Diego walked into the arena, but it seemed more like a small village than a place for fighting.He was surrounded by tall trees with a wide,dense forest and noticed a clearing with an abundance of buildings and other structures.He looked to the side and saw the stands which contained thousands of students at the edge of their seats.They were all trying to contain their excitement but it was clear they couldn`t hide it.He also saw the familiar figures of Frost and Misa in the stands as well.Misa was yelling words of encouragement but Frost looked bored and uninterested as usual.
"THE FIRST MATCH OF ROUND ONE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!!!" As the announcer yelled those words through the speaker,Diego finally noticed the little boy or as he was named,"Romeo Torrez".Romeo had the same dark look in his eyes but at this point,Diego couldn`t care less.He was finally going to get revenge for that punch the day before and that put a light grin on his face.Romeo scowled and a moment later,the announcer yelled"BEGIN!!!"
In an instant,Romeo closed the gap between the two.Diego had a look of surprise on his face but he reacted quickly and blocked the fist the boy sent his way.Romeo landed and swung a kick at Diego`s side and Diego blocked it with his arms just in time.There was a moment where Romeo seemed suprised Diego had blocked the kick but he quickly schooled his expression with a scowl.Diego`s smirk just widened at that and he swung a quick punch of his own.Romeo ducked in time and gave Diego a powerful uppercut.`WHAM!`Diego was suspended in the air for a moment and he quickly got back his balance and backed a good distance away from Romeo.The crowd was going wild with their cheers growing louder and louder.The boy was fast...way faster than Diego had expected.
"You`re a demon"Romeo pointed out while tilting his head to the side,like he was studying Diego.
"Is that a compliment or are you now noticing?"Diego shot back and took on a fighting stance.Romeo scoffed loudly and looked Diego right in the eye before slowly taking a fighting stance of his own.The crowd went silent in utter suspence as they waited for what would happen next.The two smirked at the same time and charged at eachother at the same time.Romeo`s punch was be met with a block by Diego who quickly swung a fist of his own but Romeo used his small frame to dodge and connect a kick right to Diego`s jaw.Diego staggered for a moment and Romeo followed up with a potent kick to Diego`s groin.Diego fell to his knees in pain and Romeo smirked down at him.Romeo pulled his fist back and all of a sudden,a white aura began to cover it.The aura resembled Diego`s demonic aura and it looked deadlier.Every instinct Diego had was telling him to run but it was too late.`BOOM!!!`The punch blew Diego back and he was sent crashing through multiple trees until he lost all momentum and crashed into a large building.He was covered in debris and every spectator knew...the fight was over.
Frost sighed and abruptly stood up."Ive seen enough of this..."He muttered quietly and began tpo walk out of the arena.Misa noticed and followed him.
"Excuse me but aren`t you supossed to be his mentor?At least stay to the end...whether he loses or not"Misa said with clear irritation in her voice.Frost turned around slowly until he was facing her.He leaned foward and huffed.
"Misa Homura.One of the remaining two descendants of the legendary Homura clan.What does someone with your name have to do with Diego?Are you his girlfriend or something?Frost muttered.
"W-What?Of course im not!"Misa stuttered and her cheeks quickly grew pink.Frost noticed that and his expression softened just slightly.
"Im not leaving because Diego`s going to lose...Im leaving because i know he`s winning.I don`t have to sit here and watch it happen.Your match is after this one and I`ll advice you to leave and prepare of it as well."Frost said and continued to walk away.Misa looked at him for a few more moments but she reluctantly followed.She took two steps foward but the crowd suddenly began to cheer and scream again.Her head whipped in the direction of the commotion and that`s when she noticed small movements in the rubble Diego was covered in.A smile grew on her face as she nodded to herself in relief and followed Frost out of the arena.
Romeo watched the movements in the rubble and a smirk appeared on his face as a dark aura began to seep out of the rubble.Diego suddenly burst out of the rubble and the crowd gasped in awe.Diego had dawned his `Hell Breaker` form.Two large fangs,two even redder eyes and two wings made of dark aura instead of feathers.Diego took off his red jacket and white shirt and the girls in the crowd screamed and squealed louder.
"I think its time we quit playing around"Diego said and cracked his fists.
"You`ll end up regreting that."Romeo said and Dashed at Diego.Romeo swung another quick fist but to his suprise,Diego wasn`t there anymore.Romeo quickly spun around and and `THWACK!!!`Diego slammed his fists on the boys chest,knocking out all the air from his lungs.Romeo hit the ground with a sickening thud.The boy quickly got back to his feet and wiped the blood off his lips.Diego stood infront of him with a cocky smirk.Romeo growled and dashed at Diego again but once more,Diego disappeared and appeared behind the boy again."Got you!"Romeo yelled and he spun around in time but Diego casually said"No...too slow" and suddeny disappeared again.Romeo`s eyes widened again and he tried to find out where Diego was going to appear from next but,`CRACK!!!`Diego`s fist sunk deep into Romeo`s gut.The boy gasped for air and fell to his knees."Now we`re even"Diego said and delivered the final blow to Romeo`s jaw.The boy fell to the ground unconsious and the crowd began to cheer for Diego.
Diego took a few steps foward suddenly felt a wave of fear and dread.The crowd felt it too and there was utter silence.A shiver went through Diego`s spine and he turned around to see Romeo standing there but he looked like a whole different person.His blue eyes took an even deeper shade of blue and his white hair flowed more freely.A pair of white wings made of a white aura instead of feathers spread behind his back and every step he took made the ground underneath him get frozen in ice.Diego could feel his body going cold and his breath hitched.That same feeling of fear he had the first time he met the boy was back and for once,his Hell Breaker felt useless.Romeo was...he was something Diego had never seen or experienced...
"You we`re right...it`s time we quit playing around"Romeo smirked.His words were ominous and Diego shook in fear for a moment longer but suddenly,he stopped.He took in a deep breath and a grin soon returned to his face.
"You`re not human are ya"Diego said.
"That would be correct...This form is the equivalent of a Hell Breaker to angels...This is my `Halo Mode`"Romeo said and took more steps towards Diego,making the ground grow more and more covered in ice.
"You`re right but ill take a wild guess and say...`You`re an Angel...`"Diego said and finally began to take a few steps towards Romeo.
"And you`re a demon...Im going to take you back to Hell..."Romeo promised and soon enough,the two went back to fighting.
Romeo lifted his arms and from the ground came volleys of ice shards flew right at Diego with intense speeds.Diego dashed and rolled out of the way each time but as the ice kept flying at him,it got increasingly harder for him to evade them and he had no other choice but to back away from the boy.`There must be a way to get close to him...`Diego thought to himself.He was best suited to close range and hand to hand combat which meant a fight like this was one he wouldn`t likely be able to win.Diego took in a deep breath and analysed the situation with a calm head.Romeo was an angel...the first he had ever met and even Frost didn`t have much info on how they worked.Romeo`s ice seemed unbreakable and he didn`t seem to be getting any draw backs from using it...that meant waiting him out wasn`t an option.Romeo was also good at hand to hand combat but Diego seemed to be the more skilled out.Suddenly,an idea popped into his head and a devilish grin grew on his face.Romeo noticed and stared at him in pure intrigue.
"What are you grinning at?"Romeo asked warily.
"I might have just found a way to beat you"Diego declared cockily.
"And what would that be?Romeo scoffed.Diego spread his feet and flapped his wings in responce which made Romeo chuckle loudly."You must be delusional or crazy if you think something like that will work on me but go ahead...try me..."Romeo dared.
That was all Diego needed to hear and in an instant,`FWOOM!!!` Diego dashed head first at Romeo.The boy smirked with evil intent and lifted both of his hands,unleashing countless volleys of ice shards rigth at Diego but suprisingly,Diego didn`t change course or try to evade but instead,he took them head on.The shards stabbed and pierced his skin but he didn`t stop.Romeo`s smirk slowly died off his face as he realised just how reckless Diego was.Every shard made Diego flinch in pain but he had a clear goal in mind.
"You really are crazy"Romeo murmured quietly in respect as Diego was barely an inch away from him.Romeo crossed his arms and a shield made out of ice suddenly appeared between them.Diego smirked and slammed his fist into it.`CRASH!!!`The shield shattered completely.Romeo looked shocked and he didnt even register the pain as Diego`s fist slammed into his face.Romeo staggered back and starred at Diego like he`d just seen a ghost.Diego was breathing heavily and was bleeding profusely but it didn`t look like he was even close to being done.
"My...ice...You broke it...Thats not supossed to be possible"Romeo stuttered in disbelief.
"Oh yeah?Im gonna break you next kid"Diego panted but Romeo`s scowled instantly at that.
"That`s not supossed to be possible..."Romeo growled lowly and lifted up his left arm.He looked Diego in the eye and said coldly.."`False hope`" In an instant,a surge of pain rushed through his opponent.Diego felt his muscles ripping apart and coutinuous waves of pain wracked his body.Diego screamed in agony and fell to his knees.His vision got blurry and he struggled to move.He looked up as Romeo`s footsteps got closer.The boy had a scowl of pure hatred on his face and his anger seemed to get fueled by the fact Diego was still breathing.
"What the hell -*cough*- did you do to me..." Diego gasped in pain.Romeo`s scowl deepened and he kicked Diego right in the face,making him fall to the ground.
"That`s one of my traits...False Hope"Romeo said and walked around Diego.Diego grit his teeth and hid the suprise on his face.One of his traits?How many could he have?Was the ice one of them too?
"Every hit i landed on you...it`s effects are weakened drastically and stored up by my trait...All i have to do is snap my fingers and the damage hits all at once with it`s effects being multiplied several times over.Thats False HOPE..."Romeo explained."I dont know what your trait is but,it`s not strong enough to best me"
"Im not done with this fight...Dont act like it`s over..."Diego grunted and somehow managed to get up to his knees.
"Demons always got on my nerves...they`re reckless and dive into fights head first...just like you did"Romeo said and wiped some blood off his lips.He gave Diego a low glare and said"I also admire them...They fight bravely without fear...just like you did as well."Romeo finall stopped and crouched infront of Diego.The smirk appeared on his face again and he said in a low voice"Wanna see something interesting?"And to everyone in the stands and to mostly Diego`s suprise,Romeo activated a `Hell Breaker` of his own.Diego thumped his head ont the ground in frustration and groaned.
"You`re part demon too...that makes sense..."Diego grinned.Romeo looked down at him in pity and stood up.He deactivated his Hell Breaker and started walking away.
"You`ve lost Diego...Any more and this fight will be considered bullying..."Romeo chuckled but then he stopped in his tracks when he heard Diego find a way to get back up to his feet.He turned around completely to face Diego who was still weakened and bleeding but,he didn`t seem knocked out just yet.
"I SAID IM NOT DONE WITH THIS FIGHT!!!I WONT EVER STOP UNTIL I BEAT YOU!!!" Diego yelled with resolution and the crowd went wild.Half chanted out Diego`s name while the other half chanted out Romeo`s name.There was pandemonium in the stands and that just made Romeo`s smirk grow even wider.The boy walked up to Diego and for the first time,he smiled.
"I`ve got nothing left to prove here"Romeo chuckled,leaving Diego perplexed.
"What are you saying"Diego growled and lifted up his fists.He was still ready to fight.
"I FORFEIT!"Romeo suddenly declared,loud enough for everyone in the crowd to hear.There was a loud wave of gasps and confusion but Romeo didn`t seem bothered in the slightest.Diego was the most shocked and
he was at a loss of words.
"I may be a kid but,I still know when someone has the resolve to go all the way."Romeo said and started walking out of the arena.He lifted his arm and waved back at Diego subtly while saying"You can have the win,Diego.You deserve it more than i do."There wasn`t any pity in those words though...only respect and everyone present knew it.
"AND...AND THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ROUND!FIRST YEAR FROM HUNTER HIGH IS DIEGO TORREZ!!!"The announcer yelled and the crowd burst into an uproar of cheers and applause.Diego smirked and noticed his jacket being carried into his direction by the wind.He caught it and stared at it for a few moments before tugging it on.He took a few steps foward but then,his body gave out on him.He slumped foward and was about to fall but then he was caught by Ivankov.
"That was one hell of an opener Diego.Im proud of you"Ivankov said proudly.
"Shut up...I dont need your help..."Diego muttered stubbornly and passed out.Ivankov grinned and helped him out of the arena.
He woke up on a hospital bed with multiple bandages wrapped around him.Diego laid on the bed and stared up at the ceiling,lost in thought.Memories from his fight with Romeo flipped through his mind and a feeling of unease crept into him.That boy...he was part angel and Demon?He also mentioned he had multiple traits.How many was he holding back?One thing Diego knew for sure was that if that fight were to continue,he would most likely lose.His thoughts were interupted when the door slipped open and Frost walked in.
"How are you feeling"Frost asked aloofly.
"Like I just got hit by a train"Diego murmured without turning his gaze away from the ceiling.
"Good..."Frost muttered quietly and took a seat close to the bed.Diego`s gaze finally shifted enough for him to see Frost.The two stared at eachother in comfortable silence until Frost broke it,saying "Misa`s match is going to end soon"Diego breathed a sigh of relief at those words and smiled.
"I take it her match with her brother wasn`t as hard as mine"Diego said with a light smile but Frost`s silence answered his question all too well.
Meanwhile,Misa`s fight was about to end-If you could still call it a fight.Her opponent was her brother.A tall,muscular young man.He wore a black tanktop and black jeans and had a large axe on his back.His face looked extremely similar to Misa`s but he had a blood thirsty look in his eyes.His name was Mora...Mora Homura,
"Y-you`re taking this too far..."Misa gasped for air but just mad Mora more thrilled.He tossed her violently into a nearby building,making her crash through its walls with a sickening thud.She was bleeding badly and if the fight went on for too long,it was clear she would die.The crowd was silent except for the gasps of horror and pity but in the business theses kids were in,there wasn`t any place for emotions like that.Misa weakly stood up and tried to back away from him.The whole fight,she had`nt made any attempt to fight back and she had no intent to.Mora on the other hand seemed thrilled at the prospect of inflicting as much pain to her as possible.
"C`mon sis!Fight back!"He taunted but Misa shook her head in disagreement.
"Mora...im not going to fight you..."She muttered weakly and took shaky steps back.Mora ignored hed and kept walking forward,through the opened uo building until he was standing right infront on her.
"I dont care what happens to me after this but..."Mora said with an evil tone in his voice.He pulled the axe off his back and lifted it.It glistened in the sunlight and cast a shadow over Misa.She instinctively closed her eyes as he said "I`ll be seeing you in Hell"Mora swung his axe and Misa prepared for the inevitable but...it never came?She opened her eyes to see Diego standing between her and her brother.He was holding Mora`s axe back with his bare hands and with a growl,Diego pushed to axe back.He briefly turned his gaze back to Misa and smiled.
"Are you okay?"He asked her.Misa looked up at him and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Yeah...I am..."She said and quickly wiped the tears away.Mora glared at Diego as he clearly was`nt a big fan of the intrusion.While Diego`s back was still turned towards him,Mora lifted his axe once more and swung it with clear intent to kill but out of nowhere,Frost appeared and blocked it with his katana.Mora`s breath hitched and he quickly jumped back,putting some distance between him and Frost.
"Mora Homura...I expected more from someone like you"Frost said disappointedly.He sheathed his katana and turned towards Diego."Misa... do you forfeit your match?"Frost asked coldly and hesitantly,Misa nodded in agreement.Frost smirked for a moment before he schooled his expression back to cold and aloof."Good.Mora Homura...Your sister forfeits and youll be fighting Diego here in the quater finals."
"Whats your point?You just interupted my fight with my sister and now you`re stating the obvious"Mora scowled and placed his axe on his back.Diego turned back to face Mora and smirked.His wounds were`nt healed and he still looked like he was on deaths door but that smirk made it clear there was still some fight left in him.
"My point is...I want you to fight Diego Torrez right here...right now..."Frost declared coldly.
END OF CHAPTER 7