His hands burned, like they were dragged through the sun; his torso felt weak—quick intakes of breath were all that he could muster; his legs felt heavy, wobbling with the slightest bit of force, his entire body faltering.
The air was thick, and burnt pebbles were scattered all around his injured body. He wasn't ready for this—not yet. He knew he would have to fight; his training was supposed to assist him on his journey, but it was still far too early.
However, he was still alive, and he doubted that his opponent was down for the count. If he wasn't broken, then he didn't need to be fixed.
Slowly, Tanjo lifted himself from the leveled ground, the remains of the mountains falling off of his body. He raised his hand to his mask, feeling the material gingerly—it wasn't broken, barely cracked. His backside must have tanked the fall, then.
His headband, Tanjo remembered. He drifted his fingers across the blue fabric that was fastened around his head. It, too, was in good condition. Realizing this, the jet-black-haired boy let his eyes roam, peering through the foggy aftermath of the mountain range's demise.
"Where… is he?" Tanjo murmured, looking for a particular redhead.
It was quite the paradox, really. His injuries were caused by his intense use of his Aura Sense, but that same magic was concurrently used to rectify those wounds. Throughout the entire fight, Tanjo acted on instincts, his mind reflecting back to his old man's practice, to Mr. Oshieru's lessons. Beyond that was lost to the boy, as surviving was at the forefront of his mind.
"I need to get back to Asami…"
Suddenly, the sound of rocks being pushed had then rang through Tanjo's ears, garnering his attention immediately and prompting the boy to become alert. In seconds, red, luminous eyes shone through the fog, a red-haired figure soon coming into view. Yuso stood as well.
Yuso remained unscathed, as if he never indulged himself in battle mere moments ago. "You're far too reliant on that magic of yours."
Tanjo grunted, his blue eyes glowering at Yuso. "Why... Why do you try to kill needlessly? First, you infiltrated a village, then you went after a child—a child who is in desperate need of a functional life—and now you aim to take my life, all for a facet of information."
"Explaining myself to a child would only waste time. We all have struggles in this reality. I'm only painted as the villain for acting on it; your mind places you in the right due to your ignorance." Yuso stated, his Shirugeto staring deeply through Tanjo's mask.
Tanjo huffed. "The meek colorization of life isn't for everyone, but some need it—and deserve it. I can't lie to myself and disagree with doing something wrong to make a right, but what you have done is too detrimental to this nation!"
The teenage boy had thought back to his decision, when he had explicitly told Asami that he would be fine with killing, as long as nobody's death would be for naught.
His own words replayed in his mind like a recording: 'I've done it once, and I'll do it again! If it's to save everyone else, I'll do whatever it takes—even if it means ending the life of an enemy!'
"Sympathy leads to empathy, caring for corruption only progresses such. Not one individual asked for their place in life, but only a select few tried to change it; people who came from the crevices of Hell." Yuso informed, his demonic eyes whirling.
With Yuso's eyes as an indication for battle, Tanjo quickly shot back: "You aren't wrong, in a sense… Caring too much for something can always backfire, but your soul carries on!"
Tanjo, despite his body yelling at him in the form of searing pain, fueled himself with his Aura Sense.
"I can tell," Tanjo called out loudly, "... You're stuck someplace wrong. My goal—no, duty—is to help people attain peace! Give people a chance to smile without repercussions! So, when I get out of here and get stronger…"
Tanjo clenched his fists tightly, his Aura Sense encompassing his arms visibly—he had viewed how warriors blend their magic with weapons, and the boy mirrored the tactic, but rather than using a weapon, he exuded his magic out of his own flesh.
"... You'll be at the top of my list to clear! As individuals like you are the ones who feel the most, whether it be hate or love!"
With a side step, Tanjo sensed when Yuso launched a pentagram his way, dodging it narrowly. He wasn't experienced when it came to battle, not yet. Tanjo would have to rely on instincts; otherwise, he's badly outmatched and has no chance of living.
Intently, Tanjo focused the majority of his attention on Yuso's eyes, watching as they spun rapidly.
'I don't see any incoming, so they must be from somewhere else!'
Acting on that thought, Tanjo used the magic stored in his legs to push himself through the air with sheer force. Fortunately, the boy dodged an impending stone spike emerging from a newly formed pentagram.
Yuso watched as Tanjo navigated his body through the air silently. 'He read my eyes as a danger signal already, huh? Despite our seemingly minute-long clash, he manages to predict my attacks?'
"So idealistic," Yuso spat. "I've dealt and killed people like you. You may be elusive, but even a cat runs into a corner when imposed with overwhelming force!"
Several pentagrams were then conjured into existence, filling up the former mountain range with red circles. Weirdly, each pentagram was all facing in an organized fashion.
*BRRRRMMM*
Through the pentagrams, a giant red Genso-Kyu started to form, becoming bright as a star. Unknown to Tanjo, Yuso's body started to vanish in a flash of red.
After a few seconds of Tanjo being unable to scatter in time, having only air pressure as his leverage, he watched as the giant ball of magic grew large and dense, signifying its impending implosion.
"Dammit! This explosion will be larger than the one that destroyed the mountain range! It'll take me out with the rest of the land!" Tanjo analyzed, his eyes flickering vehemently.
What could he do in this situation? He could potentially flee—but he would need to exceed the speed of sound to barely escape, and Tanjo was not quite prepared for such speeds just yet.
It was as if he was staring at an imploding star; how would one subdue such an explosion, despite its much smaller scale?
A barrier!
"I never formed one before… but if I was taught right, I would need to form a Genso-Kyu shape on a much larger scale, but also hold back on the density!" Tanjo said aloud, dashing toward the red Genso-Kyu that threatened the land around him.
In moments, Tanjo stretched both of his arms toward the giant Genso-Kyu, brimming his hands with his Aura Sense. It only took a second before a barrier in the shape of a semi-circle appeared—he still needed the other half!
"Come on!"
Without trying to strain himself too hard, possibly messing up the barrier, Tanjo applied more magic outward, filling in the other half of the barrier as quickly as possible.
Tanjo could notably see the giant Genso-Kyu illuminate brighter than before.
"It's going to implode!"
Closing his eyes to brace himself, Tanjo heard a suppressed—*KABOOM!*—Oddly, the boy didn't feel a thing. Opening his eyes, Tanjo saw as his barrier made of blue magic trapped the entire implosion.
Tanjo relieved himself with an exhale, "I… did it!"
"I should congratulate you," A voice boomed.
Tanjo craned his head upward, his vision shifting toward the sky. What he saw next shook him to the core.
Standing on a pentagram in the air, Yuso smirked.
"But I doubt you'll survive all of these."
Three more Genso-Kyu's even larger than the one Tanjo suppressed were shot toward the boy from three different pentagrams. The giant balls of magic were too quick; there was no possible way for Tanjo to react. The teenager wouldn't even be able to charge up enough Aura Sense to slow down the three Genso-Kyu's, much less stop them entirely.
Filled with sorrow, Tanjo uttered his final words. "Mizuki… Class 1AB… Old Man, please forgive me."
*KABOOOOM!*
Suddenly, the three Genso-Kyu's were restrained by a massive beam of yellow. Standing beside Tanjo, Asami herself stood tall with one arm extended upward, easily pushing back the incoming attacks.
"You did good for your first fight, Tanjo!" Asami cheered, grinning.
Though no explosion took place, powerful shock waves stronger than before rippled through the air. The air pressure alone could destroy the mountain range a hundred times over.
With one push, Asami erased the three Genso-Kyu's with her own yellow beam, prompting Yuso's eyes to widen significantly. 'This boy had to have fate on his side.'
The yellow beam tore through the space where Yuso hovered. Miraculously, the redhead managed to transport himself elsewhere—elsewhere far.
With the light dissipating, Asami retracted her arm, looking over to Tanjo.
Tanjo smiled, relief flooding his body. Before the boy could thank Asami, the blue-haired woman spoke first:
"You look like shit."
XXX
That concludes the Tanjo Vs. Yuso fight! I hope it was in depth enough for you to feel the fight and hear more of both of the characters! Yuso isn't explored nearly enough when compared to his history, and Tanjo is on track to be discovered fully soon! I, personally, loved this fight, and I hope you did, too! Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_