All of this passed, and night came, as Hiroko tossed and turned in his bed, thoughts of the upcoming battle consumed his mind. The image of Zai effortlessly defeating Aiko lingered in his thoughts like a haunting spectre. The room was shrouded in darkness, and the only sound was the rhythmic chirping of crickets outside.
Hiroko spoke to himself in a hushed tone, as if sharing his innermost thoughts with the quiet night. "Zai! He is strong, I have to defeat him." Determination echoed in his voice, a fiery resolve burning within him and then further adds "should I use that if I face him or come up with something new and strong".
On the other end, the moon cast a soft glow, its ethereal beams gently bathing Zai Stone's room in a silver luminescence. Despite the serene ambiance, an undercurrent of unrest played upon Zai's slumber. His features contorted, shifting uneasily, signalling the onset of a restless night.
Within the confines of his dream, haunting voices materialized, intertwining with the fabric of his nightmares. A soft, innocent voice, akin to that of a little girl, reverberated through the shadows. "Why, Zai? Why?" The plaintive cry echoed, resonating with an emotional weight that clawed at the edges of Zai's subconscious.
In an abrupt transition, a devilish, sinister voice joined the macabre symphony. Mocking laughter accompanied accusatory words that slashed through the dreamlike realm. "You killed them! Zai, you killed them all, hahahahahah." The malevolent laughter lingered, an eerie backdrop to the nightmare.
Once more, the voice of the little girl resurfaced, but this time, it was shrouded in anger. "Why, Zai? Why?" The question reverberated with intensified fervour, each repetition leaving a deeper mark on the dream.
The nightmare reached its pinnacle, and Zai abruptly awoke. His eyes snapped open, revealing a face marred by terror. With a quickened breath, he sat up on his bed, looking at his right hand—hovering as if accused of doing something sinister. The pallor on his face betrayed the lingering fear that haunted him.
Seeking refuge in the mundane, Zai rose and approached the sink. The cold water offered a momentary respite as he washed his face. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he beheld a visage that seemed to accuse him of wrongdoing. Anger flickered in his gaze, but it was a cold, subdued rage that simmered beneath the surface.
"The moon looks beautiful today," Zai murmured, his gaze fixed on the full moon outside the window. The comment, a nonchalant acknowledgment, hinted at a weariness, a familiarity with the recurring nightmares that had become an unsettling companion in the stillness of the night.
The next day the tournament resumed with the third stage involving:
Hiroko Tatsuya vs Sarumi Detso
Shiro Nishimura vs Zai Stone
Hiroko found himself facing Sarumi Detso, a girl with an unassuming charm with her soft and long, shiny blonde hair cascading down her back. Her eyes, a gentle shade of lavender, exude both warmth and determination. The battle began, and without hesitation, Hiroko unleashed his signature move, the Wind Slash. However, to his surprise, Sarumi effortlessly countered by summoning a protective wall of solid earth with a confident grin.
Caught off guard by Sarumi's swift response, Hiroko hesitated for a moment, his confusion evident. "She didn't even move, but she was able to build a wall. She's strong," Hiroko mused to himself. Undeterred, he decided to press on and launched a series of attacks. Sarumi, displaying agility that matched her grace, deftly dodged his punches and evaded a leg sweep with a mid-air jump, landing gracefully with a backflip.
Impressed by her opponent's agility, Sarumi complimented Hiroko, saying, "You're not that bad, red hair." Hiroko, slightly annoyed, corrected her, "It's Hiroko Tatsuya! And you're really good at running. Too scared to attack?" Sarumi, maintaining her smile, prepared for her turn to strike. As she dashed towards Hiroko, she added, "You asked for it, red."
Hiroko, caught off guard by Sarumi's rapid movements, found himself facing her powerful knuckle. Realizing the swiftness of her attacks, Hiroko braced himself for impact, but Sarumi's punch sent him staggering backward, hands covering his face to absorb the force.
Sarumi, undeterred, closed the distance and attempted a kick to Hiroko's groin. Hiroko, quick on his feet, managed to divert the attack with his right hand. The two engaged in a fast-paced exchange of punches and kicks, showcasing their agility and combat prowess.
Despite Hiroko's relentless assault, Sarumi effortlessly evaded each blow with grace. Hiroko, growing impatient with his inability to land a hit, decided to step back and unleash his signature move, the "Wind Slash." A razor-sharp air current surged towards Sarumi.
Unfazed, Sarumi stood calmly, her fingers intertwined as if in prayer. With a serene demeanour, she chanted, "Come forth, forged from the might of the earth, the statue of Gavinrad." In an instant, a towering 6-foot soldier made of mud materialized before her, wielding a shield and sword. Hiroko who was now in panic started to freak out as he thought he was seeing a ghost.
Hiroko completely stunned by this added "what the hell is that? That thing is alive". Hiroko dashed towards the mud soldier as he conjured wind energy into his right-hand palm and as he got closer, he yelled "Wind Smash".
The soldier presented his shield forward to defend and successfully defended the attack but with a minor crack in his shield.
"Is he a fool or what?" Sarumi softly spoke to herself as she was confused by Hiroko's stupidity. "it's spell summoning! don't tell me you are that naïve!" Sarumi asked Hiroko with an angry look on her face.
Hiroko who just realized something said to himself "I remember during my training he told me about spell magic, so she is a Drakien". "I know what it is, it's a summoning spell" Hiroko yelled with a look on his face depicting that he solved a very big mystery. On the other end, Sarumi couldn't believe the stupidity or foolishness of Hiroko and then ordered the statue to attack Hiroko.
Hiroko, fuelled by determination, infused his right hand with wind energy and charged forward, unleashing the formidable "Wind Smash." The mud soldier, resilient but not unscathed, raised its shield to block the attack.
Undeterred, the mud soldier retaliated with a swift sword strike, sending Hiroko sprawling on the ground. Hiroko, showing resilience, rose with a hint of blood at the corner of his mouth, taunting the mud soldier. "Hey, you stupid statue, I'm sending you back to where you came from!" he declared as he launched a series of rapid punches and kicks, aiming to break through the statue's defence.
However, the mud soldier absorbed the onslaught, displaying an unyielding defence against Hiroko's attacks. Evading one of Hiroko's moves, the mud soldier seized the opportunity to counter, grabbing Hiroko's leg and hurling him forcefully into the ground. The mud soldier retaliated fiercely, delivering a powerful kick to Hiroko's back, sending him plummeting further into the ground.
Aiko Mori, watching the unfolding spectacle, couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Guess he was all talk. He doesn't understand this, but Sarumi is on another level."
Kenji, seemingly resigned to Hiroko's impending defeat, added, "He's done for. Wasn't expecting this girl to defeat Hiroko." Ayaka chimed in, "Well, she did a summoning spell. It's a very advanced magic spell. She is a Drakien," her dissatisfaction evident on her face.
Aiko, initially amused by the comments of her fellow Zensen, felt a spark of anger as Shiro, with his trademark confidence, stated, "The match isn't over yet. That damn Hiroko has a bad habit of never giving up." As Shiro uttered these words, Sarumi, convinced of her imminent victory, was halted in her tracks by Hiroko's determined voice echoing through the arena, "Wait! I am not done yet."
Slowly rising to his feet, Hiroko defiantly declared with a smile on his face, "I am just getting started". Sarumi to his response added "You won't win this, Red!" momentarily taken aback by Hiroko's resilience, directed the mud soldier to resume its relentless assault. As the mud soldier closed in, Hiroko displayed remarkable agility, deftly jumping onto its hand and swiftly executing his signature move, the "Wind Smash."
The impact of the Wind Smash sent the mud soldier staggering backward, creating a brief opening for Hiroko. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Hiroko advanced with a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at the soldier's chest.
However, his momentum was abruptly halted as the soldier, showcasing surprising resilience, grabbed him once again, redirecting him forcefully toward the unforgiving ground.
Hiroko, quick on his feet, utilized his "Wind Smash" technique on impact, creating cracks in the arena floor and sending small rock fragments into the air.
As Hiroko regained his footing, he noticed a significant crack in the mud soldier's shield. His eyes widened with realization, and a spark of strategy lit up within him. Hiroko dashed towards the mud soldier and in doing so he grabbed two rocks from the floor into both his hands with a smile depicting victory on his face.
Hiroko lashed with punches focused on the face of the mud soldier and as he landed three consecutive punches, he bashed the rock in his left hand into the soldier's face which created a very minor crack and then he bashed the other rock hardly too to make the impact stronger.
"Sarumi is strong, that clown doesn't stand a chance against her, he has no idea who Sarumi is" Aiko Mori said to herself observing the match from the stands.
Sarumi unaware of Hiroko's intentions smiled a little as she knew Hiroko's fighting was all in vain. The mud soldier retaliated by a kick to Hiroko sending him back and as it did Hiroko punched on the floor making a small tremor and some rocks flew which he by kicking propelled towards the mud soldier.
Hiroko following the rocks directed towards the soldier approached as the Soldier brought his shield forward to avoid the rocks and Hiroko seeing his opportunity put his foot on the soldier's arm carrying the sword and jumped to his shoulder advancing further and jumping even higher using the shoulder to reach a big height and as he reached at a peak point he conjured wind energy into his right hand palm as he made a strong punch style and then brought his hand forward as he dashed from the sky down towards the soldier's face where he made the crack and yelled "take this you stupid mud, Wind Smash".
Hiroko's attack propelled by his angle and gravity made an impact on the soldier's face smashing the soldier into pieces of dust. Sarumi who saw all this and was shocked by Hiroko's unusual approach couldn't move.
Everyone observing was stunned by Hiroko's unusual approach and strong standing. "Who is this girl, her control over the magic spells is something else" Shiro said to himself observing with other participants from the stands.
With a determined look, Sarumi assumed a fighting stance and dashed towards Hiroko. She aimed a right fist at his chest, but Hiroko skilfully evaded by using his elbow and countered with a roundhouse kick, sending Sarumi backward. Hiroko, feeling the strain, murmured to himself, "I need to end this quickly; I am at my limit."
As Hiroko charged toward Sarumi, he positioned his right hand at the lower right side of his body, controlling his Reiki to produce wind element. Closing in on Sarumi, he unleashed his signature move, yelling, "Wind Smash."
Sarumi, now visibly concerned, moved her feet back. She brought her hands forward, palms smashing together as she yelled, "Lightning Stream." Lightning surged through her palms, intercepting Hiroko's attack. Although subdued, Hiroko was left with bruises on his hand and body as he fell back, astonished by Sarumi's remarkable ability to seamlessly use both magical spells and control her Reiki.
Shiro, equally amazed, added, "What? She can do both, this brilliantly?"
Hiroko, rising to his feet, acknowledged the formidable skill of his opponent. Placing his right leg in front of Sarumi, he gazed at her and remarked, "You are strong, I'll give you that." Sarumi responded with a smile, a hint of joy lighting up her face. "You're not that bad yourself, Red," she retorted, playfully using the nickname that seemed to irk Hiroko. An annoyed Hiroko exclaimed, "Hey, stop calling me Red!"
Sarumi, realizing her limits and the toll of her summoning spell, contemplated whether she could continue. On the other hand, Hiroko, determined and strategic, prepared for his next move. Bringing both hands parallel to each other, he bent down slightly, focusing his Reiki to produce wind particles between his palms. In a decisive moment, Hiroko faced both hands downward, directing the wind energy into the field. To the bewilderment of onlookers, Hiroko was propelled towards the sky, reaching a significant height.
As Sarumi looked up, astonished by Hiroko's unexpected flight, he silently affirmed to himself, "After this, I'll be done, so this better work." Once again channelling his Reiki, Hiroko fell toward the ground, preparing for his signature move, Wind Smash. Witnessing this, Sarumi, realizing the impending danger, sensed the urgency to defend.
With a focused determination, Sarumi chanted, "Rise from the poisonous grains of sand, Wall of Sahara!" A protective wall made of sand materialized, creating a shield against Hiroko's impending attack. As Hiroko descended, he took a deep breath and focused his energy on Wind Smash. Sarumi, apprehensive yet resolute, braced herself behind the defensive barrier.
The collision between Hiroko's Wind Smash and Sarumi's Wall of Sahara sent shockwaves through the arena. After a brief but intense contact, Hiroko's attack proved dominant. The wall shattered, and Sarumi was sent flying backward from the force of the impact.
The arena was plunged into a stunned silence as Hiroko's final move, the Wind Smash, collided with Sarumi, sending her flying back into the ground. The viewers shocked by Hiroko's unusual but strong stance, Aiko Mori, among the spectators, stood in disbelief, her eyes fixed on the unfolding scene. The shock intensified as Sarumi astonishingly managed to rise once again.
Sarumi, despite her battered state, started to walk slowly towards Hiroko, her body adorned with small cuts and bruises. As she approached a certain point, she locked eyes with Hiroko, a moment significant with anticipation. "What the hell, she's still standing. I know she's at her limit, but so am I," Hiroko muttered to himself, perplexed by Sarumi's resilience.
Deep in thought, Hiroko contemplated his next move. "He told me in my training not to use this unless I'm in a very serious situation. I guess it's time I use my final move and finish this," he murmured inwardly. He began to position himself, bringing his right leg forward and extending his right hand. However, he halted when he noticed Sarumi raising her hand straight upwards and addressing the attendant with a smile. "I have nothing left to give. You win, Red," Sarumi declared.
The shock intensified among the spectators, puzzled by Sarumi's unexpected concession. Shiro, watching from the stands, expressed his confusion, "What's she doing? She's still standing, why give up now?" Hiroko, dumbfounded by Sarumi's actions, added, "What? Why would you give up?"
Sarumi, with a wearied expression, clarified, "I know I can't win. My power is drained; I can't continue." Her honesty left the audience and Hiroko in a mix of surprise and admiration for her resilience.
Hiroko, unable to comprehend the situation, couldn't contain his frustration. "Hey, you can't give up just like this! Fight me!" he yelled, a slight hint of anger on his face. Sarumi chuckled, responding, "Maybe some other time, Red. You win today." With those words, she walked away towards the exit, leaving Hiroko standing there, still grappling with the unexpected turn of events.
The onlookers exchanged bewildered glances, trying to make sense of the conclusion. As the arena slowly regained its composure, whispers of admiration and confusion echoed among the spectators. Hiroko, torn between relief and lingering confusion, watched Sarumi exit the arena. The other warriors in the stands shared curious glances, debating the unfolding events.
For Hiroko the day was over, but he had to witness the match between Zai Stone and Shiro Nishimura to see who he will be facing in the final round.
The arena crackled with energy as Zai Stone faced off against Shiro Nishimura. Shiro, with a determined look in his eyes, unleashed his Wind Smash, a move known for its sheer force. A gust of powerful wind spiralled towards Zai, a testament to Shiro's control over his Reiki.
Zai, however, stood unfazed. With an almost casual elegance, he raised his hand and, in a single fluid motion, countered the formidable Wind Smash. The clash of his hand with the oncoming attack sent ripples through the air, leaving the spectators in awe of Zai's seemingly effortless strength.
"He blocked it just by a strike from his hand" Hiroko added with a surprise on his face. He couldn't believe what he just saw.
The two Zensen engaged in a combat, their movements a blur of kicks and punches. Shiro, with his nimble footwork, aimed a series of spinning kicks, showcasing the agility granted by his wind element. Zai, with an enigmatic calmness, dodged each attack with precision, as if predicting Shiro's every move.
Shiro, undeterred by Zai's apparent advantage, unleashed a barrage of punches. The crowd marvelled at the display of Shiro's speed and power. Zai, however, remained composed, seamlessly evading the onslaught. His counters were swift and calculated, a testament to his deep understanding of fighting.
Zai, recognizing the unwavering spirit of his opponent, decided to end the match with a display of his own combat finesse. As Shiro lunged forward with a powerful kick, Zai sidestepped with a grace that defied gravity. In a mesmerizing sequence, Zai seized Shiro's leg mid-air, executing a flawless throw that brought Shiro to the ground. Shiro quickly jumped back up as he saw Zai who launched a punch towards him. The punch of Zai landed on the ground depicting how strong the impact was. Shiro who was in a very rough shape with blood on his body knew he was facing someone way stronger than him and had to go out of the way to win.
Zai, with an eerie swiftness, darted towards Shiro, aiming a side kick with lethal precision. However, Shiro, displaying a surprising level of cunning, allowed the kick to land, seizing Zai's extended leg in a calculated move. Despite the apparent vulnerability, Shiro's eyes gleamed with an unspoken strategy.
"You fell for it," Shiro taunted, maintaining his grip on Zai's leg. Although Shiro faced damage from the impact of that kick he still grabbed it strongly. The wind particles merged around Shiro's right fist, a manifestation of his elemental prowess. With a defiant yell, he unleashed the Wind Smash, a potent force aimed directly at Zai.
The impact reverberated through the arena, and the spectators were momentarily stunned by Shiro's audacity. Even Hiroko, known for his strategic mind, was taken aback. "I never thought Shiro would do something so risky in a battle," he murmured to himself, eyes fixed on the unfolding spectacle.
Yet, to everyone's amazement, Zai stood up after being hit, wiping blood from his face with an unsettling calmness. Shiro, astonished by Zai's resilience, voiced his disbelief. "What the hell, how can you be standing after such a strong attack?" Fear and uncertainty tinged Shiro's words as he faced the unexpected outcome.
Hiroko, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but acknowledge Zai's formidable strength. "This guy is something else," he muttered, a mix of awe and trepidation in his voice.
"You fought well, for what it's worth, but now I am serious," Zai declared coldly, the words hanging heavy in the air. In an instant, he closed the distance between him and Shiro, showcasing a speed that defied the norms.
Zai deftly dodged Shiro's retaliatory fist, countering with a ruthless punch to Shiro's groin. The blow sent Shiro airborne, vulnerable and gasping for air. Zai, relentless, followed up with a punch to Shiro's chest and a spinning kick to the already battered groin. Shiro soared further into the air, helpless against the onslaught.
As Zai ascended with him, he executed a brutal roundhouse kick, sending Shiro hurtling towards the unforgiving ground. The impact was bone-rattling, leaving Shiro struggling to stand. In the aftermath of the devastating assault, Shiro defiantly proclaimed, "You think you are strong? Well, let me show you your place!"
Shiro extended both hands forward, palms facing Zai, gathering the wind force between them. The spectators could feel the intensity building as Shiro concentrated all his elemental power. "This is my final move; I am taking you down!" Shiro bellowed, unleashing the gathered energy in a formidable torrent known as Soyokaze Stream.
Zai, unyielding, responded with a calculated move. He brought his right leg forward, simultaneously spinning his hand clockwise, igniting flames in a breathtaking display of elemental mastery. "Fire Flash," Zai muttered under his breath.
The small flame transformed into a massive wall of fire, intercepting Shiro's incoming stream of wind. The clash between the elements created a spectacle of raw power, engulfing the arena in a searing inferno. The flames dispersed Shiro's attack and struck him with an intensity that left him sprawled on the ground, covered in burns and bruises.
As Zai calmly walked away from the defeated Shiro, the spectators were left in awe of the sinister brilliance displayed by the mysterious contender. The flames receded, revealing Shiro, battered and beaten, on the arena floor. The eerie silence was eventually broken by the scattered murmurs of the crowd.
Makoto, watching the aftermath, couldn't shake the feeling of unease. "Zai Stone is on a different level," he muttered to Emi Nakajima, who stood beside him in the Zensen lounge.
Emi, her eyes reflecting concern, nodded in agreement. "There's something dark about him, something beyond just strength."