A long silence stretched.Brick took another step forward, slow and deliberate. Every bootfall echoed like a threat.He looked down at one of his fallen men, then back up at Dylan, breathing steady through the hiss of his mask. “They weren’t much, I know. But they were loyal.”Dylan didn’t answer.Brick cracked his neck with a shrug. “Still. You put on a good show.” He jerked his chin toward the bodies. “You got the dance moves. I’ll give you that.”Vivian edged closer to Reed, whispering, “He’s not just big. He’s playing with him.”Reed’s grip tightened on his gun. “Brick doesn’t fight fair. He fights smart. He’s letting Dylan burn energy.”Brick stretched his massive arms outward, metal joints whining. “See, I used to think muscle was everything. Then I learned—muscle breaks. Bones snap. But anger?” He thumped a fist against his chest. “Anger keeps you moving long after your body says stop.”He reached down and picked up a fallen buzz-blade with one hand. The weapon was easily fifty

Dylan didn’t wait this time. He launched forward, fists flying. One-two, low kick, elbow strike. His movements were lightning, honed—military precision with brutal efficiency. Brick caught the elbow mid-swing. “Predictable,” he growled, his voice as rough as gravel. Dylan twisted, using Brick’s grip to snap his knee upward. Brick doubled over, and Dylan followed with a fierce punch into the side of his neck. The impact was bone-rattling. Brick staggered. “You got… legs like toothpicks,” he snarled, wiping a trickle of blood. Dylan pressed in, voice low and calm, measured. “Legs don’t matter,” he said. “Center of gravity does.” Fists slammed into Brick’s chest, ribs, collarbone—like a rapid-fire jackhammer. Steel plates on his vest buckled under the blows. Vivian watched, wide-eyed. “He’s hurting him—!” Reed, tense and analytical, whispered: “No. He’s testing him. Watch the setup.” Brick laughed, dark and blood-streaked. “You hit like a ticked-off dishwasher,” he jeered, even

The two titans clashed again.Brick threw a punch that could’ve shattered a support beam—Dylan leaned just out of reach, the force of the blow whipping the air beside his face. He grabbed Brick’s wrist mid-swing and pivoted, using his shoulder like a hinge to slam the bigger man into the wall.BOOM!The corridor shook.Metal groaned.But Brick didn’t even stay down for two seconds.The beast grinned, spitting more blood as he shoved off the wall and rolled his neck. “You getting fancy now? You think this is a martial arts class, princess?”He came swinging.Dylan ducked the right.Blocked the left.Then sidestepped, only to catch a brutal elbow to the ribs.Crack.Dylan stumbled, gasping.Vivian’s heart skipped. “Dylan—!”He waved her off without looking, blood dripping from his lip. “I’m fine.”Brick stalked toward him. “Did that one tickle? Should I try lower?”Dylan raised his head, jaw tight. “You know, for a guy named Brick, I expected more than brute force and a bad sense of hum

Smoke curled from broken vents. Sparks burst from shattered conduits. The once-sterile corridor looked like a warzone—scorched, cracked, and littered with bodies.And yet—neither of them had fallen.Not yet.Dylan straightened slowly, his ribs audibly clicking back into place. One arm hung like dead weight, but the other flexed—fingers sparking with energy drawn directly from his power core.Brick rolled his shoulder, blood pouring from his temple, one eye swollen shut. His breathing was ragged, mechanical puffs stuttering through the hissing rig on his face.“You still breathing?” Brick growled, voice rough with pain and exertion.“Barely,” Dylan coughed, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “But I’m still prettier.”Brick chuckled, a gagging sound. “You’re not even human anymore.”Dylan grinned through broken teeth, chest heaving. “Neither are you.”They stared at each other in the shifting light—two monsters disguised in metal flesh, hearts beating pure defiance.

They grappled—iron arms locked, bodies pressed face-to-face. Each inhalation tasted of ash and blood. Each heartbeat spiked the alarms in Dylan’s HUD, making his vision bleed red.He snarled. “How many people have you hurt? How many people have to die—before you shut up?”Brick pressed his forehead against Dylan’s: “As many as it takes.”They struggled for leverage. Both were desperate.For release. For dominance.For refusal to bow.Then Brick smashed his forehead into Dylan’s. Bone met metal. A shockwave of pain.Dylan staggered—not enough to let him go. He snapped a fist to Brick’s sternum.Brick grunt-complained, stepped back. Peered in pain.“You’re so…fragile,” he growled.“You’re stronger than you look,” Dylan gasped.Brick’s lips curled. “Still think that matters?”Dylan spit blood. “Yes.”Brick sneered at him. “Until I prove you wrong.”Brick hurled himself forward.Dylan pivoted, delivering a backhand to the side of Brick’s head. Sparks flew. Brick’s remaining cheek chip-bli