"Candidates this year are pretty decent...The Lionheart Clan isn't quite known for wanting to be Knights..." Veteran Knight Daisuke commented as he watched with intrigue analyzing the screen with hawk eyes "Alchemists tend to be full of themselves. Closet Superiority complex. At face value they may seem Genuine but deep down their always thinking about how to better themselves... I have to give credit where it's due...Mana Alchemist's always impressed me...the only Clan that can Summon Weapons of the Underworld through the Exchange..and use them at full capacity...it's a bit odd though..."
"What is?...They have always been well versed in battle but they merely focused on gaining infamy through knowledge. Rather than be known for fighting. Why be caught in a rivalry of clans when they can just watch from the Shadows and learn.." Director Clara Narukami responded taking a puff of her cigar, as she crossed her legs awaiting His reasoning. "Also can I just say...The one you brought...has caused the most damage this year. Hope your proud of yourself..."
"Heh. He'll learn. give him a chance...and I know that...it's not what I mean..." Daisuke replied pointing at Yuma whom had summoned Gauntlets through the Catalyst of brass knuckles. "His Mana output..it's more stable than any Lionheart's I've seen in action. Typically to summon a weapon of vast Mana, Soul contracts are needed. So with each summon a sliver of their soul slips away from them..making them lose their humanity slowly..."
"I heard of that...with each battle anyone of that clan that overuses their Alchemy become Tranquil, losing themselves completely....That is Equivalent Exchange after all...just what are you hinting at?..." Clara raised her eyebrow, rubbing the back of her neck as she couldn't quite put together what point he was making.
The emerald eye'd Man narrowed his vision as he continued "Watch him closely...his Mana output...and Body...theirs no Strain. Almost like he's not losing anything at all...I've heard stories of certain Alchemists finding a Loophole. Using Someone else's Soul so that they may use their abilities with no drawbacks. Even so..it would hurt their bodies. Though this is even beyond that..."
"You don't mean-..." Clara stared at the screen suddenly now understanding quite a bit before shaking her head. Though his silence was the answer she needed before exhaling and nodding "If that is the case...and what you say is true?...he'll need it. He's going up against one of the Tora Clan Siblings.."
"I never payed attention to them...what's the deal?...I know about the Dark Mana Taboo..." Daisuke suddenly turned to the Director with a look of curiosity as he thought about the Psychopath Yuma was facing.
"The Tora Clan...at its Core is a Clan of Criminals. Causing Mischief...using any means necessary to be better than others....These Four brothers...they've gained fame by being a cut above the rest...they have the highest kill count all together than any other member of their clan....they take hit jobs, and get the job done rather quickly. But nobody knows what Abilities they have...."
"All the info we do have...is it has to do with Cursed Mana. let's see how Yuma Lionheart fares against it...this could very well be as far as he goes..."
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The Lionheart Fangs we're bared as Yuma, stood in a peculiar martial art fighting stance; Mana still surging in his vicinity 'if it's Cursed...I better not let him hit me...' he thought wisely though he kept himself still, unmoving as he stared at Ryoka their we're many thoughts going through his mind; on how he should confront such an unknown person.
Ryoka lifted his dagger anticipation killing him, as he could tell Yuma was a strong opponent "Your Mana~....it's so refined Yuma-kuun~...I love it~...that fury...that Fire inside...is it your heart?....I wonder-...." He spoke with an annoyingly high pitched voice not really caught off guard by Lionheart's Alchemy usage, a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead slowly but surely once it hit the ground the Tora Brother dashed forward at majestic speeds thrusting his weapon forward in several high speed attacks "hehehe~...If I cut your heart open...will I warm myself with your flame~?...let's find out ~..."
Yuma stayed defensive, on instinct his hands and feet moved practically on their own as he stepped back swiftly and countered, weaving, and blocking his attacks with relative ease 'I'll wait for an opening...end it in a single blow...get my medal, and be praised...' he thought as the scuffle between them imploded; Cursed Mana colliding with his own Yellow Lionheart Aura, the strikes being countered could be heard as each one left an aftershock blow for blow, like dozens of grenades going off simultaneously.
The Crowd was in awe at the Battle; gasps and breathes of admiration as his Fangirl club cheered for him. Yuma was truly a technical Genius in Hand to Hand Combat; The Psycho boy could barely keep up with him and his Lionheart Mana 'he's too slow....but I can't risk getting hit by him...I've gotta take it easy...'
The sparkling Aqua eyes of Dante couldn't be kept hidden, as he watched with glee at the ensuing Duel. It was an amazing spectacle indeed, similar to a puppy going on a car ride for the first time "their so fast...I know Swordsmen we're capable of this but I had no clue their we're martial artists that could keep up with someone using a weapon! And their Mana's are crazy strong..." he praised softly not hiding his expression of awe.
Cole Nodded in agreement, clasping his hands together as he replied "W-well Martial Arts is very foreign. And rare....I-I think it originated in Oceana our Neighboring Nation to the E-east. Using Swords isn't Strange but they found that making their Bodies into living weapons was even more important. Hands are Swords, forearms are shield, feet are Spears; and Knee's are hammers. The rest of the Body acts like A-armor. It looks like the Lionheart Clan adapted that style to use with their alchemy, at least I think. Lionheart's don't really engage in fights much at least their not known for that..but seeing their Alchemy! I-it's really exciting.."
"Tch....What's so special about Alchemy anyway?..." Regis spoke after overhearing Cole making the Shy boy jump softly at his voice, as he calmed himself down still not use to his Angry demeanor he replied wisely "A-ano....Lionheart's Regis..S-sir. Mama Alchemy. I-it's..." he was stammering over his words and barely able to explain himself before Kira chimed in to get him at ease. "Mana Alchemy...is the Art of using Mana to summon Weapons of Darkness from the Underworld. Many Mana users can summon familiars or creatures and beasts to aid them. But Only Alchemists can summon literal weapons of power to boost them in battle."
"Hmph...so your telling me...those Gauntlets and Shin guards that Yuma has on...their from the Underworld?...does that mean they we're once owned by a Demon?" The Blonde Brute glanced at Narukami as if trying to find out for himself what's so special about it.
"In theory...yes. Nobody knows for certain, because nobody can travel to the underworld. But that is the case....considering what's needed to do such a thing. It's dealing your soul away...Using a Dark Weapon. Takes a toll on the human body with just the first time so to compensate Alchemists used the Equivalent exchange law...to utilize such weaponry for long periods of times. They give up slivers of their own Soul...until one day, they become Soulless and Tranquil...at least that's what I learned In the Academy..even so. It's still a crazy thing to do" Kira finished explaining as her eyes gazed upon the battle between Yuma and Ryoka with curiosity "it takes a certain will to purposely sell your soul to be powerful.."
"Tch...on top of being self centered pricks...Lionheart's are also cheaters not even having to train to be strong like that...." Regis cursed under his breathe at the thought of someone, being gifted without really trying at all. "Bastards..all of them..."
"Aye. You don't know what your talking about..." Dante retorted In defense of Yuma, he glanced at Regis with a certain annoyed gleam "You can't call them all that. And you have no idea what Yuma has done in his life to be strong. Why don't you stop judging for once? Your the one being self centered. The world doesn't revolve around you jackass..I don't know squat about clans, and rivalries but I know when someone thinks their better than others. Your no better than anyone else here.."
The Ogrekiller brute felt his anger rise, as an irk mark reached his forehead pissed off at Dante's words. The second time he's spoken back to him, the towering bear walked over standing closer "in my opinion. You don't have the right to speak too me. A nobody like you....I pray I'm paired with you. Because when I get my hands on you...not even your mother will recognize you..when I'm done. You'll be breathing through a tube..."
"Oh...that right?...screw waiting. Let's just do this now..." Dante gritted his teeth, one thing he wouldn't forgive was someone mentioning his mother even slightly; as he began to reach for his blade.
"You two....be quite." Rose said coldly, as she was staring at the Three Remaining brothers on the sidelines with a suspicion before pointing at them. "None of you have noticed. How incredibly calm they are?...clearly. The blue and amber eye'd ones have been smirking this whole time. And the purple I can't see under his face mask but it looks like he isn't really worried either. Don't you find it odd... it almost seems like. They don't care at all.."
Kira took note of Rose's comment and looked over at them, seeing that she was right. Their calmness was to eerie and strange, no concern whatsoever. "Ryoka Tora...the one Lionheart is facing, he's the most psychopathic of the four. The orange one is Rei. Blue is Rin and the purple one in the mask is the youngest his name is Reno....Their Quadruplets are known criminals but their abilities are unknown as anyone that has ever seen them in action. Has never lived to tell the tale...that's why I asked what reason they had to be here? If they we're always very secretive. Each wears a different color, and each of their eyes are different in color it's the only different features among them...you are right Rose...it's best we confront them and make sure theirs no foul play going on."
"W-wait!..." Cole called out to them but to no avail, while Dante and Regis relaxed. The Two Females walked away from that small group and stopped only a few feet away from the Three siblings watching the battle; Rei was the first to notice their presence as his Amber eyes glanced over to them with a small smirk "I had a feeling you'd walk over here...Narukami...Atarah.....since you couldn't help but keep your eyes off of us. To what do we owe the pleasure. You seem to be having a wonderful time with your friends Over there.."
"What are you plotting?..." Kira asked bluntly glaring daggers at him, as the other two turned their attention to the girls as well. "Your brother is out there battling a Mana Alchemist but you don't seem the slightest concerned. I figured Quadruplets would feel the tension..."
"Oh is that right~?..." Rin the second eldest by a few minutes couldn't help but stare at them with a curiosity as he crossed his arms "You wanna know why we're not concerned....it's simple. Your. Not. Wrong... we do feel each other's tension sometimes... Anger, joy, sadness. But we're not concerned one bit...because Ryoka...isn't concerned either. He's not out there fighting for some sort of ambitious goal. He's here for one reason...and one reason only... to inflict pain on others and that. Just so happens. To be your friend..."
"It's hilarious!...that Lionheart fellow is going to die...and we get to see it in full view-..." Rei was interrupted by a shift in the wind, seeing that Rose was gone made him pause as he looked over to his younger brother Reno having a blade to his throat "what do you think your doing?..."
"Enough of your games. If I even see a hint of cheating...his head will rest beneath his feet. Am I clear?...." Rose spoke menacingly, under her hoodie she was glaring Icy daggers at them.
"Put the blade down...before you get us all killed...." Rin interrupted her as he stared at her with a desperate look, pointing at themselves "you could pull that with any of us. I don't care. But...don't. Touch. Reno....let him go."
Clearly Rin had a wickedness to him but is the more collected of the bunch, Rei is lively and wicked, Ryoka is just straight insane while...Reno is emotionless. Not even reacting to having a weapon to his neck; the mask on his face didn't even shift 'why does he have a mask?...is he sick?...' Rose thought to herself she let him go when a Pressure of air bursted through the area; causing everyone to stop what they we're doing and continue spectating the Epic fight.
Yuma was persistently and smoothly countering all of Ryoka's dagger shanks with relative ease "if that's all you have....I'll finish this quick!..." with his left hand he grabbed hold of the Tora's equipped hand and pulled it toward him and with his right; Mana was focused into it along with the Gauntlet's Aura illuminating further "Shatter the Earth...Gilgamesh...times one..." Lionheart spoke with the calmness of the Sea, as his fist rocketed forward slamming directly into Ryoka's chest with a bone crunching force; his pink eyes went blank and he coughed up blood from the Earth Shattering Punch. The shockwave of that blow trembled the small battlefield as the Psychotic boy was thrown backward forcefully; tumbling several feet harshly landing on his back.
"D-did he win?....did you see that combo?...and he countered all of that Ryoka guys attacks....Yuma-san is a Genius!..." Dante exclaimed one would think he might've joined the Fangirl club at how excited he was claiming his victory.
The brown haired Yuma's mana dissipated and his skin returned to normal though the gauntlet's remained; as he walked over getting closer and closer to Ryoka "You've got a lot of technique with that dagger. But it can only do so much at close range....while Martial arts is just to versatile. This was simply a bad match up for you...nothing more but made me look good In the end.." he said with a sigh; as he watched the poor Ryoka tremble as he attempted to pick himself up, turning his head toward Yuma with a Psychotic grin and blood seeping from his mouth "Nani!?...you think I'm done?!.."
"Eh?...how could you even stand?...My Gilgamesh must've broken something in there..." Yuma questioned as he observed him keenly; a small reflective light caught his attention "oh shit!—" a Blast of Mana hit him dead on sending him flying backward; the energy was intense and a vibrant dark pink crashing with the Arena's wall and exploding.
"Yuma?...Yuma-san?!...." Dante exclaimed suddenly it happened in an instant; Ryoka had shot a beam of energy at Yuma despite being taken down faster than the flash of a camera. "What just happened?....hey..Cole what just happened?!..."
"L-look....." Cole pointed at the trail of Smoke and Brimstone; his eyes we're wide in Fear at the terrifying reflecting sight. "T-that's impossible."
Yuma himself groaned in massive amounts of pain, as he pulled out of the crater he left on the wall and stood there cracking his neck looking at his gauntlets that we're heavily scratched 'That amount of Mana...in that instant. Was it a blast?...' he thought covered in bruises and cuts; he looked as if he had been beaten to bloody pulp his Brown eyes raised up to try and see his opponent in the distance but what he saw up close...inches away from the side of his face; a cut on his cheek that blood dripped out of made him realize their was way more going on than he realized "y-you've gotta be...shitting me-...." He breathed out shakily.
Regis himself was taken aback, but held his tongue as the Girl's returned over to them just in time to get a full view of the commotion. Kira placed her hand over her mouth in disbelief "But..that's.....how?..."
The red haired Rose, nearly took off her hoodie from the shock but refrained and just let her arms fall to her sides as she just shook her head "What kind of...power?..."
"C-cursed....it's a C-cursed Technique!....through...Mana Alchemy?!...." Cole finally said shaking in his boots, as he rubbed his eyes and looked up once again; now that the dust settled it was clear as day. It wasn't a Blast of Mana at all....It was a Blade over 10 meters long. The Psychotic kid's Dagger extended into an overly long Odachi Sword; he had placed it directly under his small jacket so Yuma wouldn't see it clearly and cut right through the fabric, the vast pink Mana wasn't a blast but the very summoning of this Sword.
Dante's jaw dropped, as he could see Yuma was beaten up by that huge exertion of power. Looking at the length was insane but that's not what made him fear for Lionheart. It's what he noticed "H-he's....a Mana Alchemist too..with Cursed Mana. But...that's not the problem at all....Yuma-san's in trouble. I can see it. What his ability truly is..."
The others looked at him as the White haired male spoke; gulping down his nerves "We didn't even see him summon a blade...he just extended his dagger with Cursed Mana...but he did it in the 'blink of an eye'...do you know..what that means?...if he can summon all that Mana faster than any of us can see-..."
"His Cursed Mana....Enhanced his Speed?!...Speed is his True Power...he was acting like a sloth from the beginning. To catch Yuma off guard..." Kira announced finally understanding what Dante was saying; as Ryoka stood up stretching his shoulder instantly his Sword retracted without anyone looking into a Dagger as their was a drip of blood on the tip "Hehe~..Their right you know~...the Tora Clan was Shunned for using Dark arts and in that...we became adept at using Cursed Mana. Mana of the Wicked Souls...so on top of me being a Mana Alchemist like you~...My Cursed Mana....makes me..faster than the speed of sound...My name is Ryoka Tora...they call me. The Viper of the Tora Brothers....because I kill my enemies in an instant. The instant that I bite...and youuuu~..." his tongue licked the blood up from the blade hungrily as he smirked "Your my Prey....Yumaaaa-kuun~...."