9 Crimson Rage: Part 3

"I mean, I understand trying to be dramatic but those lines were just cringe, son. Too bad for you, since these walls are really permeable to sound thanks to Igor here. I am never letting you live that one down. And using an overclocker, are we?"

Richard was sitting in a makeshift chair with his coat bunched up in a corner of the cell. He had his spectacles on and was leisurely reading a book. On noticing the now open cell door and rather shocked recipients to his unusual condition, he put the book down and walked out of the cell.

"Sh-Shut your mouth, Dad! I did not just climb onto this hunk of junk to hear your pestering! Anyway, I think you owe me a little something, don't you?" Alexio looked a little flustered as he turned away from his father.

Richard merely waved his hand and thanked Alexio for the rescue. Just then, Igor roared in blasphemy and anger.

"Am I really being ignored here?! It would seem I feel for your childish prank but it's far from over! I still have my final trump card to end both of you before you can rejoin the war!"

"Eyo I just got out of a two by two cell and you think I'm gonna get right back to fighting? Nah we don't roll like that. I'm taking the weekend off and going to binge some shows while my #responsible son handles the frontlines for me. By the way, this is your book in case you didn't notice." He threw Igor the book he was reading but Igor blasted it to bits before it could reach him.

"I don't care how you got it and I don't care about risks anymore! I have to destroy you both or I lose everything! I stake-"

Alex smiled internally as he knew what Igor was about to do. He was about to use his final trump card, Imperil. This allows him to stake or rather bet something he possess under his command or cares about. Staking a living person's life usually grants him more than what objects or material possessions do. By staking something on the outcome of a fight, he increases his strength, speed and all the other attributes used in proportion to the amount staked. This, of course, implies that upon losing the said fight, the items or individuals at stake will be destroyed to the last atom. Betting on random objects or people does not work unless he truly treasures or possess it or them. Alex was anticipating this from the start as the weight that tips the balance in his favor lies in the outcome of this fight. Alex thought to himself,

'Now he's gonna bet the life of every subordinate of his on this ship. He believes that what I've displayed so far is the limit of my power but he's wrong. He'll be confident in his bet but with dad here, our tag team will easily obliterate this guy. With everyone on the ship dead, Haru will take over the command controls and we'll crash this floating fortress to the ground. Now, do it!'

"-the life of each and every living soul on my home world! Upon my defeat they shall suffer the consequences and with their lives now at stake, I shall command their strength as my own!"The entire area exploded in a blinding light as Alexio now stood perplexed and Richard took out his sunglasses and took a seat in the corner chair.

"What the hell is wrong with you!!? Your pride isn't worth destroying your entire species, come on!"Just then Richard perked up from his cozy spot in the back,

"I think we're way past the bargaining stage here."

"Shut your trap, Dad!"

"Snappy. Anyway, you've got a situation on your hands, don't you? And I think this is perfect."

The light finally receded as plasma flew everywhere and Igor stood right in the middle, glowing with raw power. He started walking towards the father son duo as Alexio unconsciously took a step back. Richard did not miss this and spoke out,

"Fear. It's really the greatest driver for survival, ain't it? Fear is what drove Igor to pull a stunt like this and now fear makes you retreat from the very fight you were expecting from the moment you entered this ship."

"If you don't stop your preaching and help me out, I will seriously punch you. Come on, dad!"

"This is perfect, don't you think? I think we can do the test of spirit right now!"

"You wouldn't-"

"I officially declare the outcome of this duel to determine whether my son will inherit my gift or not-"

"Fuck you. So I'm gonna have to fight his dude alone?"

"Oh yes. By the way, I should've told you before but it was actually sensible for him to stake his home in this situation."

"Why."

"I'll tell you after you beat his ass."

"STOP BICKERING, YOU FOOLS! YOUR DEATH IS AT HAND. MY PEOPLE WILL SURVIVE AND NOW YOU SHALL FEEL OUR RESOLVE TO FIGHT! PREPARE YOURSELF!"

"Ava, come in. Ava?"

"I hear you. What is it? Did you free Lord Richard?"

"Yeah about that. How long have I got left with the overclocker? And what's it currently set at?""I'd say it's about ten minutes before you and the device overheat. It's set at the standard 1.5. Why do you ask?"

"Raise it to 3. That'll leave me with approximately 3 minutes before I burn out, right? That's more than enough for this fool. And before you ask, I know what I'm doing and I need you to trust me on this."

"Alright, raising it to three."

"HAAAA!"

Alexio immediately felt the increased energy retention and he raised his energy levels to the point just before he felt like he'd cook himself. The blood red glow in his eyes brightened and the aura around him thickened as his muscles puffed up slightly and his hair seemed to spike even more.

"I'm ready to finish this. Are you?"

"HRRRRAH!" Igor did not waste time with a proper reply and charged Alexio with a battle cry who retaliated with his own. Igor threw a punch with all his might which Alexio managed to block. Frustrated, he threw another punch with his other arm but Alexio managed to block that as well. Both of them looked at each other with a murderous gleam in their eyes as Igor began to push Alexio down. Finally, as he dropped to one knee, Igor suddenly withdrew his hands and grabbed Alexio by his face and tossed him across the chasm.

"Too weak."

Alexio recovered midair and managed to land safely on the wall and pushed himself off of it, lunging himself at Igor who had conjured his plasma blade, ready to intercept Alexio. The clash of their blades was heard throughout the place as sparks flew everywhere. Moments after the clash, Alexio's blade broke at the point of impact as he was again hurled across the complex after taking a punch directly to the face. Igor calmly walked towards Alexio who was still shaking his head after the last blow, blood dripping from his mouth and his vision blurry. Recovering just in time, he jumped away from Igor as he brought his fists down on the ground, shattering the floor.

"Impressive. By a wide margin, you're packing more of a wallop than me. But I still have MY last trump card."

"Do what you want but you can't win against an entire planet. Thousands of people now stand behind me as I crush the life out of you. How can you possibly hope to win?"

"We'll see about that. BETA? You there?"

"Yes boss. How may I assist you?"

"Ah bringing out the beats, are you? This'll be interesting to watch." Richard finally perked up from his cozy spot in the corner while he was already busy with another book that he stole from Igor.

"Play my library 'Fighting God' so I may pound this asshole to a pulp."