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Chapter 47 Fate
Chapter 47 Fate
Chapter 47 Fate
( Meanwhile on floor 92 )
"Yooo, big brother. Hahaha" Ravan said as he watched Rocky's win over Sophia.
While mortals inside the tower would never understand concepts as nuanced as 'Fate' and 'Luck', Ravan knew that they were just tangible concepts which needed extreme understanding of the laws of the universe to manipulate.
While things like randomly tripping over, crashing into someone, forgetting something important could happen to anyone.
These events could also be influenced by fate and it just happened to be that 'Fate' was one of the many variables that danced on the palm of his elder brother Shakuni.
"How did this play out in front of you?" Ravan asked curiously, as Shakuni smiled and indulged his little brother's curiosity.
"In 998/1000 fights, Rocky lost. In one outcome he tripped and hit his face. In another he did what you just witnessed.
I just ensured that he tripped at the right moment, eliminating the 998 other outcomes as it came down to a 50-50 chance of him either winning or falling face first" Shakuni said, as Ravan chuckled.
His brother had always been a great strategist, however, ever since he had gained the ability to manipulate fate itself, he had become unstoppable.
From creating circumstances that led to the death of rival champions of gods, to purposefully creating bad-luck for mortals that annoyed him. Shakuni was a complete menace with his fate manipulating powers and Ravan loved every second of it.
Ever since he and Shakuni had become gods, there was not much to do, however, with them interfering in lives of mortals and making the lives of other gods difficult, the two brothers found a way to keep themselves entertained as their notoriety kept increasing with each passing year.
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( Floor 0, Rocky's POV )
"Come-" Rocky said as the entire crowd erupted into cheers once again.
"YEAH! ROCKY! SHOW HIM WHO'S THE BOSS"
"SHOW HIM NO MERCY!"
"HAHAHA, SHOW HIM THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIM AND A CHAMPION"
Rocky's supporters who were emboldened by his previous win shouted slogans in his support.
Sophia, having lost, walked off the training ground and back towards the stands as she felt her jaw sting from the punches Rocky landed on them.
She wanted to get some immediate medical attention. However, she was more interested in seeing Rocky's next fight and hence decided to stay back and watch despite the pain.
"It was just a fluke Floyd, that guy is clearly bluffing"
"He's a puny human who is not even a full 200 pounds. You can crush him Floyd come on"
Said Rocky's critics from the crowd, however, their voices were much more hushed compared to before as they were not completely sure if Rocky's win was a fluke or not.
"Floyd…. Is that your name?" Rocky asked the beastman who growled at the question.
"Grrr ....Call me 'Master' Floyd," he said as Rocky chuckled at his ignorance.
"Hahaha, Master Floyd, consider it fate we met today-" Rocky said as he once again assumed a relaxed stance as Professor Mave guided Floyd to his starting spot and gave him the same instructions he had given to Sophia and Rocky before their fight.
"Fate? I don't believe in such garbage, your god? I don't believe in his powers" Said Floyd as he pointed his sharp claws towards Rocky who just shook his head in disappointment.
"BEGIN-" a loud voice signaled as Floyd charged towards Rocky on all fours like a beast.
"You're mine" he said, as he pounced straight on Rocky, his towering 7 feet tall furry body making Rocky look tiny in comparison.
Yet, for all his ferocity and might, Floyd found himself grappling with shadows.
Rocky calmly let him get extremely close to his body. Before pivoting on one of his feet as he crouched ever so slightly to dodge the attack as Floyd went sailing over his head and crashing onto the floor behind him.
*SLIDE*
Sliding, Floyd steadied himself as he turned and pounced towards Rocky again, who Booped his nose and evaded his claws like a fluid fish swimming in water.
*ACHEW*
Floyd sneezed as he felt confused as to what Rocky was doing as instead of punching him in the face, like he could have, he decided to Boop his nose as if he were a kitten.
*HAHAHAHA*
*Yayyy*
*Claps*
The crowd began to enjoy this bout now, as looking at Rocky's relaxed demeanor they realized that he did not consider this fight or his opponent seriously at all.
"Grrrr" Floyd growled as he got up on his two feet and began trying to tear Rocky's face off with his swipes, however, not a single hit of his came even close to scratching Rocky.
If his footwork in the fight before was clumsy, his footwork now was exquisite as Professor Maven's eyes sparkled with admiration.
'It seems I was wrong about him, perhaps the previous fight was all a part of his strategy.
His acting and novice footwork previously was so good that it even had me fooled, however, it's clear that he has a solid foundation in martial arts. What a monster!!' Professor Mave thought, as he could already see how this fight was going to end.
The crowd, which was initially tense with anticipation, soon began to take the spar as a joke the longer it progressed.
Rocky's movements were not just about avoidance; they were a dance, a mocking testament to Floyd's inability to land a single hit as with every dodge and weave, Rocky's confidence seemed to grow, and so did the amusement of the spectators.
In a moment that seemed straight out of a playful spar rather than a serious fight, Rocky found himself behind Floyd with the beastman's defenses being wide open.
Yet, instead of capitalizing on this with a punishing blow, Rocky chose to further insult to injury in the most literal sense.
*CLAP*
A quick, mocking slap to Floyd's rear sent a ripple of laughter through the stands, transforming the training arena from a battlefield into a stage for Rocky's performance.
"NO WAY HE SMACKED HIS BOOTY"
" HAHAHA, CALL ME MASTER? MORE LIKE CALL ME BITCH!"
The crowd absolutely laid into Floyd once Rocky did that, as jokes and insults came pouring down from all corners.
Floyd, red with rage and humiliation, bellowed, "Stop jumping around like a monkey and fight me seriously!"
By this point even he had realized that Rocky's skills were the real deal, however, he could not stop now, as his pride was quite literally on the line.
Enraged, his attacks became the wild swings of a creature driven by instinct rather than strategy, making it even easier for Rocky to predict and avoid them.
As the fight dragged on, Floyd's desperation became palpable. His attacks, once fearsome, now seemed like the flailing of a cub rather than the strikes of a warrior as it was only then that Rocky decided to end the farce.
With a precision that displayed the sheer class of his newly acquired skills, he stepped into Floyd's charge, grabbing the beastman by the waist as with a judo move that seemed too sophisticated for his novice status, flipped Floyd over his shoulder.
*THUD*
The impact of Floyd's body hitting the ground echoed through the arena, a definitive full stop to the chaotic sentence that had been his assault.
For a moment, there was silence, a collective intake of breath from the audience as they processed the beauty of Rocky's technique, as Rocky stood over the beastman, his fist curled as he was ready to put him to sleep this moment if the fight was not called to an end.
"Enough!" said Professor Maven as he once again pulled Rocky off his defeated opponent, as chants of Rocky!Rocky!Rocky! Rocked throughout the training arena.
"Winner, Rocky" the professor declared as Rocky with his arms spread wide, embraced the cheers of the crowd as he politely gave them a bow before walking towards the stands.
'Yep, it's just like I thought, he's too good' thought Sophia who strongly believed that Rocky was a cunning snake like his patron god Shakuni, as his recent performance confirmed her suspicions that he was indeed a seasoned fighter.
To top it off, his composure and strategy were also top notch, as despite being only 18, he had the mentality of a 40 year old veteran.
'What a monster-' is what she thought as well, as she recalibrated her future plans.