"Okay..." I say.
In the middle of the empty arena, Ayaka and I stand on opposite sides of the facility.
Ayaka smiles at me from afar. I don't know if that's a good sign or not.
"Are you not coming to me?" Says Ayaka.
!!!
Suddenly, I jump away as an outburst of water explodes below my feet. That simple attack already left a mark on the floor.
In the air, many droplets of water float around.
All of it rushed toward me like bullets and I eject violent winds that travel around my body, acting as a barrier that dissipates the liquid
"I see..." Ayaka mumbles.
I land back on the ground and leap towards Ayaka. Torrents of water materialize out of the ground as I barely dodge each of them. From above, inescapable showers of havoc rain upon me.
"Tch."
When I try to control the trajectory of the atmosphere breeze, Ayaka spares no effort to bombard me with splashes from below.
She isn't giving me any chance to get closer?!
This time, I try to attack her from afar, shooting a hurricane of a bullet right at her from behind.
!
A few blobs of water tried to dissipate but I constantly change the momentum. Yet, water explodes from within the bullet and engulfs the wind.
"What?"
My legs are giving out. I can't dodge this rapid barrage any longer.
I attempt to stop her attacks once and for all by gathering a large sphere of wind around me, expelling the hurricane away together with all the water.
But, it was no use, she continues the attack again as if she have an unlimited supply of energy.
This is...as if the entire arena is her domain; she knows everything that happens and can perfectly attack from anywhere.
This is 10% of her strength? This is why I don't want to fight directly with SSS-ranks. Their powers are either too annoying or too powerful.
Ayaka frowns.
Damn it. What can I do in this situation?
...
I gulp.
If I don't advance, I will be stuck here. But if I do, I can't avoid getting hit.
...
There's no way Ayaka will kill me... I hope; I can only risk it.
Ignoring the oncoming attacks, I engulf my body with wind and charge to Ayaka.
!!!
She sends waves of spikes, bullets, splashes, and torrents after me. I dodge as much as I can while clashing with inevitable waters, mitigating the impact using my powers.
Ayaka lifts her hand at that moment when the walls of a sphere of water slide up from the edge of the arena.
"You have to be kidding me..." I mumble.
The sphere quickly covers the entire arena, engulfing the entire arena.
?!!!!?
"Mphhmmm..."
I can't breathe... She-...
I can neither move nor use my powers, Ayato's power relies heavily on the "atmosphere".
Beyond me, Ayaka stands unscathed in the "ocean". Her blue hair is floating up, camouflaging into the water.
...
Ayato's power controls the wind, but it is unclear whether what Ayato can control is truly just "air". Air consists of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and many other gases. What exactly can Ayato control?
...
I have to gamble.
Using my remaining strength, I channel all my energy into Ayato's power.
!!
*BOOOM!!!*
The water behind me explodes, propelling me forward to Ayaka.
It worked!
*BOOOM!*
"UCK?!"
Before I could even touch Ayaka, something hard bashed me in the ocean and throws me back, out of the blob of sphere engulfing the arena.
"HUFF HUFF...HUFF HUFF. Ack ack ack!!" I gasp for air as I cough out the water in my throat.
A shadow looms over me. "How did you do that?" Ayaka asks.
"Do what?"
"That explosion in my water domain."
...
"I controlled the molecules in your water," I say.
!!
"What...?" Ayaka widens her eye.
My gamble worked out. I managed to find out that Ayato's power doesn't specifically control "wind" but instead particles...
However, I'm all out of energy. It requires a strenuous amount of effort to move a large number of atoms.
"Anyways, did I pass?" I say, trying to change the subject.
...
Ayaka sighs and smiles. "Yes, that final attack was splendid." She says.
"Phew...I'm...glad..."
Huh? Why is my vision fading...?
"Ayato?"
"Hey! Aya...to..."
Well, whatever. I should rest for a while.
=================
I wake up laying in stale shallow water.
...
The sky is grey and the water that occasionally slips into my mouth tastes...bitter.
I get up and notice that the liquid I tasted is black.
I'm back here again.
This periodical lucid dream haunts me even in my days as the plague harbinger. To think it would follow me into Ayato.
Hm...
I'm glad I didn't attempt to kill Ayaka, if that is 10% of her power even when she is injured, I cannot possibly win.
To my right is a withered tree, the dry wood is drenched in black ink.
"Hmmm...mphhhmm..."
The humming of a young girl echoes from afar.
...
It's the same routine again, I've gotten used to this though at first I was slightly creeped out by the dense atmosphere.
The humming of a young girl will be followed by many screams of death that increase based on the number of people I killed.
It will be coming...
"ARGHHHHH!!"
"KYAAAA!!!"
"AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"HYAHHHH???!!"
"AHHHHHHH!!!!"
"NO! SAVE ME!!"
"PLEASE JUST KILL ME!!!"
Sometimes, there is pleading for both death and hope.
I sigh.
As days go by, the screams become louder. As if they are getting closer. Is this my end?
"Regardless, I don't care what happens as long as I achieve my goal," I say.
!!
My voice...is back to my original one.
"Is that so?" Someone replies behind me.
That voice...
I turn around to see "Ayato" standing behind me.
...
Looking at my body, I am wearing a ragged black shirt and long pants. I pull my fringe down and throw a glance at the muddy water, black hair with empty eyes is reflected on the surface. This is my original body...
"Mason Clause, do you have time to spare? I want to talk with you." Says the real Ayato, smiling.
...
"Sure," I reply.