Night One Hundred And Sixty Eight
Age 1991
Gladious City...
The Arena...
Schutz let out a loud yell jumping at Irene as he raised his axe high above his head. "It's not over yet!" He yelled dropping to her as the wind began to twist around his axe arm.
Irene let out a sigh as he fell towards her. She raised her sword up pointing it at him as it seemed to glow and morph around her arm becoming what looked like a large red version of Hero's Rage Cannon shocking the snow haired boy. "Yeah... Yeah it is." She said pulling on the trigger and firing out a massive red beam of ice and heat.
Schutz's eyes went wide as he fell towards the beam. He threw his shield arm out just in time as the beam slammed into him and in a massive explosion he was blasted high into the air and began to slowly fall to the ground below...
"Alright direct hit!" Jackson announced giving a large smirk. "Go Irene! Maybe she should be the next action figure we make!"
He hit the stone floor of the arena head first. His metal riot shield was covered in cracks and smoking and his eyes were rolled to the back of his head blood slowly dripping down the side of it. It was a pretty bad fall.
Hero folded his arms a frown covering his face. "That was dangerous Irene... You didn't hold back at all... And with a fall like that. That could have easily killed him... Why did you take such a gamble... Don't tell me you expected him to block your strike?"
'It's not like her to play with her food-'
"She's not playing." Hero said shaking his head and putting an end to Row's thoughts. "If I'm right she's giving it her all for Schutz's sake."
Over in the Squad Four Brackets Reine watched Schutz drop out of the sky and slam into the floor with a sickening crunch as the ground beneath him shattered. "Schutz!" She screamed.
"T... That was a pretty bad fall... I... Is he gonna be alright?" Shuncong asked slightly horrified.
Laughter could be heard behind them both and they turned finding Will Sharp, the other member of Squad Three with them. He had a large smirk on his face when he saw the downed Schutz. "Serves him right. He's just a body guard to a filthy Noble." He said glaring back at Reine. "Maybe if he bothered to train more instead of following you around he'd be stronger."
"H... How could you say that." The normally shy Shuncong said an angry look crossing onto his face. "Schutz is one of the strongest, kindest people I know! How dare you-"
"That's enough Shuncong." Reine said grabbing the boy by the shoulder. She turned back to look at the arena. "No reason to bother with him."
"Typical Noble. You think you're better than me just because I'm a commoner."
"That's not it." Reine said bluntly. "It's true I'm a Noble so I must hold myself higher than others due to my bloodline. But I could care less if you meet my level just because you're a commoner. While in the Enforcers I've seen just as many break past my level. I'm not going to bother with your insults because you're wrong. You're just a fool if you think that's Schutz's full power. This fight is only just getting started. I know he won't allow himself to fall to an attack like that."
In the arena Olf climbed back onto the stage. "And it would seem like Schutz is down for the count! You all know what that means. He has ten seconds to get back up. One! Two! Three! Four! Five-"
"What's wrong." Irene asked folding her arms as she stared at the unconscious man blood still pouring out of the side of his head. "I thought you were going to show me your full power. Everything you built up for one person. That can't be the best you have can it? Get back up."
***
Age 1981
Rose City...
"Get back up."
A six year old Schutz let out a low groan as he was shoved to the ground with a hard punch. He looked up seeing his father standing above him.
"You must get back up Schutz." He urged. "We are proud members of the Xeon family. You have no choice but to stand Schutz. For it is our job to remain standing tall. Us who protect the Noble and sacred Antoinette family. A family who fought so hard to free us from our jailers in the White Nation. Who put their lives on the line for us, so generations later we do the same for them. So stand proud my son!" He announced.
Schutz managed a low groan as his knuckles stabbed into the side of the dirt and he pushed himself up!
***
Age 1991
"-and te-"
Schutz let out a loud yell jumping back to his feet and stopping the ten count. He gritted his teeth blood still covering most of the side of his face. Despite that though he raised the shield up in one hand, and his axe arm up as well. "I'm not done!" He yelled loudly. "I'm still standing!"
Irene managed a half smirk as Olf let out a panicked yell and jumped out of the arena. Irene held her hand out creating another ice great sword as she fired forward as fast as she could slashing it down with enough force to send out a wave of ice that froze most of the arena in front of her but was unable to get past Schutz's shield which had special properties since it was made from an Equation. She slashed out with her ice great sword as hard as she could but the massive blocky, icy weapon, was some how deflected by Schutz.
Schutz let out a loud cry as soon as he knocked her weapon in the air. He slammed his shield forward shield bashing her, but Irene showed how much of a tank she was taking the attack head on as she slammed her weapon down smashing the icy handle of the sword into the head of Schutz so hard he almost slammed into the floor. But gritting his teeth he caught himself as he let out a loud cry and pushed up raising himself up to his feet even with the weight of the sword as he smashed the blunt end of his axe into the side of Irene's head knocking her down to the floor.
"I... I don't get it." Ken pouted folding her arms up. "Schutz got hit by a head on attack and yet he's keeping up with Irene."
"Wow Ken. You really are naive aren't you." Shelly giggled making Ken nearly stumble.
"I... If you're so smart than you tell me why he's back up and fighting!"
"Obviously his enhancement kicked in." She said rolling her eyes.
"E... Enhancement?" Ken asked cocking her head to the side in a cute way.
"You really are naive aren't you." Shelly said her eye twitching.
"Just tell me!"
Light let out a hum placing his hand on the small raven haired girls head. "Well Ken... Equations are strong for two reasons. Our many forms we get, and our Enhancement... Basically when a person is pushed to their limit they break it. We get stronger the harder the fight is, and the closer to death we're put. After every fight a person gets stronger. It's one of the reasons big brother has gotten so strong. The harder a fight the more a person grows. Normally you won't notice these effects until after you rested up but in rare cases the person can have the growth in the middle of a battle. That's how we get stronger. Either we unlock a new form. Or we have an Enhancement. And in cases like Big Brother the Enhancement can lead to new forms unlocking."
"Honestly Ken." Shelly said reaching out and pinching the girls cheek. "This isn't even the first time these things have been brought up. At least try to listen."
"It's funny that you're bragging Shelly because you're wrong." Hero laughed making the pink haired girl stumble now.
"W... What?"
Hero folded his arms and stared back at the arena. "It's true that Schutz has had an Enhancement but the power boost wouldn't be so high as to boost him up to Irene's level. Usually they don't even double your power. Schutz did get a lot stronger but that isn't why he's keeping up with Irene."
"Damn it!" Kitsune cursed suddenly seeing what Hero was getting at. "That fancy red ice stuff she did... That's it isn't it."
"That's right." Hero nodded. "That kind of attack is a once per day attack. It takes a lot out of the user. Irene got a lot weaker as soon as she used that attack because you blew all her energy in one attack. Don't get me wrong those attacks are strong but that was kind of foolish of her to do. She should have waited until she was sure it'd be a knock out. Now she's fighting an even strong enemy while she's even weaker..."
"Not good..." Ken realized.
Schutz spun around slamming his axe into Irene's sword hard enough to send her flying back. She rolled landing back on her feet and looked up just in time to see Schutz raise his weapon up as high as it would go as the wind wrapped around it. "Sky Eater!" He yelled slamming it back down and firing out the wind out at a high speed. It ripped through Irene's shoulder making her scream out as it split it open and blood dripped down her open wound.
She placed her hand on it though freezing the thing close as she bowed her head for a moment letting the pain be washed away by the cold. "That really hurt..." She said glaring up at the man.
Schutz didn't bat an eye though the determination not leaving him. "I'm not done just yet. My arms and legs can still work!" He announced.
'This is Reine Antoinette... Sadly her parents as well as your father didn't make it Schutz. As the last member of the Antoinette family it is up to her to finish the rite of Nette, and finish the God's Song. As for you. A member of the Xeon family... You have a much sadder goal my boy. You must be the one to keep her safe no matter what. You must never allow yourself to fall, or to ever lose. You are the symbol that must hold the last heir to Antoinette as high as it can go...'
Those had been the words Master Storm had told him of.
The old man came to inform them on death of all the Xeon's and Antoinette's. They were the last remaining ones. He couldn't fail.
Falling here would be selfish.
Irene fired forward slashing out with her sword only it seemed to bubble up and morph becoming what looked like a massive ice scythe which she spun around her body slashing out with everything she had. The blades easily slashed into Schutz's shoulders and arms. He managed to block the weapon with his shield but the smirk on Irene's face told him she had been expecting that. The weapon once again changed the blade on the scythe vanishing and instead becoming a massive ice hand which gripped around the shield and began to squeeze down on it shattering the thing into several shards. The hand then grabbed him by his arm and he was once again thrown high into the air spinning around the ground slowly coming back up as his eyes went wide.
And as he fell he saw it...
All those years ago after the old man informed him of their deaths. He saw the little girl who had been in the garden. He saw her and the brave noble face she had tried to put on. But he also heard it. The sorrow that had been in her voice.
Who had been holding who up?
He wondered about that...
'Oh... Hello. I'm Reine Antoinette. I heard about what happened to your family. I'm sorry for everything that happened.'
She had said sorry.
As if it was her fault.
As if she didn't lose her family that day to.
"Don't lose Schutz!"
Schutz opened his eyes when he heard their voices. Reine and Shuncong yelling at him.
As he fell he gritted his teeth raising his axe high above his head as it began to glow getting even bigger, and he fell to Irene who's eyes went wide. "God Eater!" He announced slamming the massive weapon down as hard as he could.
Irene raised her arm up just in time but in time forming a shield.
But it wasn't even a clash as the massive attack easily split it in half and she was sent flying back slamming across the arena, the entire arena itself being split apart and she slammed into the ground below out of the arena shocking everyone.
"Irene!" Kitsune yelled with wide eyes jumping out of the box and running over to the girl. Squad Six stared in shock Katrina's eyes were wide as they stared at what used to be the arena.
A very scared looking Olf began to ten count. "Erm... One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine..."
Hero allowed a small breath he had been holding to leave him. "She's done. She's not getting back up."
"Ten... Irene Glacious Of Squad Six is out! The winner is Schutz Xeon of Squad Three!"