Chapter 35: Accelerate Vs Pause: Part 1 (1/2)

Level: 3

HP: 20/20

Strength: 6

Agility: 19

Stamina: 15

Sense: 7

Points available to distribute: 4

”ACCELERATE!”

*VOOM!*

While Axel's figure vanished from view, the sound of a boom reverberated through the entire room. Gray looked up at that moment, flashing a look at Axel's leg that was swinging down on him.

When he moved his head to dodge, however-

*BAM!*

Due to his lack of speed, the kick connected, striking him right in the back of the head. In the course of pausing, Gray's head bopped down.

[Pause]

In order to counter, Gray raised his head and threw a punch at the figure of Axel, which should have been suspended in the air.

In spite of this, he slowed down, his eyes widening as he stopped in his tracks.

Axel wasn't there. It was just before Gray was able to pause him that Axel had moved away.

*WHAM!*

Suddenly a kick came from the side, striking him right on the side of his head, causing him to fall over to the side. He didn't let him reach the ground as he kicked him once again, this time from the direction from which he was falling.

*WAPAM!*

Previously, Gray's body had been falling to the left, but now he was falling to the right. Immediately after he had centered himself, he launched a kick right at Gray, causing a clean injury to his head.

A barrage of consecutive kicks landed on Gray from all directions as he was disorientated, essentially turning him into a kicking bag.

The feet of Axel would retract each time Gray came close to pausing. Actually, it was almost as if he had worked out that just by touching Gray's body, Gray's ability would be triggered and so he made sure he kept as short of a time in contact with Gray as possible.

His attacks, however, would lose their power as a result of this.

[HP: 11/20]

...

[HP: 10/20]

Slowly but surely he was chipping away at his HP, but Gray firmed it, waiting for his chance.

Axel moved to finish it in this next attack, sending a rising kick just as Gray had done to him, at the bottom of his chin.

Fortunately, Gray was able to tilt his body back in the last second, just barely being able to get away with only a graze.

But that was only the beginning. Still in the motion of having dodged the previous attack, Gray was suddenly swiped off his feet, causing his body to lift into the air.

'Shit-'

*VAM!*

Axel unleashed a barrage of kicks on Gray's back, causing him to go further and further into the air.

[Pause]

Again it had failed.

As Gray's body slowly fell from the air, he planned to finish it all in this next move.

Accelerate. An ability which allowed him to accelerate himself to superhuman speeds, that along with the physical boost he also got from awakening. He may as well have been perceiving time at a different rate to humans.

His reaction speed, his physical speed, it was all heightened. He was moving so fast that the people could only see his blurry silhouette as it moved around Gray countless times.

With his body slowly falling towards the ground, Gray raised his guard as if he already knew what to expect.

Axel who had been beside him, already had a swing in motion, heading right towards him. It moved so fast, that Gray could barely react. But he did.

Gray positioned his at just the right angle to Grab, Axel's kick. In that instant, the smile on Axel's face widened as he vanished.

His sillhoute appeared behind Gray, this time a kick was in motion heading right for Gray's back. The first move was a fake, to get him to drop his guard.

'I win.' The thought flashed in his head.

*Thump!*

Axel's eyes widened, as his kick was suddenly caught by Gray's hand. He had positioned his hand perfectly, grasping it just as it made contact with him.

'What!?'

Gray had predicted it. Throughout the whole fight Axel had been pumping out fakes left and right because he was afraid of being caught. So Gray made a gamble. He gambled that Axel would strike in his blind spot.

Turns out it was correct.

[Pause]

Gray's face slammed against the floor, but with the veins sticking out of his hand, he didn't let go.

5 Seconds, that was all he had. With the smile on his face widening by the second, Gray's figure could be seen, ahead of Axel's frozen figure.

Unable to move, Axel could only watch as Gray wind-up his arm as far back as possible, preparing for a powerful swing.