Fragment Energy can be utilized in so many ways. Through these ways fragment combat is born. Sorcerers use different means to one up each other when they fight. Not only does it get ones blood boiling and ready for action, but it also shows creativity. In truth you can never tell who is stronger than who by a mere glance or by a single altercation.
This is normally because while person 'A' might win the first time, it might just be because of dumb luck or maybe person 'B' just wasn't feeling it that day. Mood, weather, state of mind, training, experience or even age: all of these are factors that affect fragment combat.
But if you are looking for a way to measure one's strength it shouldn't be through how hard they can punch (Not always anyway), but rather how creative they are with their abilities. And while this isn't universally accepted, it accepted by many that when it comes to fragment combat only the creative can stand at the pinnacle.
"Alright copy that, I'll be there in about five minutes, don't do anything stupid."
"Copy and out." Teddy had just finished talking to Jericho on the ear piece he then just sat there as he waited for any developments in the surrounding area.
Luckily or I guess unluckily a development just arrived. Akame came out of the hotel again, this time looking directly where Teddy was located.
"!" Teddy's eyes widened, "Did he find me, I swear I'm suppressing my energy.
In an instant Akame disappeared reappearing behind him, his right hand ready to slice off Teddy's head, that's if Teddy hadn't felt him and rolled getting back up.
"I barely felt you." Teddy praised, "You're really fast."
Akame lunged at him with another punch, "Thanks, I try." Teddy dodged again.
He clasped his hands together. 'There's no way I'll beat him if I don't go all out first.'
EARTH ALCHE--
The problem was his want to get the fight over with quickly, in truth he had no idea the person he was fighting and in such situations things can get ugly fast. There are certain rules to fragment combat, rules that you can't learn by seeing or being taught but rather by being involved in an actual fight with someone.
A perfect example of this is when Gil learned how to distribute fragment energy in certain percentages through his body (All the way back In chapter 26). Its not something you can easily learn by just being taught, but rather by actually being in a fight and interpreting your opponents moves and finding out the best strategies and how to cleverly input your knowledge.
Teddy had unknowingly broken one of these rules by trying to end a fight quickly.
Akame felt the massive amount of energy surging towards his hands. 'I must have scared him really badly for him to actually be this scared. Which means more than likely I have more power than he does or thinks he does. I can use it to my advantage.'
This is exactly what he did, quickly, he got his hands in between Teddy's palms as such the transmutation was not complete, he then curled his hand and grabbed Teddy's pulling him closer and finishing him off with a kick to the stomach that had Teddy gagging.
"Your reall…lly good." He wheezed. "Thank you, I try." Akame answered his face neutral not really saying what he was thinking.
ORGANIC ALCHEMY: CARBON BASED RODS!
Akame felt them hurdling towards him at an incredibly fast rate. 'I can't catch them.' He thought, as such he moved out of the way.
"Jeez Teddy you really got yourself in a pickle huh?" Jericho mocked.
"Well its not like I got started anyway." He got up cracking his neck.
"That's the spirit." She smiled, "Now did you really think you could escape me? When we were talking."
"I was kind of hoping so, but it seems that your charms keep bringing back." Akame said while simultaneously thinking, 'Two of them… this might be getting a bit out of hand, especially since I haven't seen them at full strength yet. But I guess we'll worry about that later.'
"Teddy, give me a hand here." Jericho smirked.
EARTH ALCHEMY: METAL-IRON
He placed his palm on the ground and a pillar of a metal appeared in the form of a thin rod which Jericho grabbed.
"Let's rush him Teddy, don't give him any room to breath."
The moved attacking at the same time, as Teddy threw a heavy punch Jericho attacked with the rod. But somehow some way Akame managed to dodge each and everyone of them.
'It doesn't seem like they're willing to let up, meaning that I have no opening to attack. They're not leaving anything to chance, they want to either eliminate me as quick as possible or exhaust em to the point where I can no longer move and then take me out. Either way, this is dangerous I for them because its not like they know how my stamina is. For all they know I can be like this for days.'
(Longest time ever spent awake by Akame is a maximum of one month.) Now granted he wasn't doing anything extremely taxing like actively fighting stronger opponents, but still his stamina was insanely high.
"You guys must be new to this, huh?" He comented.
"Huh?" A split second is all it took, he caught her off guard for a split second.
"Don't get distracted." He whispered. And suddenly she received a kick to the side of her cheek. This sent her flying through the nearest wall.
"Iman!" Teddy's face curled, something he really did.
EARTH*FIRE ALCHEMY: KING'S FURNACE!
A metal ball curled around Akame in an instant, not giving him a chance to dodge. A fire was then set off in the inside.
Teddy ran back to Jericho, who now lay in a rubble of rocks.
"Hey are you ok…" He stopped in his tracks as he realized half of her lower jaw was missing and blood trickled down. "Ah."
In an instant her lower jaw reformed itself, "Thank goodness." He exclaimed.
"Why are you acting as though you didn't think I'd live?" She got up.
"I just didn't know how strong he was, but seeing as you can regenerate its fine. We can take him." Teddy said with a new determination.
'Finally, he gave me a glimpse into his power. Oh boy would I kill to feel that again.' Jericho's heart began to race, she never felt this way before. Her palms were sweaty and her adrenaline had shot up by a million percent. "Please let me fight him."
"Iman, your drooling." Teddy pointed out.
"!" She wiped her mouth. "Shit, I didn't even realize it."
DEATH! EVIL! PURE EVIL!
Suddenly something began smelling. "Eww what is that smell?" Jericho closed her nose.
ITS DEATH!
"Its thick enough to cut through." Teddy answered.
They turned, the source of that stench emanated from the place Akame was trapped in.
CRACK!
One part of the sphere cracked.
CRACK!
Then another.
CRACK!
Then finally…
BOOM!
It exploded with power. And from it a disgusting and fowl odor emerged. It was the smell of rotting corpses, dead bodies, lifelessness.
"It smells like… death?" Jericho's eyes widened.
"Iman… just who is this guy?"
A sinister Aura emerged from Akame, who was now ready to take things a bit seriously.
"Come now, I've got other things to do."
TO BE CONTINUED!