Inhumans and Surprise

The air was heavy, thick with dust and sweat. Axel could barely breathe; his hands trembled beyond his control. From his corner, he watched helplessly as Lexus and Lucy confronted two foes who seemed boundless.

Lexus, clutching his silver pistol that gleamed with blue sparks, spoke with a rasp:

—“What they took… it’s a pill. It gives them extra strength, but their bodies can’t handle it. That’s why they want this over quickly.” He paused, teeth clenched. “I can endure it, but Lucy…”

He couldn’t finish.

Kahn suddenly appeared before him. His eyes, once human, now glowed crimson—like those of a frenzied predator. His movements were unnaturally fast. Lexus barely managed to twist his body before a blade slashed across his torso. A thin stream of blood ran down his skin, staining his torn clothes.

“Tch…” he grunted, staggering back.

On the other side, Lucy unleashed her energy whip, its light crackling in the air with an electric hiss. She lashed it toward Tyfo, confident she could hold him off, but he seized it with his bare hand. A cruel smile curved his lips as the glow dissolved between his fingers.

“Is that all?” he sneered, stepping forward with brutal intent.

Lucy tried to conjure a protective barrier, but Tyfo tore through it as if it were nothing. His fist sank into her stomach, forcing out a strangled cry. The breath left her lungs and she collapsed to her knees.

Axel saw everything. Every second dragged, stretching reality to force him to witness his companions’ suffering. Pressure built in his chest, as though fear itself pinned him to the ground.

“I’m going to die… we’re all going to die… and I can’t do anything,” he thought, choking. His hands opened and clenched, useless. He had no weapon. He couldn’t even stand.

Tyfo’s gaze made him shiver—those eyes, blazing red, savage, bestial. No longer human. The next strike nearly split Lucy apart, but she reacted just in time, summoning a field of glowing spikes.

Tyfo ignored it and drove his fist forward.

The blow shattered his injured hand. The metal knuckle, previously damaged by Lexus, broke off and clattered to the ground, skittering near Axel—though he didn’t notice at first.

Lucy, gasping, felt a fleeting relief when she saw Tyfo’s blood spill… but it vanished instantly. His wound sealed itself before her eyes. She smiled bitterly, almost in resignation.

Meanwhile, Lexus was at his limit. Kahn slashed at him without pause, each strike faster than the last. His vision blurred, and for the first time in years, he feared he wouldn’t last.

“…Time to end this,” he whispered.

From beneath his eyepatch, a dark glimmer emerged. Dense energy, like black smoke, seeped across his face until it covered his remaining eye. Lexus inhaled deeply and, with unnatural calm, conjured a circle of power that shut out everything around him, silencing all distractions. He no longer saw with his eyes—he felt through his body, through the current itself.

Kahn, consumed by rage, shrieked like a beast. He moved so fast he seemed to multiply, but Lexus perceived every step. When the knife hovered a breath away from his throat, Lexus’s hand shot up, seizing it. Before Kahn could react, the silver pistol flared and fired point-blank into his head.

The blast thundered through the chamber. Kahn collapsed, lifeless.

Lexus opened his eyes, panting, barely aware he was still standing.

But his relief was short-lived.

Across the room, Tyfo continued hammering Lucy. She could hardly remain upright. Her shields crumbled the moment she formed them. Axel felt every blow that struck her as if it landed on him. The helplessness was tearing him apart.

“Stop… just stop…” he whispered through tears, unheard.

He crawled backward, eyes locked on Lucy. Then his hand brushed against something cold and metallic. He looked down: Tyfo’s broken knuckle.

He picked it up without thinking.

In that instant, a surge coursed through him. Not pain, but a warmth igniting from within. He remembered Lucy’s smile when, before the fight, she had whispered: “I gave you a bit of my power, Axel… I trust you.”

His mind went blank. The terror that had paralyzed him turned into a primal drive. He stood without knowing how, tears still streaking his face.

Lucy barely opened her eyes before Tyfo raised his fist for the finishing blow. She shut them again, ready for the end.

The strike never came.

Instead, a crash shook the chamber. Tyfo was hurled backward, slamming into the wall.

Lucy blinked, stunned. Before her, Axel stood with his fist extended, breathing hard. His tearful eyes burned with a resolve he had never shown before.

“A-Axel…” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Lexus, wounded but conscious, stared in disbelief. He had seen Axel paralyzed with fear minutes ago, and now he stood tall, cloaked in a different aura.

“That…,” Lexus gasped, barely finding the words. “That’s not the same Axel. That feels like… our Axel.”