"Wait… I think I can see something now…"
"Huh, there they are!"
As the dust cloud began to clear, the audience leaned in, their breaths held firmly. To their shock and amazement, they saw Hao standing tall with his X-Class sword crossed with Kiera's Whip Blade, which had been narrowly deflected by his last-second defence.
"That's what I'm talking about, Stay in there, Vee!" Mentos grinned from ear to ear, proud of Hao's resilience. Yoad, on the other hand, was still visibly concerned for his Beast Companion, Barkcode, so he hoped that Hao could turn the tide of the battle.
Growl!
Barkcode finally reached Hao's proximity and returned Vibe Edge to his hand. With the weapon back in his possession, Hao's vision sharpened; he was once again able to perceive the battlefield in all its detail.
"Now that's more like it."
His renewed clarity allowed him to launch a powerful counterattack when he noticed Malestrom incoming. He deftly activated his Night Tamer to dodge the beast's sweeping claw strike, teleporting just out of reach. The sheer force of the beast's claws was horrendous, to say the least. Luckily Hao reacted when he did and cut the beast's hide with Twin Portal Slash.
"So that's how you want to play it, then I'll get rid of that scrawny beast of yours first." Kiera, recognizing Hao's tactic, smirked and commanded Maelstrom to release a deafening breath attack. The shockwaves sent Barkcode flying, and before Hao could react, Maelstrom lunged and tore the beast's wings apart in a single, powerful bite.
"No!" Yoad watched in horror, unable to fathom the gruesome sight before him. Mentos could feel his intense emotions.
"Damn, I couldn't react in time to prevent that from happening." He scanned Barkcode with his Vibe Sense, "Looks like it is still alive, but I need to hurry and end this fight before it's too late." He gave his attention back to his ruthless opponents, "I need to be equally cruel in order to beat them."
Hao unsheathed his Vibe Edge and leapt back into the fray, he made sure to draw Kiera and her Beast Companion's attention away from where Barkcode was immobile. Kiera and her Bastian worked well together, they were executing a series of combo attacks that had Hao dancing on his heels.
"Damn, they are good."
As the brutal scene unfolded, Hao began to notice an unusual phenomenon. Tune Points started appearing throughout the arena. "It's these things again…?" Vibe Edge's Inner Voice reminded him about the nature of Tunes.
"Yes, I remember now. This just might be what I need to turn the tide of this battle. I should collect them before they vanished." While Kiera and the spectators were baffled by Hao's sudden frantic movements, he skilfully danced around the debris, collecting Tune Points.
"What is that blind fool doing? Your opponents are over here!" She commanded her Bastian to rush over and take a bite out of Hao's side, but the beast was so huge, if it did manage to bite Hao it would not only take a chunk from his side but swallow him whole.
Whoosh!
Hao perceived the incoming assault and expertly dodged by flicking and twirling through the air acrobatically. In response to his delay in collecting Tunes, he executed a sword strike that almost knock Kiera off her Bastian and in that same breath, cut apart a portion of Maelstrom's ear. In doing so, he discovered that the more damage he dealt to his opponents, the more Tunes would generate in his unique vision, moreover, the more he could collect, which would then increase his XP and grant him the opportunity to upgrade his Sword Details.
"I almost have them all." Just as he was about to grab another set of Tunes, his sword's Inner Voice spoke to him visually.
- Vibe Seeker LV2: Upgrade Requirement: 10 Tunes
- Quick Draw LV2 -> Drive: Upgrade Requirement: 20 Tunes
- Volume Raiser: Unlock Requirements: 35 Tunes
"I have 3 upgrades available and a total of 41 Tunes. Which one should I choose? Vibe Seeker upgrade won't do much to help the situation right now, maybe Quick Draw?" Thinking about his options, he expanded the menu for his chosen upgrade interest.
Quick Draw Ability Tab>>
Level 1: Normal
• Description: A technique that allows the user to draw their sword and strike quickly in a single motion, making it an effective counter-attack. The slash is a powerful radial arc that can hit multiple enemies at once.
• Range: Short
• Duration: Instant
• Cooldown: 10 seconds
Level 2: Drive
• Description: An enhanced version of Quick Draw that allows the user to execute a rapid forward radial arc strike that flips all the way back around until the sword is sheathed again. Upon activation, Vibe Edge releases a moving vertical slash propelled by sapphire energy. When the slash connects with its target, it generates multiple phantasmal fists that bombard the enemy before culminating in a powerful pulse that tears the initial slash's target apart.
• Range: Long
• Duration: Instant
• Cooldown: 1 minute
"Yes, I might have to go with this one." With enough Tunes gathered for an upgrade, Hao took a moment to upgrade his Quick Draw ability to level 2 in the midst of battle.
"Wow!" Just as the purchase went through, Hao noticed a shift in his Vibe Edge, specifically the speaker components. The complex mechanism tuned in a new frequency that would allow its user to do extraordinary things.
"Time to test this upgrade out," Hao spoke under his breath, just as Maelstrom, with Kiera atop its back, charged towards him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Hao zoomed in on the enormous beast, and without further delay, he executed the Quick Draw-Drive technique. "Go!" He sent forth a cascade of sapphire energy towards Maelstrom. The vertical slash struck the beast's underbelly, nearly splitting it in half as phantasmal fists pummelled it relentlessly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Grah!" Maelstrom roared in agony, collapsing backwards with Kiera tumbling to the ground with her face-first into the dirt.
Hao couldn't help but taunt Kiera as she struggled to her feet, "How does that dirt taste, little worm?"
"You BASTARD!" Kiera shrieked, her rage reaching the point of no return. She threw a tantrum which compelled her to summon two additional beasts that had been on standby just outside the arena.
Boom! Boom!
The creatures burst through the gates, they were smaller than Maelstrom, but still fearsome and formidable. With them settling by her side, Kiera glared at Hao and hollered, "I'm going to KILL YOU!"
"Hey, what the hell is that?" Mentos and Yoad caught Dippo's attention, arguing with him about the unfairness of Kiera's reinforcements.
Dippo smirked and replied, "This is the Hallows, baby! Anything goes according to the response of the audience, and do you hear that?" The crowd's cheers grew louder. "The crowd is going WILD!"
Many members of the audience were shouting:
"Kill that brat!"
"Rip him to shreds!"
"Rip his brain out through his asshole! I don't care if it sounds disgusting, just do it, Kiera! Just do freaking do it!"