I have waited weeks to post this chapter. weeks.

Also Irisviel, plz never stop with your reviews. I love every bit of them :D

Those that worked closest with Caspian McKandless were, for once, keeping their distance in fear of becoming the next target for the rage that was pouring off the man in waves. When he'd returned to Russia following his visit to Australia, word had spread quickly through the man's ranks, of what had happened. It was in the news, too, over the EU team being attack, but the assailant was unknown- or at least, that was the story. Someone was keeping it hush-hush on Caspian's involvement, either for the worst or for the better.

Andrea watched with mild interest as Caspian snatched the picture of his sons off his desk and hurled it at the wall with a snarl. The frame and glass cover shattered, falling to the floor. Just as quickly as he let his rage explode, Caspian bottled it back up with a deep breath. He sat down in his chair and tapped his fingers on the top of his table.

"Not go as well as you hoped, huh boss?" Andrea drawled.

"That Konzern bastard is getting in my way," Caspian hissed in response.

"Can't you just set your lawyers on him? Surely he's got some sort of dirt you can use against him. I mean, Ziggurat did," Andrea crossed her arms.

"Ziggurat used Konzern's wealth against him, not any secrets," Caspian corrected, as he stood up and turned to his in-office bar. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and downed it, before pouring another and sipping gingerly at it, "But... that is a good idea, Andrea."

Andrea preened, straightening at the man's words. She smiled, shark-like, "Thank you, sir."

"The question is, what kind of secrets do they have?" Caspian mused, stepping towards the office windows that stretched out the full height and length of the space. Below, the city was alive with nightlife, unaware of the man peering down with a contemplative look, "Andrea."

"Yes?" Andrea perked up.

"I want you to get in contact with Ian Garcia... if any man could possibly find dirt on anyone, it's him. Tell him I wanted the worst he can find, something career ending, but I want it done subtlety... I don't want Konzern finding out what I'm doing and putting a stop to it," Caspian smirked and took another swallow of his whiskey. "Thank you, Andrea, for the idea. You're dismissed."

As Andrea left the office, Caspian reached a hand up to tap his fingers against the cool glass windows, lips curling into a more vicious smirk.

You wanted a fight, Mr. Konzern, Caspian thought. I hope you're not disappointed with the one I give you.

Friday came far too quickly, in anyone's opinion.

"Surely Caspian wouldn't be stupid enough to show his face here," Amy muttered.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Lucas admitted. "But… let's just worry about the Australian team as whole, today."

"You guys will do fine," Sophie assured the younger team. "Just go out there and be yourselves!"

"Rinascinta, you're on in two!"

"Ooh, there's your cue! Go, go!" Sophie perked up, ushering the group towards the wings like they were ducklings.

"Sophie, they've been through this before," Klaus said, amusedly. "Just let them go."

"I… I know that!" Sophie exclaimed, heatedly, as her cheeks went pink. Klaus and Wales erupted into laughter, and even Julian chuckled a little at the young woman's defensive tone.

"And the visiting team, travelling all the way from the EU and to the land down under!" The DJ called, "Let's hear it for Team Rinascinta! King, Nero Konzern, Lucas Reynolds, Amy Cosmina, and Jasmine Laize!"

It was to the sound of applause, cheers, and cameras going off that the EU team made their way out on to the stage. King and Nero waved to the reporters, much to the amused comments of Amy and Jasmine, and then Lucas just kept a careful mask on, despite his eyes glittering with anticipation and amusement.

"Well, now that our teams are here, why don't we let them say a few words to one another! Then, we'll jump right into the questions!" The DJ turned to the two teams, "So, Coastal Riders and Rinascinta. Do any of you have any worries about what tomorrow's battles will entail? Any concerns on who will move on?"

"Hah!" King cheered, "It'll be us, obviously! There's no way they could stand a chance against us, not when I'm around!"

The reporters clamored, trying to be heard over each other as they attempted to get King's attention on them. Even the Australian DJ sweatdropped at the brash statement.

"Well, no one ever claimed that King thinks before he speaks," Wales shrugged, throwing his hands up in a 'what can you do' motion.

"I hope Amy and Jasmine are ready to do some damage control," Julian sighed. "Otherwise—"

"Oh, please," Hunter Hart's voice, dripping with malice and sarcasm, cut through the air. "King, you and me, as team leaders, are who will battle first. But, honestly, if I could defeat Yuki, who, is also a Legendary Blader, what makes you think you stand a chance against me?"

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed.

"What did you just say to me?" King asked, eerily calm and eyes narrowed, "Is… Is that a challenge?"

"Tch," Hunter rolled his eyes. "Hardly a challenge, more like a warning."

"Then how about you prove it?" King jumped from his chair, eyes narrowed, "How about… we do a best two out of three battle?"

Hunter's eyes flashed greedily, and behind King, Nero jumped up out of his chair, laying a hand on the VariAres Blader's shoulder, "Wait, King—"

"Oh, I'll gladly do a best two out of three battle!" Hunter stood from his chair, pointing at King, "But not with you."

"Then who?!" King demanded.

Hunter's slowly slid his finger to point over King's shoulder, "Him."

Nero blinked, slowly, "Me."

"You," Hunter confirmed, lowering his hand. "You're Julian Konzern's brother. I'm Damian Hart's cousin. What do you say we pay tribute to the last World Championships, and give the audience another Konzern versus Hart battle?"

This time, the silence was thick and oppressive. Reporters were staring wide eyed at the scene on stage, and even King backed down, retaking his seat to see what would happen. In the wings of the stage, Excalibur stood tense and with bated breath, wondering quietly if Nero would take the bait.

Nero, meanwhile, stood facing off Hunter, blue eyes narrowed. One hand hung at his side, curled into a fist, and his other hand gripped the back of his chair hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. Should he take Hunter's challenge? A best two out of three battle, between a Konzern and Hart, on the world stage? What were the chances it ended up like it had with Julian and Damian? What were the chances Nero fell in defeat?

In her case, Furie warmed at Nero's thoughts. A sense of determination and anticipation bloomed in Nero's chest, sending a thrill up his spine.

Her reaction was enough of an answer for Nero.

"Alright then," Nero smirked. "I accept your challenge."

Hunter blinked, looking thrown, but the look vanished and he smirked in response, "Don't think that it will be easy for you. I look forward to walking away victorious, like my cousin did."

Nero noticed, at the far end of the Australian team's table, Jack shaking his head in… disappointment, perhaps?

Disappointed with who, though, was the question.

Nero could dwell on it later.

"If you say so," Nero drawled in response when Hunter started to turn away. "The thing is, Hunter. You're a carbon copy of your cousin, in the way you battle and your attitude. If I go into our battle knowing that, and expecting maybe the occasional twist, then I'm sure to come out with the wins you so desperately seek."

"And you're not comparable to your brother?" Hunter sneered.

Nero chuckled, "Do your research, mio amico. I'm nowhere near comparable to my brother."

Saturday dawned dark and cloudy, the distant rumbles of thunder only adding to the audience's mumble of anticipation. The day before, everything that everyone had been expecting had been yanked out from under them.

Nero Konzern would go head- to-head with Hunter Hart in a best two out of three battle. Following that, King would battle Taylor Wilson, Lucas would battle Kelsea Gunter, and then finally, if it came to it, Amy would battle Ariana.

Excalibur sat in the stands, just as excited and nervous as the crowd around them but doing well to hide it.

"You know, Julian, after Nero's little speech yesterday," Sophie began, legs crossed and foot gently swinging in the air. "I'm surprised you didn't say anything to him about his cockiness."

"Why would I have?" Julian asked, much to the young woman's surprise, "He's not like I was, all those years ago."

"Yes, that's true," Wales leaned over, putting himself into the conversation. "But still, you don't let Nero just go off like that without giving him some spiel about how he needs to reign himself in."

"Hm," Julian smirked, a small quirk of his lips. "I watched our father fail enough times in that department to know, that unless it's truly needed, Nero doesn't need to hear it."

"And…" Klaus turned around from where he was sitting in the seat directly in front Julian, "You don't believe yesterday called for that?"

"No," Julian answered calmly. At his friends' questioning looks, he continued, "Nero spent most of his childhood trying to get our father's attention, before he finally realized that he could never live up to our father's expectations. Why do you think he turned out the way he is today?"

"… I just thought that was his personality," Wales admitted. "Are you saying it's… not?"

"If he couldn't get father's attention by being the best, he found other ways," Julian nodded, and crossed his arms, before sitting back in his chair. "By being loud and abrasive, rebellious and not one to conform to what our high society deems as normal." Now, Julian's lips curled into a full-blown smirk, "And I encouraged it."

"What." His teammates stared at him in shock.

"I'd rather Nero be true to himself, than be forced into some sort of pre-packaged mold," Julian's lips dipped into a mild frown. "Nero was four when our mother died. I was seven, and I don't really have that many memories of her. Our father kept me busy, even at that age, but Nero… he was close to her. After she passed… he tried to get our father's affections and attention and kept falling short and started to draw in on himself. I… couldn't stand to see him become just another person in a crowd, so… it was when we both got into Beyblade that I began to encourage him to be his own person. That, considering our father couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him, he could do whatever the hell he wanted." Julian sighed, "I won't lie and say that I'm not jealous of the freedom he had, but… I am proud of the person he's become. You all already know, I'm willing to do anything to make sure he's happy and safe."

Ziggurat's blackmail of Julian came to mind, back with the last World Championships. He'd put the younger Konzern through arrangements, to keep Julian in line. Of course, that had all been resolved upon Julian's battle with Da Xaing, but still… Excalibur knew very well what lengths Julian was willing to go for his brother.

"So, in reality, comparing myself and Nero, in this situation…" Julian mused, "I do believe Nero will come out as the winner in this best two of three challenge."

"Alright then, ladies and gentlemen!" The DJ's voice rang out through the arena, bringing a brief pause to the crowd's murmurings, "The teams are out and ready to begin, so why don't we cut the pleasantries and get right into the main event?! As we all know, the order of the battles today has changed from what we expected, and the first one today is a best two of three between Hunter Hart and Nero Konzern! Bladers, make your way down to the stage!"

The crowd exploded as the DJ finished his broadcast, a faint chant even filling the air of both Bladers' names.

"Well, all that's missing from this spectacle is popcorn," Wales commented as the Bladers readied themselves for battle.

"Wales!" Sophie frowned at her friend.

"What?"

"Three!"

"You know very well, 'what'!"

"Two!"

"Oh, come on. I know this is a serious moment, but you got to find the fun where you can!"

"One! Let it rip!"

The first explosion of Beys clashing was enough to shake nearly every spectator right out of their seats.

"I have to say, I'm quite impressed!" Hunter called over, "I didn't expect you to be able to handle Hound's attack power! You must be stronger than I thought!"

"Keep talking brat," Nero growled. "We've still got a quite a way to go before we find out who's the winner here."

"Hm, I agree, you're quite right," Hunter frowned. "No matter though, you are no match for me. If I can defeat a Legendary Blader, then you will be a piece of cake!"

"Try it out then," Nero smirked. "Furie! Special Move—Ring of Fire!"

"Do you really think that you can defeat me with the flames of Hell?" Hunter laughed, as Furies flames circled the dish, "Anything you throw at me, I can handle! Hell Hound! Alpha's Howl!"

Hound glowed red, and shot forward, intercepting Furie's blazing trail. He released a shockwave, forcing Nero to clamp his hands over his ears in attempt to block out the high-pitched tone that filled the air.

Hunter laughed as Nero stepped back, screwing his eyes shut, "It hurts, doesn't it? Guess what, blondie, I'm not done with you yet! Hound! Let's toss 'em around a bit and cause some damage!"

Hound fell back, before shooting forward while Furie was still off balancing. Hunter was clearly aiming for a high-powered attack, but…

Furie shimmered, and then disappeared altogether.

"Wha—" Hunter reeled back, eyes wide, "But how—Where did—"

"Furie, Hellfire Blast!" Nero shouted, before Hunter could recover from his shock. Furie reappeared in the dish, opposite of Hound, before becoming surrounded in flames and shooting forward. The following explosion shook the ground beneath Nero's feet, causing him to shift stances to stay balanced, but he watched with satisfaction as Hell Hound was sent flying out of the dish, over Hunter's head, and landed on the ground behind his partner.

Nero smirked, "Score one for the blonde."

"Climbing koala's! Despite the corner that Hound drove Furie into, Nero Konzern still manages to find the shot he needed to pull off a victory! The first match, of the best two out of three battle, goes to the EU team!"

Nero smirked wider as he caught Furie. Behind him, he heard his friends cheering loudly, and he felt his smirk morph into a grin. Then, his good mood dropped as Hunter whipped around from picking up his fallen Bey—the look he was giving Nero was pure, unadulterated hatred, complete with a literal red eyed glare.

"You'll pay for that," Hunter hissed, maniacally. "Prepare yourself, Konzern, because I'm not going to hold back."

"Were you before?" Nero snarked off, then cringed internally.

Hunter let out a half growl, half screech as he readied himself for battle, "Shut your trap, you annoying brat!"

His rage… it makes him unpredictable, but if my hunch is right and he's anything like his cousin… his rage will bring out his full power, too… and in knowing that…

The two Bladers raised their launchers as the crowd began the second countdown, "Three!"

"Two!"

"One! Let it rip!"

"Go now, Hell Hound! Don't let them escape!" Hunter snarled, viciously. In the dish, Hound glowed in response, before shooting forward to slam into Furie and send her flying into the air, "And don't give them an each! Keep going! Again, and again!"

Furie flashed into existence, screeching with rage; in response, Hound appeared, muzzled pulled back into a snarl as he jumped into the air and sank his fangs into Furie's neck. She screamed in pain, causing Nero to wince and step back. Hound hurled Furie into the dish, causing the earth to shake and dust and debris to fly up.

"Furie!" Nero shouted, "Get out of there!"

Furie called out in response, and attempted to get away, but Hound pounced and sent her flying back into the air. Nero growled in annoyance, heat pooling into the palms of his hands. Every instinct in him was telling him to throw up his defenses, cause Hunter to fall back and think, and then go on the offensive and drive Hound into a corner.

But if he did that, Hunter wouldn't do what Nero needed him to do—and that was to continue to stay on the offensive and show just what he was capable of. If Nero wanted any chance of winning the next battle, then he needed to know just what he was dealing with in terms of Hound's power. It wasn't like he could turn around and ask Jasmine for help, like he normally did when he needed information on a powerful opponent. No, he only had these battles with Hunter, his wits, and his own power to rely on. He'd already managed to pull off the first part of his plan, which was to get Hunter mad enough to throw caution to the wind, but Nero knew damn well that if Hunter was anything like his cousin, then the power he was showing off now was nothing but a fraction of his true strength.

The second part of his plan was knowing what that true level of power was, and coming up with a scheme to work around it and then win the third battle. He could only hope Furie had enough stamina in her to pull that off. With the way Hound was tossing Furie around now, though, it was her defenses that were taking the big hits.

"Furie!" Nero yelled, "Special Move—Ring of Fire!"

Furie screeched, and bolted away before Hound could sink his fangs in. She vanished from view, and rushed around the dish, summoning up a ring of fire that left black scorch marks in the concrete. The flames closed in on Hound, creating an explosion on impact, but not doing anything to throw him off balance. Nero growled in annoyance.

"Hell Hound!" Hunter snarled, "We've had our fun! Let's finish him off!"

Hound flashed into existence, the chains on his body whipping violently around him and his expression twisted into a violent snarl. His eyes pulsed red as a circle of flames erupted around him.

"Special Move—" Hunter cried, and Nero inhaled sharply, "Fury of the Damned!"

"Furie!" Nero shouted, "Hellfire—"

Furie appeared in the air, but Nero had called his move too late. White hot chains shot out from the ring of fire Hound stood in, encircling Furie's body and pinning her arms and wings to her body. She let out a cry of pain as Hound began to drag her forward.

Alarm bells were going off in Nero's head as he watched the scene play out with wide eyes. It wasn't hard to draw the similarities between the battle now, and the last time a Konzern and Hart had met in battle. Cerberus had dragged Destroyer into Hades, and now Hound was doing the same to Furie.

"It's so much more fun when you resist!" Hunter cackled, "But you're only putting off the inevitable, Konzern! Why don't you just give up? Beg for my mercy?"

Nero didn't answer, glaring over the flames at Hunter, thinking, You're just like your cousin. But you've jumped right into my trap, and soon enough you're going to be the one begging.

"Furie!" Nero yelled, as Furie was yanked through Hound's flames, and disappearing from sight. There was a cry in response, quickly turning into a wail that was drowned out by the sound of Hound howling. The flames grew hotter and brighter, blinding Nero to what he desperately wanted to see, but the explosion that followed and the burst of wind forced him to throw his arms up in front of his face. A red streak by his head, and into the wall behind him.

"And the second battle goes to Hunter Hart!" The DJ shouted, "Both Bladers are now tied with one win each, and the final battle here decides which team has the upper hand going into the second match! It's anyone's game!"

With a sigh, Nero turned away from the dish to retrieve his fallen partner. He winced as his hand came into contact with Furie, able to feel the heat coming from the metal even through the thick fabric of his gloves. He stood up, keeping his gaze on Furie—he could still feel her pain through the connection they shared, but there was also a sense of determination and mischief running through too. She wasn't ready to stop fighting, and Nero wasn't either.

Smirking, Nero turned back to Hunter, watching as Hunter's own smirk of victory wavered at Nero's aura of confidence.

"Not get enough, did you?" Hunter sneered, "Fine. I'll make sure to put you out of your misery quickly, then."

"Who said I was miserable?" With an extra pep in his step, Nero skipped back up to his spot on his side of the Bey dish, flashing Hunter a disarming smile, "Actually, this battle has just begun!"

"… Alright, fine, Wales you were right, this entire spectacle would be better with popcorn,"

"Told you. Want to go get us some?" Wales asked.

"And miss out on whatever Nero's got planned? You must be insane," Sophie rolled her eyes. "Julian? What do you think your brother is doing?"

"He's far too calm for my liking," Julian answered, sitting forward in his seat. "And he's using every trick in the book to keep Hunter off balance."

"What do you mean?" Klaus tilted his head back to look at his friend, "Because to me, it looks like he's just riling the guy up."

"Oh, he did that by winning the first battle and—" Julian faltered, eyes wide, before he facepalmed, "Oh, of course!"

"What?" Klaus, Sophie, and Wales chorused.

"What's Nero doing?" Wales asked.

"He's playing Hunter! He won the first battle quickly, so Hunter would come at him with his full strength in the second battle! Now that Hunter has won the second battle, he thinks he can win the third one, but he played his hand and showed his true power!"

"… Thus, giving Nero all the information he needs! Oh, that is genius!" Sophie beamed, "Nero can be so smart sometimes!"

Julian gave his friend an annoyed look, which went unnoticed by the Cetus Blader as the final countdown began.

I take offense to that on Nero's behalf. He's far smarter than anyone gives him credit for, myself included. This entire situation just proves my point.

Julian's attention was brought back to the battle at hand, when the first clash of Beys caused an explosion of heat to fill the air. He'd been so focused on Sophie, that he hadn't noticed Nero had summoned up another ring of fire, this being the third time he'd used said move, and knocked Hound into the air.

Hunter was not taking it well, if the expression of rage on his face was any indication.

"Go now, Furie!" Nero shouted, "Hellfire Blast!"

Furie appeared, red eyes glowing as she flapped her bat like wings and then took to the air, rocketing towards Hound in a blast of red and black flames. The crowd cheered as Hound took a direct hit and fell back into the dish, but Furie wasn't done. She followed up with a severe barrage attack, driving Hound further and further towards the edge of the dish.

"Hell yeah!" Wales cheered, leaping to his feet, "The little man has totally got this match in the bag!"

"Furie! Ring of Fire!" Nero cried, and Julian's brow furrowed at the fourth ring that Furie created in her blazing speeds. He knew very well that Nero had more moves than just the Ring of Fire and Hellfire Blast, so why wasn't he using them? He was risking draining Furie's stamina, this way. Her speed did that—at most, Nero had only ever been able to do up to five Ring of Fires and Hellfire Blasts, before Furie's stamina dropped so low she couldn't put anything else into her defenses or offensive attacks.

Julian watched the battle below, standing to be able to peer over the heads of the crowd in front of him. The spectators seemed to be getting more and more excited as the battle went on, and… Julian, couldn't really blame them. Nero had always had a way of spreading his enthusiasm, no matter for what the event was. But still, Julian worried about what Nero was doing? Why was he risking his energy in moves that would ultimately be his demise?

Unless… he was building up to something bigger. Something more powerful than any of his other attacks. Some move he'd never used before, that could probably be the end of Hunter's winning streak.

The question was, would Nero manage to last that long?

"That's the eighth time he's used that move!" Jasmine cried, sounding beyond exasperated and maybe a touch panicked, "If he uses Ring of Fire one more time, Furie's stamina will be shot and Hunter could win this!"

"But Nero's got to know what he's doing, right?" King asked, "Maybe he has a plan!"

"If his plan is to be reckless, he's pulling it off really well! Oh, this is hopeless! Nero's going to lose, and Hunter is going to turn this into another public humiliation of a Konzern Blader!" Jasmine wailed and buried her face into her hands. Her laptop nearly fell off her lap, but Amy was quick to catch it, glancing at the screen.

"Jazz is right…" Amy winced, "All of Furie's stats are almost shot. It's a wonder she's held on this long."

Lucas didn't answer, focused entirely on the battle below, and his grip so tight on the railing it was enough to turn his knuckles white. There was something, and he wasn't sure what, that was about to happen—something big.

"Furie!" Nero shouted, "Ring of Fire!"

Behind Lucas, Jasmine let out a muffled squeak of despair as the ninth ring of flames appeared in the dish. When the flames collided with Hound, they quickly vanished, revealing Hound spinning with a slight wobble, but Furie was slowly spinning with a heavy wobble.

Hunter noticed, and smirked, "Well then. I think it's time we end this, Nero Konzern. You've had your fun… now it's my turn."

Lucas swallowed at the threat, his eyes turning to the big screen as the cameras flashed to Nero's face. The blonde looked tired, but his eyes were bright as he spoke, "Go ahead, Hunter. Give it your best shot… the battle's over with, anyways."

Was… Nero giving up?

… No, no way. That couldn't… couldn't be possible. Nero never gave up. Unless…

Unless, he was drawing Hunter into a false sense of security, and had something else up his sleeve. But, what? What could he possibly do when—

Jasmine's laptop began to beep wildly, catching Luke's attention. He and the rest of the team turned to Amy, who was staring wide eyed at the screen.

"Amy?" King asked, as Jasmine popped up to look over the other girl's shoulder.

"I… I think Sophie's idea about a Blader's emotional status has some pretty big merit in it…!"

Hunter sent Hound into a barrage attack, knocking Furie over time and time again, drawing out the battle for as long as he could. Nero felt his partner's pain, could hear her crying out over and over, and while it hurt him on every level, Nero could practically taste his own victory, as Hunter began to monologue.

"You really are just as weak as your brother," Hunter sneered, as the dust settled. Nero swayed on his feet, his body trembling and clothes torn in places, ripped from the high-powered winds, "I don't know why I was expecting anything more."

"At least Nero isn't turning this into a death match, you coward!" Behind Nero, the teen heard Lucas shout.

Hunter's eyes snapped up to meet Lucas', spitting venom, "Oh, and like you're any better, daddy's boy. Running like the little bitch you are!"

Lucas stilled, eyes going wide in shock and fear.

"Oh, yeah, I know all about what daddy dearest did to you," Hunter chuckled, licking his lips. "You may have had the courage to run away, but you're so terrified of telling the whole story— terrified of what your friends, your precious brother, might think of you! How disgusted they'd be— would they throw you out? Act like you don't exist? How about, treating you just the same as—"

"Hellfire Blast!"

Nero's sudden roar cut Hunter off, the other teen's eyes going wide in surprise as Furie regained her balance and slammed into Hound, sending the dark red Bey high into the air.

"What?!" Hunter exclaimed, stepping back in shock, "There's no way- you've lost too much stamina! Furie shouldn't have been able to deliver an attack that strong!"

Nero straightened, slowly rising to his full height. His bangs shadowed his eyes as he spoke, his voice ringing out over the near silent arena.

"Don't you... ever... talk like that to any of my friends," Nero raised his head, eyes dark, yet at the same time, glowing a brilliant shade of red. "It's time I finished this battle, once and for all."

"Oh, really?" Hunter drawled, "And how do you intend to do that! You just got a lucky shot in! There's no power left for you to hit me with!"

"I'm glad you think so, because that just means you're a bigger fool than what I thought you'd be," Nero said, as Furie circled towards the very center of the dish, glowing red hot. Nero spat, "As much as I would hate to be compared to your cousin- it's time I use the full limit of my power."

"The... the full limit?" Hunter blinked, sounding wary now, "You... you mean you haven't been?"

Nero threaded a hand through his blonde hair, laughing. It grew, higher in pitch until he managed to catch his breath again, meeting Hunter's eyes with a half crazed look in his own, "Furie! We've wasted enough time! Let's show him just how wrong he is!"

The ground began to shake, and Hunter wasn't the only one who felt it, considering the confused murmurings of the crowd. Nero pointed over at Hunter, eyes blazing with rage, "I think it's time you taste the flames of hell yourself, Hunter Hart!"

"Flames of hell...?" Hunter breathed, the words nearly parallel to those his own cousin had told Julian Konzern, all those years ago, "What are you talking about?!"

"Hellfire Furie!" Nero shouted, a red aura flaring to life around him, "Ultimate Move-"

At that moment, in the stadium, the nine rings of Furie's earlier Ring of Fire, began to glow red. A sound reached Hunter's ears, low at first, but rising in pitch- screams. Hundreds upon hundreds of shouts, wails of agony, the screams of the damned-

"Dante's Inferno!"

The noise reached its peak, and the entire stadium erupted into a wall of heat- red and white flames, a pillar that reached high into the sky. The screams became their loudest, tortured faces appearing in the flames- black eyes, emotionless, empty voids that Hunter found himself sucked into.

Hound howled, his howls mixing in with the sound of the wails. Just another voice in the hauntingly beautiful- terrifying- song of the damned.

Hound burned, disappearing into flames.

Just as quick as hell had literally been raised, it vanished into nothing, the screams cutting off like a switch had been flipped.

In the stadium, Hound was nonexistent— the flames so hot, he had literally been turned to melted metal and ash.

Hunter fell to his knees in disbelief, face twisted into a picture of agony, "H—Hound?"

Furie spun in the center of the stadium, glowing white hot. With a short, dark chuckle, Nero held his hand out, teeth glittering as he caught his partner, ignoring the steam that rose from his hand, the smell of burning cloth, as he stared Hunter down.

"Vengance is sweet."

you guys have no idea how satisfying it was to write this chapter. NO clue. in the OG concepts for Metal Night, Damian replaces Hunter, and this would have been a revenge battle for Nero against Damian, for what Dami did to Jules in the first World Championships... but instead, this turned into Nero and Hunter getting a... relationship, that Jules and Dami could have gotten if Damian hadn't totaled Julian in their battle. A rivalry, on the outside, but actual enemies. Fight fire with fire and all that.

So now... Nero's an Elemental! Obviously fire. :D I love my atomic blonde boi.

Also I'm foreshadowing some stuff to go down with the whole Konzern vs McKandless thing. It's been years in the making, by my canon's standards, and has been hinted in previous stories of this series too. A character who's been in the shadows but shall soon be making their debut!

Anyways I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter and will drop a review! Until next time, ciao!