7 Crimson Rage: Part 1

Alarms blared throughout the complex as Alexio turned towards the shouting prisoners. They seemed to be the ones deployed with the commander to retrieve the so called resurfaced relic. With barely a minute before the response team reaches him, he went up to them and spoke in a calm voice,

"Quiet. I was here primarily for my father but unlike that dumbass, I care about the men under my command. I'm gonna disable the prison force fields but enable them again for good reason. Take this"He handed all the ones around the complex a grenade he had picked up from Ava and then brought the force fields back up again. As he heard the hurried footsteps of soldiers headed his way, he quickly explained to the telepath among them,"You can relay the instructions I give to the others right? Here's what you have to do."

As he finished talking with the telepath, the quick access doors on all sides of the prison wards opened simultaneously and hordes of Kridora poured out like ants with their weapons drawn. Alexio used this moment to once again remind himself that it wasn't just one army they were fighting. An entire assortment of warriors stood before him, some resembling his own race while others completely alien to him. Horns and various other extensions stood out in some while some had multiple limbs. This assortment of invaders must be led by strong leadership to have been brought under a common command. Alexio often wondered what kind of power was capable of forcing an entire civilization to bend the knee to one goal, whatever that was. He was snapped out of his stupor by a sudden shout,

"On your knees, 'commander'! You're a fool for coming to this ship alone. Although I wonder how you managed to get this far without triggering an alarm. Anyway, you're coming with us, Alexio!"

Alexio was about to conjure his tendrils when the blast door on the far end above him opened and someone descended slowly from the roof. He had the same familiar gleam to his horns and the same red glare to his eyes. Alexio immediately noticed a few changes in him, with his newfound weapon being the most significant. Igor seemed to have taken the previous loss to the heart, since he has improved quite a lot from the last time Alexio faced him. His energy levels seemed to be exponentially higher as well.

"Alexio. I hear you're the commander now! That's amusing. You must be wondering h-"

Before Igor could could finish speaking, Alexio shouted from below,

"Those two scaredy cats informed you personally, didn't they? The ones I let go from the training grounds. I knew you'd come running like a pet the moment you heard I was here. You're a dumbass for taking a loss personally in a war."

"Heh. I'm glad you understand my intentions for coming here. My race is a proud one and I simply cannot tolerate a kid like you making me retreat from a fight. You must've noticed my new weapon and power. Courtesy of our R&D department. This did shorten my lifespan a little but they've managed to boost my abilities to an extent I couldn't have through mere training. The rest of you! Leave this place except a few to witness as I crush the life out of this native infant. And I know he's not come here alone. Alert all the grid captains on the ship to look for intruders. I want them found and brought before me as I finish pounding this jackass to the ground. Now!" The soldiers turned around and left from the same access door with a few staying behind to guard the prisoners as he may try to break them out for assistance. Igor finally descended to the ground and stood before Alexio who yawned mockingly. Although he seemed uninterested, Alexio was analyzing his opponent as much as he could, gauging his current strength against his own. Looking around, he saw seven soldiers surrounding the place, so he couldn't count on them not to intervene in case he does start to overwhelm Igor. He was relieved that they hadn't checked the prisoners themselves and were satisfied with just them not escaping. If everything goes as planned (which it always does), this ship is gonna light up like a bunch of crackers with this idiot in the middle.

"Stop trying to act nonchalant, Alex. We both know you're trying to gauge my newfound abilities. Instead, let me give you a live demonstration."

"Ho Ho. Well then, come closer so I can beat the living crap out of you."

Both of them now stood at opposite ends of the prison wards, which happens to be a big area. As they began walking towards each other, the air began heating up and sparks flew randomly. Suddenly, the entire area exploded into a battlefield as shockwaves blew over the entire area. The soldiers on standby barely managed to steady themselves as they looked on in awe.

"What's going on? They haven't used any attacks and yet the place is about to rip apart."

"It's their energy that's colliding midair and creating these shockwaves. But the sheer power is insane. Their attack rushes are really on point, cancelling out each other's momentum perfectly. Just look at them. Normally, using plasma energy for melee attacks on such a scale would exert a lot of effort but they seem so calm. However, Lord Igor has an overwhelming advantage in this."

"Which is-"

"You'll see."

As both of them came to close range, the clashes around them reached their peak when Alexio threw a punch and Igor a kick. Their limbs collided, the shockwave from which shook the entire ship. The rest of the Templar Knights felt the shockwave and confirmed their suspicions that Igor had found Alexio, as planned. Now it all hinged on him, whether he'd be able to drag him down.

"Impressive. You've definitely improved from last time. I'll admit it, whatever they did to you really made a difference. I might actually break a sweat before I kill you""Still riding the high horse, are you? Mark my words, I'm gonna knock that proud expression clean of your face. HRRAAH!" Both of them began punching furiously at each other; collision of their fists reflecting as fierce winds throughout the complex. Plasma was flying everywhere from their revved up bodies, clashing with their opposites and exploding, creating pressures that blew the equipment and soldiers alike away. Suddenly, both jumped away from each other, Alexio towards the opposite wall and Igor towards the roof of the ward.

"HAAA!"

Both of them screamed before launching themselves at each other. Just before clashing in their trajectories, both Igor and Alexio disappeared and kept reappearing in random places above the soldiers, their fists still clashing as they met with unparalleled ferocity. This exchange of blows continued until Igor suddenly went flying from a corner of the complex with Alexio gliding right behind and landing a final kicking before settling this exchange of blows. Igor was quite battered and was bleeding from multiple areas with one of his horns missing. Alexio as well had multiple cuts all over his body with a trail of blood flowing from his left temple. He stood silently in front of Igor, who was now in a crouched position, with a serious look on his face. Igor managed to stand up, spat blood from his mouth and jumped back, startling Alexio.

"Tch. You've managed to graze me a lot but as you can tell, it's over. Just kill over and save everyone the trouble, will you? And why don't you use that tiny pickaxe of yours, huh? Something wrong?"

Igor had an irritated look on his face which quickly turned to amusement. After looking over at his axe with distaste, he spoke in a calm voice edged with…excitement,

"Now now let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm just getting started! And I could ask the same to you, why don't you use those tendrils of yours? YOU'LL REGRET MOCKING ME!"

Igor flew at Alexio with his plasma sword drawn. Alexio had anticipated this strategy, conjuring his signature tendrils and plasma blade combo and braced himself. But before he could intercept Igor's strike, he vanished and reappeared behind Alexio, swinging his blade at his back. He struck something metallic before Alexio jumped forward, avoiding a fatal injury. Sparks flew from his back where the overclocker was installed and the disc now seemed cold.

"Damn! This thing was already broke before this idiot went and put a crack in it. If it actually breaks before R&D has an opportunity test this thing, Ava's gonna kill me."

Suddenly Igor began smiling as he dispersed his blade and aura, surprising Alexio. He then raised his hand to the roof and clenched his fist. That's when he saw it, tiny sparks flying flying from his hand in a dozen directions across the complex. Alexio looked around but saw nothing but holes in the walls and roof-

"Oh crap."

"You see them now, don't you? I wasn't jumping off of walls to look impressive, you short sighted fool! This is the upgrade they made to my original design. And since you've ventured into a sweet spot, as I planned when I jumped at you, I'll use these to kill you now. What, you think I didn't notice how much stronger you were than me when we first fought? I knew then that in raw power, I can't beat you. But you're just a kid while I have millennia of fighting experience. Remember this well, kid, that a fight is decided before it even begins and your loss was ascertained when you decided take me lightly! But before I kill you, let me give you the pleasure of witnessing beforehand what you're gonna go through."

Dozens of blades suddenly appeared where the holes were, all pointing to where Alexio now stood, perplexed. Alexio then realized what had transpired when they were exchanging blows.

"Damn you! You placed invisible blades every time you jumped off a wall and waited until now to corner me like this. No! I won't go down like this! The one to die wi-"

Before Alexio could leap from his place, Igor brought his fist down and with it, all the blades flew at Alexio. At the last moment, he focused all the plasma he could in his aura which now acted as a shock absorber. The blades began to embed themselves in his aura with some managing shallow cuts on his skin. Alexio smirked as he winced in pain but Igor was not done yet.

"Like I've said before, a battle is decided before it is fought. I knew you'd try something like that! Here's my special move: CruzerBlade-Total DETONATION!" Igor exclaimed as he clasped both his hands. Sparks began to fly from the blades as they began to glow brighter. The ship again shook from the shockwave of a tremendous explosion as dozens of blades embedded in Alexio's shield exploded.

"DAAAAAAAAAMN YOUUUUUUU!"

As the smoke began to settle, the soldiers advanced towards their lord to congratulate him for a victory well deserved. Igor accepted help from the medical officer as he began to tend to the wounds. Igor silently looked on at the smoke, almost expecting him to spring back up from this. But nothing happened as he gave a sigh of relief. Suddenly, something struck him. He looked to the prison wards, expecting looks of shock or disbelief but all he saw was native soldiers looking on in silence at the debris, not a shred of shock on their faces.

"I have bested your commander, foolish natives! Soon it will be your turn to be killed as the old fool listens on in horror at what he's brought to his troops! And yet I see hope in those eyes of yours. Tell me why. Why do you refuse admit defeat?"

"Because it's not over until our Commander says it's over. And your stupid strategy tells me it's far from over, Igor. Take a good look."

Igor anxiously turned to the centre of the smoke, expecting to see blood and pieces of flesh scattered around. But all he saw was a bright light, tinted in red brighter than before and eyes glowing blood red with rage.

"You've beaten me in essence. You've beaten me in experience and you've beaten me in ingenuity. For that, I commend you."

"Th-This can't be. H-How are-"

"Your words here today remind me of what war truly is. This shall remain forever in my heart."

"This au-aura….this pressure….what are you? HOW DID YOU GET THIS POWER?"

"Had it not been for the overclocker getting blown into working condition by your strike, I would've died right here. Just the thought of losing in a place like this fills me with rage. And this rage I shall aim at you. And with this newfound power, I will obliterate you completely."

Alexio stood where the explosion had been, bleeding from various places and his battle outfit almost blown to smithereens. But in its place, metal contraptions were clicked in place on his hands, feet and chest; all glowing with power. Surrounded in an aura more intense than ever before, eyes boiling red with the rage of his people who had suffered for years at the hands of the Kridora, Alexio was ready to show these invaders the true meaning of hell. With his plasma blade sharper and longer than before, burning to the edge with the same blood red intensity, he was ready.

"Get ready for round fucking 2."