Slow and Speedy Win the Fight

63. Ignite

Haresa

There was a bruise forming on my jaw but I couldn't stop now.

The boy in front of me was clearly not an amateur but he was no expert. My leg connected to his stomach and he doubled over in pain. Flames ignited on various spots of his body but the concentration gathered in his palms. The power didn't seem completely useless but the extra fire didn't seem to have any purpose.

"And Haresa gets him in the stomach!" Loudmouth's booming voice was accompanied by the crowd's loud cheering.

No pain was registering in my head as I continued to fight the boy. My anxiety increased with each move we took and I tried not to think.

The last time I was in the ring, I—

There wasn't time to finish the thought as I took a blow to the other side of my face. Flames licked my clothes and I quickly brought down my leg, creating a strong gust of wind to put out the fire.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed one security guard with a fire extinguisher in hand ready to use at a moment's notice.

Exhaustion suddenly started to weigh on me and my head began to hurt. When will it end?

Another hit in my jaw sent me staggering backwards. My feet struggled to find their balance as my weight was thrown wildly to the side.

Loudmouth's cackle echoed in my ears and I could feel my face growing hotter with frustration. He ended the round and I steadied myself at the corner of the ring. Water was splashed on my face and a bottle was pressed to my lips.

I eyed Loudmouth and analyzed his outfit. The design was very familiar but I couldn't remember where it was from. It was mostly yellow with red accents while everything was connected with no sign of any zippers.

He leaned down towards a man that was hanging around the ring with a smug look on his face.

"They're a literal child. It took me four hours to get into the power centre while they could waltz in like they're better than everyone. People say they're really fast but it's taking forever for them to lose the match."

That was when it clicked. It was that guy who was demanding to be let in without a license.

A burning sensation of anger spread throughout my body. We were called back to the centre of the ring and my hands opened and clenched together repeatedly.

"Round three, go!"

The crowd's scream roared through the arena and my opponent's hands lit up with fire. That roar was swiftly silenced as he was thrown to the side of the ring with his flames extinguished.

No one dared to make a noise as I allowed myself to gulp as much air as I could, still feeling slightly dizzy from the series of moves I just performed. My nose twitched as something trickled down my nose. Whether it was blood or sweat, there was no way in telling without seeing it.

Loudmouth took a few steps toward me and grabbed my wrist.

My body was already tense but my throat had tightened so much that I could've suffocated at the moment.

He lifted my arm into the air with the microphone pressed against his mouth.

"Haresa wins!" Loudmouth shouted, a shred of disbelief present in his voice but it didn't deter the crowd from screaming the loudest than they ever had for the night.

"Was that fast enough?" I muttered but he didn't seem to hear as he seemed to bask in the glory of the attention.

How many people actually wanted to be in the hero industry to help people?

My eyes landed on Sheldon in the crowd and a sinking feeling in my chest became present. He was staring at me with such a neutral expression that it almost felt like he was judging me.