The figure, Dust by name, jerked backward a bit with the punch. Axel's hands seemed to sink into the face of the being. It felt moist to him, like his hands had just entered the face of sodden ground.
"Oh, so you're a hero!" exclaimed Dust in his thick, heavy voice, shaking his head sideways to shake off the impact.
"Apparently, yes, I am!" Axel replied, his voice commanding.
The villagers stopped and stared at the scene. They were no longer running; they just paused, their gazes directed at the position of the Inferno Hero and the villain, Dust.
"Well, well," said Dust. "It's been a long time since I faced superheroes. The last one I faced was a lightning hero, and, well, I defeated him. And you, you'll be a piece of cake for me."
Axel inhaled and exhaled loudly, the flames on his body burning more intensely, causing no harm to him. He looked at the villain he was about to face, already braced for a challenge. He knew he possessed many powers, but he had only discovered one, so perhaps fighting this villain would make him discover the others.
Dust now stretched his hands forward and sent a punch toward Axel's jaw. It hit the spot, and Axel jolted backward, hitting his back against the wall of a building.
The villagers gasped, and Axel realized this wasn't going to be easy. He managed to get on his feet, using his right hand to touch his jaw where the punch had landed.
With a torpid move forward, Axel trudged over to Dust, who was now grinning. Apparently, his powers were dust, and Axel didn't quite like it because now he was sneezing.
He needed a pragmatic approach to things if he was to defeat this villain. He had an active skill to throw tooth-aching punches, but he had already used that. He also had golden armor, but he guessed that was too much for the situation at hand.
Axel guessed the only thing that could be worth a try was to summon his basic combat suit. Out of impulse, he whistled, guessing that it would summon the suit. It did, though, because a golden suit was now on him.
Dust seemed to be shocked by that, although he smiled and tried to be indifferent.
And so the fight went on. Axel gripped his sword tightly and, with a seemingly preposterous thrust of his sword forward, aimed it at Dust's belly. Dust was indifferent. He only stared blankly into Axel's eyes. Axel now made a face—he knew he was cooked.
Dust sent Axel a kick, putting his left foot into his face. Axel fell back, grunting in pain. Dust didn't relent now; he held Axel by the neck and sent him flying backward.
Axel grunted again. Truly, this basic suit offered minor protection. He felt he was too amateurish in battle. He hadn't been a great fighter before, though. Then, it felt like a normal thing, while now, it felt like a really bad thing.
The villagers were watching now—some with arms akimbo, some with their mouths slightly open, while others had grimaces on their faces. But nonetheless, all were on their feet, shocked that the hero who had come to save them was now getting beaten.
Axel managed to get up, his brave demeanor now overshadowed by the fact that he was about to be defeated. He staggered backward, trying to stand on his feet.
Dust drove his fists yet again into Axel, now hitting him censoriously in the belly. Axel plunged into a door of a building, smashing it open with his back. He let out a loud shout as he tumbled like a tumbleweed on the ground.
There was a stylish-looking table in the middle of what looked like a sitting room. A lightbulb hung from the ceiling, but it was off.
Axel quickly stood up. He couldn't defeat this villain? He shook his head sideways and staggered backward lethargically. He needed a plan. He couldn't defeat this villain with mere punches. The worst part was that he couldn't fully use his superpowers.
Dust kept coming at him. Now, he had shoved the table in the center of the room away. On his face was a mean, stern expression. Axel didn't quite know what he came for—perhaps he just came for his usual round of causing havoc?
Dust, with a spinning motion, now came at Axel, holding him tightly by the throat. The building they were in had no light except for the one shining through the broken door.
The burning silver flames all over Axel's body did nothing to Dust. It seemed Dust wasn't affected by fire.
Axel grunted now, breathing very heavily. Peering through the door, he tried to find a means to save himself, but he saw nothing.
"Well," Dust said to Axel, "I was expecting a competition, to be honest. But with this, it seems you're not putting one up. For the record, this should be the easiest fight I've had in my life. And, well, I've been around for quite a while."
Axel was breathing hard now. He stared into Dust's eyes as the villain squeezed his neck tighter.
And then, it felt like his ear was on fire—he could hear a tiptoe!
Axel was stunned by that. Wasn't a tiptoe supposed to be very low in sound and almost silent? He was surprised he could hear one so clearly.
Soon, a lady was at the door. She was clothed in a velvet gown, old-looking, the edges worn out. Her hair was made into a bun, and she looked pretty. In her hand was a bucket of water.
Axel was almost excited—he had just discovered a superpower. He could hear things that were far away from him.
Dust was already strangling Axel to death, but then, the lady was whispering to him now:
"His weakness is water."
Axel almost cried out. He shouted, "Then what are you waiting for? Pour it on him!"
But then… wasn't he made of fire?