The Cage

Stray lunges forward at an incredible speed, suddenly appearing in front of Nott with his hand raised... clad in a steel gauntlet.

Nott: "[If there's one thing I've learned from all our previous encounters, it's to never defend. Meeting power with power is a losing game, so moving first is the key.]"

Nott uses his agility to evade, expertly dodging the incoming strikes. He then drops to his knees, sliding to avoid a powerful kick aimed directly at his head. Instead of rising, Nott takes advantage of his low position. He swiftly spins on the ground and kicks at Stray's left leg to throw him off balance. But Stray, with sharp reflexes, leaps high into the air, spinning mid-air and delivering a powerful downward elbow strike. Nott rolls away just in time, the attack slicing through empty air.

Stray gives him no time to breathe, charging in again and hurling a short steel rod with high velocity as he runs.

In a split-second decision, Nott drops low, placing his weight on the fingers of his left hand, and teleports mid-motion... appearing just above the airborne metal rod. Using its mass to trigger his ability, he touches it with his fingertips and unleashes a rapid, forceful kick with his right foot toward Stray's face. The rod crashes into the wall behind them, cracking the surface. Nott tumbles to the ground, but his kick lands, pushing Stray back and creating a wide opening.

The audience gasps in shock, and the announcer's voice booms with excitement.

Nott doesn't wait... he charges forward just as Stray regains his footing. But instead of a direct assault, Nott teleports behind Stray, his body emerging from the faint shimmer of warped particles against the cold iron mesh. The air vibrates with the sudden shift, a quiet ripple echoing through the cage. Without wasting a second, Nott uses the velocity of his teleportation, springing high into the air, coat flaring behind him like a shadow torn from reality.

As he ascends, nearly invisible threads spiral from between his fingers... threads so fine they catch the light like glints of phantom silk. They dance and uncoil, guided by his intent. With surgical precision, he releases them mid-air, casting them downward like ghostly snares. The strands wrap around Stray's limbs and torso, tightening in a sudden snap.

Still suspended in the air, Nott jerks his arms with raw force. The threads tense like piano wire and Stray's body is yanked skyward, his feet lifting violently off the ground. In a smooth landing, Nott crouches and immediately yanks again... this time slamming Stray downward with devastating force.

The impact is deafening. A blast of dust erupts on contact, engulfing the lower arena in a haze of grit. The floor beneath Stray fractures in a web of jagged cracks, the sound like bones breaking under pressure.

The crowd is frozen for a beat... silent, breathless... before a wave of shouts explodes across the arena.

Spectator: "Hey!! Stray! You bastard, what the hell was that?! I bet everything on you!!"

Roars of disbelief clash with gasps of awe. Some in the audience rise from their seats, their eyes wide with disbelief, while others lean forward, knuckles white around the rails.

Referee, over intercom: "An unbelievable reversal! Nott lands a crushing blow... but is it enough? Will Stray rise again, or has the storm passed?!"

Inside the cage, the noise feels distant, muffled beneath the drum of blood in Nott's ears. He exhales shakily, the tension coiling inside him like a drawn bow. Sweat drips from his brow and traces a path down his lips before he wipes it with the back of his sleeve.

Nott, lowly: "Of course he'll get up. The question is... from where?"

His gaze sweeps the battlefield, sharp and methodical. The air is thick with dust, particles dancing in shafts of overhead light. Then... he feels it. A subtle tremor beneath his boots. His eyes dart to where Stray had landed… and there it is; a crack in the floor, deeper than the others... splintered open.

Nott, half-whispered: "No way… he-..."

BOOM.

The floor behind him explodes in a thunderous eruption of debris. Chunks of concrete and steel fly like shrapnel. From the smoke and rubble, Stray bursts forth like a demon unchained, his body coiled with fury. Before Nott can turn fully, a fist crashes into his jaw... raw, heavy, precise.

The blow knocks him off his feet, and he rolls violently across the ground, landing in a breathless sprawl. Blood sprays across the floor from his mouth as he groans, trying to gather himself.

Stray rises from the crater behind, the dust clinging to his figure like smoke to flame. Blood trails from a cut above his brow, sliding down his cheek, mixing with grime. He wipes it with the back of his forearm, then cracks his neck with a grin that borders on madness.

Stray: "Tch… didn't expect that little trick from you. Thought you were smarter than this, kid."

He strides forward with a casual menace, stepping over broken stone as if it were glass.

Stray, mocking: "You didn't even check the ground you were standing on."

He stomps his foot lightly. A dull, hollow sound echoes beneath the cage floor.

Stray: "Concrete doesn't sound like that. Any fighter worth a damn can tell. You should've noticed the difference."

Nott forces himself upright, swaying. His breaths are shallow, ragged. Blood seeps from the corner of his mouth, but he stands regardless... one knee bent, one hand on the floor, his vision blurring.

He doesn't see the next hit coming.

In a flicker, Stray vanishes into motion... low to the ground, shoulder twisted like a predator ready to strike. His fist rams into Nott's gut with sickening force, folding him over as blood bursts from his lips in a scarlet arc.

Nott's body lifts off the floor from the impact. Time slows. Pain surges through every nerve.

Before he even descends, Stray turns his hips and delivers a brutal spinning kick to Nott's ribs, sending him spiraling through the air like a ragdoll. He crashes down hard in the center of the arena, skidding across the fractured floor.

Silence hangs for a heartbeat. Dust rises again.

Stray straightens his posture and exhales through his nose, watching Nott's crumpled form without blinking.

He lies on his stomach, gasping, unable to move or breathe. In a flash, Stray leaps from above and lands a crushing stomp onto Nott's back. Nott screams in agony, feeling like his spine might snap. Rage and helplessness swell inside him. Stray grins wickedly, pressing his foot harder, savoring his suffering.

Stray: "What's wrong, kid? Feeling sleepy? Taking a nap in the middle of a fight?"

Nott turns his head slightly toward Stray, eyes gleaming with defiance, wearing a smirk laced with boldness and confidence.

Nott: "Looks like you need this more than I do."

In a flash... like a bolt of lightning... Nott materializes a gun in his right hand.

He flexed his right hand straight back, aiming it at Stray in a deadly aim.

Stray's eyes widen, catching the metallic glint. He narrowly dodges as Nott fires... the bullet grazing his coat and tearing part of it. Nott seizes the chance, rolls to his right, springs to his feet, and unleashes a volley of bullets at Stray.

But Stray moves with unreal speed, dancing on the edge of danger. His steps are light and swift... like a breeze... as he glides across the arena. He's a phantom, slipping between walls and shadows.

With incredible agility, Stray leaps onto the metal mesh around the arena, using it to gain height and momentum. He seems to fly, rebounding from the edges in precise arcs.

While Nott kept shooting, his eyes locked onto Stray, but his movements were too fast and complex to follow. The bullets missed again and again, as if Stray could read Nott's mind, using every moment to throw him off. Nott couldn't keep up... frustration mounting in his chest, like time itself had frozen in that agonizing moment.

Nott's frustration builds... each moment stretching longer, the battle caught in a breathless loop of tension and rising stakes.

In a moment charged with tension, as Stray sprinted along the edge of the mesh, the arena pulsed with electric anticipation. His movements were sharp and fluid, as if his body flowed seamlessly between light and shadow, creating a visual effect that made every eye follow his steps in awe. Then... like a shadow rupturing reality... Stray was suddenly behind Nott, his approach silent, predatory, and shockingly fast.

Nott, startled: "W-What?!"

A shiver coursed through Nott's body. He tried to fire again, but Stray launched into a spinning leap toward him. Nott managed to get a final shot off... hitting Stray square in the chest... but in the same breath, a sharp elbow strike cracked against his wrist, sending the gun flying from his hand. Before he could react, Stray used the momentum of his landing to slam his forehead into Nott's face with brutal precision, smashing into his nose.

Nott stumbled backward, his balance failing him. Blood gushed from his face as he collapsed to the ground. Struggling to breathe, he attempted to rise, but his strength faltered. Lying on his back, eyes unfocused, he watched as Stray approached with slow, deliberate steps... his expression a mix of challenge and a fighter's instinct that refused to quit.

Blood smeared across his face, Nott gasped for air.

Suddenly... Stray was directly above him, his leg rising for a crushing stomp.

Nott, gritting his teeth: "Damn it...! He's still going?!"

Nott rolled to the side just in time. Stray's foot slammed into the ground with a deafening thud, sending a jolt through the arena floor. Cracks splintered outward from the impact point, and a cloud of dust erupted around them. The haze consumed that section of the cage, swallowing Nott, who was now on his knees, breath ragged, heart pounding like a war drum. In that moment, time seemed to slow.

Amidst the swirling dust, a faint glint caught his eyes... something metallic glimmering like a warning. Nott's senses snapped into focus. A steel fragment was slicing through the air straight toward him.

His instincts screamed.

To his right, a blur... Stray, darting forward with lethal intent.

Nott, thinking rapidly: "[If I dodge or teleport now, he'll catch me off guard... No, I'll use it against him.]"

With only a heartbeat to spare, Nott summoned a square steel plate, angling it slightly to the right, just as the incoming shard reached striking distance.

It struck the steel and ricocheted sharply to the right, hurling itself back into the air... like a missile veering toward its target.

Stray... still charging... only had time to slightly tilt his head.

It wasn't enough.

The shard screamed past him, inches from his skull, tearing the air with a metallic howl and leaving a ghostly trail of dust behind.

Nott, under his breath: "Fuck!."

Without pause, Nott teleported, reappearing among the hanging iron beams that crisscrossed near the ceiling... twisting metal pillars forming a jagged maze overhead. But he knew this place. Some beams aligned into straight paths, just enough to maneuver through.

Stray lifted his head, eyes tracking Nott as he dashed across the steel beams, leaping from one to the next with a grace that resembled dancing shadows. Shafts of light pierced through the cracks in the ceiling, flickering over Nott's slim, tense body... his muscles taut beneath his fitted clothes like strained cords on the verge of snapping.

Stray narrowed his eyes slightly, watching with cautious intensity, his mind calculating every move. The arena fell silent for a moment, tension hanging in the air, until Stray's sharp voice cut through the stillness.

Stray, with a calm, challenging tone: "Hey… Ref!"

Referee, glancing around nervously, then stammering: "Y-Yes?! What is it?"

Stray, eyes never leaving Nott: "Are we allowed up there?"

Referee, scanning the area quickly, then replying: "Yes. It's still within the arena bounds. He asked me about it before the fight started…"

At that moment, Stray rose to his feet slowly, as if the world itself had slowed around him. He straightened his posture, brushed his hand over his injured arm, then smirked faintly... a mix of admiration and veiled menace.

Stray, in a low, thrill-laced whisper: "Heh… So that's how it is."

His eyes flickered with a deadly glint, as if heralding an inevitable storm. Then suddenly... like time itself had exploded... Stray lunged forward with his whole body, launching himself toward the wire mesh. His limbs moved with astonishing speed, as if gravity had released its grip on him. He grasped the rusted edges and climbed with ferocious momentum, his feet pounding against the steel surface in precise, powerful bursts. His gaze never wavered... locked onto his prey.

Each leap from Nott across the beams felt like a dance of death on a razor's edge. His breathing grew heavier, his soul caught between fight and flight. But he felt it… behind him… closing in.

It was as if Stray's breath whispered down his neck, relentless in its pursuit. He wasn't just a chaser... he was a human storm, unstoppable and consuming. The battlefield was no longer grounded... it had become an inverted sky where minds clashed before bodies did.

And Nott, despite his lead in timing, knew... one moment of hesitation… just a single second… and that final leap could turn into a fatal fall.

Stray was relentless... his breath steady, his mind sharp, his movements faster than ever. The fight was no longer bound to the floor. It had evolved into a brutal contest of wit, reflex, and pure physicality...

Two predators locked in a deadly game of survival where the rules bent to the will of the clever.