Titan Rumble Ch 31: She Who is A Prodigy, Fight Continues!

Aurora cracked her neck, the sound echoing like a whip across the empty streets of the Mindscape city. Then her body was engulfed in a deep crimson glow, veins pulsating with raw power, lighting up the cracked pavement beneath her boots. Each pulse sent small tremors rippling through the surrounding buildings. What had started as an even match now escalated to a cosmic-level showdown.

Cain stood his ground, eyes wide as Aurora grew—towering over him once more. That calm, equal-sized fighter was gone. In her place stood an Alpha who looked more like a titan from the old legends. With a bloodlust gleam in her eyes, she exuded confidence, hunger, and unrelenting dominance.

She took three measured steps, each footstep cracking the ground beneath her. Then—POOF—she blurred forward, as if teleporting. Cain barely moved in time, his instincts kicking in. He looked back down and gasped—Aurora was now inches from him, closer than humanly possible.

"My turn," she said, her voice firm but leveled like ice. Her fist shot forward, glowing with red energy, barreling toward Cain's head. He ducked at the last second. The punch glided by with such force it tore through the air in a shockwave that uprooted debris behind him. He felt the rush on his cheeks as he tumbled backward—his boots scuffing concrete, tilting lampposts.

Cain rolled, finding his footing just outside the blast zone. He heard the crunch of concrete behind him as he steadied himself, heart pounding like a drum.

But there was no breathing room. Aurora had already reappeared in front of him—again. Higher than before, her leg raised like a falling guillotine. She slammed it down like an axe strike aimed to cleave the world.

Cain dove aside, rolling forward under the blast. Her foot hit the ground with a thunderclap—sending shockwaves that fractured the street like glass. Bits of sidewalk exploded outward, shards suspended mid-air in the Mindscape illusion.

Aurora paused, standing tall above the scars she'd created. She crossed her arms, crimson aura shifting around her like living flames, and narrowed her gaze down at Cain.

"You're good," she said in that resonant voice, the wind whipping at her hair and aura. "At dodging."

Her eyes burned in his direction. "But how long do you think you can keep this up?"

She paused, the silence crackling in the charged air. "It's time to give up."

Aurora loosened her posture, the power retreating. "I'll let you walk away from this 'bet,'" she offered, her voice steady and final.

Cain didn't answer. He rose slowly, sweat beading on his brow, his shirt torn, knees scraped, lungs on fire. He wiped his face with a forearm and met her gaze with calm determination.

"This battle isn't over," he said quietly. "Not by a long shot."

Aurora's brow lifted. Cain squared his shoulders, taking a breath that burned fire in his chest.

He wasn't beaten yet.

Aurora's smirk faded, replaced by respect—and an unpredictable flash of excitement.

The battlefield stood between them, torn apart yet waiting for what comes next.

Cain's breathing had steadied, and despite the wreckage beneath his feet, he squared his shoulders and dropped into a fighting stance. Dust swirled around his boots as he looked up at Aurora, who stood tall over the ruined streets, her red aura fading but still pulsing around her.

"I didn't expect you to have Alpha Aura..." Cain said, raising an eyebrow. "That's some crazy level of power."

Aurora crossed her arms and turned slightly, the glow in her eyes softening. "I developed Aura when I was in my teens," she replied casually. "I was a prodigy. Not even Yuna has that gift."

Cain's pulse skipped. He'd heard whispered rumors of Aura—an Alpha technique said to magnify strength and durability beyond normal limits. But to see it... well, that was another story entirely.

While Aurora walked forward, her steps cracking chunks of stone beneath her, Cain took a quick mental reckoning. If she unleashed that fully on him, he might be toast.

He stayed focused.

The next moment, she surged forward, fist glowing with residual energy. She crashed her fist against a wall two blocks away, ripping it open like paper. Concrete shattered. Rebar twisted. A plume of debris filled the air.

Cain watched, then dashed forward, dodging under the rubble as she followed up with a flurry of punches that shook the city. Every blow she threw was a raw eruption—cracking pavement, toppling streetlights.

He leaned back, his body phasing in and out, missing her airborne strike by a tiny margin. But each near-miss sent shockwaves through his bones—a reminder he was playing with house money.

She found an opening: her fist pressed against his stomach with enough force to launch him off his feet. Cain flew high—the cityscape spinning around him.

He hurtled at the side of a building, banged through the third-floor window, and crashed onto a couch as though he'd fallen from a cliff. Smoke curled from a broken coffee table. Broken glass crunched beneath his shirt.

He spasmed in pain, clutching his ribs. Even though this was all illusion, his body could feel it—and his ribs felt like they'd been folded under a hydraulic press.

He coughed, tasting dust and black coffee grounds in his mouth.

Aurora burst through the window in a blink, landing in a crouch on the opposite couch. Her hair spilled over her shoulders, and her eyes glowed—even sleepy, she seemed unstoppable.

Cain pressed himself up against the couch's broken back, gasping. Then Aurora straightened, her arms hanging loose.

"Ready to give up?" she asked, voice steady.

Cain swallowed hard, fingers still tight on his side. He managed a hoarse smile. "Almost."

Aurora's expression softened just a hair, though her stance stayed firm.

Cain closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, trying to tamp down the pain. He raised his voice, low and powerful.

"New Existence."

His eyes flashed with white light as his body subtly—almost painfully—began to reshape. Veins popped under his skin. Muscles tightened. For just a moment, Cain felt like he'd grown into something greater than himself.

Aurora's gaze sharpened. The city lights around them flickered. Even though this was illusion, he could feel the power—and he could feel her watching, respect there in her eyes.

That was enough.