CHAPTER 17: THE FIRST REAL BATTLE
Mephis raised his hands into the air. He shouted with great enthusiasm.
"LET THE FUN BEGIN!"
The moment Mephis said this, Aiko and Moro found themselves in a green field. Similarly, Kaito and the stranger fell into a green field. For Ren and Marteon, the situation was no different – they found themselves inside a green sphere.
Ren's voice was cold, but there was surprise in it.
"What is this supposed to mean?"
Marteon's answer was mechanical.
"This is one of Mephis's special techniques. The only way out… is to survive!"
Kaito was confused too. He looked around. Everywhere was covered in a green mist. It was as if he was in another dimension.
"Where are we? Where's the village? And who… are you?"
The man answered calmly. His long hair fell over his shoulders, only a tuft of hair remained on his bald head. His eyes were empty.
"I am the village head's son. My name is Yusr."
Kaito's voice was harsh.
"What do you want from us? Why did you lure us into a trap?"
Yusr shook his head.
"I'm not going to give you the answers you want, boy."
He immediately attacked.
Aiko's situation wasn't good either. She stood alone inside the green field, looking around cautiously.
"W-where is this? I'm scared."
Moro's voice was cold.
"You're scared, huh? Good. Killing you will be even more enjoyable."
Aiko stepped back.
"Moro? What did you do to us? Where are we?"
"Sorry, but you'll never find that out."
Outside the spheres, things were also bad.
Rin looked around anxiously.
"Where… did they go? This is a disaster!"
Raven gritted his teeth.
"Forget them. We need to take care of ourselves for now."
Just then, the villagers attacked Rin and Raven.
Rin warned.
"Don't kill them, Raven. They're under control, that's clear. Take them down without killing them. Fight with your fists."
Raven nodded.
"Done."
Meanwhile, the Village Head came right in front of Master Woli, ready to deliver the final blow. He raised his sword. The shadow of victory was on his face.
"Famous Hunter Woli. So this is all you amount to, huh? I didn't bring this sword for nothing. You lived by the sword… now you die by the sword!"
He swung his sword with all his might.
Just as the sword was about to hit Woli, it stopped one centimeter short.
As if there was an invisible wall.
Mephis's eyes widened in shock.
"What's happening? Why can't I touch you?"
Woli, out of breath and in pain, answered. His eyes were still green, but there was resistance in them.
"Hmph… y-you underestimated me too much, Village Head."
Mephis gritted his teeth.
"No matter what, I will achieve my goal. And to do that… I must kill you!"
AIKO VS MORO
Aiko and Moro had begun fighting.
Moro immediately attacked. He raised his left fist – his fist was glowing with orange light.
Aiko's eyes narrowed.
"Th-that's Po! Does he have a Djinn power? I've never used my Djinn powers before."
She took a deep breath.
"That makes us equal. But no matter what… I have to use them."
Aiko raised her fist as well. But this time, it was different. Her fist had both orange and green light.
"I'm not a little girl. Don't underestimate me!"
The two fists collided in midair.
BOOM!
An explosion of green and orange light erupted.
When the explosion faded, Moro was on the ground. But he immediately got up.
"Y-you're strong. Then… I won't underestimate you."
Aiko's voice was determined.
"Underestimating me would be a big mistake. I won't die until I find my brother. Know that."
A smile appeared on Moro's lips.
"Come on, then. Show me the power of your determination to find your brother."
"You're clearly not yourself. But that doesn't change anything. I will defeat you and go help my master. So… don't waste my time!"
The moment Aiko said this, her eyes glowed green.
REN VS MARTEON
Ren and Marteon had also started fighting.
Po-concentrated fists were flying through the air. The green sphere seemed to be turning orange.
Just then, Ren took a step back.
There was mockery in Marteon's voice.
"So you're retreating, huh?"
Ren's voice was cold.
"I'm going to try something for the first time. If it works… know that you'll be pinned to the ground."
"You're joking, kid. Come on, come at me with all your strength."
Ren raised both his hands to neck level and placed them one on top of the other. His palms faced Marteon.
He thought to himself:
"Come on, Raijin. Give me your powers now!"
And at that moment…
"LIGHTNING BEAM!"
A bright blue lightning beam shot from Ren's palms and rushed toward Marteon with full force.
Marteon's eyes widened in shock.
"Th-this is incredible. But I'm not defenseless either."
"ZAN!"
A pink light appeared in front of Marteon and transformed into a shield.
At that moment, the lightning beam struck Marteon's Zan.
BAM!
KAITO VS YUSR
Kaito and Yusr had also begun fighting.
Yusr jumped into the air. He raised his left fist and concentrated Po into it. Then he sent it toward Kaito with all his strength.
Kaito gritted his teeth.
"You're not the only one who knows how to use Po."
"SPIRIT PO!"
Kaito's hand glowed with both orange and a white spirit effect. He swung his right fist at Yusr.
When the two fists met, a huge explosion occurred.
But Kaito was on the ground.
Yusr looked down at him.
"Your power isn't bad. But you can't compete with me."
Kaito spat blood and got to his feet.
"Your Po is very strong… But I have my Djinn too. This fight is completely fair."
Yusr's eyebrows furrowed.
"How do you know I don't have a Djinn?"
"If you did, you would have used your Po along with it. Just like me."
"Your analysis is strong. But analysis alone is useless."
OUTSIDE
Raven called out to Rin.
"Rin, how much longer are we going to hold them off like this?"
Rin was out of breath.
"Be patient. Just be patient."
Just then, a villager swung his sickle at Rin.
Rin simply reached out her hand. Just as the sickle was about to hit her, it was pushed back.
The villager's eyes widened in shock.
"What kind of power is this?"
Rin's voice was calm.
"So you can talk, huh? Good. This power… is the power of repulsion. That's all you need to know."
She immediately moved behind the villager. With the edge of her hand, she struck the back of his neck. The villager immediately fell to the ground, unconscious.
One of the villagers shouted.
"ATTACK!"
The crowd began attacking again.
Three villagers attacked Raven. He dodged without much difficulty. Just as a sickle was about to hit his head, he stepped back – the sickle missed. Then he threw a straight punch at the villager. The villager flew several meters and fell unconscious.
Rin was also easily dodging attacks. Her purple hair flowed through the air, every movement graceful and deadly.
Raven thought to himself:
"Rin… I'm sorry."
INSIDE – WOLI VS MEPHIS
Mephis was still trying to attack Woli.
"What kind of technique is this? Why can't I hit you? Where are those three idiots? They should have finished by now!"
Woli smiled with difficulty. His eyes were still green, but there was a challenge in his voice.
"D-don't underestimate… them."
Just then, inside the sphere…
AIKO'S MIND POWER
Aiko's eyes were glowing bright green.
Moro's voice cracked with shock.
"W-what are those eyes?"
There was sadness in Aiko's voice.
"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."
She thought to herself:
"Raiko… share your powers with me."
And a voice answered from within. Raiko's voice.
"It seems I have no choice but to follow your orders. Fine. As you wish."
Aiko shouted.
"MIND POWER! Moro, cover your fist with Po and punch yourself in the chin with all your strength!"
Moro's eyes immediately turned green. As if the light inside him had gone out. He covered his right fist with Po. Then he punched himself in the chin with all his might.
BAM!
Moro collapsed to the ground. Unconscious.
Outside, Mephis's face changed.
"Huh? There's another mind user here? Moro's connection is severed. I can't feel him."
Woli's voice was weak, but there was victory in it.
"Y-you were having fun a moment ago… Why are you afraid now?"
Mephis's eyes blazed.
"Afraid? You don't know me. I'll kill them myself."
He suddenly punched the wall. The wall shattered. Then he jumped down.
Rin and Raven were stunned to see him.
Raven's voice was tense.
"Y-you? Village Head Mephis!"
Rin gritted her teeth.
"You damned demon. We'll finish you this time."
Just then, Aiko's sphere opened. Aiko stepped out. Moro lay unconscious on the ground.
REN VS MARTEON – CONTINUED
Ren's lightning beam had struck Marteon's Zan. A huge explosion occurred.
When the explosion faded, Marteon was on the ground.
There was pride in Ren's voice.
"I guaranteed it!"
But just then, Marteon struggled to his feet. He wiped the blood flowing from his hairline.
"Make no mistake… this fight is just beginning."
He raised his fist.
"EAGLE'S PO!"
His right fist concentrated with Po. But this time, it was different. It looked as if the shape of his fist was like an eagle.
He jumped into the air and began to fall toward Ren at full speed.
Ren thought to himself:
"That's impressive… This time, I won't use my Ren. I'll only use Raijin's powers."
He raised his fist.
"LIGHTNING FIST!"
KAITO VS YUSR – CONTINUED
Kaito and Yusr's fight continued.
Kaito's voice was calm.
"Let's start over."
Yusr nodded.
"As you wish."
He raised his fist.
"LION'S PO!"
His right fist concentrated with Po. It looked as if the shape of his fist was like a lion. He attacked Kaito with all his strength.
Kaito thought to himself:
"I have to use Soul's powers. Otherwise, I'll lose."
He whispered.
"Soul… give me your powers. Now."
And the moment Kaito said this, not just his hands, but his entire arms were covered in a spirit effect.
Kaito was surprised.
"This much power… how is it possible?"
Just then, something spoke inside him. It was Soul.
"Don't forget! I'm not an ordinary Djinn!"*
Just as Yusr's fist was about to hit Kaito, Kaito didn't back down.
His eyes turned white and glowed.
"I'm not an ordinary human either, Soul."
He raised both his arms.
"DOUBLE SPIRIT FISTS!"
TO BE CONTINUED...