As they peered deeper into the shed, they saw the creature's body.
To start, it was gigantic, like a two-story-plus monster squeezing itself into the space of a weapons shed that was already sizable. Closest to them was its face: a human face, devoid of facial hair and with little fat. It wore a blank expression, its mouth perpetually half-open, eyes looking in slightly different directions. Messy, curly hair drooped over its eyes and ears, and two long antlers sprouted from its head. The whole scene was mesmerizing and repulsive, impossible to look away from, yet unbearable to witness.
Looking further down, the horror intensified. The neck had enormous stitches, attaching the human-like head to a body that was anything but human. It was a furry, four-legged creature, its coat filthy with dirt, soil, grass, and inexplicably, seaweed. The fur, or perhaps hair, cascaded down, covering the entirety of its body. The smell was overwhelming, a putrid mix of rot and something worse, though the burning wood's scent masked it somewhat. Surprisingly, the legs appeared normal for a quadruped, possibly a deer, complete with hooves. The beast took a step forward, lowering its human-like head.
"Disgusting... Me?" the thing hissed, its breath a rancid miasma that deepened their fear—not just the fear of death, but of the unknown.
"How about this? Territory: ICE PALACE." Washio stomped his foot, and water began to coalesce around the room, spreading out and freezing into the shape of a throne within a gigantic room of ice. He sat on the throne and snapped his fingers, summoning gigantic ice spears that shot up from below, piercing the grotesque amalgamation.
"Alright, good job, Washio!" Ujin yelled, but it was premature. The monster seemed unfazed. It stomped its right arm, causing tremors. Sand began to squeeze through the gaps in the ice and collected into a large ball at the top of the shed.
"What is... It's controlling earth?" Ujin muttered. "PROTECT YOURSELVES!" he shouted, clapping his fists together and creating a swirling vortex around him. Sakura and Matsuda responded in kind, forming flame domes typical of fire manacians. Washio tapped his feet on the ice palace's ground twice, and walls and a roof slid into place, encasing him just as the sand burst outward into spikes, obliterating nearly everything but the four of them. The sand almost penetrated Washio's ice walls, while Ujin's vortex dispersed it, and glass shards fell to the ground upon contact with the Hino duo's flames.
"Sakura, contact the president or something. The rest of us will cover you," Ujin commanded.
"Alright!" Sakura dashed outside, hiding behind a wall as she dialed the number she had been given.
"The Ice Palace is destroyed!" Washio yelled, retreating from the crumbling ice.
"It's alright... We'll take turns alternating our territories. I'll go next, then Matsuda."
"Alright," Matsuda agreed, pondering the immense mana pool the creature must possess to break through the Ice Palace.
"Storm Prison," Ujin screamed, thrusting his palm downward and rotating his wrist. A ring of spinning air formed around his wrist, growing stronger as he rotated his hand. Mana filled the area, the winds intensifying and whipping the sand into a frenzy. "Get out of the shed!" Ujin shouted. The others ran out as the tornado engulfed the shed, tearing apart stones, bricks, dust, and ceramic to join the swirling wind. Ujin clapped his fists together, creating high-speed rotating winds around him. "Dance of the Wind," he declared, dashing at the three-story-tall creature.
He delivered a high kick with his left leg, sending a burst of wind upwards into the creature's chin, causing it to lose balance. "Ar," it moaned, its plea of pain eerily audible amidst the roaring winds. As it stumbled, Ujin flipped over, only to be deflected back by the tornado behind him. The creature regained its balance and raised its front legs, crashing them down onto the ground. "NOPE!" Ujin yelled, sweeping the ground with a low kick that sent a blade of air slicing across the dusty field, sweeping the beast's legs out from under it and causing it to fall with a resounding crash.
Ujin pinched the air between his fingers, which began to vibrate as the air distorted. He released the pinching motion, sending a vibrating wind blade flying at incredible speed. "ARRRRROOOOO," the beast howled as the wind blade severed one of its legs cleanly. But the creature's eyes showed no fear. Within seconds, a new limb was growing, fast-forwarding through the process in mere moments. The beast stomped again, confusing Ujin as if nothing happened immediately. But outside...
"What the fu—" Matsuda and Washio exclaimed as the sand below them shifted, lifting them on a massive wave of sand. "Wha—" Ujin, caught off guard, fell into a gigantic hole that opened beneath him, the sand closing over him. He formed a windshield to keep the sand at bay, struggling for oxygen. "What in the world..." he muttered, trying to force more mana into the shield but unable to push it outwards against the immense pressure.
"The vortex is lifting," Matsuda observed as the tornado dissipated, revealing the beast standing unscathed. "Where is Ujin?" Washio asked, scanning the familiar sandy landscape.
Matsuda hesitated, then looked down. "Down there," he said, pointing. Washio glanced down just as a hoof crashed into his face.
"CRYSTAL SHI—" Washio started, but there wasn't enough time to gather moisture in the arid desert air. The hoof shattered his forming shield, and as he brought his arms together, the beast's strength broke his bones. He flew towards a sandstone wall, only to be caught by Matsuda, who slowed their descent with his flames. Washio's arms trembled, and he breathed heavily, eyes dilated and on the verge of unconsciousness.
"Sorry, I can't shield you; flames aren't for that," Matsuda said apologetically.
"I-I un-understand," Washio stammered.
Matsuda gently set Washio down and turned to face the grotesque beast. "I can't beat you, but I can stall for time... SAKURA, HOW MUCH LONGER?"
"An air strike is inbound in five minutes," Sakura replied, joining Matsuda. "Let's see what we can do, huh?" she said, determination in her eyes.
. . .
The Minister hung up the phone with a decisive click.
"Air strikes ready to move out," the man reported.
"Hold off on dispatching them," the Minister commanded calmly.
"Minister...?" the voice queried, seeking clarification.
"Stand down. Prepare for my departure later today. It will be on the news soon," the Minister declared, his tone resolute.
"Roger," affirmed the man in the black suit, exiting the room and leaving the Minister alone once more.
"Good work. I'll be in touch," a voice echoed softly in the empty chamber before the door swiftly opened and closed once more.
"Understood," the Minister muttered, a touch of unease in his voice, yet resolute and devoid of guilt.
. . .
To Mom:
Hello! Sorry, I didn't write to you sooner… a lot of things have happened lately…soon after I went to school, I got into some fights and now I'm in one of the best teams in the school. Now they are about to have a competition, so I was busy training for it. I heard that I could get proper job scholarship offers from one of these teams when scouted. I assumed this is what you wanted, huh Mom?!? Also… I would like to ask how my friends are doing… after I came here, taking care of myself has been harder than I thought it would be… Tackling my schoolwork, actual work, and training for my team, besides the house chores, is something I can't seem to get over easily every day. The job really sucks the life out of me… I'm just thankful it is only 2 days of the week. I've also made friends here so I hope you don't worry about me… Answer me back soon!
Sincerely, Yonu
I tapped the send button on the email. Unfortunately, my mother doesn't know how to use texts, so I have to send her emails. At least they aren't letters… I still keep in contact with my friends through a group chat we have. Occasionally, I'll send them pictures and selfies of me and Yunosuke or Hugo or Vice and Jin. It seems everything in life is going smoothly… except for training. I can't seem to break the barrier… the barrier of improving past rank 30… not that I continued to battle against them but… I feel like my skills have been stagnating…
"On the left side! TEAM SCORN!" I stepped out of the tunnel as the sheer number of people in the stadium and its massive size started to dawn on me. I looked up at the endless rows of spectators, three stories high. I turned back to the field, a vast forest stretching out like a football field, enclosed in a dome, with a roaring crowd beyond.
"On the right side! TEAM PRODIGIES!!!"
We stood ready, preparing our flag and reviewing our plan as the announcers droned on about team members and rankings.
"CAPTURE THE FLAG BEGINS IN 30 SECONDS!"
The competition was a round-robin; we drew lots for our match placements. We were on the right side with Drifters, while The Universe was on the left, so we would meet them in the finals. Not that we intended to lose to anyone else.
"5….4….3….2…1….BEGIN!!"
"YONU!"
My palm thrust forward, flames surging out with a force that made my heart race. Suddenly, I felt two hands tapping my shoulders. These were my mana suppliers, grinning at me.
"Ready when you are," one of them said, laughing.
"Let's go," I replied. In an instant, I unleashed all my mana into the flame, causing a high-pitched screech to echo through the air.
"LET'S WIN THIS WITH A BANG!" I yelled, releasing the flame in a jet stream. The bright blue torrent cut through the trees like a hot knife through butter. I felt the mana flowing out of me like a waterfall, replenishing as quickly as it left.
Everyone wore uniforms infused with mana, protecting them from the elements and marking hits. My fire wouldn't kill them, but enough contact would change the uniform's color, signaling a player's defeat.
"I'm heading out!" Jin shouted above the noise. With a backward swing of his arms, a sonic boom followed, and he was gone.
SREEEEEEEE The sound resonated through the battlefield.
"What is that sound?" The confused men of Prodigies yelled, feeling the heat intensify.
"AAHHHHHHH!" They screamed. Suddenly, their group was engulfed in flames and eliminated, the ground scorched and destroyed. Only Jin and their flag remained. When a flag is destroyed, it's a draw. Only capturing the opponent's flag brings victory.
"TEAM SCORN WINS!!" I watched from inside the dome as the audience outside cheered madly.
Teams like Prodigies, ranked 300+, were stepping stones. We would soon face tougher opponents like Drifters, among the top five, after a few matches to familiarize ourselves with the terrain.
We cheered, heading back into our tunnel. Boom Our captain appeared with the flag.
"Good job, Yonu. That'll be our strategy until we reach the top five," he said, passing the flag to Vice for administration.
"Of course, captain."
"Thanks. We need others to accumulate their mana first," he said. As we entered the tunnel, the floating orbs on our shoulders glowed brighter, ranging from sky blue to dark grey, brownish dirty, bright orange, and in my case, a luminescent blue.
"We shall win this year," he declared.
"We will," I affirmed. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my shoulder. It was Fuji.
"We sure will," he added.
"What's Mr. Rank 9 doing, huh?" I teased.
"Shut up, I'm about to carry your ass through the Universe fight. Watch me. HAHAHA."
We all laughed together, the camaraderie and determination strong among us.
. . .
"On the right side, we have team Drifters!!!!" The audience erupted into a deafening roar as our captain huddled the combat team around him. His voice cut through the adrenaline-charged air, outlining our strategy once more.
"Yonu, with the two others, will infiltrate from the flank. Jin and I will join them. Hyun, Gino, and Fuji, you hold this position. Protect them at all costs," he commanded, his eyes blazing with determination. "The captain will expect our usual approach. They'll send a team for the flag. Hyun and Fuji, you've got this. Jin and I will handle Yatagarasu. That's the plan."
Heads nodded in grim agreement. "Alright," someone affirmed, voices low but charged with readiness.
"Let's wreak some havoc then," I murmured as the announcer bellowed, "On the left side, we have the seemingly invincible! Team Scorn!"
I glanced at the dense forest ahead, a battleground waiting to explode. "Don't worry, easy win," Fuji reassured me, a grin spreading across his face. "After this, it's smooth sailing. LET'S DO THIS."
"5…4…3…2…1… BEGIN!!!" The announcer's voice echoed through the clearing, and we burst into motion.
Jin, Yuuki, Wano, and I shot forward, flames flickering beneath our feet, propelling us like bolts of lightning through the shadows. Jin effortlessly defied the headwinds, his movements graceful and swift.
Suddenly, an open space materialized ahead, the familiar clearing filled with an ominous figure.
"Haha… That's Yatagarasu Ichizen," Jin declared, his tone laced with both respect and challenge.
Without warning, an explosion ripped through the air behind us, the shockwave reverberating through the ground. Instinctively, we scattered, the forest erupting into chaos as we regrouped under the canopy of leaves.
Yatagarasu stood unwavering, his presence commanding the clearing, a storm brewing in his eyes. I could feel the intensity building, the air thick with the promise of impending clash.
###
Yataragasu Ichizen --- Element: Air , Year:2nd , Rank: 5