Chapter 130: The Dragon's Technique
Author Note: Hey guys 😝 it's March 2026, the world is ending, but at least we're back!! A lot of stuff happened but I'm still here and finally have the free time to write again.
I'll try to post 3 chapters per week again, and slowly even try to increase the output. Let me know how you're liking the chapters and all, it'll motivate me to write more and faster!!
And please throw Ben some Powerstones to rise into the rankings again!!
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"Our next challenger is a new crowd favorite," the announcer said excitedly. "From the mortal realm, bearing the blessing of limbo's queen, welcome back Tetra-Man!"
I hopped into the center of the black jade ring from the dark tunnel, drumming my chest just once. Wind exploded from the impact and energy rippled under my skin.
Being a Tetramand felt like wearing a suit made of hot leather and pure aggression, and while the four arms probably looked terrifying to the locals, they just made it really hard for me to find a comfortable standing posture.
They cheered for the red-skinned monster from Limbo, the beast with green eyes and muscles on top of muscles. Given my previous match's results, they were excited to see what would happen this time.
"Our next challenger," the falcon-headed announcer screeched, his voice booming without a mic because magic, "from the mortal realm, trained in the ancient ways of the Dragon's Breath school, wielder of the Singing Blade, Colleen Wing!"
Wow, really? Colleen Wing? The 'Daughter of Dragon.'
The gate opposite me ground open and she walked out.
Colleen Wing was younger than I remembered from the Netflix shows. Twenty-two or more, perhaps. She had a perpetual annoyed expression on her face, her dark hair pulled back in a bun that looked too tight, and she wore simple training clothes that wouldn't catch on a blade. A tight tank top that hugged her chest, a green skirt that showed her long legs, and a red sash.
[Image Here]
I got curious. What was she doing here? It was 2011.
I tried to do the mental math while she approached. In the MCU, she didn't become a main player until the Iron Fist series years down the line. But she existed before that, obviously. Which meant she was still drinking the Hand's Kool-Aid, oblivious to the fact that her sensei Bakuto was a lying cult leader who kicked puppies for fun.
She was just a weapon here. A very sharp, disposable tool sent to participate in this tourney.
We had a referee this time, perhaps because of the brutality in some of the fights. It was some old geezer with a beard long enough to trip over, waving for us to bow. Colleen did it with perfect, mechanical grace. I tried to bow back, but Tetramand spines weren't built for politeness.
"The demon who crushed Zheng," Colleen said. Her voice was flat.
"That's me." My voice rumbled out like boiling lava. "Tetra-Man. Say hi to Bakuto for me, Colleen."
Her eyes narrowed, just a fraction. "You know my school?"
"I know a lot of stuff." I shifted my weight, all four fists clenching in preparation. "No time to discuss all that in an arena. Tell you what, surrender and walk away, that'll save you an injury."
"I didn't come here to talk either."
Her hand hovered over her katana. The crowd leaned forward, smelling violence.
I sighed, exhaling from all four lungs. It was a loud sound. "Fine. Do it the hard way."
"Begin!"
Colleen moved before the old man even dropped his hand. She closed the gap in a blur, her katana singing out of the sheath in a draw-cut aimed right at my gut. The blade glowed with faint blue chi and I knew that thing would cut through my skin.
My lower right arm swatted the blade aside. It felt like punching a tuning fork as sparks flew and the sound of metal on something hard rang through the arena. Colleen didn't even blink. She used the momentum to spin, repositioning instantly.
Okay, she wasn't too bad for a human using chi.
She came in low this time, aiming to hamstring me. I hopped easily, which looked ridiculous given my size, and slammed all four fists down where she used to be. She was already gone, rolling smoothly to the side to slice a line of fire across my shoulder.
The crowd roared. First blood to the human.
It stung, but not deep. She's a little more than a mosquito, it seems. The problem was the chi. It bypassed my natural durability like a cheat code. She was targeting tendons, joints, and soft spots. She wasn't trying to overpower the raid boss, no, she was trying to do a death-by-a-thousand-cuts on me.
I threw a haymaker with my top right arm. She ducked and I swept with the left. She jumped.
Attack, deflect, counter. It was a little annoying. She flowed around me like smoke, and every time I missed, I got a new scratch to add to the collection.
This is getting embarrassing, I thought as she ducked another swing. I'm getting diced by someone a third my size.
In my defence, I didn't want to kill her of course. Four Arms was built for grappling, for throwing tanks and crushing walls. He wasn't built for chasing a ninja around a dance floor. I tried to keep her at a distance with jabs, but she stayed right inside my guard, her blade flicking out like a viper's tongue to nick my ribs.
The crowd was loving it. The big bad demon getting humbled by the pretty lady.
I was getting sick of it.
New plan. Stop being a gentle giant and start being a monster.
I stopped trying to hit her and just rushed. Arms wide, chest open. Colleen's eyes widened and she brought the sword up to block, but I didn't care. I tanked the slash across my pec and clamped my upper hand onto her sword arm.
Gotcha.
Colleen didn't panic immediately. She twisted her wrist, using my own grip as a fulcrum to pivot and smash her free hand into my elbow. It was a perfect joint lock. My arm spasmed, fingers loosening just enough for her to slip free.
Of course she knows judo, too.
But she was panting now. She was technical and fast, but she was human. Moving that fast cost energy she didn't have to spare.
I pressed the advantage. No fancy moves, just size and anger. I herded her toward the wall like a sheepdog. She realized the trap a second too late and tried to pivot back to the center, but I cut her off with my lower arms and brought the upper ones down like hammers.
She blocked, but the force drove her to one knee, cracking the jade floor.
I grabbed her again with all four hands. She dropped the sword to roll between my legs, but I kicked out, sweeping the blade across the floor until it skittered out of reach.
Colleen stood up, empty-handed, staring down a nine-foot red wall of muscle.
"Yield," I said.
"No….!!"
Stubborn.
She shifted into a hand-to-hand stance. She was actually going to try and box me. It was brave, stupid, and kind of tragic.
I didn't give her the chance. I closed the distance in one stride and snatched her up, lifting her feet off the ground while she hammered uselessly at my wrists.
"I win," I said.
"Victor, Tetra-Man!" the referee yelled.
The crowd erupted, not nearly as loud as last time, but I didn't mind. I was looking at Colleen. She'd stopped fighting. She just hung there, limp, with a look on her face that wasn't fear. It was resignation. Like she expected this. Like she knew she wasn't coming home with the win.
At what point had she started doubting that the Hand sent her here to die?
Something to think about. They sent a young woman to fight monsters and didn't bother booking a return ticket. I set her down. She stumbled back, retrieved her sword, and sheathed it with trembling hands.
"You fought well," I said.
"Not well enough, apparently."
My brain churned. In the timeline, she eventually breaks free. She becomes a hero. But right now? Yes, right now she was just meat for the grinder. I probably shouldn't fill my plate with more work. I was here for a ghost, not to run a deprogramming clinic for wayward ninjas.
But, uh...
Screw it.
"I'm taking her," I boomed.
The crowd went dead silent. Colleen's gave me a confused look. "What?"
"Spoils of war." I tried to channel my inner warlord. "I won. She's mine."
Gasps rippled through the stands at the scandalized words. Taking the loser as a slave or a prize was old-school barbarian shit, exactly what they expected from a demon. Illyana was probably laughing her ass off in the VIP box.
Colleen glared and opened her mouth to argue, so I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She started pounding on my back, shouting protests that I ignored as I marched toward the tunnel.
This is either going to work, I thought, or I'm getting stabbed in the kidney.
****
The tunnel was dark, damp, and smelled like mildew, which was a relief after the arena. Colleen was still squirming. "Put me down, demon!"
"In a minute," I grunted.
I ducked into a maintenance corridor, checked for spies, and dumped her on her feet. She went for her sword instantly.
I put up all four hands. "Whoa, timeout. I'm not gonna eat you."
"You abducted me! I'm not going to be your slave wife!"
"...Who said anything about a slave wife?" I raised an eyebrow as she paused. "Take a deep breath. I'm not abducting you, if we're being technical here then I saved you from becoming a servant to some weird vampire lord, so you're welcome." I checked the hallway again. "Look, I know this looks bad, but I'm trying to help."
"Help me?" Her hand stayed on the hilt. "You serve the Queen of Hell."
"It's... a temp job. Complicated." I rubbed the back of my neck. "What I'm saying is, I know about the Hand. I know what they do more than what you think you do."
She froze. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bakuto," I said. "Tall guy? Loves speeches about honor? He's full of shit, fuck him. The Hand isn't a dojo, it's a meat grinder. They sent you here to die."
"You're lying."
"Am I?" I leaned against the wall. "Where's your backup and where's your support team? You were expendable. If you won, great. If you died, they'd just find another orphan to train," I said. "Unlike the Queen of Limbo, your evil cult doesn't have enough influence actually to send the heavy hitters here. Don't you wonder why you're the only one they sent?"
She didn't answer, but her jaw tightened. I'd hit a nerve.
"Why would a demon care?" she asked, voice tight.
"I'm not a demon."
Four Arms looked more reliable in a fight, but definitely not trustworthy. I slapped the Omnitrix symbol on my shoulder as a flash of green light filled the hallway. I felt a sensation of my bones rearranging themselves, and then I was just Ben. Jeans, a t-shirt, and messy hair stood before her.
Colleen stared at me, eyes wide. "You're... human?"
"Mostly. The demonalien thing is a rental." I held out a hand. "Name's Ben."
She looked at my hand like it was a snake, then slowly, hesitantly, took it. "Colleen."
"I know. You're gonna be famous one day, you know? I saw it in a dream." I grinned. I wasn't lying, she took the title of Iron Fist at one point. "If you survive this cult crap, at least. Ask Bakuto about the resurrection pits. Ask him what they put in the mixture. Oh wait, they'll just kill you if you ask that…"
Her face went pale. "The pits are a myth."
"Oh, you already heard about it," I said.
I stepped back, leaving the path to the main tunnel open. "Anyhow, I just wanted to warn you about that. You can go back to them now, whoever is here to supervise you. Tell them you escaped. But keep your eyes open."
She stood there for a long time, the gears turning behind her eyes. After a slight bit of hesitation, she said, "Can we talk more about this?"
I held back a smile.
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