KING OF STIGMA

Defeat The Three Stigma Warriors.

Blaze woke up to find himself in a different area than the last time. 

"Ugh, now where did that annoying spirit bring me?" 

As if to answer his question, Hydra appeared beside him. "Hold your horses. You're still in Limbo. Your trial is to fight and defeat an InStigma warrior such as yourself. I've conjured one already," He explained pointing to a man with Red hair. 

"This is Drax of the Red Fist, an InStigma warrior born 20 years ago. Of course this is but a mere projection of him but he is powerful. Your task is to defeat him." After he finished, he snapped his fingers and disappeared. 

Drax glanced at Blaze. "What are you waiting for lightweight? Let's get this party started!" 

Blaze blinked. 

"What? Cat got your tongue?" 

"Sorry, I was just amazed by the level of personality a dummy such as yourself was given." 

"Dummy?" Flames burned around Drax. "I am no dummy! I am Drax of the Red Fist and I will burn you in your tracks." 

"Blah blah blah, let's fight already." 

Drax's knuckles were shrouded in flames as he begins to mimic the footings of a boxer. 

Blaze just stood there unfazed. 

"All I could do with my Elemental Stigma Energy techniques were emission. And that was the easiest technique given the time I had to learn anything... He manipulates his Stigma Energy to stay around his hand." 

The Jotter didn't want to admit it, but she was amazed by Drax's techniques. 

"Red Fist: Blazers Blow!" 

He scurried back with a jump and begins to throw rapid continuous punches in the air. 

Each punch he throws burns the very air around them and dozen blazing fire fists traveled in the direction of Blaze. 

"Take that." 

Drax said triumphantly as he watches the fire fists collide and explode resulting in dusty debris. 

As the debris cleared out... 

"What?" Drax exclaimed in disbelief. 

Blaze was standing completely unscathed from the previous attack. 

"Hey Hydra, I thought this was supposed to pose a challenge for me!" Blaze yelled out. 

 Drax felt the pressure of what it feels like to face someone like Blaze. 

"He even knew how long I've started training." 

"You're strong, really strong. But you see, the thing here is... I've received vigorous training in the arts of an assassin from the age of 5."

In the blink of an eye, Blaze vanished. 

"I haven't fully mastered the usage of my InStigma, but everything feels so natural. It's as if I was a master at using the mark from the get-go." 

Drax hears the voice of Blaze behind him as a chill runs down his spine. 

He turns to see the clear blue eyes of the Assasin. 

Blue was a color that represented calmness and gentleness. 

But what Drax saw, there was nothing calm about it. 

"Are you ready?" 

Drax tried punching Blaze but the latter vanished once again as he moved to his back. 

"Your disappearing tricks won't help you!" 

"Ignis Mode!" 

He exclaimed as an explosive Stigma Energy enveloped him. 

They each had a single thought as Drax's hair became longer and covered in flames. 

"What is this?" Blaze sweatdropped. 

"You condensed your Stigma Energy to such a point that the very air around you is burning up." 

'It's getting hot in here and rapidly too.'

That was the case as the effect of Drax's transformation engulfed the entire area. 

"What's up with this heat?" 

"Huh? Where did he go?" 

Drax who was staring down Blaze had lost sight of him again. 

"If only I brought some marshmallows." Blaze said in a disappointed tone from behind the Red-haired teen. 

"Argh! All you know are cheap tricks, fight me head-on if you're not afraid!" 

"Alrighty then." 

Blaze moves back to create some space between them. 

He raises a finger. 

"You have one shot to give it your all," Blaze taunted, a smirk playing on his lips. "I'm guessing that's all you can muster before you run out of steam."

"You despicable..." Drax's voice dripped with venom, his eyes narrowing into fiery slits. "Just wait and watch as I turn you into a charred marshmallow!"

Blaze chuckled, unfazed by the escalating tension. "Haha, bring it on, Drax."

Undeterred by the searing heat enveloping him, Blaze focused his Stigma Energy, shaping it with precision. "Imagine a sword," he muttered, his words barely audible over the crackle of flames, as the energy coalesced into a gleaming blade.

With synchronized determination, both combatants retreated momentarily, preparing to unleash their ultimate onslaughts.

"If you're going to unleash your full power, then so will I!" Blaze declared, his Stigma Energy surging upwards until it brushed against the very ceiling of the stadium.

Suddenly, amidst the fervent atmosphere, a spectator leaped to his feet, a cry of anguish escaping his lips.

"Argh!" he exclaimed, drawing the attention of those around him.

"What's wrong?" queried another, concern etched in their features.

"We may be his comrades, Lady The Jotter," the first spectator explained, his tone grave, "and while he may claim indifference, he would never harm someone unjustly."

The Jotter blinked, momentarily taken aback by their unexpected defense of Blaze. She had assumed their murmurs were disparaging, not supportive.

"But then, what about all the talk..." she began, only to be cut off.

"Regardless, it doesn't change the truth about our captain..." the spectator continued solemnly.

"He... he's a force to be reckoned with," another interjected, finishing the thought.

Blaze and Drax prepared to resume their confrontation, their resolve unyielding as they faced each other once more in the arena.

"This is it," he declared, his voice tinged with determination. "Either you emerge victorious, or I do."

The air crackled with tension as Drax, his breath heavy and labored, met Blaze's steely stare. Each exhalation seemed to ignite the very atmosphere, his Stigma Energy blazing around him, his hair consumed by swirling fire.

"My Ignis mode teeters on the edge of instability," Drax muttered to himself, eyes narrowing as he sized up his adversary. "I must ensure this final assault lands true. He won't evade; he's poised to meet it head-on with an attack of his own."

In eerie synchronicity, their potent Stigma Energies ebbed, but the fiery Stigma Force around Drax remained, flickering with every breath. With a sweeping gesture, he extended his arms, drawing upon his inner power and funneling it into a single focal point.

Gathering the fiery essence, he compressed it into a searing orb, his arms converging to direct its formidable might toward Blaze.

"Behold the Red Fist: Meltdown," Drax proclaimed, a flicker of anticipation dancing in his eyes as the fiery sphere burgeoned before him.

Gasps erupted from the assembled spectators, sweat beading on their brows as they watched the infernal spectacle unfold.

"It's even more intense than before!" one of Blaze's predecessors exclaimed, voices trembling with a mixture of awe and apprehension.

With a primal roar, Drax unleashed the blazing projectile, its searing heat radiating outward, consuming everything in its path.

Blaze faced the impending inferno with a mixture of admiration and resolve, his eyes locked on the approaching conflagration.

"You've shown me a power unlike any other," he remarked, a hint of admiration coloring his tone. "Now, let's see if you can withstand mine."

Anticipation hung thick in the air as Blaze infused his daggers with Stigma Energy, causing them to swell in size.

"I'll carve through your assault," he declared, determination etched in every line of his face as he braced for impact.

With a swift motion, Blaze transformed his daggers into extensions of his will, soaring into the air with a flourish as he interlocked them in an "X" formation.

"Is he out of his mind?" gasped one onlooker, their voice tinged with disbelief. "Instead of evading, he's hurtling straight toward that colossal fireball."

"Perhaps witnessing such a spectacle has driven him to madness," speculated another, their tone hushed with awe and trepidation.

Amidst the chaos, one voice cut through the clamor with a note of triumph. "I've got a perfect angle for this!" they exclaimed, their excitement palpable.

With a resolute cry, Blaze unleashed his Stigma Force with unparalleled precision, channeling it into a devastating technique.

"Stigma Force: X Reaper!" he roared, the words punctuated by the whistling of his blades slicing through the air.

The resulting collision between his monumental slash wave and the fiery projectile unleashed a cataclysmic explosion that engulfed the arena, sending shockwaves rippling through the very fabric of space.

Debris scattered in all directions as Blaze and Drax were hurled from the ring, the force of the blast propelling them beyond its confines.

Amidst the settling dust and smoke, Blaze emerged unscathed, his figure illuminated by the flickering flames that danced around him.

"I can barely muster the strength to move," Drax wheezed, his voice strained with exhaustion as he struggled to regain his bearings amidst the wreckage.

Blaze offered him a hand, "Good fight."

Drax hesitated at first before accepting. "Thanks, you have two more fights. Don't lose."

A Door materialised in the arena from thin air. "I'm guessing that's my next stop," Blaze muttered as he walked through the door.

Blaze appeared in another arena, it was smaller and darker than the last. What awaited him was a man holding a large spear. 

"I am Gae, I'll be your next trial." 

"Ready when you are." Blaze smirked. 

Hudra's voice echoed throughout the arena. "Let the battle begin!"