Midori moved closer to the window, all the fighters within the room staring at him.
Shun: You're acting up, old man. What's up?
Moll: How about having more respect for his name?
Shun: Yeah yeah, whatever. But I want to know what's got him so worried.
Midori: We're entering the deciding phase of the match.
Simon: Deciding phase?
Midori: What Kuro is about to do may shock many of you.
Magnus pulls out a pen and clipboard, moving close to the window as he stares out at the two fighters. Tension starts to build in the ring as Kuro lets out a low, slow laugh. A laugh so low, one may believe it was just the white noise made of an area being too quiet. However, Kuro's body began to convulse, his body twitched and his eyes opened wide. Daymond raised his guard, holding it tightly as the referee, Zachary, and Zenzo watched on in fear. The audience stayed in utter silence as Kuro's body slowly changed. His skin grew a dark shade of red with his veins becoming noticeable all over his body. His eyes became bloodshot, Daymond thinking for a moment that blood had begun to seep out of them. Kuro's current appearance can only be compared to that of the Devil.
Kuro: Release!
A woman screamed in the audience before a following series of screams of fear and confusion filled the stadium. Tico and Kammy abruptly stood up, their chairs slamming into the ground.
Tico: What the hell is that?
Kammy: That… That doesn't look human.
Cero stared intently at the screen.
Cero: This is nothing I've seen before. There is only one person who may have had a guess, but he isn't here currently. However, that state has a malice no other person can seem to emit. Daymond may be in for a match he never expected.
The members of the Arachna standing in the observation deck stared in worry, Magnus quickly writing down what he saw despite his shaky hands. Shizu, Moll, and Midori all focused on the match.
Midori: That form… the one that can be seen as removing nearly all limits on the body… is known as the Release.
Yussuf: T-The what?
Moll: I never thought I'd get to personally witness it.
Shizu: This is truly a sight to behold.
Daymond stepped back, but a cloud of dust formed in the air, Kuro standing inches from Daymond's face.
Kuro: Let's continue, shall we?
Kuro unleashed a powerfully quick right to Daymond's defense, Daymond being sent soaring back before his legs made contact with the ground once again.
Daymond's thoughts: This power… The only ones I can safely say have this level of power are none other than Cero and Ryan. How did he reach their level after such a transformation?
Kuro rushed in once more, throwing an uppercut to the right of Daymond's torso. Daymond let out a cough, but stayed mostly still. Kuro had a brief moment of confusion, only for Daymond to slam his elbow into Kuro's face. Kuro's head shot back, but his body stayed still for the most part. His face came back down, blood noticeably coming from the sides of his mouth.
Kuro: I didn't feel a damn thing. That's all you got?
Kuro raised his fist into the air, Daymond immediately raised his arms in defense only to get sent flying back once again. Simon turned to Midori, pointing at him as the other Arachna members stared in shock.
Simon: Spit it out! What the hell is the Release?
Midori: You children truly are impatient. But I might as well, as you having this information will not matter.
…
Centuries… No. Millennia ago, the concept of being able to have full control over one's own body was something attempted by humanity time and time again. But time and time again, some feats continued to prove impossible for the body. The natural limits the body places on itself prevent it from harming itself. No human uses the full extent of their strength except for in dire situations. Enter the Kageyama family, one of the first families to attempt complete mastery of the body. Midori Kageyama, the current eldest of the family, had perfected the technique known as "Release." While he was incapable of using it at one hundred percent, he had learned the truths and how to properly control the body through the countless generations that had preceded him. History had carved the path for Release to be formed, and Midori had turned to his family to be the ones to properly test the extent of what the human body could offer.
The Release allowed for full control of the nervous system, such as: pain inhibitors, physical strength, personal reaction time, heightened senses, and many more enhancements to the body. The Release had allowed it all, but with a vast price. It slowly made one less human with a higher success rate. And the one with the highest success rate was Kuro Kageyama.
…
Shun: The full extent of the human body?
Yussuf: That's absurd. That means he has basically no weakness!
Midori: All abilities come with a drawback. There is no such thing as a flawless ability. There is one major drawback to the Release, and that is the fact that it cannot do something that exists outside of the consciousness.
Shun: Yeah, you lost me.
Midori: The Release requires extensive focus on each aspect of the body. As such, your consciousness is what truly pushes this ability forward. So abilities or attacks that are able to avoid that consciousness are the direct counter to the Release. The Release also cannot allow one to outperform ones with already supernatural physical abilities. The one I believe you call Gonzalez is an example of such.
Shizu: Are you sure you should be putting this all out there?
Midori: I gain nothing from withholding and nothing from sharing. I believe it is only right to inform you of the threat before you.
The Arachna turned back to the fight, noticing the bruises on Daymond's body becoming more and more apparent. His arms were turning bright reds and some parts had become dark purples. Daymond's breathing fastened as Kuro walked towards him.
Kuro: I can take as much time as I want. I really do feel invincible in this state.
Daymond kept his eyes on Kuro, examining every portion of Kuro's body before coming to a realization. Kuro's mouth had been continuously bleeding since the elbow to the face.
Daymond's thoughts: The reddening effect on his body must be from the rushing of the blood. Meaning that once he starts bleeding, it won't stop. He should have gone for the kill right away.
Daymond quickly whipped out his book reaching into the pages as Kuro smiled wide, charging directly at him. With several quick motions of his hand, several items flew at Kuro from the book. Kuro immediately punched all of the objects away, noticing the string attached.
Kuro: Did you really just throw bookmarks at me? You must be getting real desperate. It's sad, really.
Kuro had raised his fists, his smile not wavering. Daymond placed the book back in his coat, returning a grin to Kuro.
Daymond's thoughts: So he doesn't notice pain or damage. Whatever this state is, it allowed him to ignore pain, quicken his blood supply, and heavily increase his overall ability. And from the looks of it, he hasn't noticed the blood seeping from his arm.
Kuro charged in, swinging overhead as Daymond jumped out of the way before Kuro's fist slammed into the ground, a small crater forming from the impact. The rubble flew into the air as Kuro turned to face Daymond who charged in, slamming a flying knee into Kuro's face. Kuro slid back, but using only his face, pushing Daymond back, blood now seeping from his nose.
Kuro: Your attacks are pathetic and weak. This match is as good as mine.
Daymond jumped back before coming to a stop, catching his breath as he clenched his left arm. Pain coursed through it harder than any other location he had been hit. He raised his fists once more, examining everything he could about Kuro from a distance.
Zachary: Despite the intense powerup, Daymond continues to hold his ground!
Zenzo: But who would have expected Kuro to be the way he is? This match still seems completely up in the air!
Midori: I agree.
Shizu: I have no reason to disagree. But the winner will be decided soon enough.
Moll: Do you guys always have to be cryptic or is this just to make the youngsters worry?