The twinkling sculpture and the burning fiend moved, closing the gap as thousands of eyes worriedly watched them from above and the sides.

The first to make a move was Hawk, his four knuckles jutted out into four ten-inch-long blades.

Hawk was about to sprint but Vidu closed in instantly, the gauntlet punched his chin and tossed him into the sky.

The man with diamond skin hit the ceiling of the barrier and forcefully slammed down. The ground shattered like glass.

Hawk grunted as he rose to his legs, for the first time, he was damaged more by Vidu’s attack than by the barriers’ recoil.

"What!" Hawk mumbled as he opened and closed his mouth, checking his jaw. "What happened?"

Then his eyes caught the red creature. "Oh, yes." Vidu was now faster, fast enough to surprise Hawk.

Vidu Morris grinned, his back fangs threatened Hawk as he raised both hands. The crack in his chest gleamed with fire as his gauntlets turned red, glowing like hot steel coming out of the kiln.

The fists slammed down on the obsidian floor, cracking it. Fire erupted through the shattered ground.

That was not the power of Vidu, it was the power his bonded cursed beast possessed.

The fire engulfed Hawk, the crowd gasped in anxiety, they now wanted Hawk to kill this hideous fiend, Vidu unintentionally became the public enemy.

What other choice did he have?

From within the fire, a figure scampered. Fast and precisely, a straight punch landed on Vidu’s chest. The ten-inch blades dug their way inside, Vidu screamed in pain, a shrilling echo.

He caught Hawk’s hand but was hit by his other hand. Now, eight knuckle claws were inside the body of the fiend.

Vidu grabbed both of his hands and took a deep breath, his belly enlarged like a balloon. Hawk kicked his groin but nothing happened, as if his organs were misplaced.

And then, Vidu heaved on Hawk’s face. Boiling orange lava spilled over his body. It hissed as the droplets fell to the ground.

Hawk cried in pain, despite being the toughest, there was a limit. His diamond body lost its polished haze.

He was in the midst of the agony when Vidu hit him with a slap. He no longer had the claws of a bear man, but the habit remained.

Hawk was hurled away, he ricocheted against the ground. His body was about to be whammied against the punishing barriers but he managed to stick his knuckle claws into the ground.

Vidu laughed. "What happened, you bloody traitor? Get on your feet." He looked at Reginald with a side-eye and stepped towards Hawk.

A groan left Hawk’s throat as he stood up, the steam whistled out from his diamond body.

The wounds on Vidu’s body were healing at a visible speed, Hawk understood a little bit about Vidu’s abilities.

Fire, superhuman strength, and regeneration. These three were what he managed to find out. Somehow, that made him more tense as he couldn’t find a way to defeat his brother.

Until he heard, "Exhaustion and recoil." The voice of Reginald.

Hawk’s brain gave a sharp signal. "Why didn’t I think of that? It’s a double-edged sword, but it surely is the only way," he spoke to himself.

Hawk nodded at Reginald, the latter wore an expressionless face. Reginald wanted to save Hawk but now he couldn’t.

So he rather said something that would make him win, advice that came through experience.

Hawk dashed forward, Vidu remained unbothered. He slid around Vidu as the gap between them closed.

Vidu extended his hand and successfully grabbed him, that was exactly what Hawk wanted. He took a fistful of pebbles and dust when he glided and flung it at Vidu’s eyes.

A recognised dastardly move, attempted by losers.

"How low have you fallen, brother," Vidu said as he closed his eyes.

It was the tiny window that Hawk required, he thrust the blades into Vidu’s demonic neck, blood oozed out.

He spent a second observing and to his bad luck, the neck was regenerating. He clicked his tongue and got behind Vidu’s back.

The blades bit into Vidu’s giant red back as he drew his hands back, then forward. Each stroke dragged a rasp of blood into the air.

Hawk’s hands moved like a handsaw, cleaving a thick, stubborn tree. Vidu shuddered in pain, reluctant to fall.

He wildly swung like before but failed to catch the man of diamond this time, then another attempt was made.

He again raised his molten gauntlets into the sky and rammed them down onto the ground, igniting a small tornado of pyre, engulfing both him and Hawk.

The diamond hissed like a heated tea kettle, but still stuck on Vidu’s back like an infant monkey clung to his mother for security.

Vidu, after finding no other way, charged backwards. His gigantic body slammed against the barriers, Hawk was crushed between them.

His grip loosened as he gasped for air, Vidu staggered into some distance, his back was cut open into eight nasty gashes.

Hawk finally stood and as soon as he rose, a giant stone hit his head, the impact knocked him back against the barriers.

It was a giant piece of rock that was torn apart from the ground by Vidu with nothing but raw power.

Hawk stood again, he had to, and moved forward. Another rock was thrown. Big, fast, and with impeccable aim, hitting Hawk on his head.

But that couldn’t stop him, Hawk kept his pace. Until another chunk of floor was ripped apart.

Reginald sighed at the sight, that was too expensive.

Hawk thought he had found an opportunity, such a big chunk would slow him down. The diamond head ran but he was wrong, he misjudged the strength of the cursed beast.

Before he could reach, he got hit, the obsidian dollop of rock fell on him like a guillotine, caving him into a dent.

The impact made Hawk slightly dizzy, no rock could penetrate the diamond.

He saw something shiny. When his blur disappeared, his eyes widened. The fist made of glowing hot gauntlet was on its way to hammer him.

BOOOM