MAXIMUS: System Of The Underdog

Chapter twenty two: Stun Smash

The sound of splintered wood echoed through the hall as Kael dropped the stick he’d been wielding. The weapon clattered to the floor, forgotten. His face twisted into a cold grin as he seized Max by the collar, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.

“Sticks are useless,” Kael sneered, his breath hot on Max’s face. “Hands are better.”

Max clenched his teeth, glaring. The moment Kael loosened his grip just slightly, Max twisted, activating Blind Spot Strike—a skill meant to strike where the enemy couldn’t defend. But Kael’s reflexes were inhuman. With one arm he caught the blow, blocked it like swatting a fly, and hurled Max across the room.

Max crashed into the wall, coughing. He staggered to his feet, chest burning.

Kael dusted his hands like the fight was already won. “You know,” he said casually, “I did some digging on you.”

Max froze.

“I learned something… fascinating.” Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Your mother—Amanda Johnson. She wasn’t just anyone. She ran the Moonlight Shelter. A government-approved organization for juvenile delinquents. A shining little beacon of hope.”

Max’s blood ran cold. “H-how do you—”

Kael smirked, correcting himself with a deliberate sting. “Oh right. Late Amanda Johnson.”

That broke something inside Max. His eyes flared with fury. “Shut up.” His voice cracked with raw venom. “Don’t you ever say her name from your filthy mouth again!”

Meanwhile, upstairs—

Victor and Jacob traded savage punches, each strike thudding against flesh and bone.

“Why are you even here, Jacob?” Victor spat, his lip bleeding.

Jacob grinned through his swollen cheek. “Because my bastard of a representative is here with me.”

Victor barked a laugh, even as Jacob’s fist smashed into his jaw. “You mean that weakling? You brought him here? Then you’re screwed.”

Jacob’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

But Victor didn’t answer immediately. The fight raged on, fists colliding like drumbeats, until Victor finally hissed between punches: “Kael… he’s not human anymore. He’s like a zombie. No matter how many times you beat him down, he just keeps getting back up.”

Back downstairs—

Max was already testing that very claim.

“Consecutive Punches!” His fists blurred, slamming into Kael’s torso with machine-gun speed. “Falcon Drop!” He leapt, flipped, and drove his heel down like a hammer. Then again. And again. Skills chained together with desperate precision, each one tearing through his stamina.

Kael staggered under the onslaught, slammed to the ground with enough force to crack the tiles. Max panted, sweat dripping, his vision blurring at the edges.

But then Kael stirred. Slowly. Casually. Rising to his feet with that same unsettling grin. Not a drop of blood. Not a dent in his body.

Max’s eyes widened. “He… he’s not even hurt…”

Grimm’s voice rang inside his head, grim and urgent. “What kind of body does this guy have…? Max, listen—you need to Soul Link. It’s your only chance.”

Max shook his head furiously, his lungs burning. “No! If I Soul Link with a fighter, my body’ll weaken after. I can’t. Not when the real boss is still waiting above!”

Kael advanced, every step heavy with menace. Max braced himself, chest heaving.

“You’ve gotten slower,” Kael taunted. He dodged Max’s next desperate Blind Spot Strike and drove his fist deep into Max’s side. Pain erupted, but Max refused to fall.

Instead, he grabbed Kael’s collar, eyes blazing. And in that instant—

A memory resurfaced.

He was a child again, giggling in the backyard. His mother knelt across from him, teaching him a silly “special move.”

“Ready, Maxie? Lift them high, then slam them down—Stun Slam!” She laughed as he mimicked her, lifting a stuffed toy and smashing it into the grass. His mother clapped, smiling like sunshine.

That smile…

Max’s hand tightened on Kael’s collar. His mana flared.

A new skill flashed across his interface, glowing golden.

[Skill Unlocked: Stun Smash]

Mana Cost: 90

A fierce technique that slams an opponent with overwhelming force.

Max’s lips curled into a feral grin. “You should never—” he hissed, voice trembling with rage, “—mention parents in a fight.”

His aura surged. With every ounce of strength, Max lifted Kael into the air and roared:

“STUN SMASH!”

The world shook as Max slammed Kael into the floor. The impact cracked the tiles, sending dust and rubble exploding outward. The ground cratered beneath them, and for the first time—Kael’s grin faltered.

Max stumbled back, chest heaving, hope flickering in his eyes.

“Finally…” he whispered. “Got you…”

But then—

A hand clamped around his leg.

Max’s eyes widened in horror.

Kael, bruised but still smiling, looked up at him from the rubble with an expression that was both terrifying and amused. “Not bad,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. “But you’ll need more than that to break me.”

And just like that, Max realized—the battle was far from over.