Aila's expression was pure excitement, pure happiness, even.
Something about the Idea of crushing Tokita into the ground gave her such astute happiness that she'd rarely experienced prior. She couldn't put her finger on the reasoning, either. He annoyed her, sure, but people annoy her all the time and she doesn't feel like snapping them in half.
Oh well, she thought. She never was one to think about anything too much if it didn't require it.
"H-hey, can't we talk about this?" Tokita asked, sweat beginning to pool on his face as Aila got low into a wrestling stance. Tokita's eyes widened as he recognized it immediately. She's going to tackle him!
He attempted to raise his knee to his arm as a blunt force to stop her tackle, but he was far too slow. Her thighs bulged as her muscles exploded with energy, causing her to move faster than he could even perceive.
In the blink of an eye, she had her arms wrapped around his body, as the impact force knocked the wind out of him. She then dug her feet into the ground and slammed Tokita head first into the ground with a german suplex.
The ground was demolished on hit, sending a dust cloud miles into the air.
Tokita struggled to breathe as thick, viscous blood began to pour from his head. He raised his head and looked around for Aila, and once again was unable to see her attack as a flying kick came out of nowhere, crashing into his chest and sending him flying through a couple of dozen trees.
He only stopped because he crashed into a rock, fragmenting it when he crashed into it. He looked up, seeing Aila slowly approaching with a devilish smile on her face.
"Hope you're not dead yet!" Aila screamed out, flickering towards him.
Genichiro's eyes locked with Akane's, like a square-off between two masters, and they waited for the other one to move to counter-attack immediately.
Akane's soft breathing was all that Lars could hear, other than his rapid heartbeat. He had only recently been brought into Saint Levara as a butler, he hadn't ever even seen a Royal before, and now he was going to see two fight in front of his very eyes!
But what about Akane? What if she got hurt? Would he be able to fight Genichiro if it got too far?
Genichiro flicked his wrist, gripping the blade as he dashed like lightning. His speed was immense, instantly appearing in front of Akane and swinging right through her.
His blade entered her upper shoulder and exited her lower rib, cutting Akane in two pieces.
Or, it should have.
Genichiro had cut down many, many people in his life. He knows what it feels like to cut someone, so why did it feel like he had cut through pure air when he struck her?
The area that he had cut was covered in a Mohagany mist on her body, and she began to chuckle under her breath.
Genichiro clenched his teeth as veins began pooling in his forehead. "What is this, you bitch-"
Akane's foot was lodged into his side, her kick striking him straight in his ribs.
He gagged for air as he zipped backward, his eyes peeled open as he witnessed...Two Akane's!?
He flipped the Murasama forward, correcting his grip as he stood straight.
"What is this mockery?!" He screamed out.
The other Knights looked on with a mix of curiosity and embarrassment for Genichiro.
"Time Lag, It's a neat little skill I picked up while I was by my lonesome." Akane stated as if it was the most simple thing in the world, her 'Time Lag' clone dissipating into nothingness. "So, would you like to try again? You might hit something this time."
Her eyes glowed with crimson energy as Genichiro tightened his grip, tiny sparks of lightning forming around the blade. He steadied himself, he wouldn't miss again!
He dashed again, lowering himself and attempting to swing at her legs, cutting through the air with a crisp whirl of the air.
The swing connected, if only for a moment. Genichiro's eyes widened as he saw the strange red energy of her 'Time Lag" once again. Genichiro began to grow annoyed, doing a flurry of blows in an attempt to hit her. He swung and slashed, his blade moving with a storm of cuts.
She jumped before he could hit, kicking forward with her heel. His eyes broadened once again as he barely managed to block with his forearm, the power of her strike alarming him. She leaped backward, the force of her kick sending Genichiro sailing into a pillar.
She followed up, speeding towards him while placing her hand on the ground, before tossing up her empty hand like she was blowing the air.
Genichiro's eyes widened as he saw a torrent of wind heading toward him. He had barely enough time to block the attack before she grabbed a chunk of the quartz floor as crimson energy covered it.
Suddenly the chunk quartz flooring aged into dust, creating a cloud of dust that blocked Genichiro's vision. He swung through the dust, seeing Akane above him. She began to spin, curving her foot as she did a perfect flying hook kick. She crashed her foot down, with Genichiro being on the receiving end as he blocked it with his Murasama. He pushed forward, knocking her a few feet away. She dashed forward again, her speed even surprising a speed-type fighter like Genichiro. She balled her hand into a fist, throwing a fist that Genichiro barely dodged. She followed it up with a kick, but Genichiro was able to block the attack with the edge of his blade. He threw his elbow into her face, but it passed through as she used her Time Lag for the third time.
Genichiro's eyes danced around the room in an attempt to find where she'd be next, but he was surprised to see when she appeared from under him, colliding her fist into his chin, causing his skull to shoot upward and make his brain crash against his skull. He stumbled for a few seconds, falling into unconsciousness for a few seconds.
He forced himself awake, his hair slightly disheveled as he locked eyes with an extremely carefree Akane.
"So, still want to continue?" Akane asked.
"Of course, I haven't even got to return the favor of you using your Catalyst on me!" Genichiro shouted, raising his Murasama into the air as Lightning began to channel through it, coating the blade till you couldn't even see the steel. His eyes began to burn with electricity as he charged Akane.
"Prepare yourself, peasant!" He exclaimed.
He couldn't see her.
Tokita couldn't see Aila.
She was bouncing around the forest far faster than he could perceive, as she continued to strike him repeatedly.
"A-Aila, let's take about this-!" Tokita called out as he was once again knocked back by her strikes. He raised his arms to protect himself, but she immediately broke his guard with a spin kick to the solar plexus. She picked him up by his collar with her left hand, as the muscles in her right arm began to bulge with power. She bashed her fist into Tokita's face, sending him spiraling down into the dirt of the Arena.
He coughed out a blood-soaked tooth as he pushed himself up with all the strength he had.
"Why can't anyone in this place be normal..." Tokita barely got out. He teetered on the edge of consciousness, feeling his mind beginning to slip. He saw Aila's fist coming right at him, raising his arms to block. Her punch, however, was a fake. She brought it back, kicking him in his side. He screamed in pain, doubling over. She kicked him again, driving her foot into his ribs and kicking him through another tree.
He didn't know how much longer he could keep up with this. He didn't understand why everything in this world was seemingly against him, he didn't even do anything to her!
Blood began to pour over his left eye, restricting his view to his right eye. He pushed himself off the ground once again, leaning his back against a tree to support himself.
He saw Aila come into view once again, she walked like she was a predator preparing to strike her prey.
"Come on, show me that determination that let you win against Nolan!" Aila screamed, lunging at him again as Tokita barely rolled out of the way, her fist creating a gust of wind that destroyed a dozen or so trees in that direction.
"You, huh..." Tokita mumbled, looking at the trees that were destroyed. He then looked back to Aila as she raised her arm to strike him once again.
Tokita roared out to the heavens, raising his fist and gripping it as hard as he could, punching forward and colliding with Aila's face. She paused, turning her head as fear crept into Tokita's heart.
He did no damage. Aila slowly turned her head, looking at Tokita with a horrified look on her face.
"You're...so weak..." Aila growled in anger, punching Tokita in the gut with so much force his pupils vanished for a moment, she raised her other hand, slamming it directly into his liver.
Pain spread through his body like a poison. A sharp, excruciating pain that shocked his entire body. His body shut down as he fell to his knees as his mouth began to froth. His eyes rolled back in his head as he began to fall to the ground.
He couldn't think, the pain was too great. He was in the process of trying to make his legs stand before Aila crashed her knee into his chin, making him flip several times into the air. As he fell, she launched her foot forward, blasting him through a house-sized block of stone. He had no idea what happened. He was too busy trying to breathe, and that's when he realized he wasn't breathing. His body was too weak to do something as simple as that.
Tokita laid on the ground in a pool of blood, struggling to even move his fingers. He couldn't win, It wasn't anything like his fight with Nolan.
Aila was stronger, immensely stronger than himself. Nolan could hit harder than him with his weapon, but Tokita was comparative enough to find ways of getting past that. Additionally, he was faster than Nolan, even if it was ever so slight.
Aila was faster, unbelievably faster. When she dashed it was like she vanished or turned invisible, with her moving so fast his brain couldn't even recognize her. He wasn't even sure she was most of the time. There were a few moments when he felt like he could keep up, but then she'd be gone before he could react
Right now, he couldn't even lift his head from the blood-soaked dirt. His vision blurred as he felt his exhaustion take over him. He felt himself being pulled through a void into black as he slowly closed his eyes.
The crackle of the bright blue electricity that channeled through Genichiro's sword shined bright, illuminating the room slightly.
"Ooh~," Akane said with a teasing tone.
Genichiro gripped the hilt with two hands, doubling the amount of lightning that generated around his blade. He stepped forward, swinging the blade down diagonally as an arc of pure lightning rushed toward Akane.
The attack was tremendous, covering a fifth of the Rotunda that they fought in. It seemed like a tidal wave, a massive, bright blue wave of lightning that threatened to destroy Akane.
"I must say, I didn't expect I would be required to use my Catalyst to destroy you, you should be honored!" Genichiro screamed out as he laughed manically.
"Miss Nanosaka!" Lars screamed out as the blinding light restricted his view of Akane.
An explosion rang throughout the Arena of the Rotunda, an electrical discharge that created a cloud of burning smog.
"Well, It looks like that's that," Shu said with a cocky chuckle. Genichiro used that attack on him during his inauguration, it was so immensely powerful that it nearly defeated him in a single blow. Shu would've lost if he didn't access the second stage of his Catalyst.
"You know, I think that if we were to face Genichiro again, he would've used a different attack against us. He
As the dust settled, Akane was seen on one knee, with one hand forward in a defending motion. That arm was practically destroyed, with several burn marks going up her arm. She clenched her teeth slightly, not used to the intense pain.
Genichiro began to approach Akane, a devilish grin on his face. He had been worried originally that she posed a threat to him, but it seems she's significantly weaker than he thought.
As he approached, he watched as Akane stood up with her Mahogany Energy circling her arm. He watched in confusion until he noticed the wounds on her arm beginning to heal.
No, actually. Heal wasn't the proper word, the damage she was dealt was being reversed. It was as if he had never even hit her to begin with.
"That was a shock, I wasn't expecting your lightning to bypass the displacement of my Lag." Akane giggled.
Genichiro's eyes filled with rage, she was mocking him. She was mocking a Royal, did she not know he was? This foreign filth with no royal blood dared to mock him!?
"I'll obliterate you!" Genichiro stated, lightning blazing through his sword as he dashed at her with lightning speed. He swung horizontally, attempting to cleave her in two. She leaned back as if she was playing limbo.
His swing shot out another slightly smaller wave of electricity that charred the wall. He continued to swing at her with a shower of dedicated sword swings. When he saw that they were not connecting, his rage only continued to escalate. He brought the blade up, holding it back as he used his left hand as a crosshair.
He going to thrust it like a rapier. Akane thought, her eyes glowing as she looked into the future. She saw his attack, an electrical beam that focused on accuracy and potency.
Half a second.
She had half a second of thinking to come up with a plan of action to not get skewered by lightning.
Originally her plan was to ignore all of his attacks with her Time Lag, where she would change the 'displacement' of her time so that she was actually ahead of those that perceived her. So they would see an 'alternate' version of her that didn't truly exist, while her true form was invisible until she made contact.
She believed this plan would make her win far easier, but his previous attack actually managed to hurt her true self.
Additionally, there's a sort of phantom shock that was coursing through her body when she was hit. It went beyond just the physical burning that she blocked with her arm, It was like her soul itself was burned.
Perhaps that had something to do with it.
Regardless, she absolutely couldn't let his next attack make contact with her, she could only reverse the damage so many times.
Hmm, what a dilemma.
"Typhoon..." Genichiro started, his lightning changing to a slightly purplish hue as it concentrated at the tip of the six-foot-long blade. The Lightning swirled at the top of the sword like the eye of the storm, bringing all of it to a singular point. "SPEAR!" He screamed out, thrusting his arm with such power that it created an air pressure that forced everything else back. The pressure wave created from the strike was so powerful that Shu was barely able to stand.
The Lightning obviously wasn't normal, otherwise, it would've passed right through Akane's ability. But Genichiro's lightning was unique, it was half the reason he was accepted as a Royal.
Besides its ability to bypass Akane's displacement, this technique also had one gimmick that made it dangerous.
It was faster than light. In fact, it was more like a beam of light. It was so quick that it seemed like a flash of purplish light that you would see from afar, like tales of Zeus throwing his lightning down to smite all mortals he deemed to deserve it.
Its intense focus on power and accuracy allows it to shoot out at speeds far beyond normal lightning. It was a technique that could even take out another Royal.
It blasted like a cannon, ripping through space as it aimed directly for Akane's heart. It was an attack that could not be dodged.
Half a second doesn't sound like enough time to think up a response and act on it, but as long as time continued to move, Akane would have as much time as she needed.
While she was by her lonesome, she discovered several quirks with her Catalyst.
Chrono Axis was time and all of its branches, each and every possibility that was found within time was theoretically within Akane's potential of manipulating, all she needed was the time to learn how.
In the short time she was by herself, she gained a good understanding of three aspects of time that she could manipulate and control with general ease.
First was one she had already such thus far, manipulating the 'displacement' or alternate versions of herself, or her 'Time Lag'.
The second and third aspects are interconnected with each other, being 'slow' and 'accelerate'. Akane gained the ability to accelerate or slow down time in an area or for an individual person or object. At first, she had difficulty adapting to the change of temporal perception, but she understood it in a manner of minutes.
In her original world, she was intelligent, but she didn't have power.
In this new one, she was a prodigy.
Unfortunately, simply doing one or the other wouldn't be enough to avoid Genichiro's attack. She could accelerate herself, but she still wouldn't be fast enough to completely avoid it. She could slow it down, but that would leave her open if Genichiro attacked again.
So, she would need to do both.
Accelerate herself and slow the world around her.
A tenth of a second remained.
All she could see was the blinding light of the spear, a concentrated bolt of spiritual lightning. She composed herself, waiting until the lightning was no closer than an inch in front of her.
An electrical discharge resonated throughout the entire Rotunda, creating a cloud of smoke that covered both Genichiro and Akane, followed by the smell of melting steel as it the noses of all those present.
Shu was put flat on his ass from the shockwave generated from Genichiro's thrust alone and wasn't expecting the pure output that his attack would've generated.
The royal that stood beside him, the Knight in stainless white armor, spoke to him in a simplistic and robotic tone.
"Stand, Shu. You're new to the Royals as well, don't shame us by being knocked down by something so casual."
The Knight's helmet had no opening to see his eyes, but Shu could feel his stare through the helmet. Fear crept into Shu's heart as he quickly stood himself up while dusting his pants.
"M-my bad, I just slipped." He responded.
The Knight turned his head back to the fight in front of him as the dust cloud that surrounded Genichiro and Akane dissipated.
On the wall that Genichiro's attack was aimed at was a massive hole, completely vaporized. It let a large breeze into the room, blowing away any traces of the smog.
As the smoke vanished, their eyes widened in shock.
Shu couldn't believe it.
The Knight was perplexed.
The girl was uninterested as if she expected the result.
Akane stood over Genichiro, who was on his knees holding his stomach in pain as his head rested on the ground.
"So, still want to continue?"