[The Second Duel : Uesugi Genji, Young Lord of the Uesugi Clan]
'Hoo....' The humid wind blows into the room through the open space of the balcony. The air around the room remained tense as two person stared down each other's blade.
'Thud!' Takina kicks off the ground and dashed forward at Genji, her blade raised up to swing at him.
Genji throws his sword up to the air, and pulls out the bow on his back. With smooth motion he tucks an arrow and fired it at the approaching woman.
'Fwoosh!' Takina leans her face to the side and dodged the arrow. As Genji's blade dropped down he dashed forward and grabs it from mid air...
"Hmpt!" / "Sei!"
'Clank-!' As their attack clashes landing a partial parry, both Takina and Genji was knocked backwards.
However, using the momentum from the recoil Genji spun around and kicked at Takina's body, pushing her away. 'Thud!'
However, Takina raised her legs and blocks the kick with her knee, avoiding damage.
"Tsk!"
Following up with his kick, Genji lowers his stance with his blade at shoulder point... the moment Takina saw this, she stepped forward without hesitation.
"Hyah!"
'Clank-!'
Closing the distance to get better leverage, Takina caught the blade with her own and directs it to the ground where she stomps onto his blade. 'Thud!'
"Sei!"
She swings back up at Genji's face as he ducks backward preemptively. 'Tank!' The blade slams into the Uesugi's Crest on his helmet and knocks it out of his helmet.
Genji pushes her off her feet using his blade and backs away. Takina stepped backwards to regain her balance....
'Tink!' The metal crest of his helmet dropped on the floor between them, it's metallic sound rung through the balcony.
___________
With his sword slightly dented, Genji threw it off to the side before reaching for his secondary sword....
"Even without an eye your have still improved since we last fought."
"I was simply caught off-guard that day."
"Hmm, is that so? Regardless... are you finally willing to listen now that you've calmed down?"
Calmed down?
Do I look even slightly calmed down? After he took away Sora and made me blind in one eye?
"...I'll have you pay back to me in blood!"
'Thud!' I kicked off the ground and dashed at him.
Genji waited until I was in range before he drew his blade from it's sheath, using a low stance in a lightning fast speed...
'Clank-!'
As sparks flew from our blades colliding, I finally noticed him using the same quick-draw technique as I does.
Genji raised his blade up and swung down at me with a powerful cleave, a One Line strike.
But it was predictable.
'Fwoosh-!'
I simply stepped forward and dodged to his sides as his blade swung down with immense power.
The force alone threw his off-balance when he missed, and using this chance I lowered my body to build power into my blade...
"Hah!" 'Clank-!!!'
When I swung into his stomach, he raised his leg and used the steel plate on it to block my sword.
The armor was dented from my swing and he stepped backwards, visibly limping off from the pain on his leg. "Urgh!..."
Without pause I dashed forward and sheathed my blade.
"Take this!"
Drawing my blade at an instant, I delivered a powerful double slash at him. 'Clink Clank!'
Genji was able to just deflect my attacks and immediately followed up with a slash of his own.
'Tank!'
I quickly blocked his swing, and launched a quick counter of my own which he deflected as well.
'Tink Tank!' (?x)
Our exchange of quick counter slashes lasted for quite a few blows before Genji raised his leg and kicked at me.
I also raised my leg and used my knee to parry his kick. The recoil from it knocked me away as he was heavier...
"Hyah!" Genji then quickly lunged backwards as he draws his bow...
A gush of winds gathered on the arrow he tucked into the bow.
"O'wind, guide my attack to my enemy!"
"That wouldn't work again!"
The arrow can curve by the will of Genji. It's impossible to dodge or deflect... if you haven't seen it's trick that is.
The way to avoid this move is simply to never let it change course in the first place.
'Clank-!'
Using my blade and aiming at the center of the arrow I stepped not backwards, but forward, slashing at the center of the arrow and slicing it clean in half as it flies pass me.
"Wha-?!"
And raising my blade, I chased forward and swung at Genji before he could pick his sword up.
'Clank-!'
He tries to block my attack with his bow. The bow snapped in half from the sheer force of my swing, and right as I was readying for a second swing he took his sword from.the ground and raised it just in time.
'Clank-!'
However, his stance was weak and was subsequently knocked off balanced again.
"I've got you!"
I raised my sword and swung down on his head the third and final time. Genji leans to the side and used his shoulder to catch my blade instead....
'Clank-!!!' My attack dented the shoulder plate on his armor, completely missing his head.
"Hmph!" Genji then sweeps his leg across the floor at my lead leg to knock me to the ground...
I quickly raised my lead leg up and avoided the sweep. But then, he quickly followed it up with another kick to my body and pushed me away. 'Thud!'
"Urgh...!"
Being knocked off-balance, I landed on my back and quickly got back on my foot.
The pieces of metal that was knocked airborne when I swung at him has finally dropped on the ground, the ringing noises reverbed through the balcony.
"Hah... Hah..." Genji was out of breath.
Meanwhile I still have plenty of strength left.
_______________
[???'s POV]
This woman just never gives up.
You could beat her once or twice, or even bring her so close to death... but then she'll come back at you stronger than ever.
It's so frustrating that no matter how determined I am at overcoming her, I can't do it due to the sheer ability of this woman.
She has everything that I wish I'd have.... Respect, skills, and most importantly talent.
_______________
"Tsk... Why? Why can't I ever match you, even in the eyes of Kenshin-sama?!"
"Hmph. You always seek unconventional means to achieve your goals instead of improving yourself. Have you ever learned your lesson?"
"What did you say...?"
Genji was visibly distraught upon hearing the words of Takina.
"I've worked harder than anyone... practiced my best everyday and reached my limit... and yet you say I never sought to improve myself?
Fine... I'll show you then."
'Zam!' The thunderstorm have finally reached Toyama city, and flowed into the castle's balcony.
The clouds covered the sun leaving the balcony dimly lit. The winds blew even stronger than before and turned the vision inside blurry.
Genji began to take off the armor plates on his body....
As each piece fell it shook the ground from the weight alone. Finally, he revealed his bare top with magic crests and burnt marks on his body.
Notably, the burnt marks are in the shape resembling tree branches that spread from his arm through his body, overlapping the magic crests tattoo'ed on his body.
"Those are..."
"It is said that lightning is the power of the gods... Thus it'd not be lying to say that the River Stream Style's secret technique can rival even the gods themselves."
I could feel my hair standing on end, like the stattic electricity present when a thunder is about to strike. The air is uneasy, and we could be struck by lightning at any moment.
'Zzz...' Sparks of electricity could be seen generated on Genji's body as the magic crest imbued on his body lights up when he poured magic energy into it.
"Shit..."
"Take this!"
Genji jumped to the air with his sword raised, and in that instant a bright flash struck onto him mid air.
'Zam-!'
What I saw next was the bright, golden lightning being brought down onto me.
.....
.....
"Taki-kun, what do you think that light is?"
"Is that a UFO?"
Huh?
Suddenly, I found myself sitting inside an unfamiliar yet nostalgic location. Yes, this appears to be the inside of a bus.
My body feels heavier than usual, and lacked the two bulge on my chest that I had so casually gotten used to.
Ah, I see. This was just moments before my death.
Is this my life flashing back to me after I died a second time or what?
Sitting besides me were 3 other teenagers of my age. I looked out of the window from my seat and watched the purple light in the sky.
"That isn't a UFO, that's the Demon Lord's Lightning. You know, the Ultimate attack that transcend through time and space... the usual crap."
"What is he saying?"
"I think he's just high."
Of course they wouldn't get it... maybe Amemiya-san, or rather Marielle might understand, but not in this dream I guess.
"Haha, I guess I might be high. Now then, excuse me for a moment..."
I tried to get up from the seat but it was difficult. For some reason my body just refuse to move.
And then my eyes opened again after a few seconds of me being confused as to why my body won't bulge.
"Urgh..."
I came to the sight of Genji standing before me, with an exhausted look and grasping from pain in his arm.
"...What?!" He exclaimed when he noticed that I was awake.
I couldn't feel my entire body... There weren't pain or any discomfort, just numbness all throughout.
But still, I forced myself to get up.
Using the sword in my hand as a cane I pushed myself up from the ground...
"You can still stand after being struck by lightning?!"
"Urgh hah... This isn't... the first time for me, Genji... You'd have to try harder than that."
Now I know why there are so many burnt marks on his arm. This guy had been practicing how to utilize lightning in a fight....
"...I've never seen you used this trick before because you can't generate lightning by yourself."
"Tsk, how did you know?"
"You see, back where I came from I am familiar with all kinds of magic from fire, winds to lightning...
The only real cases of lightning magic happening comes from either a God miraculously smiting your opponent... or stupidity. If you generate lightning on your own body you'll die from shocking yourself.
Still... catching lightning with your blade? That is insanely stupid if not down right suicidal. I don't know if you're clever or what, but certainly it worked like a charm."
'Zam-!' Another thunder struck near the castle.
After buying some time to rest by talking, I regained a bit of strength in my body and was able move slightly.... But it's still not even half of my usual strength.
I guess the same applies to Genji as well though, as he must've been shocked himself as well.
"But it won't work again... I know how it works now."
Kenshin told me the trick to defend against lightning magic... he actually used it against the demons a long time ago during the Great War.
To think Genji could've derived a technique so harvest thunder itself after hearing about this trick from Kenshin-sama. Is he a genius or an idiot?
Regardless, now that I know his trick it wouldn't work a second time.
"Hah... Come at me then. It won't be so easy this time!"
'Zzz...'
Static electricity starts to generate around Genji's body as the magic crests lights up. This generates positive charge in his body that attracts the negative charge from the bottom of the rain clouds....
And when the charge becomes strong enough to attract each other, he takes to the sky.
"Hah!" 'Zam-!!!'
A thunder strikes down to the path of least resistance... which is the metal part of the sword he wields.
Of course this requires insane timing, as there is no way to tell when the lightning will actually strike. All of it is instinct, I believe.
However, once he caught the lightning in his blade all he has to do is to swing it down at his opponent - to disperse the lightning before his feet touches the ground, before the electricity could flow through his body.
This means it cannot be blocked, and deals insane amount of damage that paralyzes even the toughest of bodies.
However there is one catch to this move... he MUST transfer the lightning away before his feet touches the ground or else he'll get shocked himself.
Which is precisely why when he jumped to the sky and the lightning struck him, I kicked off the ground and jumped as well.
My jump was considerably weaker than my normal jumps because my muscle is still damaged from the shock earlier... but it is tall enough for me to reach Genji mid-air as he was falling down.
"Eat this!" 'Thump!'
I raised my blade and aimed the flat-side of the blade to his head then slammed it into his face before he could swung the lightning-imbued sword down.
Golden sparks flew out when my sword hit his face. Some of the electricity escaped to my body, but most are still stuck on his sword...
Then, we fell.
'Zzz-!'
"Argh-ah!" (2x)
I was shocked again, but extremely mild. It's more like a simple tase this time that jolted me up a bit.
But Genji took nearly the full force of the thunder. His body spasms uncontrollably on the floor, golden electricity sparks out from his flesh as his hand was burned by the thunder.
So that was what happened when I was struck by that lightning....
After a few seconds of being shocked, Genji's body finally relaxed, his limbs dropped to the ground without strength.
"Hah... Hah..." I got up on my feet and limped over to him, using my sword as a cane.
But I fell to the ground once more as I couldn't support my body anymore.
I couldn't feel my legs... nor my entire body for that matter. My arm appears to be smoking, burnt from the electricity just now. That's why I can't even lift myself using the sword.
"Urgh... Hah... A little lightning... cannot strike me down...!"
Genji slowly moved, he sat up from the ground. Just like me, he couldn't move as well.
"Hah... You still want to do this...?" I said.
"This duel hasn't been decided... I can lose to everyone else... but not you!..."
"Haha... Hahaha!..."
I grabbed my sword and forced myself up once more... Genji did the same thing.
It took an ages, but we finally got back on our feet and aimed our blades at each other.
"One last time..." I muttered.
"Yeah... Let's settle this..."
My mind is going numb... but I know that the next strike, although weak, would decide the outcome of this match.
That's why despite being out of strength, I still raised my blade, lowered my body, and entered the stance of an attack.
Genji did the same thing without saying anything.
Seconds pass... Our feet slowly inches closer to each other.
And just as we are about to enter attack-range, a voice shouted from behind me.
"Cease your blades, this duel is over!"
"What?!..." (2x)
Kenshin, along with a Danzo that has bruises and cuts on her body stood by the entrance.
"As both combatants have fought until they are unable to, this duel does not have a victor nor a loser. It is a draw."
"Tch..." Genji clicks his tongue and threw his blade on the floor.
Suddenly, my vision blurs up, starting to see white.
"Hah... Hah..." It felt harder to breathe now...
From behind me, I heard the voices of a few person, likely that of Kenshin-sama and Danzo....
It didn't took long after I dropped my sword on the ground when my body lost its strength and followed suit.
'Thump!'
"...kina!... Takina-san!..."
Is that.... Sora's voice?...
(Chapter end)