Max made sure that Aron was stable before the final confrontation. Since Aron was still able to stand on his own two feet, Max felt comfortable leaving him to find a safe pocket within the arena. Max moved with a predator’s focus, backing away slowly without ever letting his eyes drift from the two enemies who were about to partake in a large, decisive fight. He needed to ensure there was distance between them; the last thing he wanted was for an injured Aron to be used against him as a hostage or a distraction mid-fight.
Aron, clutching his side, watched Max’s retreat with a mixture of awe and trepidation. ’Max is going to be okay, right? His face... he looked like he had complete confidence,’ Aron thought, trying to quell the rising panic in his chest. ’He must have managed to figure out something during that minute I gave him. He must have figured out a flaw or done something that will allow him to finally win this fight.’ Aron had to believe it, because once again, his own body had failed him; he wasn’t going to be the one capable of protecting Max this time.
Walking out toward the center of the stage, Max’s posture was radiating a new level of certainty. For Ramon, however, the display was almost insulting. He found it incredibly hard to believe that a mere sixty-second break, barely enough time to catch one’s breath, could amount to any significant change in the flow of the battle.
"You should have taken me out when you had the chance, boy," Ramon commented, his voice echoing with mechanical distortion.
He bent his knees, getting into a low, tensed position that mimicked a half-sprinting start. In an instant, he leapt forward. The hydraulics in his leg units hissed as he activated the exoskeleton at maximum output. Simultaneously, the servos in his arm whirred to life; he was preparing to throw a devastating, suit-powered punch that he intended to end the night with.
Ramon sailed through the air, ready to finish the contract in one go. To his absolute surprise, Max didn’t move to dodge. Instead, Max leapt up into the air as well, meeting him halfway. Max only took a few explosive steps and then spun his body with a grace that shouldn’t have been possible for a human. The side of his foot came out lightning-fast, slamming with the force of a wrecking ball right into Ramon’s chest piece.
The impact sent Ramon flying backward in the exact direction he had come from. He landed hard on the floor, skidding across the polished wood for several meters before his suit’s friction plates brought him to a halt.
"Legs have longer reach than arms, you dumbass," Max stated, landing lightly on his feet. "And if you’re in the air, you can’t shift your weight, so I knew you couldn’t avoid my attacks."
Ramon was able to get up quickly, using a single hand to push himself off the floor. The ease with which he rose showed just how much raw power the exoskeleton’s motors were still providing. Although he had taken a direct hit, he was mostly fine; the reinforced chest piece had absorbed the bulk of the kinetic energy, though the vibration had certainly rattled his teeth.
"I guess I was really careless with that one," Ramon admitted, wiping a layer of dust from his white coat. "I thought you might have been still hurt from the last scuffle we had, but as usual, you are tougher than you look."
This time, Ramon abandoned the aerial theatrics. He simply ran straight ahead, closing the distance on foot. When he reached Max, he threw out a super-speed punch. Max reacted with clinical precision, hitting the mechanical arm away while simultaneously shifting his head to avoid the follow-up. In that same heartbeat, Max went to counter with a strike of his own.
Ramon could see the counter coming clearly. Quickly, he pushed off with his reinforced foot, shifting his body backward. He forced the movement a little too far, sliding four meters away until he was no longer within striking distance of Max’s fists.
"What’s wrong? Are we scared now?" Max asked, his voice steady.
Ramon didn’t answer immediately. He could tell through the suit’s sensors that there was something seriously wrong with the way the fight was evolving. It had started with that first block. Max had avoided strikes from Ramon before, but this was different. Ramon himself was moving significantly faster now compared to the start of the night; he had gotten used to the speed and could utilize the suit’s artificial reflexes much better.
Yet, the same could be said for Max. As Ramon lunged forward again, lifting his leg to drive a heavy kick into Max’s ribs, Max moved at the perfect time. He stepped to the side and casually tapped the foot away. The tap was deceptively forceful, enough that it pushed Ramon’s leg all the way to the ground, almost spinning his entire body around from the lost momentum.
Seeing how this was playing out, Ramon decided to go with the flow of the movement. He let his body complete the spin and then performed a snapping back-fist, the metal gauntlet whistling through the air. This time, it was Max who was momentarily surprised by the speed of the transition, but he managed to lift both of his hands to the side of his head to guard.
The exoskeleton whacked into his forearms with a heavy, metallic thud. But to Ramon’s horror, Max didn’t flinch. His body didn’t even move an inch from the impact. He stood there, strong and unyielding. Max then spun his own body and delivered a retaliatory kick. In return, it was Ramon who was forced to lift his guard in a hurry. When he hoisted his hands to protect his head, Max’s kick pounded into his forearms so hard that the impact crashed Ramon’s own hands back into his face.
Once again, Ramon was forced to skip backward, putting a few meters of safety between them. He stood there, the suit’s internal diagnostics beeping at him.
"What is going on? You weren’t this strong or fast before," Ramon demanded, his voice cracking. "You shouldn’t have even been able to take a hit like that standing up. A regular person would have fallen onto the ground or had their arms shattered."
Max smiled as he answered, feeling the massive influx of capital from Aron’s transfer coursing through his veins.
"I guess I’m not a regular person," Max said. He paused, his expression softening for just a moment as he calculated the cost. "Although, I think this is going to cost me quite a bit in the long run."
Blinking in the shadows, Aron was utterly surprised. He watched as Max had become vastly stronger in the span of a single minute. He couldn’t help but wonder: how? How was Max doing this?