Mane's eyes gleamed brightly seeing the huge axe that chopped towards his shoulder. He didn't step back, neither did he give way. He curled his fingers into fists as he gathered power in them. They shook in ecstasy as Edict filled every single vessel of his hands and gathered at the call of the Supreme. His muscles bulged from the huge influx of power, and they prepared to cause a mighty explosion. Like a charging bull Mane sent his fist flying toward the huge axe. The air was ripped apart as Mane's fist swept by, and Edict announced its mighty presence with a shout.
"Splintering Fist!"
*BOOM*
Fist and axe came together, and the shocking effect of their meeting was felt by all. The figures of Mane and Vital Orange were shrouded in a huge cloud of dust. A result of their thunderous collision. Soon, a figure was pushed out of the dust cloud, and everyone was stunned to see the identity of this figure.
"Impossible," Tucker mumbled with eyes widened into slits. Seeing the figure of Vital Orange flying through the air from that collision with Mane was hard to accept. Vital Orange with his axe in hand was much stronger than he was without his weapon. His aura was about 3 times stronger than it was when he fought Mane empty handed the first time. Yet even with such a huge change in his aura, he was the one pushed back when he clashed against the empty handed Mane. When Tucker saw how the ground beneath Vital Orange's feet had been unable to withstand his aura and had broken apart, and compared it to the very intact ground Mane stood on before he made his charge, he thought that Vital Orange was much stronger. Yet the man who was pushed out wasn't his new employer, but Vital Orange.
"Do you think that is strange?" Ivor smiled and asked Tucker. It was easy to spot the look of astonishment on Tucker's face because he wasn't hiding it.
"Well, there is nothing strange about it. Which is more dangerous: A furious cat, or a docile lion?" Ivor smiled and asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued to speak, "It may have looked like Vital Orange's aura was stronger, but even before they clashed Mane's aura swallowed Vital Orange's like it was nothing but food. Mane can still control his strength to keep it from going out of control because he still feels that Vital Orange isn't enough of a threat. If he does unleash his full aura, this field may very well be destroyed, and he may lose control and wouldn't be able to stop when he has to."
Tucker was enlightened by Ivor's explanation, but he also felt helpless at the same time. How could one grow so powerful that he/she could even hold back against a Tiger? The person he had chosen to follow really was a freak.
Vital Orange was finally able to stop his body from its forceful retreat by smashing his huge axe into the ground. The shiny weapon was largely unfazed by the strong fist that struck it, but Vital Orange could feel his arms shaking from the impact still. Yet his gaze was unwavering. He looked unblinkingly at the dust cloud. Things had begun to settle, and the dust was slowly dissipating. He prepared his muscles for another charge. Once the dust was gone and the figure within it was revealed, he would mount a deadly attack that would give him the upper hand. His brain moved quickly. Years of battle had sharpened it to a level that left it far ahead of his axe in terms of durability and efficiency.
"Ten seconds," Vital Orange mumbled. In that amount of time the dust would be gone. But if he chose to strike at that time, he would fail. He had to strike right before it dissipated so that Mane would have no chance. His brain told him this, and so his body prepared to act on its orders.
9
8
7
6
5
5
4
3
Now!
Vital Orange sprang into action once he got to the number three. With speed that left the wind itself in awe, he left a series of deep footprints in the ground as he made his charge towards the dust cloud that had cleared up greatly. Like a majestic creature of myths, he descended upon Mane's location with fury befitting of his identity as a Tiger.
"Good," Ivor praised Vital Orange's assertiveness. Hesitation in battle would lead to failure and death. One must make swift decisions and follow through with the single mindedness of a toddler.
"Unfortunately he isn't there anymore," Ivor shook his head and bit onto a large breadstick in his hands.
*Boom*
Vital Orange's axe crashed into the ground with as much strength as the giant of a man could muster. The ground split into several pieces, and debris was sent flying everywhere. Ivor stood before the twins to protect them. His mere presence was enough. Every chunk of earth that came flying this way was disintegrated even before it could come into contact with him. Even dust was reduced to nothingness before the power of this man. Yet this strange sight was unnoticed by the twins or Tucker because they were fully engrossed in the fight. Even when he was covered entirely in dust – literally from head to toe – Tucker still watched the battle with undivided attention. He was fortunate that Ivor stood by him, for the mysterious Information Peddler waved his hand at a large slate that was sent flying towards the unsuspecting Tucker and the slate disappeared. Even then, Tucker still didn't see anything but the fight before him.
"Sh*t" Vital Orange cursed when he struck nothing but air and earth. But he didn't have any time to relax, or even think about the situation at hand when he felt a constricting aura from his side. His battle instincts revealed their use as he pushed his axe to the side as if on reflex to block the violent strike that was coming his way.
*Boom*
Like a discarded coin Vital Orange was smashed several meters away. His arms sunk under the power of the punch that took him off guard and the shorts he wore split at the ends. His axe cried in pity from the powerful blow that threatened to figure out the limits of its durability, and his aura shook from the presence of the boy who was watching him like an eagle stalking a snake.
Oh how long it had been since he last felt this way. He was a Predator, a Tiger with strength beyond many others, yet here he was, stalked by another; watched with eyes that reflected very little emotion and regarded as prey instead of Predator.
"He did that on purpose," Vital Orange knew that if this were to be a real battle, he would have already lost. Mane had shown during their first confrontation that he was very good at controlling his aura. Vital Orange only felt the suffocating aura when their fists clashed as it invaded his body and tried to shake his resolve. Even with his years of battle experience, he had almost fallen prey to the violent and powerful aura. This aura had swallowed his whole and threatened to crack his will even before he was truly beaten. But it was only until fist and axe clashed that Vital Orange felt the oppressive nature of Mane's aura, so he knew that Mane had perfect control over his aura. Even if it wasn't perfect yet, it was really good. Yet right before Mane had struck him, he unleashed his aura so that Vital Orange could block the attack. There was only one reason for this: Mane didn't want to hurt him grievously. And Vital Orange got the message.
Mane's figure flickered, and he appeared right in front of Vital Orange before he could even blink his steady eyes. Mane struck out his palm with a calm expression on his face. Yet the power of the strike wasn't any bit inferior to his fists. Vital Orange could feel the stinging wind on his face even before the attack had landed. He hastily swept his axe towards Mane in an attempt to deflect the dangerous strike.
*Bang*
Vital Orange successfully deflected the palm strike, yet that was only beginning of the storm. And the storm controller was eager to unleash the fury of the 7 Heavens. Vital Orange didn't want to be on the defensive. He could tell that Mane was stronger, and if he allowed the young man to seize control of the battle, he would undoubtedly lose. So he whipped his huge axe towards the blonde haired battle maniac. Mane didn't look the least bit concerned that his attack had been blocked. He span on the spot he stood on, and moved gracefully like a leaf in the wind. The powerful axe that split the winds and could halt the breath of many others was evaded by Mane by a hair's breadth. Without pausing Mane kept spinning, and struck out another palm at the now wide open Vital Orange.