Today was the day.
Cassius strode into the arena as the crowd beckoned him, their voices echoing throughout the coliseum. He soaked it in, raising his arms in invitation. The response? A modest amount of claps. More than a few boos.
He shrugged it off. The praise was a bonus. He was there for a love of the fight. For blood, bruises, and broken bones. But most of all? For the challenge. And today, he was about to face the greatest one of all. The one he hasn't overcome, yet.
The gates across the arena groaned open. They inched outward as if they were about to reveal a chimera--stacking the anticipation until it toppled. The dramatic entrance was fitting. After all, she wasn't far from a monstrosity. A freak of nature. Someone born to break people.
The undefeated titaness of the arena.
Rhea.
Cassius had lost count of how many times she'd beaten him. He was always so close to becoming a champion, but she blocked his path every time.
He had bested every foe, big or small, finding their weakness and exploiting them. Rhea was the only one he couldn't fully figure out. She was powerful, quick despite her size, and her fortitude rivaled steel.
As she approached--she owned every step, radiating an easy, effortless confidence. She strode forward and raised her arms like a goddess descending to her altar, drinking in the adoration of her loyal subjects.
Cheers.
Roars.
Thunderous applause.
A deafening declaration of devotion.
Cassius smirked. It formed on its own. He was always excited to fight her. Every time, he learned. How she moved. How she thought. Every loss added a puzzle piece to build a picture of patterns. This battle would either be a victory, or another piece.
She met him in the center of the arena, standing so close their chests nearly touched.
Gods, she was massive.
He wasn't small, but next to her, he may as well have been puny. Her scar-littered muscles gleamed on the surface of deep brown skin--arms like steel, thighs like pillars, a core carved from raw power.
A body built for war.
She wore only a leather garb lined with dark fur--enough to cover her ample chest and groin, but everything else?
Exposed.
Braided dark hair cascaded down her back, but what truly caught him were her hazel eyes. Sharp. Unwavering. Like an apex predator eyeing its next meal.
She rolled her shoulders, stepping forward--invading his space deliberately, purposefully.
But Cassius held his ground. He took too many beatings to be scared or intimidated. He knew what he was signing up for each time he challenged her. He craved it. Honored it. Welcomed it. Besides, The faint floral scent that wafted from her was pleasant.
She smiled.
"Hello again, little man."
Her voice was deep, smooth, and commanding.
He met her stare, unflinching, smirking right back.
"Your majesty," he said, dripping with mock reverence.
Her grin widened.
"Amusing." She cracked her knuckles. "How many times must I break you?"
"You've never broken me. I always come back."
She hummed, tilting her head slightly.
"I see. Not broken. Just foolish."
He chuckled. "Maybe. But today, I might catch you off guard."
"Today will be no different," she said dismissively.
They stood locked in silence, the tension crackling between them.
Then--
The gong rang.
And the fight began.
Rhea swung--fast.
The sheer force slicing through the air like a blade.
He dodged. barely.
It was like evading a cannonball.
He countered with an uppercut to the chin.
A clean hit.
Rhea grinned and fired back--a rocket of a punch aimed straight for his skull.
He swayed just in time.
That was his edge. Speed.
Cassius slipped inside her guard, launching a rapid-fire three-piece combo to her ribs.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Like punching solid stone.
His strikes were fast, but they lacked the power to stagger her.
He'd have to drag this fight out. Wear her down.
He feinted left, then led with a hard right--
But she was ready.
Her arm snapped up, catching his haymaker in a vice grip.
Cassius tensed.
"Tsk, tsk." She clicked her tongue.
Then--a brutal headbutt.
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
His world flickered black for a split second.
She followed it with a knee to the gut.
His body lurched, stumbling back, gasping.
Cassius wiped his nose and checked his hand.
Blood.
"Leaking already?" Rhea smirked.
He snickered through the pain and lunged back in, driving his knee toward her ribs.
She blocked.
He followed up--quick jabs, sharp and snappy.
He didn't let them linger. No second chances.
His fists were a blur. Head, body, legs-- keeping her guessing, forcing her to react.
Jabs. Straights. Low kicks.
He had to use everything just to keep up.
Because Rhea? She was a damn fortress.
She took the hits she couldn't block, then retaliated tenfold.
Now--he was on the defensive.
She wasn't just brute strength. She had skills.
A left. A right.
Two lefts, then an uppercut.
A hook into a knee.
Even the ones he blocked rattled his bones.
A shot to the ribs.
A glancing blow to the chin.
A heavy fist to the stomach.
Cassius weathered the storm, dodging, parrying, countering where he could.
He wouldn't last much longer.
And then--he saw it.
An opening.
Rhea planted her foot just a little off-balance.
There it was.
Now.
She threw a wild punch--he ducked low, bashing her knee with a kick.
She faltered. Just for a second.
But it was enough.
Cassius blasted her jaw with his fist.
A solid, crushing hit that'd knock any man on his ass.
For the first time in the fight--she stumbled.
He didn't waste a second.
Cassius speared her to the ground.
This was his moment.
He swung. Hammering her guard. Again and again. Trying to break through.
But she held firm.
