The Speed War

Speed Villain

Chapter 7: The Speed War

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A World Moving Too Fast

For the first time in his life, Kael-X felt slow.

His silver hair covered his eyes as he tried to focus, but the world around him—normally moving at a crawl—was now a blur.

His heart pounded.

What the hell did Vax-9 do to him?

The Hunter stood across from him, unfazed. His Zypheron armor pulsed with energy, and the symbol on his chest still glowed with an ominous red hue.

> "Confused?" Vax-9's voice was eerily calm.

"You're experiencing time like a normal creature for the first time."

Kael-X clenched his fists.

"Yeah?" he smirked. "Doesn't mean I can't kick your ass."

He moved.

Or at least, he tried to.

But something was wrong.

His body felt heavy, like he was running through thick sludge. His usual light-speed reaction time was gone—Vax-9's device had somehow equalized their speed.

Kael-X barely dodged as Vax-9's fist came swinging at him. The air cracked from the force, a shockwave tearing through the street.

Kael-X leaped back, barely managing to avoid a second hit.

Vax-9 was fast.

Too fast.

For the first time since escaping the Zypheron empire, Kael-X felt overwhelmed.

And that pissed him off.

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A Desperate Strategy

Kael-X dodged again, but he was on the defensive. Vax-9 relentlessly closed the distance, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks, each attack carrying the force of a demolished skyscraper.

Kael-X blocked one—his bones shook from the impact.

Another hit.

And another.

Each strike sent Kael-X skidding backward, his boots carving trenches into the concrete.

He was losing.

Think.

Kael-X wasn't just fast—he was strong too. But his usual strategy relied on speed. Without that, he needed a different approach.

> Use his environment.

His gaze flicked to a half-collapsed building nearby.

Perfect.

As Vax-9 lunged again, Kael-X ducked low—instead of blocking, he grabbed a chunk of debris, hurling it straight into Vax-9's face.

The Hunter barely had time to react.

Kael-X used the distraction to slam his shoulder into Vax-9's chest, sending them both crashing through the building's weakened wall.

Dust exploded around them.

Vax-9 recovered instantly, throwing a counterattack—but Kael-X was already moving.

He didn't try to outrun him.

Instead, he fought smart.

Controlled chaos.

He kicked off the walls, bouncing from pillar to pillar, using the debris as cover. If he couldn't rely on raw speed, he would use unpredictability.

The two warriors clashed in the ruins, their blows shaking the entire structure.

Then, Kael-X saw his opportunity.

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Breaking the Chains

Vax-9 was powerful. But Kael-X knew something about Zypheron tech—especially control-based technology.

It always had a weakness.

> Overload it.

Kael-X stopped dodging.

Instead, he planted his feet and let Vax-9 come at him.

The Hunter took the bait.

Vax-9 threw a devastating punch aimed at Kael-X's gut.

Kael-X caught it.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, shattering what remained of the building. But Kael-X didn't move.

Instead, he grinned.

"Gotcha."

He gripped Vax-9's fist tighter, crushing the armor plating beneath his fingers. Sparks flew as the Hunter tried to pull back, but Kael-X held firm.

Then, Kael-X did something insane.

He channeled everything into a single attack.

His muscles tensed. His bones groaned under the pressure.

And then—

He slammed his head forward, headbutting Vax-9 directly in the face.

The impact was catastrophic.

The shockwave from the blow rippled through the air, shattering nearby glass, collapsing walls, and even cracking the armor on Vax-9's chest.

More importantly—

The device on Vax-9's armor flickered.

For a fraction of a second—

Time shifted.

And that was all Kael-X needed.

His vision snapped back to normal.

The world slowed down again.

The battlefield was once again a playground.

Vax-9's eyes widened.

"Oh," Kael-X smirked, his body vibrating with speed once more. "You're screwed now."

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The True Speed Villain

Kael-X moved.

To everyone else, he vanished.

Vax-9 barely had time to process what was happening before Kael-X's fist collided with his gut.

BOOM!

The Hunter's body bent like a broken doll, sent hurtling through five city blocks, demolishing entire buildings along the way.

But Kael-X wasn't done.

Before Vax-9 even touched the ground, Kael-X was already there.

Another devastating uppercut sent him flying again.

A spinning kick followed.

Then, an elbow to the skull.

To the human soldiers watching, it looked like Vax-9 was being annihilated from all directions at once.

Kael-X blurred through the battlefield, hitting harder and faster than ever before.

Vax-9 tried to activate his armor again.

Kael-X didn't let him.

He grabbed the Hunter's wrist, ripping the device clean off his chest. Sparks flew. The red glow in Vax-9's armor died out instantly.

For the first time, fear entered the Hunter's eyes.

"You…" he coughed, blue blood dripping from his lips. "You're… a monster."

Kael-X grinned.

"Nah."

Then, he grabbed Vax-9 by the throat—

And threw him straight into the Zypheron warship above.

BOOM.

The impact rocked the massive vessel, causing its engines to flicker. Smoke and flames burst from the side as Vax-9's crushed body embedded into its hull.

Kael-X dusted off his jacket.

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

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A Bigger Threat Looms

The warship trembled.

Kael-X looked up, expecting it to retreat.

Instead—

A new alarm blared across the city.

> "ACTIVATING PLAN B. COMMENCING PLANETARY CLEANSE."

Kael-X's smirk vanished.

The warship's hull split apart, revealing a massive energy cannon powering up.

The air grew heavy.

Kael-X's enhanced vision could already see the calculations.

> This wasn't an attack on him.

This was an attack on Earth itself.

The Zypherons had decided.

If they couldn't capture him—

They would erase the entire planet.

Kael-X gritted his teeth.

> "Oh hell no."

The next fight wasn't just about survival.

It was about saving the world.

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To Be Continued…