It was a desert, a large desert with no seen ends. And at the center of it were the two of us, inside a metal cage, looking at each other.
Although I have been living a normal life, it wasn't my first time getting into a serious fight. I don't mean those high school skirmishes, but I did have my share of experiences in getting beaten and beating some too.
"Let me ask you something before we start, black hair." Taiga's voice cut through the heavy silence as he rolled a toothpick across his gums with practiced indifference.
"What? And my name is Ryouma, chicken-head."
He didn't seem to flinch with the remark but it definitely icked him. He got too much of a temper to sound cool, to be honest.
"I am saying this for your sake." He stopped rolling the toothpick and flicked it away, "Leave this match before you start regretting it. I am not trolling, its a genuine request." He said while looking at me with a straight face.
I just looked at him since that remark didn't need a reply to begin with. The answer was clear.
[RULES FOR THIS FIGHT]
—THE CAZE OF BEEZLEBUB IS DIFFERENT FROM THE NORMAL CAGES AS YOU BOTH MUST HAVE GUESSED. IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A CONTACT WITH THE RODS OF THE CAGE, THE HIGH VOLTAGE SHOCK WILL SHAKE YOUR BODY TO THE CORE. SO BETTER MAKE THE CALCULATIONS BEFORE YOU START WHINING.
—LAST ONE STANDING WINS THE MATCH
—THE LOSER WILL BE SENT BACK TO THE WAITING LIST AND THE WINNER WILL MOVE TO THE NEXT ROUND
—THE LOSER WILL BE GIVING UP SOME PORTION OF THEIR EGO FRAGMENT ABSORBED BY THE WINNER
-WEAPONS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. ANY SUCH ACTION ATTEMPTED WILL RESULT IN SEVERE PUNISHMENT.
[BEGIN]
Before I could form my stance, Taiga's fist reached my face in an instant, like an explosive, and smashed me in the center.
If it were just a normal punch, I could've taken it. But this? This was something else entirely. My head snapped back, and my body flew across the cage like a ragdoll. I collided with the electrified rods at the edge. The cage exploded with a BZZZZT!
I could smell my flesh getting roasted as my brain malfunctioned. My nervous system was shaken as if I am about to die and my body was laid like a corpse on the ground.
"See, I told ya. You better not die, though." Taiga said it like he cared, but the smirk on his face told a different story.
[THE FIGHT HAS CONCLUDED]
[THE WINNER OF THE FIGHT IS-]
"Huh?!" Taiga exclaimed as he looked at me with a weirded out face.
My left hand was up, as if implying that the fight is not over yet. I definitely felt the pain but I couldn't differentiate the hate or the love for it. It was excruciating and unbearable but my body was getting back up from the same posture as if asking for more.
My legs wobbled as I forced myself upright, my movements jerky and unnatural like a puppet yanked by invisible strings. "Haah… I feel weird." My eyes were in a trance.
"What's with that look on your face? Its annoying me!" Taiga shouted as he accelerated towards me with a stronger force than before. I could feel it, but I didn't mind taking it all in.
An upper cut on the jaw and my body flew to the top of the cage.
"SKRRK!ZAPPP!BZZZZTT" I got electrocuted again, this time felt like the end. What the fuck am I doing? This is not a game, I will really die at this rate.
And the same thing happened again. As if in a trance, my body stood up again, all backwards without any support. This time I had a slight smile on my face while having the same drugged look in my eyes. I got hit so hard, but I couldn't stop myself.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!!!" Taiga screamed again, this time his red mohawk seemed o flare an all time high.
"I am in the process of figuring that out, chicken-head." I said with the same smile as I walked towards him in wiggly motion.
I was still feeling the jitters from the shock but it was weird, really weird. A normal person would instantly die if exposed to a shock of that degree. But here I was, dancing a buffoon. This time I planned to be on the offense.
"Every tried getting hit by the shit you throw around others, retard?!" I chuckled as I threw a punch to his gut be he blocked it easily.
"Stop with it now, you will really die at this rate. What's wrong with you?" He said with a dismay on his face but he definitely was annoyed at the fact that his attacks were having no damage on me. Of course its not true, but who cares if he thinks so.
I laughed, the sound unhinged. "Why so scared, chicken-head? Not feeling so hot anymore?"
And then he flung me again—straight into the rods.
"SKRRK!ZAPPP!BZZZZTT!CRACK!"
Something definitely happened this time. My body was covered with black ashes and I had marks on my arms and legs as if I got grilled on a barbeque. My mouth was wide open and I puffed out smoke as well. I was totally burned this time. And it couldn't be worse but…again. This time, I had a wide smile on my face, it wasn't a simple endurance at this point. This body of mine is getting infatuated from pain but is getting stronger at the same time.
At this moment, Taiga's expressions had taken a complete different path. His face looked so ugly like he shit his pants in front of his entire class. The fear was real and I could see it emanating from him. He didn't expect something like this to happen and I don't blame him. I am as surprised as he is but somehow, it feels good from inside.
Looking at the torn face of his, "I wanna carve that expression on your face forever with these fingers of mine."
Oh, I spoke that out loud.
I jumped at him like a beast does on a prey with finger nails ready to pierce his sides but as soon as his eyes met mine, he cried out.
Taiga's face was a canvas of terror now. His red mohawk, once proud and defiant, seemed to wilt under the weight of his fear.
"Aughhhhhh!!!!!!" He shouted and threw himself towards the end of the cage to get electrocuted.
The cage erupted in sparks, and Taiga's body convulsed violently before crumpling to the ground.
…
Huh?
My body fell over his as if the adrenaline rush was over and we were already past our maximum capacity. This was insane.
[THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ROUND IS]
[!!RYOUMA SAIONJI!!]
That's what I heard last before I lost consciousness.