[4th July, 2010]
[Present Day]
"My attacks are all useless on you..." Arashi said, putting the lighter down.
"It is not like they are useless, but I don't find them interesting enough to let them work on me," Sōren said, taking a drag.
"Aa... Arashi!" June mumbled upon seeing Arashi, as her heart skipped a beat seeing Arashi covered in blood.
"He is so injured, he is..." June stopped mumbling as she was desperately holding herself together to not walk towards Arashi, but her control was slipping.
SHK-!
As her emotions were becoming completely desperate and her legs started moving themselves towards Arashi, a hand stood as an immovable wall at her shoulder that stopped her.
"The window is completely shattered; workers won't be able to handle the air pressure. Leave Arashi and fulfil your responsibility as a doctor and third-rank-M arcanist," Ren whispered in the ear of June.
"But Master, he..." June closed her mouth with both her hands, with tears completely blurring her vision.
"I know everyone anywhere in this world hates me whenever Arashi is the topic, yet," Ren said, moving forward.
"It's an order from your master," Ren said, moving forward without looking back.
Before Sōren's lips got separated and his tongue even moved to say something, and even before a single letter sound came out of his mouth...
"Hold that thought, Sōren," Arashi said, standing up, his left hand completely twisted backwards.
"USHIMOTOS NEVER LOSE," Arashi said, unsheathing God Garuda, which was still flawless without a single damage.
"And on this note, I manifest:" Arashi said.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! WWUUUUMMMM!
Everything, every light, every single source of light went black. The illumination vanished all at once, swallowing everything in an absolute darkness. Not a single light remained, not a single glow survived the sudden blackout. Everything that had once been illuminated was now consumed by the same unbroken blackness. Even the sky itself turned black, its entire expanse stripped of every trace of light, leaving nothing but an endless, suffocating darkness.
SHIIIINNNN!!
Then, cutting through the darkness, emerged the blinding, mesmerizing shine of God Garuda, its radiant gleam piercing the endless blackness, becoming the sole source of light in the darkness that had swallowed everything.
"I didn't think of any outcome in which you would..." Sōren stopped as Arashi started:
"SHŪKYOKU - KENGEN..." But even before Arashi could complete—
"But I saw this in every scenario," Sōren said, taking a long drag.
BA-THOOOOOMMMMM-!!
A punch instantly landed on Arashi's jaw, catching him completely off guard. Before he could sense the presence of his attacker, prepare a counter, or even inhale a single breath, the blow had already knocked him unconscious.
"You still are not ready for this," Ren said.
"He was right," Sōren interrupted.
"Ushimotos don't lose...
…unless it's their own flesh and blood, right?" Sōren said, standing.
"Just be happy he isn't here, else your mere existence would just have been classified as a complete lie," Ren said, retracting his fist.
"You are saying that like it would have mattered, as THE CHOOSER OF FATE himself would be protecting me," Sōren said, turning.
"It would have definitely meant something, as the person I would be fighting wouldn't be the losing Genius, rather THE SON OF GRAVITY," Ren said, throwing Arashi towards the medics.
"I am officially in the territory of the two biggest glazers of each other," Sōren said, jumping out of the broken window of the aircraft he had broken just now.
KTRK!
Ren slowly turned towards the table they both were sitting at, completely disappointed in what had just happened there.
"Oh!" Ren was completely shocked, seeing the blood.
"The losing Genius was able to damage Sōren," Ren said, completely impressed seeing the blood on Sōren's side.
"But now because of this, I wonder what must have happened in their fight," Ren said, seeing the medics take Arashi away.
"Wishing I could have watched the fight with my eyes," Ren said, turning.
[Highway-51]
[Flashback]
"Should we start, Arashi?" Sōren asked in a polite way.
"Looks like if I say don't, you won't," Arashi said, lowering his cap.
"I asked only to show respect to a boy like you, but if you don't want to, then ok," Sōren replied immediately.
"While you don't look capable of a sword fight—" Before Arashi could complete—
"BEND PERCEPTION. FRACTURE THE REAL. LET THE UNSEEN NOW BE REVEALED," Sōren chanted.
KRRUMM-!!
As the dominion started spreading across the highway and the areas nearby, just a step in front of Arashi, a figure started appearing like it was waiting to be revealed.
"Ah—" Arashi sighed, recognizing him.
"Should have killed you inside the metro station," Arashi said, unsheathing Garuda.
"You could have," No Kari said flawlessly in a human tone.
"MUSŌ NO KARI (Formless Hunter), the same Tatari that fought Zeverin Raiden, will face you, Genius of the Dark," Sōren said, backing off.
"But this time you won't be able to, as I will take my name away from your fighting style," No Kari said, leaning closer to Arashi.
"Come here, scumbag, let me tell you who is the real...
...MUSŌ (PEERLESS)," Arashi said, his face completely emotionless.
[The battle in the middle of Highway-51]
KTHWAK-!!
No Kari raised his hand, his nails serving as claws, and lunged forward at a blinding speed aiming at the head of Arashi, attempting to tear his neck off.
SHRAAAK-!!
Suddenly, a diagonal white line appeared on the moving hand of No Kari so fast that he was able to see the line, but couldn't realize his hand was no longer a part of his body.
GDOOOOM-!!
The ground beneath all three of them shook, serving as an aftermath of the attack Arashi did on No Kari's hand to cut No Kari's hand.
PTHK-DOKK!
No Kari's hand lightly touched the cheek of Arashi before gravity violently pulled it down because of its heavy weight.
"Heh!" Sōren's lips lifted.
"This boy surprises me every time I see him...
…I made no mistake crowning him as the
— KING OF GENIUSES OF HIS GENERATION," Sōren said, moving forward.
"He is not Zeverin to lose this match, not Jin to escalate the match, not Toma to delay the match to the absolute last point; he is the one I planned to use as a bridge to Sterling, but I just can't move over him," Sōren said, removing his spectacles.
"No worries," No Kari said, pulling back his severed hand like nothing happened at all.
KCHIK-KCHIK-KCHIK!!
No Kari's instant Tatari regeneration regenerated his hand in a split second, with him launching an attack on Arashi without any delays, and without giving any rest to Arashi.
GTHWAK-!!
No Kari repeatedly went for Arashi's head, reaching so close to his nose that Arashi could smell the rotting smell of his body from his arm.
GRRAK!
Just before his hand could actually reach Arashi and hurt him, Arashi swiftly placed his forearm in between his nose and the fist of No Kari, taking all the damage on his forearm.
Musō no Kari wasn't just a 6'8" towering, human-shaped Tatari, but he was completely formless. His body was completely translucent with no features at all; rather, his skin was getting pushed by hands, faces, and legs from inside, becoming the opposite force of whichever force was reaching him.
[Arashi's thoughts]
Lowering my torso, left hip rotation, right leg as a launching pad, rotating, and a slash directly at his neck.
KRRSH-
Arashi, retracting his forearm and deflecting the fist of No Kari, lowered his torso to take a stance for an attack.
SKRRT - KTHK!
Followed by lowering his torso, he dragged his left leg forward, rotating his left hip, all while his eyes were constantly on his target.
DWHUP-!!
Supporting the movement from his right leg at the correct time, by using his right leg properly, he launched himself in the air.
FWHRRSH-!!
While twisting in the air, Arashi, without wasting a single movement, turned the trajectory of Garuda directly at the neck of No Kari.
And all of this happened so fast that Sōren lost track of his movements while No Kari stood standing still, waiting for his slow brain to send a signal to his hand to dodge the attack.
KLANGK-!!
God Garuda suddenly stopped and was unable to move any further from the edge of No Kari's neck, as if someone had grabbed it.
Arashi's face had no expression, like he was expecting this to happen from the start and this didn't amaze him.
It wasn't that God Garuda failed to penetrate the neck of No Kari; the purple blood was indeed flowing from his neck, but his neck was intact.
"What was his name? Raiden, right? It must be the hand of Raiden," No Kari said with his creepy smile, trying to make Arashi emotional.
What actually stopped God Garuda was a hand from before that was pushing No Kari's neck from inside before, and what Garuda had cut was the palm of the same hand.
"This is the second time I am meeting you, and I have to admit it, seeing you, I want to know how the mad 5th-year arcanist whom I don't even know about fought you," Arashi said, trying to retract Garuda.
"Ask him yourself, because you will be meeting him soon," No Kari said, raising his other hand for the first time.
SHIIIIING!!!
Arashi severed the fingers of the hand which was holding Garuda, retracting it like a thunder strike.
KTAANG-!!
No Kari punched Arashi while Arashi just placed Garuda in front of him, resulting in No Kari hitting Garuda's spine, opening his knuckles directly to the bones.
GTHANG!! DANGG-!!
Without any other thought, without any hesitation, No Kari started punching Arashi in every direction, making Arashi not use his brain and just use Garuda's spine as defense to defend every punch of No Kari from every direction.
SHLLKKK-
A large pool of purple blood from the fists of No Kari fell over Arashi, as well as all over the surroundings, reflecting the damage that Arashi had done to No Kari.
[Sōren's thoughts]
And there he fell directly in the empty well of absolute adaptation.
KLANGG!! KTHRANG! KDOONNG-!!
No Kari didn't stop. He didn't need to. No Kari was still hitting Garuda with full force without a sense of hesitation.
But now, not a single drop of his blood spilled out, as his fists became four times denser than they were before, and it was visible to the naked eye.
KRAUM!
"Yeah, you know the sound," Arashi said.
Faster than No Kari, Arashi, with the dying sound of a god, coated God Garuda with his golden flux.
[No Kari's thoughts]
Too fast! He understood the technique way too fast, but how is this possible? This time it wasn't even Shigarō; Sōren trained me, then how?
BLORRRK-!
No Kari's knuckles wildly burst open, his density becoming completely useless and his punches vague against the flux coating of Arashi on Garuda.
TNNNNNN!
God Garuda wildly vibrated, not by No Kari's attack, but by itself, retracting itself in the hands of Arashi.
"Don't take it personally, but I am not fighting for Zeverin, nor do I have any beef against you, neither am I the protagonist of even my own life, but...
THE SHADOW DOESN'T ASK THE MAN WHY HE RUNS, IT JUST MIMICS HIS FINAL SHAPE.
And that is also my ikigai, the only reason I fight and wake up every day," Arashi said, swinging Garuda backwards.
"Musō: Thunder Howl," Arashi said, swinging Garuda, finally with a smirk appearing on his face upon reuniting with the purple blood of No Kari.
DZHRAAM-!!
Garuda's reaching the attack point was not necessary, as...
Thunder Howl is an attack which generates a shockwave from the last movement of Garuda and hits the opponent before Garuda completes its swing.
This time, breaking both the shoulders of No Kari rather than blasting him away in the air.
"OOH-!" Sōren said, his mouth open in shock.
[No Kari's thoughts]
It was way easier with Raiden. No! Why am I forgetting? I should remember the fight once more. I should live that fight once more. I think this is my end, so just living my first fight again is not a problem, but I have a question now: if he isn't the protagonist, then who is...
[TO BE CONTINUED]