Helios had used his ability on him. He didn't hold back at all and the impact was brutal. Neo coughed as he got back up on his feet.
Neo met Helios's gaze and couldn't deny the tingles of shiver that ran down his spine upon facing the expression on Helios's features.
A mix of provoked anger, disappointment, disbelief, annoyance, and something else. It all combined to fuel the manic shine in his marigold eyes.
"I was told you only respond well to clear authority." Helios said with a bit of frustration in his tone.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Neo was also agitated.
Why wouldn't he be when he was suddenly flung against the wall with an ability? And he couldn't counter in the same way because his own abilities were dormant. It was even more frustrating when he thought about it.
"There's a need to establish clear dominance between the two of us so we can define the relationship." Just as Helios said that, he pounced on Neo again, ready to make another move.
Fortunately, Neo was more prepared this time, shielding his face with crossed forearms. The attack hit like a dry typhoon, threatening to send him flying.
Neo's balance was breached and he staggered backwards a few times to gauge the weight of the force. Once he did, he pushed back the force like he was shoving a person's chest. The pressure wave dispersed and a stronger one replaced it.
"Fuck." Neo muttered under his breath, wondering if this new sync partner of his was insane.
What did establishing clear dominance to define the relationship mean?
Sweat trickled down the side of Neo's face as he pushed back the second wave of the typhoon. The skin on his forearms stung with searing heat.
Abilities were meant to be fought back with abilities. Just because Neo was strong and was able to detect and touch other people's ability didn't mean he was impervious to them.
Helios attacked again with an even stronger blast. Neo was starting to believe that this guy had such a method of fighting. He never gave his opponent a break time to analyze the situation and fight back.
He was forceful in his repeated attacks. Now that Neo realized this, he stopped moving back to gauge the net force of the ability and counter with a stronger force.
Instead, he marched forward. He used his bare hands as shields, taking slow, calculated steps. Any wrong movement at this time would send him flying and destroying himself.
Neo was not only countering the ability now, he was also turning the tables on Helios and was forcing the ability to switch sides.
With keen eyes, Helios detected this in time and he pulled up another ability.
The ground beneath Neo's feet began to quake. Tampering with his center of gravity was the worst thing that could happen to Neo right now.
His technique was based on calculating his steps and making counter movements by securing his balance due to gravity and the external force.
An earthquake happening right in the middle of this threatened to destabilize all of Neo's progress. It was so aggravating!
The force of the typhoon increased once again and this increase in force brought about a high increase in temperature. Neo's body was truly in danger as the heat threatened to burn off his skin.
Fuck. Things were getting more serious. Neo wanted to swear out loud, but if he did, he could end up sabotaging himself. So he bit down on his bottom lip, preventing any words from escaping his mouth.
"That's it? You're already breaking?" Helios gloated from the other side, trying to aggravate Neo even more and lead to his downfall.
"I thought you were the all-powerful hunter. Hero of Mars!" Helios spat that title with immense ridicule.
The words scratched the surface of Neo's heart, but his mind remained steady.
"I'll show you that Mars doesn't need heroes." Helios said right before he released more waves of typhoons.
Neo was attacked from all sides. He could no longer move. The earthquake got to him, finally destabilizing his balance and forcing him to his knees.
As that happened, another typhoon was sent from above.
Neo's teeth chattered as he endured the ruthless forces acting upon his body. He couldn't even tell right from left anymore because his sense of vision had been compromised. He had to shut his eyes closed to protect it from the recoil attribute of an ability.
"You talk a really big game for someone who is nothing against superior abilities."
Neo managed to hear Helios's voice loud and clear for some reason. It was all his brain could process from his surroundings.
This feeling of helplessness happened to trigger deep memories for Neo.
"As Captain, if you can't fight for yourself, how can you fight for others? Your weakness determines the might of your subordinates. No one will follow a fragile leader."
Those words were stuck on repeat in his head. However, this situation was not like in his Training Institute where once tested above his limits, he would be lectured and let go.
There was no such mercy in the real world. Neo knew this better than anyone.
Still, why was he expecting Helios to go easy on him? Why did he feel like even though he was being tested beyond his limits, there was still a way for him to be let go.
"You're really as stubborn as they say." An incredulous laughter escaped from Helios's throat.
Just then, a male voice filled with anger and disbelief spoke out.
"What are you doing to my Senior?"