The day progressed normally: the sun's gradual movement never stopped, the wind blew gently, and birds soared. Observing this land, you wouldn't imagine any uncanny things to occur, especially with Adonai in the midst of peace.
Or so one would think…
*VRRRM!*
"AAAH!"
With a newly formed pentagram appearing high in the sky, far above a mountain range, Tanjo yelled as he fell straight through the crimson portal, only to be stopped mid-air by the red chain fastened around his right leg.
Tanjo could feel as the chain started to burn against his skin, hoping to whoever above that his pant leg would manage. All the teenage boy could do was dangle helplessly, his vision eventually dropping to the cavernous distance between the mountains below—realistically, a sight that would make most hurl.
"Damnit, why was I sent all the way up here?" Tanjo asked himself, his eyes darting around in the visible land.
Suddenly, a new pentagram appeared, a human figure exiting the portal immediately afterward. Tanjo's mouth gaped slightly. The red-haired Yuso could be seen staring the boy down, his gaze threatening.
A pentagram acted as a floor for the redhead, prompting Yuso to take a step outward, the portal he came through dissipating seamlessly.
Fruitlessly, Tanjo propelled his body—"HEY!"—throwing a punch that missed embarrassingly. Yuso could only look on in confusion and amusement; even hanging upside down, the rogue wanted to fight one-on-one.
"I suggest you pacify yourself before I let you fall. I only want one thing from you, and I won't let the hassle of obtaining you go to waste." Yuso demanded, his Shirugeto boring into the boy, glowering violently.
Tanjo quelled himself momentarily, finding no reason to induce anger in the red-headed male any further. Besides, he didn't want to stay hanging upside down for longer than necessary—he could already feel his blood rushing to his head.
"Ryakudatsu," Yuso started. "You were there, I know you were. I demand that you tell me what you know about Furusato, where they reside, and who the man with the green ring is."
A look of bewilderment was etched onto Tanjo's face, unsure as to what the redhead was referring to. "How do you… Wait! I know who you are!"
With a shout, Tanjo narrowed his eyes on Yuso's, his mind racing. "You're the guy that tried to kidnap Mizuki!"
Yuso craned his head to the side. "So you know of the child, too?'
"What did you want with him!?" Tanjo barked, his eyes straining from under the mask.
Yuso must have hit a nerve, he concluded. That must also mean the child was important to this particular rogue—just like the others. "If you must know, he is to be killed as swiftly as possible. However, people like you serve to be nothing but impediments."
Killed... Tanjo's mind blanked temporarily, his blue eyes dilating. Why would anyone in this world want to kill an innocent child? Here Tanjo was, trying his damndest to find Mizuki, and now he encountered someone who wished to end that child's very life? Especially after coming so close already?
Yuso arched his brow. "Perhaps you could lead me to the child, then—!"
At a moment's notice, Tanjo quickly gathered his thoughts—he briefly recounted how his Aura Sense worked, so he got the brilliant idea of forming two Genso-Kyu's for each palm and—*BOOM!*—clapping his hands, effectively blinding Yuso and launching him back with the explosion.
Down on the forest ground, the explosion was visible—just as blinding as looking directly into the sun. The blue and red hue of the aftermath shining in the sky would appear threatening and dangerous to anyone, especially those so close to it.
Luckily for Tanjo, he plummeted through the explosion downward, his body falling toward the mountain range beneath, now free from the chains. Acting quickly, Tanjo brimmed his body with his Aura Sense, bracing himself for a heavy collision.
*CRASH!*
Tanjo's body struck the side of a mountain, creating a crater the size of a house. Slowly, a hand shot toward the skies, slamming back down to hoist up its body. With little to no damage, Tanjo stood tall on the side of the mountain.
"Though a bit dangerous, it's all I could do to separate myself from him and the chains…" Tanjo voiced, looking upward to watch a cloud of smoke created from his explosion dissipate.
Before Tanjo could calm down, a voice rang through his ears: "You're either suicidal or crazy as to think that would work."
'Dammit.' Tanjo cursed, shifting his body to look at Yuso, who came out of a new pentagram.
As Tanjo charged himself up once more, he had no choice but to prepare for a sudden punch to the gut—"GRAAH"—sending his entire body crashing through two different mountains, slamming into the third mountain with an extreme amount of force.
"All right, Tanjo, now's the time to fight. Testing the limits of my durability can be saved for my training…" The jet-black-haired boy said to himself, pushing up from the mountain he was launched at.
*BOOM!*
Hearing a beam obliterate the mountain ahead of him, Tanjo lunged toward the skies, avoiding an incoming attack from Yuso. The boy then landed on another mountain, his eyes analyzing the area around him.
"There you are!" Tanjo hollered, his eyes fixating on Yuso, who stood on a pentagram above the mountains.
With a purple Genso-Kyu, Tanjo stretched an arm outward—*BOOM!*—discharging a powerful blast at the redhead. In response, Yuso shielded himself with a bigger pentagram, blocking the incoming blast.
Tanjo waited for any awaiting action, his body still. But, as the boy stood silently, he then felt a chill run through his body.
"!!"
He could sense as Yuso emerged from a pentagram behind him, warranting a swift spin-kick, his foot ramming into Yuso's arm. The sheer power of Tanjo's kick was unexpected to Yuso, for when he tried to block it with a small pentagram, it shattered, and he was then kicked through the whole mountain, landing on the other side.
"Woah…" Tanjo was dazed, looking at the giant hole in the mountain he stood on. He certainly didn't expect to kick that hard.
The teenager was finally getting his bearings, receiving his first feel for a fully fledged fight—the timing just couldn't be worse.
However, as all things in reality, Tanjo's time to dwell ended in a few seconds as several stray red beams were dispersed.
*KABOOM, KABOOM, KABOOM!*
Several mountains were destroyed, the entire mountain range lighting up in crimson red.
Blinded, Tanjo covered his eyes, only to sense Yuso once more. This time, the redhead was moving fast, very fast. The teenage boy had to think quickly—his old man! At this moment, he will have to fight head on, so Old Man's lessons will be vital.
Then, Yuso's body abruptly pushed through the debris of the obliterated mountains, and his fist reeled back to strike. When the redhead launched the first punch, Tanjo responded with a block using his forearm. Tanjo then grasped Yuso's outstretched arm tightly, flattening his free hand—*BOOM!*—and releasing a blast powerful enough for Tanjo to redirect himself and propel Yuso into the ground.
Of course, Tanjo had to improvise, as he had never done something this extreme, but Old Man Nozomu's fighting tactics were at the forefront of the boy's mind in that instance.
"Stay down!" Tanjo yelled, shoving Yuso's head into the stone ground of the mountain range.
Through Tanjo's fingers, Yuso's eyes opened. With utmost force, Yuso slammed his palm into Tanjo's chest, a vibrant red glow emitting from the center of his palm—*WHOOSH!*—pushing the boy into the skies.
On the ground, Yuso vanished through his teleportation via pentagrams. In seconds, Yuso was expelled from one pentagram, ramming into Tanjo's flying body with a kick. In a rapid succession, Yuso repeated this attack by emerging through a series of pentagrams, being relentless with his punches and kicks.
After a few moments of knocking Tanjo's body around in the sky, Yuso reappeared above the boy. But, this time, something new formed in Yuso's right palm. A spherical pentagram formed in the redhead's palm as he reeled his right arm back. The ball, with markings similar to a pentagram, was glowing red, the magic radiating uncontrollably, signifying its potency.
"Perhaps this will keep you from fighting back!" Yuso said, thrusting his hand downward.
Before Yuso's attack could reach, Tanjo jolted, sensing the incoming ball of magic. With immense speed, almost impossible to track, Tanjo shifted his body through the air, forming a Genso-Kyu in his palm.
But, even Tanjo's Genso-Kyu was off. The Genso-Kyu wasn't just one color, like the rest—it was an amalgamation of all four of the Aura Sense: blue, red, purple, and yellow.
"No, you don't!"
*BRRRRRMMM!*
With barely any time to register a thought, the two spheres of condensed magic released beams toward each other, meeting in the middle. The collision shone in the sky brighter than anything, making it seem as if the sun was suddenly closer than before.
"RAAH!" Tanjo struggled, feeling as his arm started to burn agonizingly.
'I… have to put… everything I can manage… into this one blast!'
As for Yuso, stray notions roamed his head for a brief moment. 'This rogue—he fights like a rookie, unrestrained but reckless, but his Aura Sense packs a punch. He's reliant on it.'
Without warning, an implosion happened between the two beams, creating an immensely powerful shockwave that blew away every mountain in the mountain range.
*KABOOOOOOM!*
XXX
Typically, I make most fights in one chapter—but I should milk some of them to make them feel detailed. So, I'm stretching this out a bit! Who will win? Stay tuned to find out!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_