"He’s dead," Commander Apex said flatly. "There’s no way he can survive getting pounded into the stone like that, a shame because he was quite talented too."

"Oh no." Stallus sucked in a breath, her eyes locked on the screen and her body stiffened.

Alex frowned darkly. "It can’t be...Catena."

Kael Hound didn’t take his eyes away from the mirror where the monsters were beating the life out of his student. Even the voice of their sponsor was silent as tension gripped them all.

It was only Azaroth who was watching the whole thing with a calm and somewhat amused smirk. And Commander Apex noticed his smirk and frowned. "Are you happy that your comrade is dead?"

The others flinched from the tone of the Commander, but Azaroth did something he hadn’t done in a while. He couldn’t remember when last he did it. He laughed.

It was a horrible sound, like the snapping of a burning dried forest, and it made everyone forget Catena for a while and focus on Azaroth. There was a wrongness in the way he was laughing; it wasn’t coming from joy but from hollowness.

And then, just as suddenly as he began, Azaroth stopped, and with everyone looking at him, he shrugged. "The fight is already done and decided."

Commander Apex’s eyes widened and then narrowed. Is Azaroth making fun of the situation? But he didn’t sense much from him; in fact, the boy showed no emotion. "What do you mean?"

"Catena will come out of this with a swollen face but he’ll win."

"What..."

Azaroth continued speaking. "He hasn’t let go of his weapon."

It was the truth; since they began to punch him, Azaroth had been watching his hand, and Catena’s hand tightened each time on his hammer, and his legs tensed. "It won’t be long now."

Maybe the monsters would have recognized the trap if their intelligence were higher. Maybe they’d have noticed that the person they’re punching with all their power doesn’t even struggle back or try to defend himself.

Maybe they’d have stopped to notice that it was their own hands that were getting crushed instead.

Maybe they’d have noticed the way he smirked or that the green lines on his body were flaring as he drew more power. Or that his left hand’s palm was currently flat on the stone floor. Or that he was molding the stones.

So the general Kaido were surprised when the floor suddenly rose around them, curving in a big C. They jumped away and that was when Catena made his move. He stood at the front of the covered wall, closing the door to the outside with his body.

"Ah! Finally, you guys are powerful but not a match for even a tiny bit of the earth’s power. And all you’ve been doing since then is punching the floor. I want you together in one place so I can take you together in one swipe!" Catena grinned, but despite all his words his face still bore the marks of the relentless punching.

His eyes flashed, he had little time left to use Earth strength so he better do this quickly. But the monsters were cowering back because from their perspective it was like Catena suddenly came back to life.

When Catena began this Crypt clearing he divided his essence into three. One to strengthen the outside of his body and one for controlling Earth and then the last and biggest for borrowing the strength of earth.

So now, he shoved all of the remaining essence for earth borrowing and added the essence for forging and put all of them into his formation at once. His body rippled with power and his formation shuddered as if it would snap but he held it tight with iron will.

Power rushed into him and for an instant he felt like hardness and strength. Since he began using this skill, this was the first time he’d be using this much power.

"This won’t do, if you don’t want to come to me then I’ll go to you!" He pushed against the ground and was jetted forward leaving the place cracked with his footprint.

He was in front of them in an instant and he swung his hammer with all the strength in his body!

Woosh! Bang! Crunch!

The result was a crushed rib cage, the whole chest of the monster was smashed away from the side and it left it twitching on the ground. One of the remaining monsters jumped him from the back and the other made a run for it.

"Ohohoho." Catena laughed and slapped away the claw that was trying to cut at his neck but since the monster was already holding tight onto his neck it began to twist.

’So you want my head huh, then we’ll see whose head will come off first,’ Catena thought. Then he gripped the monster by the head and twisted, pulling sharply.

It was a brief competition on who could take whose head off first.

Catena won as he pulled the monster’s head off together with the spine, then he shrugged the monster off. He grimaced from the smell of the blood that gave off the heavy scent of corrosive fire and burning wood.

He looked at where the last monster was running away and he shook his head. "You don’t." With ease he broke away the head of his hammer and then held the rod up. "Looks close enough to a spear."

He moved into position then he drew his hand back, his right hand tightened and veins covered his hand. Almost as if he was putting all his strength into his right hand then boom! He threw it.

The spear shot off with an almost supersonic boom and left a trail of air in its wake. It caught the monster right in the head and it burst like an egg shattering as blood and brain matter splattered.

There was silence and then the queen’s shrill screaming filled the air, reverberating off the room and the floor shook.