Alexia was worried.

Why wouldn't she be?

The moment Superior Man had thrown that first punch, things had gone terribly wrong.

The entire spar had spiraled far beyond the planned choreography.

What was supposed to be a promotional battle for Awakener Armor had turned into a genuine, destructive clash between two powerful people, it was still unfair too, Lucius was just D-Rank and Superior Man was S….

Where was the sportsmanship in that?!

She paced nervously in front of the large reinforced window that overlooked the arena.

Every few seconds, she'd glance out into the sky.

It wasn't supposed to go this way at all.

The contract had been clear: it was light contact, flashy visuals, and nothing fatal.

Yet Superior Man had gone completely off-script, moving with real killing intent.

Her nails dug into her palm.

"What's wrong with that guy…" she muttered under her breath.

The door burst open.

A worker stumbled in, breathing heavily. "Ma'am… sir… we've got an issue."

Her head snapped toward him instantly. "What kind of issue?"

"Speak, Edward." The Manager said, a lot less anxiously.

Edward didn't answer right away.

Instead, he tapped the tablet in his hand.

A holographic feed projected upward, showing a high-speed visual of the battle… the moment Lucius broke the sound barrier and slammed Superior Man straight toward the earth.

The clip looped in silence.

Alexia's eyes widened.

Even though she had seen her fair share of Awakeners, seeing Lucius who was very lazy… do it felt unreal.

The worker swallowed hard.

"While it's good that Sir Lucius survived the initial hit, the problem is…" He hesitated, glancing nervously at the data scrolling beside the footage. "The velocity at which Superior Man is falling — it'll destroy the arena. Maybe even the surrounding blocks and here too."

Their blood ran cold.

He tapped again, and a simulation appeared beside the video feed… a projected impact radius showing red circles spreading across the holographic site map.

The other staff members in the room gasped.

But before anyone could speak, something in the footage changed.

Suddenly, Superior Man's descent slowed.

The hologram zoomed in, showing a faint cube-shaped barrier wrapping around the falling figure.

The cube was transparent, almost invisible, but its geometric edges distorted the air around it.

Inside it, the S-rank was suspended as if caught in invisible threads.

His speed dropped drastically… from supersonic to a slow, almost graceful fall.

"This should be space," the worker stammered. "But it's helping him…"

"Since Lucius was able to do this, we should assume he's completely alright?" The manager asked.

"Yes," the man nodded quickly. "Both of them. But we should get healers ready immediately. That last hit is sure to leave a bad wound"

…

The cube glowed in the sky, slowly lowering toward the arena floor.

Superior Man's body was still, folded awkwardly within the invisible space.

When he touched down, it was gentle.

Edward, the healers and Alexia were here already, with some employees.

"He… landed soft-"

He didn't finish, because the ground roared.

The healers who had rushed forward suddenly staggered back as a violent wind burst from the point of impact.

The shockwave wasn't visible, but the result was cracks spiderwebbed through the reinforced arena surface, splitting the steel panels open.

The employees flinched as dust kicked upward, shaking the view panels.

Then silence.

Superior Man lay at the center of the field, the invisible energy fading.

The healers hesitated for a second longer, then cautiously approached again.

The lead worker loosened his collar, relief washing over his face. "If that had been even one percent stronger, we would've been vaporized just from the shockwave."

He raised a shaky hand toward the sky. "Thank the gods for Lucius."

Outside, a small streak of blue light appeared descending gracefully.

Lucius.

He landed not far from where Superior Man lay, armor still faintly smoking from overuse.

Two female staff members ran to him immediately, unlatching the reinforced clasps on his chestplate and arm guards.

Edward's gaze drifted toward Superior Man's body.

The man who had been considered nearly indestructible.. the "Perfect Human" was lying there unconscious.

And his chest…

Was caved in.

Not completely, but enough that even an S-rank's regenerative tissues wouldn't fix that easily.

The metal-like sheen of his skin had dulled, covered in fractures and bruises.

The worker swallowed.

"Damn," he whispered under his breath. "What did you do to make him that mad, old man?"

This was overkill.

Even for a spar.

Alexia smiled as she ran toward Lucius, he was standing there, leaning against one of the staff girls as they removed the last of his armor.

When he turned toward her, that smile appeared.

That annoying, boyish grin that made her want to strangle him and hug him at the same time.

"You look rough," she said, trying to sound composed.

Lucius blinked once, then tilted his head. "You should see the other guy."

He pointed casually behind him.

Alexia followed his gesture, eyes landing on Superior Man.

The once-proud S-rank was lying flat on his back, surrounded by healers who were frantically channeling green light into his chest.

Her mouth twitched.

"…I see."

Lucius chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I went a little overboard, huh?"

She crossed her arms. "You think?"

'I guess if I wasn't in the air, I would have had a much harder time,' He thought.

Lucius stretched his neck, rolling his shoulders. "So… what about our fifth appointment?"

Alexia blinked. "You still care about that? You just fought a national hero and punched him into the ground."

He gave her a half-smile. "Yeah, but the workday's not over, right?"

Her exasperation deepened.

She sighed and flipped through her clipboard.

"It was just cancelled while you were in the air… the manager is off country right now." she said finally. "And honestly, I'm glad. I've already finalized things with the boss."

"Good," he said simply.

His tone softened as he looked at her. "Let's get out of here then. I've had enough excitement for one day."

She reached out instinctively, taking his hand to lead him away.

Alexia paused for a moment, then squeezed gently.

"…Thanks, Alexia," he murmured quietly and closed his eyes.

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