(CHAPTER 45: TRUMP CARD)

"You know what is this, kid?" Captain Black hand out a fishing rod to Hero. "A fishing rod?" Hero take the rod from his hand, it was just a normal fishing rod, with standard iron handle, with a meal hook attached to the tip of the string. "Wrong, this is a deep sea fishing rod, capable to withstand a force of the whale. And what do you think it would be capable of?" He asked again. "Er, fishing…. whales?" "It is a weapon, a powerful one indeed at some situation. Give me back the rod." Hero hand the rod back. The captain hold the handle and with one huge swing, the hook of the rope dug deep into the barrel in front of him. The string of the fishing rod wrap along it and with a slight pull, the string tightens on it. Captain Black let out a grunt as he pull the barrel towards him with his fishing rod, before lunging his punch towards it as the barrel burst and shatter into pieces.

"You can use it to cut the distance, strangle or kill your prey. The string of this kind of fishing rod were made up diamond powder, making it lighter and tougher, almost impossible to struggle. Now you try." He hand the fishing rod back before roll another barrel in front of him and gestured him to try it himself.

Hero barely dodge another claw that aimed straight at his face, he keep his right hand inside as he wind up his counter punch. The moment Lucas throw out another slash, he burst his core punch, just when the punch was about to land on him, he tilted his head and sidestepped, evading it barely as the punch brush through his silk like golden hair, be fore countering it with a punch right in his face. Hero reeled back, that hit really do pack punch, he backpedaled for a bit before finally turn his back towards Lucas and darted back to his island. Lucas was confused at first, but he immediately followed, running on all fours as he jolted towards him, cutting their distances little by little as the drawbridge wobbled furiously.

Just when he was about to step foot, Lucas prowls towards him, slashing his metal claw onto his back, leaving a bone deep wound at his back as the both stumbled and fell to the ground, leaving a trail of blood as red oozes out from the cut. Holding the pain, Hero stagger back on his feet and limp deeper into the island. Lucas get up on his feet and immediately continue his pursue as he dashes into the forest without a doubt. Just when he burst through the thick bushes of the jungle, something coiled onto his arm, and a sudden forges lunges him towards something. Before he could even react, a punch was landed right on his face. He was thrown back and slammed onto the tree behind him. Before he could even wrap his mind around what is happening, he was lunges again as a knee connected hard with his face, he could hear his nosebridge crack upon impact as blood oozes out from it.

"Feel the pain fucker?" Hero lunges another punch into his abdomen, he kneel to the ground as his body curled up into a ball, his face twisted in pain, he could feel something gushing out from his throat. He glare at him before he pounces again thrusting his claw like a spear, but with a huge swing of the handle, he was lunes against a tree, his shoulder hit the trunk of the tree hard as he could heard the bones of his shoulder shatter with a snap. As he fell to the ground beneath him, he could finally see Hero with his trump card in his grasp.

A fishing rod.

Hero leap onto a tree as he circled the line of the rod along a huge branch, creating a pulley system. With a hard pull, he managed to dangle Lucas midair by his arm. Lucas immediately try to set free from it but it was no use. His claws were tangled among the strings, as it coils around every single joints on it, locking the entire arm like a fly in the web. The more the struggles, the tighter the grasp will be, until it slices off his entire arm clean.

The fight is over.

Hero turn his back around and leave. Just when the announcer is about to announce. Just when the crowd is about to cheer. Just when the knights is about to applause. Just when the king is about to smile. Just when Sir Luis is about to let out a sigh and shook his head. Something unbelievable happened.

"Come back here!!!"

Hero turn his head around but an overhead punch landed right on his face. He didn't even have a time to react as his fist landed on his head hard. His head slam on the ground beneath him hard with a thud as air escape his lungs. He could feel the bone of his head smashing into pieces as the shard dug deep into his brain. His whole world went black, through the darkness he could hear the muffled screaming of the crowds, the footsteps of the medic rushing into the arena was well as a thud beside him.

Did he just lost?

Before he could answer the question in his mind, his mind feels numb and he went out cold.