The bell echoed across the coliseum.
Loud.
Final.
"Match one..."
"…begin!"
Kongu exhaled slowly.
The veins across his arms flared as his muscles tightened, his body expanding.
His eyes and skin darkened, breath deepening.
The air itself seemed to bend around him — heavy, tense, alive.
He leaned forward, one hand brushing the ground.
He was…
A silverback gorilla vessel.
Then he charged.
Every step hit like a tremor.
Dust erupted with his leap, shockwaves rolling through the stone floor as if the arena itself responded to his strength.
Byte's eyes widened.
"So he's serious from the start…" she murmured, wings spreading wide,
She clicked her tongue, unleashing a sonar pulse—
Echolocation painted every crack of the arena in perfect clarity.
A grin curved her lips. "Perfect."
While dodging his attack, she laughed.
A vampire bat vessel.
Kongu lunged again, closing the distance in a blur of power.
But nothing connected.
She moved like sound itself—untouchable.
Every punch missed by inches.
Her echolocation pulsed in rapid bursts, each click painting a perfect image of the battlefield in her mind.
She could hear the strain of his muscles, feel the vibration of his steps, even smell the faint copper in his sweat.
Every sense was a weapon.
Every breath a signal.
Kongu's fists cut through air, his movements growing heavier with each swing.
He wasn't slow—but against her, it looked that way.
Byte's laughter echoed through the arena, sharp and playful.
"Hmm… from up close you look even better," she said, stretching her arms.
"Will you make me happy?"
Kongu's tone was steady, unbothered.
"Sorry, I'm already taken," he said.
Byte chuckled, low and amused.
"Ohh, I love a faithful man."
Kongu lunged again.
Fast.
Strong.
But—
"Too predictable, darling!"
she called out, twisting midair as a punch crashed into the ground where she'd been a heartbeat before.
Stone shattered.
Dust erupted.
Kongu rose from the crater, unflinching.
But his eyes had changed.
Byte tilted her head, grin sharp.
"Now it's my turn."
In the blink of an eye, she darted toward him.
Kongu swung for a counter, but she twisted midair, evading the blow.
With a sharp pivot, she sank her fangs into his neck, then raked her wing-claws across his chest, shoulder and legs in a single, fluid motion.
Kongu dropped to his knees.
Byte hovered in front of him, wings beating faintly in the haze.
Blood streaked across her claws.
"Hmm… I thought you'd be better than this," she said, voice dripping with mock disappointment.
"You're starting to bore me, Enforcer. You actually disappointed me."
Kongu stood up slowly, as dust slipped from his shoulders.
His tone stayed low—but his eyes burned with something different now.
"This ain't over yet."
Byte's grin widened.
"Good. I'd hate for it to end too soon."
She shot forward again, a blur of red wings and motion.
Her claws slashed across his hips, arms, and ribs—each cut shallow but fast.
Her fangs grazed his chest and shoulder in passing bites, carving patterns of pain before vanishing again.
But this time, Kongu didn't swing blindly.
He waited.
She came close—too close—
and that's when he roared.
"ROARRR!"
The sound tore through the arena like an earthquake.
A raw, thunderous bellow that rattled the air itself.
Byte flinched mid-flight, her wings faltering, her sonar pulse collapsing under the wave of noise.
For an instant—she couldn't see.
Kongu's fist moved like a meteor.
The hit landed square on her face.
The impact echoed through the entire colosseum.
Byte was thrown back, skidding across the shattered floor before tumbling to a stop.
The crowd erupted—half in shock, half in awe.
Ash's eyes widened slightly.
"…He disrupted her sonar…"
Realization flashed across his face.
Byte tried to push herself up, but her arms trembled.
Blood trickled from her face as her wings twitched against the cracked stone.
The hit had been too strong.
Her voice came out shaky, disbelieving.
"Why… how is this even possible?"
Her eyes darted up at him, wide with frustration.
"How could you hit me? You shouldn't have been able to even touch me!"
Kongu stopped a few steps away, his breathing steady but heavy.
He looked down at her—not mocking, not gloating, just calm.
"You rely on sound," he said.
"You see through it."
He flexed his hand once, the echo of his own roar still vibrating in the air.
"You read my movements by listening—my footsteps, my breath and my muscle tension."
He took a slow step forward.
"But all I had to do… was make a bigger sound."
Byte blinked, stunned.
Kongu's eyes narrowed.
"If I drown out your world, you can't predict mine."
He took another step closer.
Byte tried to rise again, wings trembling, her breathing ragged.
Kongu stopped in front of her, shadow falling over her form.
"It's a good little trick," he said quietly.
"Impressive, even…"
He drew back his fist, muscles tightening with quiet control.
"…but once you understand it—"
He struck.
The punch landed clean across her jaw, the sound echoing like thunder.
The impact shattered the ground beneath her and sent a shockwave rippling through the arena.
Kongu stood over her fallen body, exhaling once through his nose.
"—it's easy to beat."
Silence filled the colosseum.
Then the crowd erupted, their roar shaking the very air.
"Winner — Kongu"
© 2025 Moku. All rights reserved. The Tower of the Animal Kingdom is an original work by Moku. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.