Kenshi: Grasp the Heavens

by Seereni

Begins 2 years before the main story. A young boy joins the rising Loki Familia through a display of his skills. His goal? Grasping the Heavens. RATED M for topics in later chapters. IT'S A VERY DARK FIC, OKAY? EDIT: No, there is no concrete backstory on the MC from the beginning, only fragments of it throughout the story.

32. Chapter 28

Chapter 28.

Took me f-ing long enough, you don't have to say anything. I know.

Life's been busy for me, however. That's all I'm saying on that matter.

As for the fic, not going to lie, it's getting shittier by the Chapter. Don't even know what some people like about this fic to be honest.

I mean, I like it.

It's mine, after all. But after re-reading it a bit here and there, I gotta say it's shitty myself.

Anyway, this Chapter?

Don't read it if you're tired or have a headache or anything. I dropped a lot of information in it, and I'd probably recommend a calm state of mind for reading it.

I tried to make everything as easy to understand as possible. To make it make sense, and not have any loose ends. Then again, that doesn't mean what I choose to go with is going to be good.

Also decided to reveal a bit more about Fuzen and his past. It's scattered information as always however, so making sense of it until I make it official is up to you.

Like it, hate it, that's your right. I'm not going to tell you what to do. It might have some grammar mistakes as I didn't have time to double-read it, being tired as hell from work and the heat, so there's that, too.

It's a 15,5k words Chapter, the first one that long actually, so I really hope there are not that many mistakes...

Anyway, that's about it. See you down at the end again.

Kay bye.

PS: Got a new artwork of Fuzen commissioned. It's the new cover, and it looks amazing. Told the artist to draw him like he was looking at someone dying on the ground and not being bothered by it at all, and I got what I asked for.

So yeah, if you were dying on the floor because a Monster made a snack out of you, that's the look Fuzen would give you.

"...Git gud, scrub."

XXX

"But...why is it so important?" He asked curiously, as he always did.

"Why do you think it is important?" The God responded, as he always did. The boy did not like when his questions were answered in this way, and he pouted at the God to his side.

"That's not an answer, Hachiman-sama…"

"...Nonetheless, it is required." The God replied with a nod, his arms still crossed at his chest. He then looked down, meeting the boy's eyes. "What is your answer?"

He took a moment to think, looking up ahead at the object in front of them. "Hmmm…" He tilted his head, staring even more intensely at the object. "Hmmm...Hmm? Hmmm...Mhm!" He gave a deep nod, then turned to look at the God once again. He was barely reaching the man's waist, so he needed to look really high up.

The boy let out a confident smile, and made the money gesture, rubbing his thumb over his index finger. "It's important because it's worth a lot!" He stated loudly before a line of drool escaped the corner of his mouth. "Worth a hundred red bean Mochi, no doubt…"

"I see. So that is your answer." Hachiman replied as he rubbed his chin. "Monetary value, is it…? It is not false to think of it that way. It is valuable, after all. However, do you believe that to be the extend of it's worth?"

"...It isn't?"

"...No, it isn't." The God shook his head. "What else do you think it could be?"

The boy's face fell as he heard he had to ponder even longer on the matter, a matter the God could simply answer. "Ehhh…? I dunno…Can't you just tell me?"

"It is important for you to come up with the answer yourself." Hachiman replied with a frown and the boy at his side stepped aside just a fraction of a step, making himself even smaller than he already was. He quickly rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out sigh. "...However, you do not need to come up with the answer on the spot. Throughout the week, try to think on this matter, and then tell me your answer."

"...Understood, Hachiman-sama…"

"...Now, let us be on our way. Tarrying here will bring us nowhere." The Deity stated and turned around, making for the exit.

The boy quickly followed, as well. "Yeah, let's go eat breakfast instead, Hachiman-sama! I'm hungry!"

"Later." Came the quick reply. "You still need to go through four hours of basics and two hours of breathing training. You are not yet at an acceptable level."

"...Yay. The fun…" The young boy whispered in a sassy voice as he rolled his eyes.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Hachiman-sama! Nothing at all!" The boy answered quickly, thankful his God did not hear it. He kept the pace with the much bigger man, then stopped and looked over his shoulder at the sword stand on the far end of the dojo, the focus of their conversation just now.

It was empty, without a sword to display.

"Mhm." Hachiman gave a deep nod, sliding open the doors of the dojo. "Then, let's go, - - - -"

…

…

…

He opened his eyes and looked out the window. Going by the sun's position, hours had passed since morning training ended and he returned to his room to engage in meditation. Though it was something rare indeed, he failed to focus on the passage of time this time around.

Fuzen was displeased, but did not dwell on it any longer.

He would simply have to do better next time, to avoid wasting time like this.

Raising to his feet, Fuzen looked over to the sword stand on his table, where his Sword Style's Relic, Raiju no Yoki, was displayed.

Was the memory of the past he experienced during his meditations a sign of something to come?

That sword had once slipped past their fingers.

Past his fingers.

"Never again…" He whispered as he stared coldly at the katana on display.

Fuzen sighed a moment later, and looked to the edge of the table. A couple of letters were stored there atop each other. All were opened, except for one.

The one Seiji had been entrusted to deliver to him when he embarked on his journey to Orario.

As expected, the older boy made sure to bring his mission to an end, and delivered the letter back in the East District, when the two met again after long years apart, all those months ago, before Fuzen re-joined Loki Familia again.

Yet, to this day, he could not bring himself to open the letter and read it.

It was not signed by his former Patron God, after all, but by his Mistress.

"…"

How is she? Had been his question as he looked upon the letter. It had not been easy to utter the words, but back then, Fuzen decided he needed to ask Seiji as soon as the letter changed hands from Seiji to him.

Seiji's eyes fell to the ground, unsure of how to proceed. He knew both answering and not answering would not be helpful to his friend.

Better. He finally answered, bluntly and confident it was the better option of the two.

Fuzen then simply nodded and walked away. Had he still the ability to smile, he would have probably done just that. The knowledge was bitter-sweet, at best. Yet, he knew his former friend not to be a liar. If he said that, it meant it was the truth. A truth he needed to accept.

"...Hmpf…"

With a shake of his head, he dismissed the letter and made for the door.

It didn't matter.

And neither did the memories he experienced during his meditations.

That was all in another time.

Another life.

Another Fuzen.

And thus, it didn't matter.

Yesterday, the first competitor had reached him. The first time the Long Conflict caught up to him after Fuzen left the Far East and came to Orario. A sudden reminded, yes, but one he had subconsciously always been prepared for.

And tomorrow?

Tomorrow, as per their agreement, they would fight. And then he would add his opponent's body to the mountain of corpses that was his stair towards grasping the Heavens...

XXX

He stood at the edge of the cavern, index finger tapping on his thigh from the inside of his pocket. Although he couldn't quite wrap his head around how it worked, his feeling of touch had returned despite his arms being prosthetics. Nonetheless, it felt good to have arms again, and the insignificant action he was repeating reminded him of this, and even more important, it reminded him how he came to possess them again.

That aside, however, he was still a professional, and his focus lay on the task he had been entrusted with. From his vantage point he stared down into the cave below with hawk-like intensity, scanning for every little detail, every little change in their resolve.

They were still holding on.

Barely, yes, but holding on, nonetheless.

I am glad. Kato thought to himself as he gave their hard work a small nod. My choice was correct. I will not disappoint the Young Master. We will not.

Indeed, the task Fuzen had bestowed upon him was slowly but surely starting to bear fruit.

At first, Kato was unsure if this would even work, and confronted his Master about the plan. After all, to create useful pawns, it was best to train them from infancy, like Kato himself had been. Brainwashing was far easier, and moulding their bodies and minds to suit your own needs could be done far more effectively.

This was something he tried to explain to Fuzen.

His Young Master listened calmly to his explanation, then nodded as it came to an end.

Kato. He began after listening silently. I am not a nice individual. Neither am I forgiving or kind. But...stealing the freedom from infants for my own goals...Do you truly believe me to be that big of a degenerate? Is that the impression I have given you until now?

Realizing the mistake he had made of associating his Young Master with those he served before, Kato smashed his head against the ground in apology, and would have continued to do so for a million times were it not for Fuzen stopping him. His Young Master then thanked him for sharing his thoughts with him, reasoned that his own plan of action was the better option and then sent Kato away with the task he was currently working towards.

As for the nature of his mission, well…it involved the very security of the East District.

In all honestly, Kato could not remember a time when anyone actually tried this much to change something. He had been living in Orario's East District for more than a decade now. He even lived through the Labyrinth City's dark times, when Evilus plunged the city into chaos.

Back then, because of it's lack of strategic importance, the East District had been mostly spared from the brunt of Evilus's attacks, but civilian casualties still piled up as the Adventurers and Evilus chased each other through it's streets. It was then that Kato first witnessed people using themselves as suicide bombers, blowing themselves up to take the Adventurers with them to the afterlife. He had worked as a shinobi, so he was no stranger to the evils humans were capable of, but that one memory always took him aback.

After the war with Evilus ended, however, little help came from the city's administration to the District, despite the destruction it faced in the last days of the conflict when Monsters were unleashed upon the city. It was no surprise, either. The District had no real importance to the city as a whole. Neither Magic Stone factories nor any other structures of importance were to be found there, and it didn't offer much as a touristic attraction, either. Lastly, no Familia were located in their small District. And so, as always, they had been forgotten despite the many, many requests they sent for help.

Now nigh six years had passed since Evilus's defeat, and while most of the city had been brought back to it's former glory, the East District was still engaged in reconstruction work.

That is, until he came.

Kato could still remember with clarity when he first laid eyes on him. He was acting as a beggar outside of the East District when the divine transmission appeared nearby: without hesitation in his voice Fuzen had declared war on the Kingdom of Altena and had this message transmitted throughout the country as well as Orario, the centre of the known world.

As the civilians around him questioned what sort of joke this was, Kato alone froze in place at what he had just witnessed. That was when a feeling unknown to him began to throb in his chest. Then the day of the attack came, and as he watched the battle unfold, that same feeling began to grow ever more.

Then the battle ended, and the individual known as Fuzen Katsumi brought the Treasurer Cicero before the wide-spread transmission. One by one, Lord Cicero counted the crimes he had committed, crimes that he had tried to use against Fuzen as well. Crimes that brought the dragon's ire upon the Kingdom of Altena. It was not a short list: raging from murder, to assassinations, to kidnappings, falsification of documents, money laundering and much, much more, Cicero required whole minutes to name the crimes he had committed. Then the transmission came to an end right after the rightful rules, the Queen, declared Altena's loss in their conflict against a single individual.

Fuzen Katsumi had won.

"Bleagh-!"

"Hmm?"

Shook out of his thought, Kato drew his knife and held it to the rope that the individual who broke the silence was hanging by. Deep down, he could see the man's head now submerged in water, his body fighting against the drowning he was experiencing.

As per his Young Master's orders, however, Kato would not allow any of them to die.

But he could not act just yet, either.

After all, this was training meant to test their resolve, to test if they were ready to serve.

A few long seconds later, the man managed to draw his head out of the water again, gasping heavily for air. Kato gave him a single short nod, then sheathed his knife again. He did not break just yet, to Kato's pleasant surprise.

The six individuals hanging upside down, their heads just barely out of the knee deep water were those he had hand picked from many dozens of volunteers. These were the individuals who came as close as possible to the criteria Fuzen set. And to his surprise, these yet unblessed individuals were still going strong in their training.

A man who lost his wife to the brutality of a former gang now exterminated by Fuzen.

A brother who lost his sister to the perverse games of the red light District.

A young woman who had been forced to be a pleasure woman for two whole years in the same District, then saved by Fuzen in his grand plan months prior.

One by one, all six of the individuals shared something in common with each other, for they had all lost something to the injustice of Orario's dark side before Fuzen appeared. It was not only these six, however: all the dozens of volunteers Kato had to go through shared the same history.

But, these individuals had succeeded where many others had failed.

Before even starting training, Kato had used his resources and connections he had built over the years to track down certain individuals related to each of the volunteers misery. Be it a ring leader, hired muscles or anything in-between, he found one individual connected to each of the possible trainees.

Then he tracked them down and observed them from the shadows side by side with a volunteer, then pressed each man and woman a weapon in the hand as he stood behind them, whispering but one question into their ear.

What will you do now?

With a person responsible, at least in part, for the misery they had been forced to go through right in front of their eyes, what would they do?

Would they use the power Kato gave them in the form of a weapon for their own sakes...or would they use it for their new Master?

Which of the two options these six individuals hanging upside-down decided upon should need no further explanation. They had succeeded where others had failed, and thus they were given an opportunity to grasp for a higher state of being. To become stronger, and better. Fully funded by their new Master, of course, who spared no expense for their training.

Kato had been worried at first.

Though all six of them passed the tests and met Fuzen's criteria, they were old: the youngest among them was already seventeen. Training would never prove as effective for them as for someone who started young, like Kato. They would never achieve the same level of joint flexibility, and they would never manage to hone their senses as much as him.

That is what he initially thought.

But as the weeks passed by and the trainees kept up with the training which was meant to be nigh impossible for unblessed mortals like themselves, Kato found himself surprised. They fired arrows until their fingers bled and their nails came off. They trained sword fighting against Kato until they collapsed to the ground unconscious, sword still firmly held in their hands. They went through their physical training until they vomited blood before standing up and doing it again.

They were tenacious. Very much so, in fact. They possessed a strength Kato did not think possible. Granted, they had reached their breaking point a couple of times, as well, but they quickly brushed it off with some external help.

Look at this. Fuzen voiced once as he came to their secret training ground one day, one of the trainees collapsing at his feet as he vomited an unhealthy amount of blood. His Master simply took a knee and raised a hand full of dirt soaked in blood to his face. 'Tis but weakness leaving the body. Could the you from before have endured this? I do not believe that. To get stronger one needs to go beyond their comfortable zone. It means to endure hardships you want to run away from, over and over and over again, day by day by day. That is how the weak overcome their weakness. That is how the weak become stronger. That...is how the weak becomes more than just an ant to be crushed at the whim of the strong.

It didn't need to be voiced: everyone present understood that the young man spoke solely from experience, and that he too once put up with training similar, if not even harsher, than theirs. Any thoughts of quitting were quickly brushed aside as they felt reinvigorated at the thought that their Young Master had gone through similar hardships as them.

It wouldn't be much longer now, anyway.

Though their training had only been going on for a short while, it had been a twenty hour a day regime, meant to quickly break and shape these chosen individuals into a better version of themselves. Everything had been done in order for Fuzen to see they had the resolve necessary to go through a personalized hell and stand firmly on their feet. But it would soon come to an end.

Preparations had already been made, and their Young Master had found a neutral Deity willing to bless them with a Falna, as long as certain conditions on Fuzen's side were met. Kato had been present during the initial talks, watching over his Master from the shadows, and was aware what the exact conditions were. Though he was little more than a former glorified murderer, even Kato had to agree that the conditions were hardly a nuisance, taking in consideration they would receive six fully blessed and loyal individuals in return.

Compared to the Deity Fuzen found for him, Kato felt just the slightest bit of jealousy. He understood the strategic importance of being blessed by the specific Deity Fuzen found for him, but...the help requests were sometimes over the top.

"I...I can't…" He heard one of the trainees whisper down below and raised an eyebrow in return.

"...Is this the limit of your resolve? Understood. Then I shall cut you down." Kato voiced, once again taking out his knife, ready to cut the rope and set the trainee free. "I guess this is simply a sign of how little you appreciate the Young Master's efforts."

"...W-Wait!"

"Hmm?"

Before an answer could come, the trainee's muscles gave in, and he found his head submerged under the water again. It was funny, really: all a person needed to drown were but a couple centimetres of water. That is how frail human life was. And still, even as the bubbles of air became visible, Kato did not cut the man down.

Naturally, he had no desire to see him die. Allowing death to happen during this training period meant going against his Master's will, and that was a crime Kato did not plan to commit. But right now, his greatest task was to test the East District's future watchmen.

So he waited and observed.

Moments passed.

Seconds passed.

Dozen of seconds passed.

Slowly he brought his knife to the rope to his side, ready to cut down the man. An unblessed person could only survive so long, after all, and the trainee was reaching the edge of that limit. Failing any stage of the training meant immediate disqualification from the training program, as per Fuzen's instructions, and he had no wish to see his Master's efforts and money which he poured into these six individuals go to waste, but…

"Gaaah! Cough...Cough! Not yet..."

...Hmm. He managed to pull himself up again. Good.

Another small nod of acknowledgment directed at the trainees later, Kato sheathed his knife yet again. They had fight in them yet.

Just a couple more minutes left. Do not disappoint him, you lot.

We can never allows ourselves to disappoint him, for our Master is, without a doubt…

XXX

"...wrong." He stated bluntly, and the sound of a head falling onto the hard table echoed throughout the room a moment later. It was not a statement he had to make often, to his more than pleasant surprise, but as he read through the answers the girl had written onto the sheet of paper, he spotted a couple mistakes.

Writing was all good so far. She had little trouble with it, surprisingly enough given her age. Her written words still had the distinctive look of a child to them, but at least she had no mistakes.

History was also good, as it seemed the girl had been interested in events now long past, as the private educators he hired for her told him.

Other subjects were good, too.

All but one.

...I wanted you to be better… Fuzen thought as he let out a long, tired sigh.

Mathematics.

Once again, it was mathematics.

He was not good at it, either. As much as he disliked to say it, there was no point in trying to deny it, either. But even so, he had to think for a few seconds if he had difficulty with equations of this level when he was at a similar age to the girl at his side.

"...This here." Fuzen voiced as he placed the sheet of paper in front of the girl, his finger tapping against the math exercise. "The answer is wrong. Do it again."

"But I don't wanna!"

"Do not fight me on this." he replied. "Believe me or not, this is for your own good. Now: do it again."

"…"

"What is the problem?"

"This is the problem!" The girl yelled as she pointed at the sheet of paper in front of her. "I don't get it!"

"...It really is not that difficult. Allow me to put it another way, then: you have 48 swords. You subtract 26 swords out of the 48 swords. Then you divide that amount of swords by 2. How many swords do you have now?"

"Too many!" The black-haired girl at his side yelled out. "You have too many swords!"

"...Well, that statement is not false..." Fuzen nodded as he rubbed his chin. "But it is numerically not correct. Sigh...Let me try to formulate it another way. You have 48 Jagamarukun-"

"Jagamarukun?! Where?!" The girl asked with glittery eyes as she jumped to her feet, only to feel a palm on her head pushing her back into her seat.

"Don't interrupt me again. Now, you have 48 Jagamarukun. You eat one. How many Jagamarukun do you have now?"

"...47?"

"That is correct. Now, if you repeat that step and eat another 25 Jagamarukun, what do you have then?"

"...Uhh…Uhhh…?"

...It seems this one's mental faculties have reached their limit. I suppose pressing on any further would be counter-productive for her growth. I wonder, though: are children really this weak…?

"...Understood. It seems you lack the ability to think under pressure, so we can leave this matter for later. You are done for now. You may proceed as you were." Fuzen stated, closing the books that were opened on the desk before him and ready to proceeded with his tasks. As he finished, however, he noticed the girl at his side was still seated, her head hanging low as an expression alien to him was plastered on her face.

Was I not clear enough? Why is she still here? Is there something else that needs to be done? He questioned himself as he looked upon the young girl, yet no answer came to his mind. However, he had the foresight to think ahead, and quickly reached for the inside of his pocket and took out the book he bought exactly for these moments.

It was a book called The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, and it was the librarian's recommendation when Fuzen asked on any useful materials on how to train mentally underdeveloped sub-sized mortals. Unfortunately, with all the recent events, he had yet to find the time to thoroughly read the book and completely memorize it, but he remembered some mentions of what he needed on a certain page.

With a speed of approximately nine pages per seconds, Fuzen used his thumb to turn the pages until he reached the one he was looking for, reading it's content at lightning speed.

...Hmm. This advice doesn't sound very productive. It could give her false impression on her capabilities and thus make her believe she is better than she actually is. Depending on the situation, that could mean life or death for her...But, there is little else I can try...

"Ahem." He cleared his throat as he placed the small book back in his pocket, already struggling with what he was about to say. "You certainly made mistakes on your homework, and we do need to address those very mistakes later on…" As his words reached her, the girl's head dropped even lower for reasons unknown to Fuzen. "However...when looking at the big picture, the number of correct answers far exceeds the number of wrong answers. With that said...you did...pretty good...I guess….Maybe…?"

"I did?!" The girl looked up with a big smile glued to her face, her former expression but a distant memory now. It was then that Fuzen felt the sudden need to squint his eyes.

"...That is what I just said, was it not? You...did good, Alya."

"Yay!" The girl in question threw both her arms into the air, more than happy to hear the praise. "Hehe, of course I did good…"

"Don't let this get to your head, you."

If someone were to be watching from afar, they would think the two to be siblings or cousins, but of course, that was far from the truth, which was in all honesty nigh impossible to explain.

The girl whom Fuzen named Alya was, after all, a singularity. And as far as he could deduce, she was probably the only living soul created the way she had been.

She was a fragment of a shattered whole, and her origin began with the day Fuzen linked his mind with that of Ais Wallenstein when the golden-haired swordswoman decided to be an idiot and copy his Sword Style, her innate talent with the sword allowing her to awaken her Ki in mere days or weeks, a feat that took Fuzen longer than a whole year of pure physical and mental hell to achieve.

The technique he performed back then was one rarely used even within the ranks of the Lightning Sword Style, as it was dangerous for both the patient and the ritual performer. Even more so for the performer, as they had to guide the whole process.

Fuzen, in a moment of sheer stupidity, decided to go against his principles and help the woman who was his Familia member. The ritual he performed had been done following purely theoretical knowledge. In a way, it was a miracle that it had worked, and even more so that they both survived.

What exactly transpired while they were linked, Fuzen could only speculate. While Ais had been completely unconscious and unaware of anything that was happening, Fuzen himself had only been in a state of half-consciousness throughout the process. He could feel a couple things that were happening in the inner world of Ais, but not much more than that.

He had felt...fear, for starters. Not his own, but someone else's. Fear...and hate.

Then he felt a strong sensation of being rejected. A sensation that came with it's own share of pain. Why, and by whom, well...those were question that became clear only later.

Next, he felt as if he was...engulfed in flames. Not ordinary flames, however, but rather ominous flames, so hot and so unbearable he had wanted to pull away from the ritual then and there.

That sensation had remained with him for many days after the ritual had been performed, and it hardly allowed him to sleep or train efficiently. It was not like when he was training under the old bastard responsible for training the Lighting Sword Style's recruits at all.

Back then, at the end of his long and hellish year of training, he had been tasked with overcoming fire before being thrown inside a funeral pyre. Fuzen had been forced to use all the Ki he possessed at the time to protect his skin and lungs from the flames and the smoke, all the way until the fire died out. It had been to date one of the hardest challenges relating to absolute focus he had faced.

It had been hard.

Very, very hard, and also uncomfortable. It had been one of many instances during the initiation training when he wished for death. But he had survived, and became stronger because of it.

Yet the sensation of burning that followed him after the ritual had been far greater than what he felt during his year long training period.

Luckily, at the very least, it had not persisted for long.

And still, he wondered.

One of the comrades and fellow Initiates from his previous life, was that what he felt when a lapse in his concentration weakened his Ki and he burned alive inside the pyre next to his?

"...Hmmm…"

Hearing his silent exclamation, Alya turned her head to look at him. "What's wrong, Mister?"

"...Nothing. And I told you not to call me Mister. I'm but eleven years old." Fuzen replied.

Be that as it may be, he had not known of the girl immediately after the ritual. There had been no trace nor feeling of her until later, when Fuzen went on to fight Altena. Many people since then stated that he was the mere Level 2 individual who won against a country, that he was some sort of anomaly that could do the impossible.

Fuzen would not agree with them, for all that conflict amounted to was a big, disappointing draw.

Neither Altena nor him won that short-lived war.

After all, he had overexerted himself during the short sixteen minutes the war had lasted and then he had died.

In some forest in Altena he didn't even knew the name of, he had died.

If he could still laugh, he would probably do so. All the training, all the suffering he went through, all the sins he had committed, they had all been for naught because his own body could no longer keep up.

Because death had finally caught up to him.

Fuzen thought that after he achieves his goal and thus fulfils his duty, death would be a good repose. His was a long and bloody path, surely he deserved at least that much afterwards.

But it had been a lie.

Death wasn't liberating, as he had been told.

It wasn't liberating at all.

It was cold, and it was dark.

No senses, nor any thoughts.

He also didn't feel his soul leaving his body, nor any sort of other movement.

But...he could still remember it.

He could still remember what it felt like, what it meant to draw one's last breath.

And it was suffocating.

Death wasn't liberating at all.

He thought when the time came, he could breath freely.

But instead, it was suffocating.

I can't breath…

I can't breath.

Let me breath.

God damn it, let me breath…

"...*Inhale*...*Exhale*...*Inhale*...*Exhale*...Haaaa…."

"...Mister, you're really weird sometimes…"

Fuzen exhaled, then looked over to the girl at his side, meeting her golden eyes.

Indeed, he had died.

At it was then that she brought him back.

How and why, those were questions that would probably remain unanswered for a long time yet. Fuzen himself had no recollection of the exact moment she breathed life into him once more, and the girl herself had the mental maturity of a child, reflecting her appearance. Even if he were to try and ask her, Fuzen was more than sure she could not answer his questions.

If he were to try and speculate, it was a demonstration of the old making room for the young. Perhaps when he linked himself with Ais, a part of her glued itself to him when the ritual came to an end and once life was no longer to be found inside of Fuzen, this stowaway subconsciously jumped in to take over the seat that had been kept warm until then.

At least, that is the explanation he came up with over the months since she manifested besides him in that forest where he drew his last.

Naturally, that explanation was still far-fetched, at best. After all, if that were indeed the case, then why did she not take complete control over his body? He was still the same Fuzen Katsumi he had been before his death, and he was still in complete control.

Secondly, he did not have the same connection to her as with Raiju. He could not communicate telepathically with Alya when she was outside of him, and neither could he share her senses as he did with the Dragon. Upon subtle questioning, he also found out that the girl did not share his accumulated knowledge like Raiju did and had thus had no information on Fuzen's past.

Thirdly, she needed him to survive.

He didn't mean it as in he provided her with a roof over her head and food to eat.

No, the girl was unstable. Not physically or mentally, but rather as a person. Existentially, she was unstable and could not survive on her own for long periods of time.

If he had to guess the reason, then the most realistic explanation Fuzen could come up with was that her life force, mayhaps even her soul, was out of balance. After all, despite looking like a six years old girl, Alya was chronologically no older than a couple of months at best, if he were to start counting since the day he performed the ritual on Ais.

Then again, he could not use normal logic in this scenario, either. The customary way a person gained inner stability was by being born normally, the child growing steadily inside of his mother's womb and using this close relation to subconsciously adapt to the mother's Ki, thus allowing them to be stable once the time came for the delivery.

However, that only applied for mortals.

Alya herself was a Spirit...sort of.

Fuzen had went out of his way to search for as much material to read regarding Spirits as possible, but all he found out was that the race known as Spirits were...obscure, to say the least. No matter what library he visited, there was nothing to be found on them and neither did he manage to find any living Spirits for questioning, either.

He was completely at a loss regarding them and how they were born. Neither could he go to people who might know more, like Riveria for example, as there was a chance they would find out about Alya if he did, and that could never be allowed to happen.

Thus, all he could do was keep up the routine he's been keeping so far, and that was to link his mind with the girl's every time she began to manifest the symptoms Ais had when her life was in danger and Fuzen's help was required.

That was by far the strangest and most inexplicable thing yet, something Fuzen could not explain no matter how much he thought about it.

Spirits, like any other race, were made of flesh and blood as well. Of course, as people they were different from normal mortals, their long lifespans and mystic-like powers proof of it, but they were still alive like everyone else. They still had Ki, life force, like any other living being.

So then, how was it possible for Fuzen to absorb the girl inside of him? How was it possible for a living being to be absorbed inside another person?

Though he would not openly admit it, Fuzen was not an individual who enjoyed complicated matters. He disliked them, and the complexity they brought with them. Simple matters were far more to his liking, matters that could be dealt with either with logic or by means of the sword.

Unfortunately, the girl and her origin was the very definition of complex, the inexplicable logic that applied to her giving Fuzen more than just a simple headache.

But that was his reality now.

His reality of being used as a sort of...incubator every time the girl's instability began to manifest, his inner stability helping the girl become stable again. It was both a conscious and subconscious process at the same time. Simply absorbing her inside of him did help up to a certain degree, but he also needed to actively focus on stabilizing her Ki which ran out of control, not unlike what he did for Ais a while ago.

Indeed, many questions arose surrounding the girl.

What was her true origin?

What was her relation with Ais and Aria?

Why was it that she knew neither of the golden-haired women nor their past, but her sudden manifestation awakened memories of the past long forgotten inside of Fuzen's mind?

Why was it that although she was more of an external than internal force, her presence could interfere with Raiju's summoning, like it did when Fuzen's Deity decided to jump off the Babel Tower and he found himself unable to summon the dragon thanks to her presence inside of him?

Was her life linked to Fuzen's?

If so, then how?

Would she die if he died, like what applied to Raiju...or would Fuzen die if she were to expire?

And then, the one thing that irked him the most:

Why was it that despite being different individuals, he could now use her Wind Magic?

Why did everything that happened have to question his path of the sword?

Alya drew closer to him as she noticed his eyes drilling holes into the floor beneath him, losing himself into deep thought. "...Mister? Hey?"

...Sigh...I bear you no grudge, sub-sized one, but...You truly bring me nothing but headaches…Just like that other ones...It's all a twisted amalgamation of absolute perplexing facts and logic that make no sense whatsoever...

She lifted her hand, waving it in Fuzen's face. "...Hello? Mister…?" But once again, no reply came.

I wonder, had I chosen another Familia upon my arrival in Orario, would I have been spared all this...all this misery? Would I have been spared all this headache had I kept my distance from Wallenstein? Truly, nothing good came out of helping her…I should have left her to her fate and not intervene...Viridis-sama is also to blame. After she laid hands on me, the only options I had were either cutting her down or agreeing to her request...

"...I said Hey...Hey!"

First Ikazuchi Jigen Bussei, now this. One after the other, everything only exists to spit in my face, and to spit on the path I choose to walk. If someone was behind every person writing their lives as a story for entertainment, I would like to cut down the bastard who would think this charade to be funny…

"...Grrr…! Stop ignoring me!"

"-!" It was then that a hand reached for his hair and yanked it harshly to the side, shaking Fuzen out of his thoughts. Before he even realized it, his hand shot forward and grabbed the ear of the perpetrator, twisting it lightly until the hold on his hair was no more.

"Auch! Auch! Auch! Auch!"

"I don't remember teaching you to be disrespectful towards others, Alya. Was it one of the educators, or one of the whore-...one of the ladies living here? Who was it that influenced you?"

"Auch! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Auch!"

"I asked you a question. I didn't ask for an apology."

"No one, no one! Auch! I just didn't want you...to ignore me...Auch…"

"…?"

Her words were as perplexing to him as the mystery that surrounded her origin. He had granted her his full attention while he checked the homework just now, and he always focused on her well-being while she slept inside of him.

However, right now she was not in need of his help or the limited guidance he could offer her, nor was she in any life-threatening situation that required his intervention. What did it matter if he ignored her or not?

Truly, he couldn't understand. And even if he were to ask, he doubted the girl would offer any useful answer. He was at a complete loss.

Yet, it didn't matter.

Whatever he understood her or not, the fact that she saved his life remained.

The fact that he now owned her and Ais a life-debt remained.

To Fuzen himself, this turn of events was truly the very definition of ironic.

Realistically speaking, how often did the process of revival happen in the world? Once every fifty years? Once every hundred years? Maybe even just once every millennia? Fuzen didn't know, because it was more of a myth than an actual occurrence. He didn't hear about anything that allowed for a person to be revived even in Orario, probably the most advanced city in the known world. Once you were dead, you remained dead. Period.

That is why it was ironic to him. Despite the process of revival being nothing more than a myth, he now had evidence that it was actually real and possible.

It could have happened to anyone besides him. It could have happened to some dying newbie Adventurer with the potential to become someone great in the future. It could have happened to one of the brilliant scholars he had killed in Altena, a scholar who maybe could have left a positive mark on the world. It could have happened to any one person who could have done some good and use their second chance as best as they could.

And yet, it happened to him.

A second chance granted solely to him, only so that his sword may yet again drown in blood. A second chance for which his honour now demanded that he own the people responsible for it a life-long debt.

Hmmm...Owning life-debts...I truly am beyond weak...And just when the Long Conflict caught up with me again...Sigh…Hm?

He released his hold of her ear as he noticed something that he could not allow. "Alya, your roots are starting to grow. We need to dye your hair again-"

Whoosh!

...Why did I just get a feeling of deja-vu…? He asked himself as he looked towards the now opened door to his room and the girl that was running down the hallway.

"Nooo! I don't wanna anymore! It itches and it stinks!"

"...Amusing, but futile." Fuzen voiced as he stood up from his chair and began to walk after the fleeing girl. "There is no escape, sub-sized one."

XXX

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

One by one, her punches resonated though the air, their speed producing a sharp sound as the girl brought her arm forward, then pulled it back again.

Right now, she was performing a sort of challenge, trying to make each punch faster than the last. To Tiona herself, it still looked like she could go faster despite already throwing her punches at a speed anyone below high Level 2 would be unable to follow.

One after the other, she threw her punches, each one at least a fraction of a moment faster than the last. Today was a day off from the Dungeon, so the Amazonian girl had been at this for a while now, making use of the large backyard of their Familia home. At first she had been training in hand to hand combat with her sister, but Tione had long since left when she felt the Captain leaving the premises.

Following that, she went back to their room and grabbed her boxing gloves before returning to the gardens.

Those were the very same gloves Fuzen had left at her door a few months prior, before he left the Familia. She never used them when training with Tione, however, only using them when training alone or with Fuzen himself. They were a gift, after all, and she didn't want them to get damaged. With that said, some signs of tear and wear were already visible on them. Despite her best tries, equipment of that quality could only resist so long when being used by a high Level Adventurer like her.

Unfortunately, compared to before, she found less and less opportunities to spar with Fuzen as of late. He was always so busy, always running around from place to place. One moment he was at the Manor training, the next he was somewhere deep inside the Dungeon, then he made himself disappear for the duration of the day until late at night when he came back to the Manor to sleep.

As such, she also had less use for the gloves lately.

In truth, she had been eager to ask the Familia's black sheep to spar again with her, and she planned to pester him about it until he gave in, but that was no longer an option now.

Tomorrow, he would engage in a deadly duel with another man walking a similar path to his.

Tiona still had no idea what to think about this whole ordeal. She had not been present when Fuzen met with the man and his Deity, only Finn and Loki had been by his side at Fuzen's own request. Their Captain had explained what transpired to her and the other Executives, however.

Fuzen and the man met, then Fuzen accepted their request for a duel.

Following that, some rules were explained to Finn and Loki. The duel would take place wherever the challenged side would choose. In this case, it was an open area within the Eastern District, a former park which remained unattended for over the years.

The Patron Deities of both sides had to be present and watch the duel unfold. If any of the two participants were part of a larger Familia, their respective Captain may be present too, as well as other members. It was not an event however, so the less people, the better.

It was also a duel between martial schools, so while the option to kill or not laid in the hands of the victor, the Patron Deity, martial school as well as the Familia of the defeated would bear no grudge against any outcome.

Lastly, though it was not voiced as a rule, Fuzen and the man he would be fighting against exchanged their latest Status update, both of them memorizing the sheet of paper before returning it back.

That was by far the most confusing matter to Tiona, and probably to the others as well. One's Status was always a closely guarded secret, shared only with those worthy of trust. Revealing one's Stats, Skills and Abilities could very well mean death if the one in possession of that knowledge had ill-intends, as they could use the Status to figure out the weaknesses within a person, as well as where their limits were.

And still, Fuzen simply shared that information without any second thoughts. Granted, the challenger had revealed his hand as well, but that did not make this matter any less confusing.

She had asked Finn why they would reveal such information to their opponent. The Captain could only answer with the very words Fuzen told him when the Pallum asked the question.

Because the presence of Deities make everything unfair.

What that meant, Tiona had no idea. The Captain had his suspicions as to what Fuzen words entailed, but he did not share them with the rest.

Lastly, truly the most baffling part of it all: when the discussion regarding their duel came to an end, Fuzen asked the duo if they were in need of housing or any other necessities.

They would be fighting to the possible death, yet they acted casually about it, Fuzen later explaining that until the day of the duel came the duo were his guests and would be treated as such as long as they continued to behave honourably.

So...what are we going to do about it? The Amazon had asked as the explanation from the Captain came to an end.

But neither Finn nor Loki replied immediately. They had exchanged a quick nod first before explaining further.

Fuzen had already made his intention of accepting any one challenge thrown his way alone when he entered the Loki Familia, both times at that. Loki had agreed to this request of his, and thus any help from them would violate his request. Everyone knew what that could mean.

Secondly, as explained by Skanda and testified by Fuzen, if he were to decline the duel then that would count as the Lightning Sword Style accepting defeat, thus leading to it's Relic passing on to the challenger and the bearer of said Relic forced to forfeit his Sword Style, permanently, be they simply a Disciple, the Successor or the very Master of said martial school themselves.

That meant that if Fuzen were to decline the challenge, he would bring his martial school to the very bottom of the martial world and simultaneously force himself to leave the Lightning Sword Style forever.

Because of this, there was nothing they could do.

Once Loki accepted Fuzen into Loki Familia, she had subsequently accepted the...challenges that he brought with him, as well as the path he was walking on and it's rules.

Tiona was not sure how to feel about this.

Naturally, she had no doubts Fuzen would win. She had seen with her own eyes and experienced with her own body the strength of the blank faced boy. He was, despite being a Level 2 Adventurer, one of the strongest fighters in the Labyrinth City. That this challenger she had yet to meet could be stronger than Fuzen...Tiona doubted that possibility.

But even with that said, the Amazon was unsure how to feel about this whole ordeal.

Now that she had a much better understanding of Fuzen's life and the path he was walking, she could not stop but draw similarities between it and her past on the island of Telskyura.

The blood spilled, the rules that allowed for no freedom nor escape, the very nature of her and Tione's past life, one by one the similarities between their former path and Fuzen's current one began to become clear.

And thus Tiona, for once, began to think.

Back then, the reason why the two of them managed to survive Telskyura's rites and brutal traditions was because they had each other. She had been there for Tione, and Tione had been there for her. That is how they survived and then later managed to leave the Amazoness' Holy Land, and how they pulled through after the whole world was theirs to explore.

They always had someone to rely on.

They always had each other to lean on.

So what about him, then…? What pillar does he have?

That one question found it's way into her thoughts far more often than she was used to, and she had no idea why. Tiona was aware of her growing interest in the younger boy. Both before and after his deeds in Altena, Fuzen's strength had always boggled her mind. It was unexplainable and yet so very real, the many opportunities the girl had to observe it cementing her opinion that he was amazing. It was this very strength that drew her to pay more attention to him.

But right now, her thoughts did not dwell on his strength.

Instead, the image of his back popped up in her mind as he walked on with low, steady steps onwards, a blank, detached look in his eyes. As usual, he looked confident of his destination.

But, for once, Tiona also noticed that he looked very tired…

XXX

She did not enjoy what she was about to do, but among all possible options, this was the best one. Knowing this, the girl had been periodically been the one to volunteer for the task ever since her Deity made a scene she was still too embarrassed to think about, even though a long time passed since then.

She drew closer to her destination and let out a long sigh.

If her previous experiences were anything to go by, this would not go as smoothly as she would want it to go.

Nonetheless, she had to do it.

She stopped before the door for a moment, drew in a breath then knocked twice before stepping inside. "Excuse me." Amid made herself known. "I am here to collect this month's money…"

Indeed, this was one of the tasks she took upon herself, for if she were to leave it to her Deity Dian Cecht, he would simply pour salt into Miach Familia's wounds, over and over again.

She knew the God was not a bad person deep down, but he was insufferable like that sometimes...or better said, most of the time.

She did not have to wait long for a response as the only two members of the Miach Familia were behind the counter, Naaza restocking the empty shelves with new potions and items while Seiji was sitting on a chair, reading a book with such intensity he almost burned a hole through it with his eyes alone.

Nonetheless, he was the first to greet her as he jumped to his feet upon noticing her, flashing one of his trademark smiles her way. "Oh, it's Amid-san! Hahaha, it's nice to see you, sis!"

Over the top familiar as always, I see...Amid thought to herself as she nodded her head at him, a small smile escaping her lips as well. It was hard to dislike the jolly boy, and it was even harder to avoid smiling and laughing while in his presence.

As for Naaza herself, she simply looked over her shoulder at Amid for a long second before returning to her task, not voicing any greetings or otherwise.

"...Aaaanyway…" Seiji said as he looked between the two girls once, clearing his throat to dispel the awkward mood that began to set it. "...you said you were here to collect this month's money, right? Hahaha, but I already beat you to it! For you see…" The boy added smugly as he reached for the inside of the counter, procuring a sizeable bag of money from within. "I have already prepared it in advance! Hahaha!" He finished with a loud laugh, both hands resting on his hips.

The boy's antics aside, Amid was pleasantly surprised. Ever since Miach Familia made the order for the silver arm, it was not unusual for them to be late on the payment or even to not have all the money they owned per month. For a few months now, however, they had always been on time with their payment. Seiji's addition to the Familia improved their income dramatically.

"Count it and then be on your way. We still have work to do." Naaza said bluntly with her back turned to the silver-haired girl, not really trying to hide the hostility in her tone.

"Now, now, Captain. No need to be insufferable, hahaha!" The boy replied just as bluntly then bowed his head to Amid. "Sorry for that, sis. Captain is just like that sometimes."

"Don't worry about it." She said, putting the bag of money inside her bag without counting the exact amount. She then took out a checkbook and wrote in the month's payment as well as her signature and her Familia's seal, ripping the piece of paper and handing it over to Seiji. "The money has been received. Thank you for your timely payment."

"Hahaha, thanks sis!" He laughed, as he always did, putting the check away then lifting both of his thumbs at waist level. "With me around, we'll be out of this debt in no time, mark my words!"

"I don't doubt you will." Amid decided to humour him, then looked over to the book Seiji had been reading when she stepped inside their pharmacy, recognizing the book as a guide into the craft of brewing potions. "Interested in becoming a doctor yourself?"

"Nohohoho! I don't have the brain power for that. But I've been reading a bit on the side, so that I can at least provide basic advice to our customers should they have questions."

"Oh, so you are thinking of working part-time Adventurer, part-time clerk?"

"If necessary, yeah." Seiji nodded. "Boss is an airhead and Captain is a workaholic. Someone has to take care of them too, you know? I'm young and overflowing with energy, so why shouldn't that someone be me, right?"

Amid was taken by surprise at his blunt statement, as it was quite embarrassing, to say the least. However, because of the tangible genuinity in his words, she could not bring herself to laugh at him at all.

From the corner of her eye, Amid also noticed Naaza's tail starting to fling to the sides ever so slightly following the boy's statement, a sight quite unusual indeed.

"Seiji, stop being friendly with the rival Familia." Naaza shot from the other side of the room, slightly annoyed that Amid was still there.

"Huh?...Buhahahahaha! You crack me up, Captain!"

"What?"

"To be rival's means to be equals." Seiji then pointed at Amid as he flashed a smirk in his Captain's direction. "Compared to Amid's prestigious Familia, we are poor as hell and barely known any further than this street our shop's located on. We ain't no rival to them, Captain. Hahahaha!"

"Idiot, don't admit that in front of her!"

"Hahahaha!"

"And stop laughing!

"Hahahaha! Don't worry, Captain. I'll get super strong super fast and take care of this debt in no time. Then you won't have to work so hard anymore. I already promised after all, didn't I?"

Sensing that she was interrupting something, Amid cleared her throat and readied herself to leave. "I'll be on my way now. Please great Miach-sama from me."

"Oh, ok. See you tomorrow, then." Seiji said as Amid was already on her way towards the door, stopping halfway to turn and look at the boy, his words confusing her.

"What do you mean? Are you not going to the Dungeon tomorrow?"

"Hm? Well, yeah. After the duel. You'll be there too, right?" He asked.

"What duel?"

"You know, the duel?" He said again. "The one...you know nothing about, right?" Seiji added as the realization began to set in. He had believed that with her regular visits to the East District and her closer relation with him than most she would have been informed. That she did not know meant that someone went through the trouble of not informing her. Now understanding this, Seiji rubbed the back of his head with a weak smile, his eyes darting to the side. "Hehehe...Could you, you know, pretend you didn't hear anything?"

Going by his reaction, Amid began to understand that something was up. And she would certainly not pretend she didn't hear anything. "Seiji." She said as she once again approached the counter. "What duel?"

"…Ahh, shite..."

XXX

It was time.

As the first rays of the sun hit his face, Fuzen knew the time had come.

For the duration of the night, he had been here, at the established location, meditating and gathering his thoughts throughout the night as she sat on his knees, all his sword by his side.

One by one, the people began to gather at the location hidden from the eyes of the clueless civilians.

First was Yamamoto, the old man's Ki fluctuating in a way far different than what Fuzen knew to be his usual one.

Then, his Familia began to show up. His Goddess Loki, as well as his Captain Finn and his Vice-Captain, Riveria. He didn't feel Gareth's Ki: the Dwarf had been probably left at the Manor just in case something came up. Accompanying his Patron Deity were also other Ki signatures he was familiar with: Ais, the twin Amazons, Aki and Raul, as well as Alicia and Cruz. He needed a second longer to figure out the last one, but realized it was Line's weak yet gentle Ki signature.

Then afterwards, others began to show up as well. Those were the most influential businessmen in the East District, all of them now serving under Fuzen after they accepted him as their Master.

Lastly was Raiju, the dragon having been tasked with keeping anyone away from interfering with their

He did not turn to look at any of them, his focus solely on his meditation. Luckily, everyone understood his wishes and none had approached him at all.

"This is foolish…" Fuzen heard Riveria whisper behind him.

"It is his path. His choice, which I have agreed to. We will not intervene." His Goddess replied on the same whisper. He thanked her mentally for understanding, though he also planned to thank her after all of this was behind him.

Finally, after a long couple of minutes of silence, they had arrived. Fuzen did not stand up, however, and continued to show them his back. He was not the challenger: they were.

After a quick exchange with Loki, the duo approached him along with his Patron Deity, all three of them stopping in front of him. Only then did he open his eyes and rose to his feet, grabbing all three of his sword off the ground.

"It is time." Skanda voiced cross-armed.

"Yes."

"Still, fighting against a kid…" Aaryan said as he looked upon Fuzen, one eyebrow raising higher than the other. "I don't know if I can motivate myself for this duel."

"Then you will die." True to himself, Fuzen stated bluntly as he stared back at the older man. He noticed a flash of anger in his opponent's eyes, the challenger showing his quick temper already.

"...That so?"

"Yes."

They stared at each for a long moment, one irked, the other as detached and cold as always. Only when Skanda spoke again did the two martial artists cease their staring contest. "Words no longer have any weight. Only your martial prowess will decide whatever you are right or wrong. Aaryan, are you ready?"

"...Now I am, yeah."

"Fuzen?" Loki asked next, turning to look at Fuzen, her eyes fully open and lacking any of her usual mischief.

"...What do you think? I am ready." The boy gave a short nod before presenting his school's Relic, the O-Katana Raiju no Yoki, to Skanda.

It was customary for both sides to hand over their Relics to the Patron Deity of their opponent as long as they choose not to use them in battle. Fuzen would not use it, the sword's length still too cumbersome for his small stature and arm length. Thus he presented it to the Deity. If he were to lose, they would be allowed to keep it as proof of their victory over the Lighting Sword Style. If he won, he would get it back along with their own Relics.

The God nodded and accepted the Relic. Little did he know he was holding a weapon so valuable it could buy him a whole castle and still have enough left to provide him and his Disciple with a comfortable life for years to come. "I have accepted the Relic of the Lighting Sword Style. My Disciple will be using his Relics, of which he is the first owner, in battle."

"Understood." Fuzen replied.

"Skills and Abilities can and shall be freely used. Only Magic shall be prohibited if from being used in battle, for it's usage is against the customs of the Long Conflict." The male God added, both fighters giving a nod of approval. Then he turned to look at his Disciple, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Remember your training, Aaryan."

"Don't worry, Skanda-sama." The tanned man replied as his eyes were still locked with Fuzen's. "I got this." His God accepted his Disciple's conviction and made his way back to the rest of the spectators.

Loki, on the other side, simply stared at her swordsman for a long second. She knew that a pep talk would do the boy no good. If anything, he would Tsk at her for doing so.

A long sigh escaped her lips. She would much rather not have her Fuzen fight this foreign man, but she had little options to choose from. If she were to try and stop this fight, that would also count as the Successor of the Lightning Sword Style accepting defeat. That would in turn mean that Fuzen would be forced to hand over his Relic to the duo, subsequently being forced to leave his school.

Thus, she could not bring herself to put an end to this, for both the boy's sake as well as hers. "Win." Was all Loki said as she turned to leave and join the others.

"One life. One goal. One duty." Fuzen voiced as both the Deities were at a safe distance now behind him, drawing his Eisatsu and holding it in one hand, the tip pointing downwards.

Aaryan did the same and drew his own weapons. First was the ornated golden shamshir sword, the weapon's handle crafted to resemble a roaring lion while a beautiful red crystal could be seen adorned on each side of the guard.

Secondly he drew the ornated silver spear from his back, it's handle fully decorated with descending lines which followed a circle pattern while it's blade was simple and fullered, the groove down the middle serving to widen the blade. Going by it's length alone, Fuzen knew this to be a assegai spear, a shorter version of a spear far better suited to be wielded one-handed.

"Aaryan Gupta of the Skanda Familia. First to wield the relics of my yet unnamed martial school, hereby challenges the Lighting Sword Style to be my first opponent in the Long Conflict." The man voiced as he took his stance, shamshir drawn to his left side while the spear in his left hand was drawn back and ready to lunge forward.

Asshole. The insult popped inside Fuzen's mind quicker than he realized. Of course you challenge our school as your first opponent. In need of a quick boost to your ego, are you? To make you feel good about yourself, huh? Well, how about you eat steel instead?

Twitch.

Twitch.

"...Bring it." Fuzen replied, his tone even colder than usual.

Then they stared at each other for a long, breathless moment. Only a couple of meters stood between them.

Clank!

The next second they had moved from their spot and met in the middle, Fuzen's katana blocking and pushing Aaryan's shamshir to the side. For the unblessed mortals watching from afar, it looked as if nothing happened. The sound of steel meeting steel reached their ears, but the movement went unseen.

His centre of gravity and balance still strong, Fuzen threw his head to the side, avoiding a fast thrusting attack from his opponent's assegai. Aaryan smirked, thinking he held the advantage already.

When the tip of Fuzen's katana became visible to him, just moments before it would reach his left eye, he understood that was not the case. He dodged at the last moment by throwing his head to the opposite side.

He had escaped a lethal attack, but the pain of his mistake still followed. The thrusting attack had not stopped, after all, and his ear was the next target. As the blade cut through and horizontally split his ear in two, Aaryan let out a small cry as the pain spread and began to pulsate.

Clink!

But he had little time to focus on the first wound he received. Alerted by the sound produced by the katana's guard, Aaryan looked forward at his opponent and noticed that Fuzen rotated the wrist of his sword arm. The challenger's eyes widened in panic. He understood what that meant: the katana's edge was now facing the side of his neck.

"Gah-!" He had no time to think about his options however, as a kick frontal kick landed in his stomach a mere moment later which sent him stumbling back. At the same time, Fuzen drew the sword back to him and drew blood yet again, for the second time in only a couple of seconds since their duel started.

It had not been fatal, though if that was intended or not, Aaryan could not say. But nonetheless, he had been careless enough to let the boy close enough to him, to his neck even. Thus he took a step back and decided to observe.

This brat...how? Aaryan thought to himself as he took on a defensive stance, just in case the boy would rush him. The rumours didn't mention anything about this. The Lightning Sword Style should have fallen years ago. So...how?

As he watched the boy's every movement, Aaryan understood something. His focused breath, his lax stance, his sword which he held in only one hand.

Fuzen was looking down on him.

And that irked Aaryan greatly.

God damn brat...All right, no more games. No more looking down on you for being a child. You've earned that much, boy.

Inhaling once through his nose and then exhaling, Aaryan prepared himself mentally. Then he inhaled again and darted forward, lunging with his assegai at Fuzen. It was a thrust directed at his body. Too much area to dodge it with minimal movement, and too fast to block it with the sword. The only options he was left with was jumping backwards to evading to the sides, both actions requiring Fuzen to abandon his stable footing for a split second.

As predicted, Fuzen decided to step back with his right foot, allowing the assegai to miss his body. It was as Aaryan calculated, and also according to plan.

Next he launched a horizontal attack with his shamshir, and the boy twisted his midriff to intercept the attack with his own blade, bringing the foot he just stepped back with once again to the front.

His stable footing was now gone, and Aaryan could move on with his planned attack.

He pushed the shamshir as hard as he could, forcing Fuzen to root himself in place in order to resist. A moment later Aaryan brought back his assegai and readied himself to lunge forward with the spear once again. Fuzen noticed this, but appeared uninterested in the turn of events.

Tsk. Brat. Have fun dodging this attack from your position!

Aaryan had used this tactic against numerous foes until now, and never lost as a result of using it. His Style, though yet unnamed and unknown, was one of absolute offense. The quick strikes of his shamshir, and the quick lunges of his assegai. Always together, always creating an opening with one weapon for the other. An unending barrage of attacks, both to throw off as well as confuse his opponents, bringing them exactly to the position where Aaryan had the best advantage over them.

It's my win! The Indan man shouted mentally as his spear drew ever closer to Fuzen, his victory but a single thrust away.

It was then that Fuzen released his left hand from the katana he was blocking with and drew the scabbard at his hip. As he drew it in a reverse grip he pulled back the katana, allowing Aaryan's shamshir to push further but stopping into the shield that was his drawn scabbard.

Next he grabbed his sword into a reverse grip as well, the katana's blunt side placed on the shamshir's width. With the handle alone he intercepted the spear attacked, putting the handle below the assegai's blade before lifting his katana's handle up.

The spear was directed around him, above his head, while at the same time the shamshir was pushed downwards through the same lifting motion he performed. In a single moment he had managed to keep both of his opponent's weapons away from him, the sword now striking at the ground while the spear was directed to Fuzen's left side.

Not wasting any moment, Fuzen threw a low kick to Aaryan's knee, pushing his leg down until the man was kneeling down. As the shamshir was no longer a threat he needed to block, Fuzen fully drew his scabbard and hit Aaryan over the face with it, the man's head thrown to the side as he spit a mouthful of blood and spit.

Finally, as both weapons had been directed away by his sword, Fuzen switched his grip to a normal one and slashed at his opponent through the gap in his arms, from his right shoulder all the way down to his left side.

Once the attack was completed Fuzen jumped backwards and away from his opponent, slashing down at the ground in a downwards arc to wipe off the blood that now coated his sword as he simultaneously put Eisatsu's scabbard back at his hip.

Yet for all his choreographic movements, Fuzen had yet to use even one Technique from his arsenal of dozens and dozens of such attacks.

...What…? How…? The Indan man questioned himself with an open jaw as he remained sitting on his knee, both his eyes wide open in surprise and shock at what had just happened.

"Aaryan, yield! Yield now, you fool!" He could hear his God shout from the distance, worry now tangible in the Deity's otherwise cool demeanour. He wanted him to yield. To accept defeat.

To become less.

"You...little bastard…" He spat through his bloodied teeth as he stared at Fuzen with pure hate and animosity.

Fuzen, however, cared little for his silent, harmless threat.

…

…

…

Why am I doing this? He asked himself as he stared at the blade now clean of the blood he drew by right of his prowess. God damn it…

His opponent was not weak. That much, Fuzen could admit without lying. He was a Level 3 individual, with high Stats to boost. His Dexterity was already at a solid B rank, while all his other Stats except the Magic which he did not have were at C Rank. A powerful Level 3, and just about to Level Up, as well.

He was strong.

Yet...His Ki was still dormant.

It was much stronger than even that of some other Level 3's Fuzen knew. No doubt thanks to years upon years of training and fighting. Ki was life force in the end, and activities that enhanced one's vitality: physical training, running, going over your limits, all of them increased a person's Ki. Yet it was a painstakingly slow process, and unless one performed those activities at the most brutal level possible, the change was nigh untraceable.

His opponent was one such individual.

Fuzen had even coated himself in an incredible amount of Ki before his last attack. Aaryan did not react to it in the least. His Ki was stronger than usual, yes, but he knew nothing about it, and neither did his Deity, most probably.

He was strong...but to Fuzen, who had a refined Ki pool from which he could draw to enhance himself, and who met the requirement of holding a sword, he might as well have moved as if in slow motion.

But that didn't matter.

The Lighting Sword Style taught that any fight should be ended as soon as it was possible. A life of hardships for a moment of victory. Always cut, never kill.

It taught many things, things it's Disciples were meant to follow.

So then, why had he not yet ended the fight?

Fuzen knew the answer to that question, and it irked him greatly.

Thinking about it, it began to surface, subtly picking apart the wall within himself, crawling under his every thought and twisting it to shape it to it's liking.

"...I am sorry. I cannot." Fuzen voiced as he locked eyes with his opponent.

Stop it.

"...What?" Aaryan asked after a second of confusion, picking himself off the ground and pushing himself to his feet once again. His wound hurt and burned, while at the same time it felt cold and made it hard to move. Even the simply breeze upon his wounded skin and muscles was enough to send a jolt of pain to his brain.

Stop it…

"Honour demands I fight you as my equal…"

Don't. Stop it, now…

"But alas, I cannot…"

Follow the code already. Stop. Don't do this…

"For even if I try, and tried I did, believe me…"

No. Enough. It's enough. Bite off your tongue. Hold it in…

He then tilted his head slightly, a faint and barely visible smirk taking form on the corners of his mouth. "I cannot be as weak as you. Even if I try to, I can never reach that low a level."

...God fricking damn it…

In but a moment Aaryan's face lit up, his cheeks red from the humiliation Fuzen subjected him to, his eyes red with hate and anger.

Though he was at a distance and could not hear the exchange, Skanda noticed his Disciple's slip of focus and took a step forward, his face showing signs of worry. "Aaryan, stop! Yield now, you fool!"

"Aagh!" Yet he did not, and with a shout meant to distract him from the pain pulsating from his torso, Aaryan lunged himself forward, shamshir flying in Fuzen's direction.

He met his opponent's blade with his own katana and sparks began to fly between them as Fuzen met each strike, blocking and directing the blows to the sides with but one hand. Then the assegai was used again, Aaryan throwing a couple of quick jabs in Fuzen's direction.

The first and second jabs, Fuzen simply waved his head and avoided the thrusts. From the second onwards, he met each attack with his sword, each of his own strikes just a little bit more powerful than Aaryan's own attack, but enough to maintain his authority in the fight.

Knowing his spear to be of no use, Aaryan pulled it back and performed a strong attack downwards attack with his shamshir. Fuzen saw it coming and parried the attack with a strong one of his own, strong enough to blow his opponent's weapon away. He rushed forward and placed his foot on Aaryan's thigh, using it to jump back until a couple of meters were between them.

Then he sheathed his Eisatsu and waited.

Aaryan needed a moment to gain his footing again. Noticing the distance between them, he brought his sword to his right side and dashed forward.

It went exactly as Fuzen planned it.

He waited until his opponent took two more steps, and lunged forward again, his body low. Knowing the distance to be just right, he went even lower and performed a shoulder roll, then twisting his body so that his back faced his opponent. In a single clean movement, he drew his chisa katana and performed an upwards slash, from one side to the other. A perfect half circle, and one of the most basic Techniques in the arsenal of the Lighting Sword Style.

"...Rising Lightning."

In but a flash Aaryan's right arm had been cleanly cut off, flying through the air before hitting the ground below with a dull and wet sound, still holding the shamshir in it's hand. Thanks to his Level 3 status and well honed senses, he traced his limb all the way until it hit the ground, yet the realization of what happened did not reach his brain until the immense pain began to set in, two jets of blood spewing out of the stump that was now his right arm, painting both him and Fuzen in the warm, metallic liquid.

The pain began to set in, and he could feel the warmth slowly leaving his body with each pulse which he could hear ringing in his ears. He screamed in pain and fell down on one knee as he went to reach for the stump, but the cold feeling of a sword pressing against the skin of his neck stopped him from moving.

"It is done." The boy stated coldly and rationally. "This duel is over. You lose. I win. "

Aaryan gritted his teeth. From the moment he came face to face with the boy called Fuzen Katsumi, he had disliked him. His face, his monotone way of talking, his expression, everything.

"I lost to this...to this brat?! Me?! This...This...!"

"...He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Revelation 21:4..." The boy whispered the words that made no sense, and to Aaryan, it simply meant he was trying to confuse him, to mock him, before the blade would fall. "...This concludes our duel. " Then he brought his arm back, ready to land the finishing blow.

In the next moment, a streak of pure silver made it's way between Fuzen and Aaryan, arms spread wide to both sides. "STOP!" Amid yelled, amethyst eyes meeting hazel. Between her sudden jump and his own surprise, Fuzen had barely enough time to stop his blade from hitting the girl. "...Stop. You've won already, have you not? Stop."

…! Why is she here?!

Fuzen did not answer immediately, instead taking a moment to observe Amid's expression, her amethyst eyes, her resolve...Had she always been this strong? He couldn't say. After all, he realized this was the first time he truly looked at the girl he had known for longer than a year. But…

"...No. He still lives."

"Have you not had enough?!" She yelled in response, hardly caring about the people on the sidelines, all of which were held back from interfering by Raiju, Skanda among them.

For reasons unknown to him, Fuzen had to focus intensely to avoid his eyes from darting down to the ground below.

...Stop it. Don't...look at me like that...Not you...

Was she using some sort of unseen, no-chant Magic? Some sort of Skill? Fuzen didn't know, but he found it hard to meet Amid's eyes without looking away, so hard it was the only thing he could concentrate on.

Then his eyes widened and he hesitated for a split moment, but then slammed the back of his fist into Amid's left shoulder, the girl pushed and sent flying half a dozen meters to the side, rolling a couple of times across the ground. She took a moment to push herself up, shaking her head once. The pain in her shoulder began to settle in, and she would be surprised if it wasn't dislocated.

However, such thoughts disappeared a moment later as she looked towards the two warriors, the dirt now soaked in a puddle of red, warm blood.

Through a frontal thrust attack from his kneeling position, Aaryan's assegai found it's way into Fuzen's chest, blood splurting out of the wound as well as dripping down his shirt and pants.

Realizing what had just happened in the span of a single moment, Amid's heart sank in her chest.

This...

"...Cough!" A mouthful of blood escaped past his lips as he slowly turned his eyes to look down, at the spear impaled in his chest, then at his opponent's expression. It was cold and uncaring, a hint of smugness in his eyes.

This was…

Then he looked at the silver-haired girl to his side still on the ground, her expression filled with shock and dread at what had just happened.

This was...not meant for me…

He felt anger like never before taking over his otherwise calm mind, his hands curling into fists he squeezed so hard until the knuckles turned white.

"You...You disgusting…" Fuzen spat through gritted teeth as he threw the chisa katana in his right hand to his left, then grabbed Aaryan's spear arm. "...Honourless dog...How dare you...how dare you...try to...hurt her?!"

With an unexpected shout of anger, Fuzen raised his sword and brought it down upon Aaryan, cutting off the man's left arm below his elbow, his hand loosing it's grip on the spear and falling down to the ground with a disgusting, wet sound.

This time, Aaryan did not scream anymore. The pain had overloaded his mind, and the realization that he lost both of his arms left him in a blank, shocked state.

It was then that Fuzen brought the sword to his side, looking his opponent in the eyes, for once his own stare filled with anger and pure, unadulterated hate. Time stopped for Aaryan as he stared back at Fuzen, his mind starting to perceive something he did not see before.

A large warrior in blood-drenched armour and with a mask of crimson colour, standing behind Fuzen and mimicking his every move. The entity lifted it's face, covered by the crimson Oni mask, and Aaryan met it's stare for a single moment that lasted only a heartbeat.

Then he disappeared.

His pain and shock had been instantly replaced by fear, a fear so intense it made the hair on his back stand up and so harsh it would make the strongest warrior take a step back. His face went fully white, and he shouted at he top of his lungs.

"I yield-!"

"Haaaa!"

But it had been too little, too late.

Fuzen brought his sword down despite the shout, and his blade cut through skin and flesh alike. Aaryan's head was sent flying up as the sword reached the other side of his neck and great sprays of blood shot up in quick succession, each one adding a new layer of red to Fuzen's clothes and face.

The match was done.

Fuzen had won, and Aaryan lost.

But no applause nor cheers came, though it mattered little to Fuzen. Grabbing the handle of the assegai, he pulled the weapon out of his chest and spit out a mouthful of blood once again before looking down at his dismembered opponent.

A moment later he swept the blood on his sword off before sheathing it, then proceeded to walk towards Amid.

The girl was still on her hands and knees, the scene before her having been too brutal, needing more than a second to process what had happened. In this time, Fuzen had already reached her location and she looked up to meet his eyes.

What she saw broke something inside of her, even more so since he knew of the boy's...peculiarity.

He was not an easy individual to read, his expression mostly blank and nonchalant. But this time around, he had been as easy to read as any other person. There was only one emotion in his eyes as he stared down at the silver-haired girl.

And that was disappointment.

He stared at her for a long second. Then his lips parted, as if he were about to say something. Then they closed again, his eyes darting to the side. Finally, he spoke, clear enough to almost make her believe he was uninjured. "...When...you see two rabid dogs fighting each other, gnawing at each other, ripping each other to bits, being nothing better than beasts fighting for supremacy...do you jump in-between them, as well? Is that the norm?"

She had nothing to say to him, nothing that would even matter. But they could do that another time. Hearing the sound of a drop of blood hitting the ground and being reminded the boy was injured, Amid sprang to her feet and extended both her hands towards him. "You're wounded. I'll heal-"

Slap!

Yet before she could as much as start to channel Mind, his hand slapped both of hers away. "I'll live." he stated bluntly, the same disappointed look in his eyes. "I always do. No matter what." He glanced at her one last time before walking past her. "Moron." He added.

Slowly, he made his way to the group of people who had watched his duel unfold. For whatever reasons however, he could not focus on any of their expressions. He had only one goal in mind, and within the next few seconds, he stood before it.

"My people will provide help." He stated as he looked Skanda in the eyes, not caring about the Deity's hostility. "Bury him. Cremate him. I don't care. You have three days." Next he extended his hand, ready to get back his Raiju no Yoki. "Then get the hell out of my city."

XXX

Five times.

That's the amount of times I re-wrote that last fight scene, six if you count the one I decided to go with.

First one was too quick paced. Second had too much dialogue. Third was too random. One by one, none of them clicked with me. So that's why that scene alone took me 3-4 days to write.

So if you enjoyed it, make sure you enjoy it as if it had been written six times. Because it has been.

Next...Chapter as a whole might appear a bit random.

Some flashbacks, some minor OC's that might not even appear for another good couple of Chapters, some Loki Familia, some explanation and homework time with Teacher Fuzen...Overall, what do all those events have to do with one another?

Nothing.

Really.

A while ago I was melting from the heat at home and wishing to melt for good just to escape it, while my neighbours two houses away threw a party. I had a shitty day, they had a good day.

One man dies, someone gets born. One might live through a natural disaster, another might be enjoying a vacation on some tropical island on the other side of the planet.

I hope you get what I'm trying to say. Too tired to explain it even deeper.

Oh, and that blood-drenched warrior Aaryan saw? No, it's no new Magic or the likes. It's was just meant to show Fuzen's...intensity, so to say. Making the man see things that weren't there simply because of his fear. So yeah.

Anyway, that's about it.

You might remember me saying this fic is pretty shitty in the start AN. I still think that even down here, yes. But if you have read the fic up to now, do let me know what you think, both about this Chapter and the story as a whole.

I'm also not trying to turn this fic into a monthly release or something, but with how busy I am...well, no promises.

Stay safe and see you in the next Chapter.

Kay bye.