Chapter 52: Echo of Defiance
As narrated by the event keeper
Skepto paused, standing a short distance from Sane, his eyes narrowing as he marveled at her unyielding will. She clung to her feet, battered and broken, defending her friends even as her life teetered on the brink. A flicker of something—respect, perhaps—crossed his face, but it vanished like smoke.
“I am disappointed!” he declared, his voice booming across the arena. “You’ve let Frederick’s son poison you with his foolish hero naiveté.”
“I won’t let you hurt them!” Sane cried, her heart ablaze even as her vision blurred, her body swaying with exhaustion.
Skepto’s approach was relentless, his footsteps heavy on the blood-soaked sand. “At this point, it doesn’t matter what you think. I’ll force you to evolve if that’s what it takes.” A grim smile twisted his lips, his eyes gleaming with dark excitement. “My ultimate weapon! I’ll sharpen you until you’re deadly!”
He lunged, a whirlwind of violence, his fists raining down in a ceaseless storm. Sane, barely clinging to consciousness, couldn’t dodge a single blow. Blood sprayed, her body a canvas of bruises and lacerations. Yet through it all, her squad and the elites felt only half the torment—the echoes of her pain dulled, a deliberate shield she maintained even now.
Held back by Guardian and John Grey’s iron grips, Cipher watched in helpless horror. Tears streamed down his face as Sane’s strength ebbed, her body crumpling under Skepto’s assault. Fear weakened him, his limbs trembling, his soul fracturing at the sight.
“I see... you’re still protecting them!” Skepto deduced, pausing his barrage to glance at Squadron-X and his elites, writhing in shared agony. He turned back to Sane, his eyes cold. “Then we’ll keep going—until you learn the cruelty and salvation of unmatched power!”
He surged forward again, his strike aimed to end her. Unbeknownst to him, Sane had reached her breaking point. Rage ignited in her chest at the thought of her friends suffering for her. Her fists clenched, and something new stirred within—a surge of raw energy coalescing into small, high-energy spheres around her hands.
She stepped forward in a final, defiant stance. As her fist collided with Skepto’s, a shockwave ripped through the air, an equal and opposite force slamming into his back. He flew backward, crashing into the arena floor with a thunderous impact.
The arena fell silent, eyes wide in disbelief. For the first time, Skepto was down.
Yet he rose with a satisfied grin, dusting himself off. “It’s working!” he exclaimed, striding toward her. “You’re even stronger now. But not quite there. I need to push you further!”