In the vast expanse of the Universe, where an unquantifiable number of galaxies drift through the fabric of space and time, there lies one particular galaxy known as the Milky Way. Within its spiraling arms, billions of stars twinkle from an outward view, and locked in the gravitational embrace of these stars are countless planets, each forming the heart of a distinct solar system.
One specific planet, the closest in its system to its blazing parent star, traced a slow and scorching orbit. Its surface features were nothing short of a living hellscape. The ground stretched endlessly in charred black, and the reasons for this devastation were immediately apparent.
Aside from the relentless waves of heat that constantly bathed the world from its sun, the planet itself housed immense internal furnaces. Lava flowed everywhere. It moved in thin, creeping streams, widened into roaring rivers, and ultimately gathered into entire oceans of molten rock. This blue hot liquid seared the planetary crust with a fury that rivaled, and in many places exceeded, the heat delivered by the star above.
But the most outstanding feature of this planet was its topography. Mountains dominated nearly every square kilometer of the surface, making the world resemble a spiky, hostile ball from an aerial view. These peaks were gargantuan. Compared to the tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest would register as nothing more than a modest hill. On average, these colossal formations stood thirty kilometers high.
The landscape was scarred with constant streams of blue lava pouring from crevices in the rock to feed the rivers and lakes below. On the night side of the planet, three moons hung in the sky, blessing the darkness with an eerie purple luminescence that cast strange shadows across the rugged terrain.
And what lay beneath that ghostly light was a scene of biblical destruction. Hundreds of mountains had been reduced to nothing but rubble and fine black soot. Massive craters had been carved into the planet's crust, wounds so large and deep that they were beginning to fill with lava, forming entirely new molten seas.
This was not the work of meteors or some natural planetary disaster. It was the result of a clash between two individuals. Two silhouettes launched themselves from opposite peaks, meeting in midair with a collision of flesh and bone. Their punches connected and the air itself seemed to shatter. An immediate shockwave erupted outward, a ring of pure force that obliterated the two mountains they had just used as springboards. Four additional peaks fell victim to the blast, the shockwave shattering the ground with explosive concussive force as if a bomb had been detonated beneath the stone.
The force of the blow pushed both fighters away from each other. They drifted apart, momentarily weightless, before gravity began its slow, insistent pull back toward the unforgiving ground. One of the figures landed hard, immediately digging his hand into the charred crust to use the terrain as a brake. He carved a ten meter trench in the rock before his momentum finally died, his face still turned toward the direction he had come from. The other figure used his legs instead, sinking his feet deep into the ground and gouging two parallel lines through the stone as he skidded to a halt.
The two figures were young men, both boys, and they wore similar outfits. Their attire consisted of a tight black shirt that clung to the contours of muscular physiques, paired with dark grey combat trousers of a distinctly militaristic design. They both wore heavy black military boots. The differences were in the details. One of the boys wore a pair of black half finger gloves. He possessed a slim, athletic build, light skin, and a messy shock of black hair cut to the thickness of a pencil. Several unruly strands fell across his face, and at the very tips, the black color faded into a striking crimson red. His eyes were a shimmering yellowish gold, set within a face of sharp, well defined features. He was, by any objective standard, remarkably good looking. A grin was plastered across his face as he straightened up from his crouch. His name was Pathro.
Then, like a bolt of lightning piercing his skull, he sensed the other's presence. He's coming. The thought flashed through his mind as he reacted with pure instinct, bringing his arms up into an X formation to brace for the impact.
The other boy's fist slammed into those crossed arms. Pathro had guessed the trajectory accurately and blocked the strike cleanly, but the force behind the blow far exceeded his own body mass. He was sent rocketing backward like a high speed bullet, his body punching cleanly through ten consecutive mountains before he could even register the pain.
The other boy touched down on the shattered ground where Pathro had been standing moments before. He wore running sleeves that looked distinctly technological around the elbow joints. The design was futuristic, a black base fabric woven with glowing blue lines. His skin was a shade darker than Pathro's but still light in complexion, and his chest was a bit broader. His brown hair fell neatly behind his ears, slightly longer than his counterpart's messy locks. His chin was sharper, more angular, but he was nonetheless objectively handsome. His eyes were a light, vibrant green, reminiscent of a fresh apple. His name was Kiligaku.
Determined to deny Pathro any opportunity to regain his footing, Kiligaku leapt powerfully from his position. The ground beneath his boots cracked and cratered as he shot forward, his body blurring as he sped through the very holes Pathro had just carved into the mountain faces.
Pathro, hurtling toward the eleventh mountain, began to spin rapidly in the air. He used the rotation to burn off momentum, the centrifugal force slowing his trajectory. He succeeded in his maneuver, finally landing on the rocky slope of the mountain with enough force to crack the surface, but not enough to punch through it entirely.
And once again, he sensed Kiligaku's approach. He reacted immediately, leaping upward even higher than the mountain peak just as Kiligaku slammed into the base below. The entire mountain shattered into a cloud of debris and dust.
He's trying to make it impossible for me to retaliate, Pathro thought as he began his descent, a smile playing on his lips. It was a complex expression that mixed excitement with a hint of shocked admiration.
The smoke from the collapsed mountain obscured all vision below, creating a thick, gritty fog. Pathro, however, had no need for his eyes. He could trace Kiligaku's energy signature through the haze with perfect clarity. He descended with an axe kick, his heel aimed like a guillotine blade. The kick landed, and a shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact, instantly clearing the smoke and cracking the faces of nearby mountains.
But the kick had been successfully blocked. Kiligaku had raised his hands above his head to cushion the blow, his feet sinking deep into the ground from the sheer downward pressure. As the force subsided, he freed his arms and pushed Pathro's leg away, sending the red tipped fighter skidding a few meters backward across the rock.
"You blocked that?" Pathro said, cracking his knuckles. "Call me impressed."
"I'm offended that you thought I somehow wouldn't block it," Kiligaku replied as he pulled his feet from the small pits they had created. "It wasn't exactly that high of a kick. I was honestly expecting a better blow from you. Seems all this heat is finally slowing you down."
Pathro clenched his fists, but not in anger. A smirk still dominated his features. "Please. As if this heat can do anything to me." He shifted his stance into a classic Karate position, the Zenkutsu-dachi, his weight forward and ready to strike. "I was just trying not to hurt you. Forgive me for underestimating your toughness."
Kiligaku responded with his own defensive posture, the Kokutsu-dachi, his weight shifted back. "Instead, trying to not make a fool of yourself, maybe you should stop speaking like you have the edge here."
Pathro dashed forward at a speed that outpaced sound. His leg swept toward Kiligaku's face in a horizontal arc. Kiligaku evaded the kick by bending backward at the waist, allowing the limb to pass overhead. But Pathro used that moment of evasion to spin in place and drive a second kick downward toward Kiligaku's abdomen. Kiligaku reacted with precision, deflecting the leg with a sharp strike from his right hand. The kick slammed into the ground a few inches away from his body, piercing the stone like a spear.
Kiligaku immediately executed a backflip to regain his footing and create distance, his arms already raised in a defensive guard. Pathro charged after him without hesitation, unleashing a furious volley of Karate chops, punches, and kicks. Kiligaku either blocked or dodged every strike, but he was being forced onto the back foot.
He's trying to push me on the defense now, Kiligaku thought as the flurry of attacks became more aggressive. He's giving me no chance to strike back. He's doing the exact same thing I was trying to do to him.
Kiligaku leapt into the air, hoping to buy himself a fraction of a second to reset his offense. But while he was still ascending, Pathro launched himself upward as well, matching his trajectory. This guy is relentless. Kiligaku braced himself and threw a punch at the rapidly approaching Pathro.
What met his fist was not another punch but a grab. Pathro seized Kiligaku's arm while they were both still rising. Unable to fly and with no way to alter his course mid ascent, Kiligaku had to wait for the apex of their jump before he could act again. By then, Pathro would also be free to maneuver.
The two fighters soared high enough to take in a view that spanned hundreds of mountains, including the leveled peaks and cratered valleys they had already created. As their upward momentum seized, Kiligaku immediately drove his knee into Pathro's stomach while Pathro's hands were still locked around his right arm. A brief grunt of pain escaped Pathro's lips, but his grip did not loosen.
They began to fall. Kiligaku prepared to strike Pathro's face with his free left hand, but Pathro initiated a rapid spin, wrenching Kiligaku's body out of control. With a powerful heave, he hurled Kiligaku toward a vast lake of boiling blue lava.
Kiligaku hit the surface like a meteor. The impact sent flares of blue flame shooting outward in a spectacular display. He sank deep into the dense molten rock, slamming against the solid lakebed far below. His mouth remained clamped shut to keep out the lava, but his eyes betrayed the sting of genuine pain.
Dammit, that hurt, Kiligaku thought to himself, submerged in the glowing abyss. This lava's heat isn't a problem at all. The problem was its density and the speed I slammed into it. How deep is this stupid lake, anyway?
He planted his feet on the lakebed and stood up. He scanned for Pathro's energy signature and traced it to the top of a mountain several kilometers away. Turning in that direction as if he could see through the molten rock and solid stone, he thought, I figured he would keep up his assault even down here. Guess he didn't want to join me in this warm bath he put me in. He settled into a launching stance. Fine by me. I'll just go to him.
He leapt. The force of his dash created a temporary void in the lake, the lava dispersing outward and exposing the rocky floor for a brief moment before crashing back in on itself. He shot toward the surface at supersonic speed.
Pathro sensed the approaching energy signature and immediately jumped to another mountain, repositioning himself just as Kiligaku erupted from the lava and slammed into the peak he had been standing on. The mountain was reduced to a pile of rubble and dust.
He must be furious that I sent him for that brief bath, Pathro thought, a devious smirk spreading across his face. He was clearly proud of himself as he gently leapt toward the debris field of the collapsed mountain.
Neither fighter attacked immediately as the dust settled and the air began to clear. They stood only a few meters apart.
Pathro's voice dripped with taunting amusement. "What's wrong? Did you not like the bath? I thought lava at around five thousand degrees was the perfect temperature."
Kiligaku was not as angry as Pathro had anticipated. He responded with a slight smile while dusting dried lava crust from his clothes and hair. "Nah, the temperature was fine. Barely warm. Go ahead and check it out for yourself."
Pathro interlocked his fingers and stretched them outward with a series of pops. "Nah, I'll pass. I have no desire to share a bath with you."
Kiligaku adjusted his sleeves and replied evenly, "Well, it wasn't like I was exactly asking." Thick waves of green aura erupted from his body, sending tremors rippling across the ground.
In response, Pathro unleashed his own stream of crimson aura. The tremors intensified and the ground beneath their feet cracked open. "Well then," Pathro said, "command rejected. You're going to have to make me if you can."
"Gladly."
Both boys charged at full speed, their fists cocked back and swirling with the energy of their respective auras. The collision was imminent.
But before their punches could meet, a figure manifested between them and caught both fists in her open palms. Their momentum and destructive force died almost instantly, as if snuffed out by an invisible vacuum.
The human figure sighed heavily. "Seriously, you two. Are you trying to destroy this entire planet while you're at it?"
Both boys recognized the person instantly. Instructor Kamir?
She was a woman with long blue hair tied back behind her. Near the tips, the strands began to wave, and a few small wisps fell across the right side of her face. She wore a black tracksuit accented with two white linings that ran the length of the garment, giving it a sporty, functional vibe. On her feet were military issue sandals. Her eyes were the same shade of blue as her hair. An old scratch scar ran across her left eye socket, but the eye itself was fine.
She released their fists and looked around at the devastation. "This planet will still be used to train the incoming class. I'd prefer you not wreck it completely. Planets like these are hard to find."
Both boys wore expressions of confusion. They were not shocked that she had arrived, but rather at the reason for her intervention.
Pathro spoke first. "Well, it's not like we would have literally destroyed the planet."
Kamir rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she surveyed the landscape. "Were you only using physical attacks against each other?"
Kiligaku sounded slightly taken aback. "Huh? What makes you ask that?"
Kamir looked at him with a serious but relaxed expression. "Well, it only makes sense. This planet isn't in critical condition. You've only destroyed a little over a thousand mountains, and you've been here for what, two hours? If you were using your abilities, I would be busy right now looking for another planet to train the incoming class."
Pathro interjected. "Well, we were careful this time. You kinda got really mad last time."
Kamir did not reply. Instead, she flew vertically upward in an instant, positioning herself in outer space to observe the planet from a clear vantage point. After a brief moment, she flew back down. "Still," she said upon landing, "for physical attacks alone, this is impressive for your level. I almost feel too bad to bother you with the final test tomorrow. At this rate, it will hardly be a test for you two."
Kiligaku remarked with the pride of a child receiving a compliment. "Well, I mean, it just shows how far we've come. We can pass the test without fail."
Kamir smirked slightly, as if he had just said something amusing. "The purpose of the final test has never been for you to pass with flying colors."
Pathro was confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Kamir shrugged off the question. "That's a discussion for another time. For now, it's time to get you back to the academy. You're needed there."
"Why?" Pathro asked, curiosity piqued. "Did something happen?"
"You ask too many questions, Pathro," Kamir said flatly. "As cadet president, you should know there are many things that require you to govern. I can't sit here on this hell of a planet explaining everything to you one by one."
Pathro let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. Whatever. Let's get going then."
Kamir reached out and grabbed both Kiligaku and Pathro by their shoulders. "Alright. Off we go."
The three people vanished as if they had never been there at all.
The planet itself was composed of a material far denser and tougher than steel. Its radius measured three times that of Earth, and its gravity pulled fifty times harder. The atmospheric temperature hovered above three thousand degrees Celsius, while the lava reached approximately five thousand degrees. The air was thick with carbon monoxide and other gases typically toxic to any form of life, yet clearly these individuals could endure such extreme conditions. The total number of mountains destroyed during the fight between Pathro and Kiligaku exceeded one thousand five hundred. Whatever challenges awaited them in the future, it was evident that the training required to meet them demanded a level of power and resilience far beyond ordinary comprehension.