you?" Axel growled, his piercing eyes scrunched up as he dodged another strike. He struck a fast jab to Cyrus's rib, but the blow didn't even make him wince. "This isn't natural, even for you."
Cyrus smiled, his gray eyes glinting with something unnatural, something sinister. "What's wrong, Sage? Scared?"
Axel clenched his teeth, moving back to get away from the other man. His nitpicky brain was racing wildly attempting to understand what he was witnessing. And then it hit him—the manner in which that Cyrus was walking, the flood of unnatural strength pouring through his system. Axel had heard talk that the base had been experimenting with performance enhancing drugs, untested and lethal chemicals employed to push the recruits to their limits.
Did you take it?" Axel spoke abruptly, his voice cold and sharp.
Cyrus cocked his head to one side, his smile spreading. "Take what?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Axel cut in, his voice cutting. "The red vial. Is that what this is?
For a moment, Cyrus was silent, the tension between them hanging like a stretched wire. Then he laughed, a deep boom that revolted Axel. "You really think I'd resort to something like this to take you down?" he jeered, his fists tightening. "This is all me, Sage. Pure, raw power. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."
But Axel didn't believe it. The tension in Cyrus's muscles, the stiff gleam in his eyes—this was unnatural. Whatever was going on with Cyrus, it was more than practice or genius. It was something else.
Before Axel could attempt to push any further, Cyrus bellowed a cry, his body shuddering as his anger peaked. His attacks more wild, more deadly, each strike shaking the ground. Axel struggled to keep up, dodging and parrying as best he could, but it was akin to combating an act of nature.
Ava and Atlas struggled to live on the ground. **062** and **045** fell back in tandem, surging forward on the flag with unrelenting resolve. Atlas drove toward **062**, the force of their clash rattling the ground as they traded devastating blows.
"Keep going!" Atlas yelled over his shoulder, his voice unshaken in the midst of the bedlam.
"Trying my best!" Ava countered, her fingers clenching around the flag as she wove to one side to evade another of **045**'s grasping hands. She spun hard to one side, her claws scouring his arm and sending him back.
On the defensive front line, Lila and Eli fought to exhaustion to keep the recruits of Sigma back. Lila dispatched another shot, her sniper rifle booming like thunder as the round struck the ground next to **021**, causing him to take cover behind a piece of debris.
"They're charging harder!" Lila screamed, her voice taut but held in check.
"Let them try," said Eli, his movements rapid and precise as he threw jagged bits of wreckage at **021**, holding him fast.
In the heat of battle, Axel was without an idea. Cyrus's blows were relentless, his rage propelling every attack. Axel ducked just in time to avoid a brutal punch, the impact of which dug a crater where he had been standing just seconds before.
"Your slowing down, Sage," sneered Cyrus, his feral grin stretching wide.
Axel clenched his teeth, his mind shrieking. Whatever drove Cyrus, it was devouring him from the inside out. Axel could see it in the way the muscles of his foe quivered, the minute cracks appearing on his knuckles from the force of his own punches. Cyrus was pushing his body to its limits—and Axel knew it could not endure.
But would it come too late?
"Cyrus, listen to me," Axel shouted, his voice ringing out above the confusion. "If you've ingested the red vial, you don't know what it'll do to you. It's dangerous—you could kill yourself."
Cyrus's eyes narrowed, the brightness in them intensifying. "I said it," he growled, his voice low and threatening. "I don't need anything to bring you down. This is me, Sage. And I'm going to destroy you."
Axel balled his fists, his piercing eyes squinting into a resentful glare at Cyrus. He didn't trust him, not one bit. But there was no time to bicker. Ava and Atlas were near the goal line, and Axel had to distract Cyrus for another few seconds.
Cyrus snarled once more, his rage mounting to a raging fever. His opponent's body twitched furiously, and air surrounding his opponent churned with uncouth energy. Then, with a deafening bellow, he launched himself at Axel, his attacks more speedy and deadly than ever before.
Axel deflected as much as he could, but Cyrus's strength was unstoppable. The new recruits standing on the sidelines remained quiet, eyes wide with wonder and fear as Cyrus's transformation peaked.
This wasn't strength or skill. This was something far more fatal.