Slide! Nathan slid the door open, revealing a large room with a large Japanese carpet- a tatami- almost covering the entire floor, barring the edges. About twenty people sat in neat rows along the wall, facing the mat in front of them as they sat in the seiza position. Not even a single sound could be heard as everybody waited in silence, staring ahead emptily. "Cute Rabbit! Who's that masked fellow besides you?"
A loud, deep voice boomed as a tall, hulky man wearing a black coloured mask spoke to Nathan. The mask was in the shape of a roaring bear- something much more dangerous than a certain yellow coloured bear from Ethan's life as the boy. "This is our newest member. Burning Dragon." He glanced at Ethan, gesturing at the bear-masked boy as his back straightened instantly. Apparently, even he respected the serious atmosphere in this room.
"Uh...Ahem. Thank you Na...Cute Rabbit. Hello. My name's Burning Dragon. I'm the newest member of the Combat Club. I use a kusarigama as my main weapon. I look forward to working with you all." He put his fist against his palm and bowed.
The bear masked boy frowned. "We have rules for a reason. Make sure you follow them." His eyes narrowed. Ethan could feel a shiver passing down his spine. Maybe the people in this club took their rules very seriously. He wouldn't know. 'The Ghost System' didn't focus on mundane details like these much.
"How many black marks do you have?" The bear-masked boy's short brown hair reflected the coming rays of the sun as he stood up. "Three, sir." Creak.....creak...creak. He walked forwards onto the tatami as the wooden floor creaked slightly against his weight. "Too many. We do not take pride in breaking the rules of this club. No member has ever been expelled, and I hope that you do not break this tradition." Creak! The bear-masked boy stopped in the centre of the tatami.
"My name is Night Bear. I am the second strongest person in this room. You may refer to me as Senpai. As you may to any person whom you have not defeated." He nodded at Nathan. "Cute Rabbit Senpai. It appears that all of our members are gathered here. May we begin."
Nathan nodded. "Yes. Perhaps we should skip the challenges today and begin with the initiation ceremony." Night Bear put his fist against his palm and bowed slightly. "As you wish, Senpai. Golden Lion!"
He turned around. "As of today, you are no longer the weakest member of this Club. Stand up." A boy with bright, golden, blond hair stood up. His mask was in the shape of a lion, with a bright, yellow mane and a sharp, black nose. It's face was open in a roar, sharp teeth jutting out making the creature look ferocious. Ethan could see a pair of shining gold eyes through the two slits that made up the lion mask. Golden Lion's name suited him.
"Poisoned Snake. Give me your belt." A green haired girl wearing a snake mask stood up. "Yes, Senpai." Her soft voice cut through the air as she walked towards Night Bear, handing over her belt. Beep! He fiddled around with its buttons for a moment as a series of mechanical beeps rang out. "Wear this." Night Bear gave Ethan the belt.
Beep! "Warning! Calibrating!" A female voice rang out as the belt tightened around Ethan's waist slightly. "Beep....beep....beep." Ethan could feel his entire strength seeping away as his mana slowly started to recede from his body. Ba-dump...ba-dump...ba-dump. His clenched his teeth, calming down his heart as he allowed the belt to restrict him. He didn't need it's protective abilities right now.
"Burning Dragon!" Night Bear's large voice boomed. "As the weaker one, you must draw your weapon first." Clat...clat...clat. His knife broke apart, reforming itself as it took the shape of a kusarigama. "You are the weakest member of this club. Now, you have a chance to change that. Golden Lion!"
Shiiiing! Golden Lion pulled out a metal stick from his waist. Click! He pressed a button. Clang! The edge of the stick shot out, sharpening as the metal started to take on a sloping shape. Whoosh! Golden Lion grabbed the weapon with both of his arms, swing it through the air as he prepared his stance. He pointed a golden coloured steel tipped lance right at Ethan.
"Prepare yourselves!" Night Bear took a step back, leaving Ethan and Golden Lion as the only two people on the tatami. He raised his arm. "Three! Two! One! Fight!" Whoosh! Golden Lion rushed forward, closing the distance between them as he held his lance pointed forwards. Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh!
Ethan spun his kusarigama in an arc, trying to gain momentum as he prepared to meet Golden Lion's attack. Whoosh! Golden Lion shot forwards, closing the gap between them faster than Ethan had anticipated. "Fuck!" Ethan swore. He had underestimated his opponent.
Ethan twisted his arm, swinging his kusarigama downwards as he crashed the scythe blade into the pointed tip. Clang! The blade bounced off the steel tip harmlessly. Whoosh! He twisted his body, moving out of the way as Golden Lion's lance barreled through the air.
A wave of wind was kicked past his side, blowing into his face. He'd dodged the lance! Suddenly, Ethan felt a cold, hard metal rod ramming into his chest. Crash! He was knocked off his feet instantly. Ethan felt like his ribs were lit on fire.
Crash...crash....crash. He toppled on the tatami, sliding a few feet as he fell to the ground. "Ahhh!" He groaned in pain. Golden Lion had swung his lance at the last moment, ramming the heavy weapon into Ethan's side. The blow wasn't a killing one, but it definitely wounded him.
"You lack finality in your movements, Burning Dragon." Golden Lion turned around, facing Ethan as he kept his lance pointed at him. "Oh yeah?" Ethan got back up to his feet. His fingers tightened around the kusarigama, the cold, hard metal pressing into them as he stared back at Golden Lion.
Whoosh! He swung his kusarigama in an arc, aiming for Golden Lion. Golden Lion rushed forward, pointing his lance straight at Ethan as he charged towards him. "You make the same mistakes. Unfit for a member of this club."
Clank! Suddenly Ethan yanked the chain towards him with all his might. He didn't have enough speed behind his blows to block Golden Lion's enormous attacks. But he still had the core principles that made up his entire kusarigama art.
The closer his weapon was to him, the faster it spun. And that meant one thing. "Clang!" Golden Lion felt a sharp wind arising from his right. He twisted his lance, trying to bring it up to defend himself as he slowed himself down. Slice! The scythe blade ran along his chest, narrowly slicing off the keikogi as it barely missed. That was close! Thud! He jumped behind, trying to avoid any successive blows as he broke his charge instantly.
Suddenly, Golden Lion felt something wet on his chest. He looked down. A thin line ran along his chest- not enough to hurt him seriously, but enough to draw blood. Golden Lion was injured. He was bleeding first. Before he had drawn his enemy's blood. He looked up at Ethan.
"Burning Dragon!" He lifted his lance into the air. "Perhaps you were not as weak as I thought." His golden eyes gleamed slightly. Ethan couldn't tell if he was frowning or smiling. His grip around the metal chain tightened. "But that is no excuse. You have drawn my blood fair and square."
He pointed his lance at Ethan. "It will not happen a second time."
Whoosh! Golden Lion shot forwards, charging towards Ethan. Clank! Ethan swung his chain, preparing to meet the heavy weapon. Clank! Ethan yanked his chain backwards, trying to replicate the same move he'd just used. Ethan's attack required precise control over his kusarigama that avoided Golden Lion's heavy lance to penetrate his defences, striking him directly. But that largely relied on the element of surprise. And right now, Ethan had lost that.
"Fuck!" He swung his weapon towards Golden Lion, desperately trying to muster enough speed to move faster than his lance. "That won't work again." Golden Lion slowed down his pace, throwing Ethan's calculations off entirely. Clang! The scythe blade crashed into the heavy lance, barely moving it as it bounced off harmlessly.
Ethan knew this was going to happen. For some stupid reason, he was relying on sheer dumb luck to land a hit. There was nothing he could do right now. He was cornered. His only hope was getting away at the last moment. Golden Lion drew closer.
Suddenly, Ethan heard a sound in front of him. "Arigato Gozaimasu." Splot! Drip...drip..drip. Golden Lion's lance pierced Ethan's body, embedding itself right under his right rib. His attack had landed. "Arghhhh!" He screamed in pain. It hurt like hell. The lance hadn't gone too deeply inside him, but its sharp tip sticking right beneath his bone made it hurt like hell.
Clang...clang...clang! The scythe blade crashed to the floor, losing all momentum. Drip...drip...drip. Fighting these Combat Club people was much tougher than killing any monster- even the emerald krait. He was sure that any of these people would have fared better against that monster, even if they had been at his rank. And that was what felt so frustrating.
One month! That's how long he had spent trying to improve his skills with a kusarigama. He'd gone from a pathetic amateur to somebody who could land his weapon on moving targets as well. And now, on the first day of the Combat Club, he'd lost so pathetically.
Drip...drip...drip. Blood fell from his body, slowing dripping onto the floor as his feet became slightly sticky. "Do you yield?" Drip...drip...drip. Yield? No. He couldn't do that right now. Not until he had a more satisfying defeat, at the very least. It seemed like he'd been defeated in a matter of minutes. But he wouldn't yield so easily. No, he'd take down Golden Lion, or be beaten unconscious. Whichever came first.
"No." Ethan's left hand gripped the lance. "I see." Golden Lion did not mock him. He respected Ethan's tenacity. And he would respond to it fiercely. "Ahhhh!" Ethan cried out in pain as Golden Lion tried to push the lance further into his body. Drip...drip...drip. Ethan pushed back, It wasn't easy. Golden lion was pushing with his full strength, while Ethan was resisting with his weaker hand. There was no contest.
"Urgh....Ahhh!" The lance dug deeper, moving into Ethan's body as he was pushed back. "Ahhhhh!" Clank! Suddenly, a metal chain clanked. Using a kusarigama with one hand. It wasn't feasible. Using a kusarigama with in use hand meant losing the only advantage it had- the control over its length. It was no better than a sword. In fact, it was worse. It didn't have the structural integrity of a metal weapon.
But right now, Golden Lion was completely focused on his lance. His head was entirely unprotected. And Ethan's attack was too sudden. Clank! Golden Lion's eyes widened. He pulled on the lance, trying to yank it out of Ethan's body. Ethan smiled. He was still holding onto the weapon. And his resistance gave him the exact opportunity he needed.
Clank! "Arigato Gozaimasu, kitten!" Splotch! The scythe blade stuck into Golden Lion's shoulder. "Ahhh!" For the first time, he screamed in pain. He had been heavily wounded. By a kouhai. One who had just entered the club. However humble he may be, this was a great disgrace to him as a member of the Combat Club.
Splotch! "Ahhhhh!" Ethan yanked his blade out of Golden Lion's shoulder, making him scream in pain once again. He jumped backwards. Golden Lion was tough to fight in close combat because of Ethan's weapon. And the heavy charge meant that fighting him at a moderate range was tough as well. But that didn't mean that Ethan would lose. All he needed was a few moments to gather enough speed in his kusarigama.
Whoosh...whoosh..whoosh. He swung his weapon, getting faster and faster as he prepared to attack. "Oh no, you don't!" Golden lion pointed his spear forward, charging ahead as he rushed towards Ethan. He had already recovered from the pain, albeit after losing a few precious seconds of time, but that didn't matter. As long as his charge was heavy enough, Ethan's swinging toothpick couldn't harm him.
Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh. Suddenly, Ethan felt the world slowing down. Golden Lion's movements seemed to become slower and slower, while his kusarigama seemed to speed up. He didn't know what was happening. Perhaps it was adrenaline? Whatever. it didn't matter. Now was his only chance to defeat Golden Lion, and he wouldn't let it go.
Whoosh! "Burning Dragon! You can't deal with my charge!" Golden Lion"s hair grew messier as he charged forward, barreling down towards Ethan. Suddenly, Ethan's eyes glower blue. "I can." Clank! The chain swung downwards, faster than Golden Lion could dodge it. "I've won, Senpai." Clang! The scythe blade crashed into the heavy lance, throwing its tip right into the ground. Ethan's blow had won against Golden Lion's weapon.
Crash! Golden Lion's lance embedded itself into the floor, its weight placing it firmly into the ground. "Shit" He shouted in frustration as he lost control over his weapon. Whoosh! Suddenly, Je shot into the air, catapulted by his lance. Rotation. Such a simple yet profound concept. One that powered Ethan's foundation as a kusarigama user. And the same thing that had just worked against Golden Lion.
Crash! He crashed back to the floor, landing face first in front of Ethan. Clang! Ethan grabbed his kusarigama, pointing it at Golden Lion threateningly. "Will you yield?" Golden Lion's eyes gleamed slightly. Was he going to try to fight? After he'd lost his weapon? Suddenly, the glow from his eyes diminished. "I yield." Drip...drip...drip. Blood leaked from his bloodied shoulder, pooling onto the tatami as he held his hand up in surrender.
Suddenly, Night Bear stood up. He strided towards Ethan, taking large, heavy steps as he approached Golden Lion. He stared at Ethan through his mask. "I hereby declare Burning Dragon's initiation over. Well done." He looked around at the members gathered around him. "The winner..." Night Bear glanced at Cute Rabbit "...is Golden Lion."