I don't own One-Punch Man
(All of this Belongs to the one and only: ONE)
Chapter 17: Flashes from the Darkest Chrome
A Champion's Challenge
Inside the Arena Field...
Standards
A premise that crossed the minds of both Flashy Flash and Drive Knight, as they rushed in on each other at the last ring of the bell. Both heroes' standards have been broken by the other, and both were now willing to set that standard in this match. Energy could be heard and seen surging around Drive Knight's body, streaks of white wrapping around him as he went in on Flashy Flash with a clenched fist. His large black box sat firmly on his back, ready to be used at any moment. Flashy Flash on the other hand unsheathed his katana, and came at Drive Knight with a sideways strike, ready to cut down the infernal machine that knew far too much. He would cut down the machine that stood in front of him in two, and move on with his operation from there. The Arena field however had a different plan, as huge bursts of wind came out of nowhere, slamming into Drive Knight and Flashy Flash, causing both heroes to blow off into different directions.
"Tsch, how annoying…" Drive Knight thought to himself, as he was trying to steady himself on a grassy hill. Flashy Flash however acted accordingly, and used his cape to glide on the harsh winds, changing the trajectory of where he was going to land.
Riding the strong winds towards Drive Knight, Flashy Flash came into striking distance from him, and a moment later, struck downwards instantly, slicing up Drive Knight's visor by a fraction of an inch. The damage was minimal, but enough to send a message. A tiny split was seen in Drive Knight's visor, bringing a silent satisfaction to Flashy Flash.
"For a machine, you are surprisingly oblivious. Now that is just quaint, is it not?" Flashy Flash said with a cold chuckle as he landed softly onto the grass below him, his cape rustling gently from the wind that had now died down. Drive Knight only laughed bitterly, blackened white streaks of energy flying around him as he moved about.
"If you think putting a chink in my visor is good enough for you, then you must be a helluva lot cockier than I give you credit for." Drive Knight said coldly, placing his left hand on the damaged area of his visor. Soon enough, a small glob of black, liquid metal came off from his fingertips, going into the damaged area of his visor, and filling in the gap like a weird black putty. A moment later, the liquid metal hardened, and the once damaged visor was now looking brand new. Flashy Flash said nothing to Drive Knight as he watched him repair himself, only focusing on his next attack.
"Now if you're done talking, why don't we make this a bit more interesting?" Drive Knight said in a deep tone, the black box on his back dissolving onto his left arm.
"[Armantment Mode]: Silver Modification!" Drive Knight yelled into the air, raising his left arm while doing so. Soon after, a sword shining a beautiful blackened chrome came to be, and it glinted wistfully in the sun. The wind around the two heroes picked up again, being loud and plenty, but nothing at this moment would break each other from the fight that was bound to happen.
Drive Knight then disappeared from sight in front Flashy Flash. A moment later, Flashy Flash dodged to his left at the right time, just missing Drive Knight's instant sword attack at his head. A flurry of white particles flew in every direction after Drive Knight's attack, looking like snowflakes that blew directionless in the wind. Luckily for him, Drive Knight managed to shave off a few stray hairs off of Flashy Flash, making him smile smugly to himself.
Flashy Flash, although unshaken, found himself slightly annoyed that he let a machine get as close as he did. It didn't help that he knew that Drive Knight was drinking up the fact that he managed to graze him, how annoying indeed. Still, Flashy Flash shook off the thought, and prepared himself for an attack. During this time however, his mind blanked out as it usually did whenever he was about to strike. Though, his subconscious mind went back on an idle memory, making Flashy Flash question himself involuntarily.
"What is my purpose…" Flashy Flash thought to himself, his subconscious mind being a hindrance to him now. Of all the times to be thinking of something so pointless, it would be the time where he would be fighting a soulless machine.
Purpose, a word that sounds so simple in concept, yet it held a meaning so profound, no amount of words could describe it. For Flashy Flash, to this day, he had never found a purpose for being what he is now. Even during his entire time at the Hero Organization, he had never found the one thing that made him want to be a hero. Flashy Flash always had a knack for fighting ever since he was young, but that was a story for another time. However, because of that sole reason, he thought that serving and protecting the public as a hero would've been a good enough purpose in life. But on the contrary, it was the complete opposite. Everyday since becoming a hero, Flashy Flash had saved countless civilians and important head figures alike, only to be bombarded with countless more complaints and tasks afterwards. Sure, Flashy Flash could say that the first years of being a hero were a little rewarding, seeing the smiles of those he saved, to the messily drawn up "thank you" letters from children. But it was the latter years that were hell for him. Being tied down to the miles of contradictory procedures imposed by the Hero Organization, while also dealing with the annoying aftermath of not saving enough of their sanctioned buildings, Flashy Flash had lost almost all of his interest in the hero business soon after.
But even with all of those feelings, Flashy Flash still found himself in the Arena, facing off against a supposed hero, even if he were a machine. It was strange, having to conduct yourself in something that you didn't want to do anymore. Luckily for Flashy Flash, he wouldn't have to worry himself among these trivial matters for long, for he found something as close to a purpose that he'll ever get to experience in the recent years he's been a hero. It was something that would allow him to sleep just a bit better at night if all goes according to plan. And once his sacred operation was complete, the whole world would become a safer place, a place without the need of wayward heroes like him. Still, the only reasons why he was even here was to conduct an experiment, and to try to recruit a disciple, that lucky person being the one he had taken interest in, and the same one that defeated the Hero Hunter. Openly challenging that hero would've allowed Flashy Flash to properly gauge his ability, and ultimately decide if he would take him in or not.
"But that time will come eventually. Right now, I will ensure that my sacred operation will not fail, nor be discovered…" Was the thought that now raced along Flashy Flash's mind, his resolve hardened and renewed. He then looked coldly at the infernal machine before him, his right arm aching with the will to strike at Drive Knight, and so he did.
"The world does not need anymore bygone relics like us Drive Knight. But with the information you now hold on to, you relinquish your right to live. If you truly are a human, you will heed my advice and die with your head held high." Flashy Flash said calmly to Drive Knight, his gaze cold enough to freeze anybody in their place if they were to witness it. Yet Drive Knight could only chuckle, his own gaze meeting Flashy Flash, as his voice droned out, large arcs of white energy whirling around him.
"It's kinda funny how you have the nerve to even say that to me, considering the things you've done were far from anything human… But then again, I wouldn't expect anything different from the Mist of The Blurry White..." Drive Knight stated into the air, his words ringing throughout Flashy Flash's core. For a moment, Flashy Flash's eyes went completely white, his body vibrating upon hearing that old title. Although just a tad bit shaken up from hearing such a title again, Flashy Flash regained his composure after a couple of seconds. He then steeled his emotions, his body instantly in a stance.
"So eager to die… You are lucky to be a machine, for if you were human, this would hurt beyond comprehension." Flashy Flash said quietly, before appearing right behind Drive Knight. Flashy Flash was seen crouched downwards, his head downcast, while his blade was almost sheathed back in it's holster.
"Humbling Hymns: Silence's Song..." Flashy Flash said with nothing but a whisper, not even bothering to look at Drive Knight after his attack. For a second nothing happened, with Drive Knight wondering where Flashy Flash went, before noticing said person crouched behind him.
Before Drive Knight could even say anything, his entire right arm fell to the ground, dark red, almost black blood splattering everywhere around him. Trying to cover the bleeding with his left hand, Drive Knight winced slightly in pain, as he tried to find his severed arm. Just as he was looking for his arm, Flashy Flash appeared right in front of Drive Knight again, and sliced high in front of him, barely missing Drive Knight's head by a few centimeters. Drive Knight jumped a few feet away, only to be knocked down to the ground from a lone gust of heavy wind. This resulted in Drive Knight landing just a foot away from where Flashy Flash stood, standing while clasping at his missing arm.
Flashy Flash answered by immediately disappearing from sight again, only to reappear behind Drive Knight once more. Only this time, his katana was sheathed completely, and his back faced towards Drive Knight. Flashy Flash then uttered a final whisper from his lips, signifying that Drive Knight's fate was already sealed.
"Your name and presence in this world were nothing more than a fluttering song in the endless noise we call life. May the winds of this noise carry away your song to a void where sound is no longer heard..." Flashy Flash whispered ominously out onto the wind, before he started walking away from Drive Knight. Raising an alarming eyebrow at Flashy Flash's comment, Drive Knight turned around to face him.
What happened next heavily shocked not only the audience, but almost all of the heroes sitting on the patio. For when Drive Knight turned to face Flashy Flash, his head rolled off his shoulders, a look of surprise on his face. His head rolled down his body, landing just a foot away from him. A second of silence passed before a torrent of screams and shouts erupted from all sides of the Arena.
Meanwhile: On the Patio Space…
Almost all the heroes were hysterical at time of Drive Knight's decapitation, seeing as how one of their own colleagues had just killed another. Darkshine was getting ready to jump onto the Arena field, and try to capture Flashy Flash, while Bang was preparing for a fight with Flashy Flash himself. Puri-Puri-Prisoner ripped his shirt off, going into his Dark Angel stance, knowing he was going to have to use it soon enough. Genos was already contacting Arena workers to stop the match, while King revved his engines up, having the feeling that he was going to need to scare some people straight.
Every hero on the patio was gearing up to stop a fellow colleague from causing anymore hysteria. Every hero, except Tatsumaki, Shoten, and Saitama, who just watched out towards the Arena field in anticipation. With Genos, Bang, and King noticing immediately their companions' reactions, they loudly questioned their uncanny calmness of the situation.
"S-Sensei! Flashy Flash has just killed a fellow hero! How can you be so calm about this?!" Genos shouted at Saitama, followed up by King whose engines were fully revved.
"Saitama-bro, we're kinda in a serious situation right now! We have no idea what Flashy Flash's true intentions are now, since he just off'ed Drive Knight, and we need to ensure the safety of the public around us! So get off your ass and move bro!" King said with passion in his voice, not knowing why he was so worked up. Maybe it was because he was starting to feel like he needed to be somewhat of a hero now, considering he wanted to live up Saitama's expectations, but this was no time to dwell on that now.
"I must agree with King, Saitama. We must act accordingly, for a hero killing another hero is a declaration of war against all of us." Bang said in a stern voice, stretching his body while doing so. Yet even still, Saitama, along with the two other heroes sitting on him weren't even batting an eye. Instead, all of them looked at the frantic heroes with deadpan expressions, as if they were the ones being crazy.
"Why is everyone worrying about Drive Knight so much? I thought all of you knew why Drive Knight goes on solo missions in the first place." Shoten said questioningly, looking back towards the group of heroes with a raised eyebrow.
"Most of them get like that whenever they see something a little bit extreme. But still, they should've remembered how Drive Knight works." Tatsumaki said with a bored tone, her eyes never leaving the Arena field. But still, it was a bit surprising to her that Flashy Flash was going to use lethal moves in the tournament, all things considered.
In the first place, those type of attacks and moves were banned to ensure positive public appearance, but it seems Flashy Flash didn't even care anymore. Although, attacks like making gun rifles from your arms, to raining down meteors from space, to even creating a golden tornado of fire didn't really seem possible for them to not be considered lethal moves either. Surely, the Hero Organization wasn't going to reprimand those guys for using such attacks, right?
"Really now, the Hero Organization should do a better job at regulating some of the rules for this stupid tournament, considering we're all heroes for shit's sake. Almost all of us here could destroy entire buildings with a push of a finger if we wanted to for crying out loud…" Tatsumaki thought to herself, while rubbing her head affectionately on Saitama's. All of the concerned heroes looked dumbly at the boy genius and esper that clung to Saitama so naturally, only to be greeted by a dopey face.
"Besides, ain't something happening down there right now? Drive Knight's looking fine to me." Saitama said casually, pointing his finger over towards the Arena field. The heroes on the patio then looked over at the field, getting shocked from the sight they were seeing.
On the Arena Field...
"Humbling Hymns: Silence's Song…" Whispered Flashy Flash after he heard Drive Knight's head roll onto the ground. Once that was done, Flashy Flash walked slowly in front of him, waiting for the coming fight he was going to come across. He assumed a few stray heroes would come down to the Arena and try to arrest him, considering he just used what seemed like a lethal attack in the tournament, but he just didn't care.
Flashy Flash knew he was going to be done with the hero business anyway, might as well show his retirement in the most blatant way possible, killing one of his fellow colleagues. Although, calling that thing he just fought a colleague was an insult to the term. Yet as a few moments passed, nothing but the whirring of machinery and bouts of wind could be heard, making Flashy Flash scoff to himself.
"Hmph, for a gathering of so-called heroes, not even one of them comes forth to avenge you Drive Knight. Even if you were just a machine, this only proves your worth to the Hero Organization…" Flash Flashy whispered to himself with a cold tone, feeling a tiny bit of pity for the machine. No one and nothing came for him, and Flashy Flash only sighed. But just when Flashy Flash was about to disappear from sight, he was struck squarely on the back of his head, getting launched into the air several feet from where he stood.
"You know, for a guy who is known for being the fastest hero in the Organization, you're pretty slow on the uptake, aren't you?" Drive Knight said with a chuckle, his right fist smoking from the punch he threw at Flashy Flash. Drive Knight then stretched his right arm and head to the left and right, making sure his arm was working the right, and his head was attached correctly. Only God knows how annoying it is when his head gets reattached the wrong way, or one of his arms goes limp at the worst possible time.
Completely caught off guard, Flashy Flash impacted the ground roughly a few seconds later. A tiny crater was made where he landed, his body trying to collect itself from the damage he took. Standing tall in just a couple of seconds, Flashy Flash looked out towards the distance, not seeing the object that had struck him. And in that same thought, Drive Knight appeared in front of Flashy Flash, his left arm now a sword that swung at Flashy Flash's midsection. Disappearing himself from Drive Knight, Flashy Flash then appeared just a few feet away from him, his mind wondering how the machine was even alive at the moment. Drive Knight could be seen surrounded in a flurry of white particles again, as large arcs of white energy came off from his body.
"You were supposed to be dead a few moments ago. How did you come back from that noiseless void?" Flashy Flash said in a colder tone, already stanced up, his right hand on his katana. Drive Knight just snickered back at Flashy Flash's question, shaking his head at the hero's naivety.
"If you think that cutting off something as trivial as my head would be enough to kill me, then I would've never been the hero that I wanted to be. And besides, did you really think that this fight was going to be that easy for you? Remember now, I'm ranked higher than you for a reason." Drive Knight chuckled lightly as he talked, irking Flashy Flash heavily. Flashy Flash didn't understand it, but he was feeling slightly embarrassed for some reason.
All of the anger that Drive Knight held for Flashy Flash lessened a tiny bit at that moment. Sure, his head was just sliced up a moment ago, but for a guy who simply didn't get the social cues, and being really edgy for that matter, he knew how to fight. But even still, the history that Flashy Flash had on him was extremely heavy, considering what he did on that island. However, Drive Knight had a gut feeling about the whole thing regarding Flashy Flash, as if he wasn't getting the full picture. Whatever happened on that island, Drive Knight was sure to get to the bottom of it. But that was an idea he would have to look into later, for he had a match to win right now.
"But enough with all the idle chit chat. Right now, I have a match to win, so if it ain't too much of a hassle for you, lose, will you?" Was all Drive Knight said before being engulfed in a surge of white energy, the black box that sat firmly on his back now wrapping around his body. With a robotic laugh, Drive Knight went into a crouching stance, knowing full well he was going to need to use everything in his arsenal if he was going to put down Flashy Flash.
"[Amalgamation Mode]: D.A.E.D.A.L.U.S. SEQUENCE!" Drive Knight yelled passionately into the air, the white energy that engulfed him now exploding all around him. Large waves of white particles scattered throughout the air, almost looking like snowfall. But what emerged from the explosion of white made the audience cheer loudly, especially from the children. Drive Knight then came bursting away from a mist of white, soaring through the air with a beautiful set of blackened chrome wings, while wielding a ridiculously large, technologically enhanced bow in his hands. His physical change also made it look like he was wearing a suit of heavy armor, glinting brightly in the sun. His face was also covered in a skull-like metal mask, only aiding to how cool Drive Knight was looking right now.
"Now the real fight starts here Flashy Flash! Give me all you got!" Drive Knight proclaimed in the air, as his new found wings reflected the sunlight all throughout the Arena field. Even with the high winds, Drive Knight flew in it with ease, climbing several hundred feet into the air, aiming his bow at Flashy Flash once he reached a far enough distance between each other.
"You should have laid down and died at the time, Drive Knight. But it seems I need to ensure your departure to the void is a sure one. Very well, I will deliver you to that noiseless void myself!" Flashy Flash said with a small shout, raising his cape outwards with his right hand so he could catch the strong winds that picked up. After a couple of seconds passed, Flashy Flash could be seen riding the gale force winds himself with no trouble at all, as if he could fly without the need of the wind entirely. In just a moment, he was at eye level with Drive Knight, making said hero chuckle lightly in the process.
"Wow, isn't there anything you can't do?" Was all Drive Knight said, heavy sarcasm following his voice. He then pulled back on his bowstring, waiting for the conformation dings to sound off. At the sound of a small chime, Drive Knight then let his arm loose a moment later. What came out of the bow was an arrow of pure, black chromatic energy. Flashy Flash dodged easily, watching as the missed arrow struck the ground a second later. Once it struck the ground, it exploded in a cloud of pure black energy, making Flashy Flash all the more prepared to dodge those arrows.
Flashy Flash then leaned himself forward as he rode the wind, somehow managing to charge at Drive Knight. Although also trying to comprehend how in the world he was even able to do that, Drive Knight aimed his bow, flying as far away from Flashy Flash as he could. Flashy Flash then answered him by increasing the speed of his charge, reaching Drive Knight in a very short amount of time.
"Concealed Volley!" Drive Knight said with a shout, his left hand a blur as he let loose a torrent of arrows in Flashy Flash's direction. Flashy Flash then prepared himself, his katana already unsheathed from it's holster.
"Humbling Hymns: Song of Slashes!" Flashy Flash said with a quiet shout, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of the wind that carried him, and also from the sound of the large wave of arrows that flew to him. Flashy Flash then slashed the air in front of him seven times, and sheathed his katana again. A split second later, all of the arrows that Drive Knight let loose dissipated into the air, as if they were cut into millions of pieces.
"Tsch, aren't you showing off a bit too much?!" Drive Knight yelled at Flashy Flash, with Flashy Flash saying nothing, only smiling softly to himself as a response. Drive Knight, although heavily annoyed, was impressed that Flashy Flash was able to keep up with him in the air.
"Well, either way, I'm still going to be the one that wins this match! Magnetic Missiles!" Drive Knight shouted loudly, drawing his left arm as far back as he could. The tip of his bow then formed three energy arrow heads that glowed a blazing white, all of them vibrating when they caught Flashy Flash in their line of sight. When the loud sound of bell went off, Drive Knight shot the three energy arrows that flew noiselessly into the air at blistering speeds.
Like he did earlier, Flashy Flash dodge the three arrows with ease, but this time, the arrows wrapped back around to strike again. Flashy Flash then dodged again, but still the same arrows kept flying to reach him. Flashy Flash then caught on quickly that these arrows would keep on trying to hit him until they met their mark. In his absence of concentration, one of the arrows managed to graze Flashy Flash's left cheek. With the white energy arrows still zooming around the air beside him, and with him dodging constantly, Flashy Flash was getting more and more annoyed. Wincing from the small cut he had just received, he glared daggers at Drive Knight, who only responded with a frown himself.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You cut off both my arm and head not too long ago. Don't start complaining about a minor cut now. Hell, you'd usually get those from holding paper..." Drive Knight said with a slight bit of annoyance in his voice, wondering how the hell Flashy Flash was able to get mad at a small cut like that, when he sliced off his head.
Not saying anything to Drive Knight, Flashy Flash let out an annoyed sigh, gripping his sheathed katana again. He intended to return the favor back to Drive Knight, closing his eyes, and waiting for the slightest displacement in the air. And once he found their location, Flashy Flash's eyes opened, and moved through the air as if nothing happened. The arrows that once zoomed through air disappeared, as if they stopped existing.
"Humbling Hymns: Soulful Slash..." Flashy Flash uttered in the quietest voice yet, almost inaudible in the wind. Flashy Flash's sword strike was so fast, the Arena cameras couldn't capture the image, let alone a video of the act.
With a look of surprise, Drive Knight cursed a bit to himself, seeing as Flashy Flash had grown several magnitudes stronger since the Hero Hunter incident. He then decided he would need to throw out a bigger attack, one that wouldn't be affected by sword strikes. So Drive Knight flew high into the air, and spread his wings out the moment he felt he was the right distance away. His wings began to glow a dark chrome, collecting as much sunlight as they could in the amount of distance left between him and Flashy Flash.
Flashy Flash looked in front of him, seeing Drive Knight 's wings glow brighter by the second. His cold intuition kicking in, he knew that this attack was going to be a big one. Leaning in as far as he could forward, Flashy Flash sped along the wind with blazing speed, trying to slash at Drive Knight's wings. But it was too late, as Drive Knight's shimmering wings grew to critical levels, blinding most of the audience that watched. With caution thrown to the wind, Drive Knight's bow morphed into a large cannon, and out of the tip sat a comically large energy arrowhead, one that glowed a golden yellow that had streaks of black energy rotate around it.
"Let's see if you can cut light itself, Curiosity's Consequence: Sun Strike!" Drive Knight yelled in his robotic voice, firing a large arrow composed of nothing but the sun's energy itself at Flashy Flash. Even though a literal bolt of extremely concentrated sunlight was barreling towards him at rapid speeds, Flashy Flash only looked at Drive Knight, who was just standing stationary in the air, just five feet away from him. It was then time itself slowed to almost a stand still for Flashy Flash, as he peered out to the distance towards Drive Knight.
"To have acquired the knowledge of my past means that you have seen it too. But it does not matter, for those in charge will fall soon enough. Once my operation has succeeded, the world will no longer have the need of heroes like you or me, and justly so!" Flashy Flash said with a strong resolve resonating within him, his right hand unsheathing his katana.
Looking at just Drive Knight, Flashy Flash stanced himself in the air, waiting for the bolt of sunlight to come to him. And once it did, Drive Knight felt his entire body being cut up in every direction, pieces of him falling onto the ground beneath them. A thick mist of blackened blood filled a large portion of the air, while the bolt of sunlight faded into the sky quickly afterwards.
"Sacred Directives: CEASE." Flashy Flash said in a whisper, sheathing his katana once again. He then dropped gracefully from the wind, landing quietly onto the ground. Flashy Flash then walked to where the majority of Drive Knight's bits landed, watching if they would react. After a straight minute of watching Drive Knight's bits staying motionless, Flashy Flash began to move, feeling a bit ashamed that he would use such a technique on a machine such as Drive Knight.
The audience was at a loss for words, as Drive Knight was turned into a disgusting, metallic paste. It all happened so fast, and yet, most of the audience witnessed just how fast Flashy Flash could be. He not only managed to cut up Drive Knight's bolt of sunlight, but raced across the wind and reached him. And what followed was a blur of white, as Flashy Flash completely encompassed Drive Knight's body, a large mist of dark red blood erupting from the blur that was Flashy Flash a moment later. The children in the audience didn't know what to think, as they saw their favorite hero get killed twice in less than twenty minutes. But even still, most of the children didn't give up on Drive Knight, thinking that there was still more to him to show.
As if on cue, Drive Knight's pieces began to sink into the ground, resembling water. Just as Flashy Flash noticed the commotion, it was too late. All of Drive Knight's pieces had already sunk into the ground, and what followed was silence. Within a second, Flashy Flash stanced himself, his hand already on his katana. Whatever Drive Knight was going to throw at him, Flashy Flash was ready for it. Whole minutes of silence passed, with Flashy Flash not moving an inch during the whole time. And like thunder, Drive Knight's voice rumbled from beneath the ground, violently shaking Flashy Flash to his core, along with a good portion of the Arena field.
"Would it kill you to ease up a bit, Flashy Flash?! Do you know how long it takes for a man to reassemble himself after being reduced to liquid?!" Drive Knight yelled, his voice shaking the ground where Flashy Flash stood. Although looking unfazed on the outside, Flashy Flash was getting the idea that defeating Drive Knight was going to be harder than he would like to admit.
"Come at me machine, and be cut down again!" Flashy Flash quietly yelled into the air, his body ready for anything. What answered Flashy Flash was another rumble, followed by a large explosion in the ground just a few feet away from where Flashy Flash stood. An enormous hole formed from where the explosion occurred, making Flashy Flash all the more cautious.
"Don't blame me for what happens next. Just remember you're the one who asked for this!" Drive Knight shouted, still not visible to anyone. But after the explosion died down, what followed were massive balls of blackened fire as big as cars, erupting from the hole that spewed everywhere in random directions. Flashy Flash dodged as many of the balls of fire as he could, but with the heavy winds still active, a gust of wind managed to carry a ball of fire towards Flash, nailing his left leg spot on as he was dodging, making him shout out in pain. This resulted in Flashy Flash having to be forced to stand his ground, unsheathing his katana.
"Damn you Drive Knight! Face me you coward!" Flashy Flash called out towards the hole's direction, now resorting to cutting up the balls of fire that flew over towards him. Standing up was hard enough as it is, what with the heavy damage he'd just received, but it was the only thing he could do.
"Fine, have it your way..." Drive Knight said with a grunt. The hole in the ground now started to shake violently, growing tenfold in the span of seconds. The rate of the fireballs became more frequent, while the ground on the Arena field shook. It shook so much that the Arena's machinery started to become affected. But as soon as the shaking started, it stopped for a brief moment. The fireballs also stopped, but Flashy Flash had a feeling it wasn't over yet. And in just a moment, a second explosion came from the hole, and what emerged from it made the audience cheer once again, as the Arena field was bathed in a whirlwind of white particles.
"[Amalgamation Mode]: A.S.M.O.D.E.U.S. SEQUENCE!" Drive Knight proclaimed, as he came up from the ground, transformed once again. All of the kids in the audience were fainting from Drive Knight's coolness, while the fan girls of Flashy Flash remained quiet, looking at Drive Knight a bit more closely.
Thing was, there were two things different about this transformation. One, Drive Knight was only visible from the waist up, while the rest of him was underneath the ground. And two, Drive Knight had grown gigantic in size, becoming as tall as a 4 storey building. The transformation also changed Drive Knight's face, making him look far more human in appearance than ever before. With jet black hair, and fair skin, he was definitely a looker by Flashy Flash's fan girl standards. His face was hardened, with a few scars here and there. He also gained a new eye, both of them dark red in color. With a grunt, Drive Knight then began to move his body, causing a large portion of the Arena Field to shake in the process.
"Ah, nothing like having depth perception again." Drive Knight said with a small smile, flexing his upper body to the new transformation. This was probably one of Drive Knight's favorite transformations, as this sequence gave him a new eye to work with. Not only that, he was also clad in the toughest form of armor that his morphtronic technology would allow him to equip.
Flashy Flash could only shake his head out of frustration, realizing that Drive Knight had become several times larger than he was now. But with an increase in size, comes the decrease of speed. This thought gave Flashy Flash a new wave of confidence, as he prepared himself for an attack against Drive Knight. But once Drive Knight lifted his right arm into the air, something didn't feel right to Flashy Flash, as he felt a difference in the air around him. He then looked up towards the sky where Drive Knight's hand was, which blocked out the sun for him. Drive Knight then brought it down deceptively fast, cracking the ground with a huge shockwave attack. This attack traveled through the ground much faster than Flashy Flash had anticipated, making him take the brunt of the attack head on. The shockwave crashed into Flashy Flash, and the majority of his upper body crumpled like paper against a power washer, blasting him backwards hundreds of feet away. Shouting out in pain, Flashy Flash corrected himself while airborne, landing gracefully onto the grassy field. His upper body riddled with bruises and small cuts, along with his face having blood drip from his mouth, Flashy Flash took a moment to think and assess the situation.
Although Flashy Flash had managed to gain a good distance between himself and the machine, Flashy Flash saw in the distance Drive Knight stancing himself up. A second later, Drive Knight then drove both of his arms into the grassy field, glowing a dark purple once both of his arms had buried themselves. Drive Knight made sure his arms were deep enough to see that his forearms were completely buried. Wondering what Drive Knight was doing, Flashy Flash prepared himself for anything that might happen, and not a moment too soon, as massive pillars of dark purple fire rose from the ground, all of them within close proximity of Flashy Flash.
"Let's see if you can keep up with me now?! Trails of Dusk!" Drive Knight rumbled in the air, his body now glowing a much more radiant purple from his attack. Huge bouts of steam came pouring off from Drive Knight's body, as he pumped the Arena field with his white particle energy, hoping for one of the pillars to score a lucky hit on Flashy Flash.
Dodging and weaving as best as he could, Flashy Flash had managed to not get hit by any of the pillars of fire, yet strangely enough, the pillars of fire that missed, still stayed on the field, never going out. There were now about twenty pillars of fire on the Arena field, each one easily twenty feet tall, and white hot to the touch. Drive Knight, still hunched on all fours into the ground, grinned slightly, as he watched Flashy Flash's face change once he realized that he was surrounded on all sides by the pillars of fire.
"This is your last chance to admit defeat, Flashy Flash! Once you give up, we can put this whole ordeal behind us!" Drive Knight shouted towards Flashy Flash, who remained quiet where he stood. Seconds passed with nothing but silence, with Drive Knight sighing loudly to himself.
"If that's how it is, then I can't do anything about it anymore. Let's hope you don't die from this Flashy Flash!" Drive Knight yelled loudly, willing the pillars of fire to move in on Flashy Flash.
"Divine Mockery: Umbral Prison!" Drive Knight yelled as all of the pillars came colliding from all sides at Flashy Flash. But as the pillars were about to touch Flashy Flash, a single sound of a blade swing could be heard in the wind, as the pillars of flame were cut in half, and Drive Knight looking outwards to see a Flashy Flash still crouched down, his katana out towards his right side.
"Humbling Hymns: Severance's Song…" Flashy Flash sung quietly to the air, his katana blade glowing red, steaming heavily from cutting all the fire that was about to crash into him. Flashy Flash's quick bladework dispatched the fire as if putting out a match. This also inadvertently made an open path to Drive Knight, who was now prepping up for another attack. With a deep breath, Flashy Flash took a strange stance, focusing on Drive Knight once more.
"Flickering Flashes: Flashless Lightning…" Flashy Flash whispered once more into the wind in a quiet voice, his right hand aiming the katana at Drive Knight. What came next was a beautiful spectacle, as Flashy Flash stood still, a pure line of white mist sprouted forth from his katana. The mist then went straight towards Drive Knight, just stopping right in front of him. Soon after, straight lines of pure white came to view, seemingly coming out of the trail of mist itself. At first, there were only a couple of white lines appearing, but soon after, hundreds of white lines came into view in matter of moments, connecting to one another as the seconds flew by, Flashy Flash still crouched down, unmoving.
As this was happening, Drive Knight took both his arms out of the ground, dusting himself off from the heaps of dirt that clung onto him. Keeping an eye on Flashy Flash, Drive Knight braced himself for any attack that he might throw, but as the seconds passed, he only saw Flashy Flash crouched down, aiming his katana at him, being perfectly still. Drive Knight was a little uneasy, his mind wondering how flashy Flash was able to cut his pillar of flames that surrounded him on all sides. But Drive Knight soon focused up on Flashy Flash again, watching as a mist of white came out of his katana. Looking at the mist of pure white curiously, he was startled when he saw the mist stop just right in front of him. Going as far as running his hand through it, Drive Knight tried seeing what the mist of white would do. His hand was unaffected, making Drive Knight even more confused what Flashy Flash was doing, or what the mist of white did. It was until hundreds of white lines started popping out of the mist at an alarming rate, did Drive Knight start to get tense.
The white lines started appearing in the tens, then the tens became hundreds, the hundreds into thousands, and once the thousands became millions, Flashy Flash could be seen standing up, beads of sweat at the sides of his head. A massive field of white lines soon came into view. Being made entirely out of cuts in the air that were so fast, it seemed to cut the sunbeams themselves, the field of lines only growing denser. Soon enough, the field of white made the part of the Arena field look like someone had left a piece of the world blank, like it was devoid of an image. With a sigh, Flashy Flash looked towards Drive Knight, his focused glare never losing its edge.
"To think I would have to use this technique on you of all things. No matter, all I will say now is that you will disappear from this world much like the dying wind in an ending storm. Find peace in knowing that you held yourself well enough against me." Flashy Flash said solemnly, aiming his katana towards Drive Knight. And with a soft whisper to the wind, he disappeared from sight, only to reappear behind Drive Knight a second later, his katana still drawn. Surprised by his speed once again, Drive Knight was about to ask what happened, when he suddenly felt himself falling.
Discovering he had been cut in half at his midsection at an angle, Drive Knight swore loudly into the air. But what made it worse was when Drive Knight realized he was falling onto the field of white, which seemed to vibrate softly the closer he got to it. Expecting the worst, Drive Knight brought his arms together to shield himself from the brunt of the field. But Flashy Flash wasn't done, as he disappeared once more into the air, only to reappear seconds later. As he reappeared into view, he was then accompanied by something huge, that something being Drive Knight's head.
As it turned out, Flashy Flash had decapitated Drive Knight's head again as he was falling. From there, the rest of Drive Knight's body went limp, falling towards the field of white without a struggle. Upon watching Drive Knight's massive body fall, he turned his katana to the side, activating the mist of white. The sound of the wind being cut could be heard for miles, as the mist of white was activated. Once Drive Knight's body fell into the field of white, it disappeared from sight, like a rabbit jumping down a hole. As all of this happening, Drive Knight bare witnessed to his body simply disappearing from sight. Confusion setting in Drive Knight as he was wondering what the hell was happening, he glanced over to Flashy Flash, who was standing right next to him.
"Oi, what happened to my body?" Drive Knight asked Flashy Flash, trying his damnedest to figure out what his next move should be. With a cold glare, Flashy Flash placed himself in front of Drive Knight, that being his head.
"I have whittled it down to nothing, cutting it so many times that I have reduced any remaining material into the air itself." Flashy Flash said calmly, sheathing his katana, and turning towards the field of white he created, watching as the color of the world slowly returned to its original state.
"Huh, so you're saying you vaporized my body? If that's the case, why keep my head?" Drive Knight asked as he too watched as the field of white dissipated. Although in a compromising situation, him being just a head at the moment, Drive Knight had to admit that watching the color return back to the world was a beautiful sight to witness.
"I watched you closely throughout our fight, seeing how you operated on a minute level. I then came to the conclusion that you needed your body intact to transform. So without your body, you are rendered useless in combat." Flashy Flash reasoned out, looking over towards Drive Knight as he spoke. Drive Knight in turn snorted, thinking to himself how full of himself Flashy Flash seemed to be. This however annoyed Flashy Flash to no end, making him turn away from Drive Knight. However, a smug look seemed to plaster itself onto his face.
"While I do acknowledge your logical reasoning and your creativity in going about trying to stop me, It's unfortunate that I have to say that you've already lost." Drive Knight said in a mockingly hurt tone, making a vein of irritation pop up on Flashy Flash's head.
"And what makes you say such outlandish things? I have reduced you to nothing but a head on the ground, with nothing left to use against me. The only reason why you are even alive at the moment is for my own amusement, and a small modicum of respect for you for making me use a sacred technique." Flashy Flash angrily said as he placed his hand on his katana, his glare growing colder by the second.
"The defeated should know when to accept the loss, and meet the void with a head held high. For the feats you have achieved out here today, I apologize for my behavior. As respect to you for our battle, I will ask you if there is anything else you wanted to say before I ensure your trip to void." Flashy Flash said as he prepared himself for the last attack needed to end Drive Knight's noise. He then faced himself towards Drive Knight again, trying his best to be respectfully as he could. If anything, Flashy Flash always prided himself in giving the worthy a few words at the end, and to deem a machine worthy surly was a first for him. But even still, the worthy always deserved their last words, and this time was no different.
"That's funny, since I have two things to say actually." Drive Knight said casually, watching Flashy Flash's face perk up at the statement.
"Really now? And what would they be? Flashy Flash said with a raised brow, lowering his guard for the briefest moment.
"One, you are one cocky bastard. And two, for all that speed you're packing, you're still hopelessly slow when it comes to situational awareness." Drive Knight said calmly, making Flashy Flash look at him in slight confusion. But after a second of realizing what he said, Flashy Flash's irritation grew tenfold.
"What do you mean slo-" Was all he could say, before he was struck squarely at his right side by the flat end of a massive broadsword. Flashy Flash found himself almost passing out from the pain of the strike, sailing through the air as he tried assessing what struck him in the first place.
Now watching with wide eyes, he saw a headless body from where he stood previously, making contact with Drive Knight's head. Clad in black heavy armor, with spikes adorned on it from all angles, the headless body sheathed the massive broadsword behind its back, and then placed both of its hands onto Drive Knight's head. Drive Knight in turn began to laugh, his thoughts filled with the goal of putting down Flashy Flash. As he kept laughing, both him and the headless body were then surrounded in a flurry of white particles once again, his voice laughing all the way as the white particles concealed him from sight a third time.
"I can't help but laugh at how childish you are Flashy Flash! To think you'd have the balls to ask me what my final words were like you were going to win or something! You're acting like some two bit, high honor villain right now, what a joke haha! Your arrogance will be the reason you lose today, and I will make it apparent to everyone here watching us right now! I hope you're ready Flashy Flash, because I'm going to ensure you never forget this moment!" Drive Knight proclaimed into the air, his voice invigorating the audience that watched on. The kids in the audience all needed medical attention from having anxiety attacks due to how cool Drive Knight was, while the Flashy Flash fan girls were now leaning over towards Drive Knight's side.
Meanwhile: On the Patio Space…
Almost everyone watching was at a loss for words, they've never seen Drive Knight act so passionately before. What made it better was actually watching what he was capable of doing, having so many transformations and battle tactics, they were idioits to believe that he would have been done in so easily. But of course he wouldn't die so easily, since he was always the one that was sent on solo missions for a reason. Yet even with that thought present in their minds, they never actually think Drive Knight was capable of doing so much in the first place. Hell, for half the heroes present on the patio space, they all thought Drive Knight was on the weaker side of the S-Class roster, but after today they would have to rethink on their opinions heavily.
For Saitama however, it was a thoroughly pleasant show of guts, and a fine example of sticking up to a pompous asshole who thinks they're better than everyone else. He should know, since he actually spent some time with the need-for-speed idiot. The guy after all had the nerve to consider him his disciple all things considered. But, watching him get kicked around the field was a good kind of retribution for Saitama, since he knew he would've probably made a mess of things if he were to place some karma into Flashy Flash. So for Drive Knight to put the hurt down on this guy made Saitama smile hard inwardly to himself. Even better, with how Flashy Flash was talking all that good shit earlier, just for him to lose a few minutes later, gave a certain satisfaction to the bald hero. Surly, this match was helluva lot better than the one before it.
"Huh, he's pretty handy in fights, I'll give him that. But doesn't it get confusing when you have to manage for every form you got?" Saitama asked no one in particular, getting a reply from Shoten almost immediately.
"He was always a fan of those kid shows that had a main character having multiple stages of evolution or something like." Shoten said casually, fully content with lying at Saitama's chest. Although still a little bit steamed from his spot taken from him by a certain esper, Shoten wouldn't lie that this spot was just as good, if not better. However, an esper not too far from where here sat had a few words to say to him.
"But aren't you a kid yourself, you damn brat?!" Tatsumaki yelled softly over to Shoten, who only blushed heavily from the sentence. He answered her by retreating into the strong form that was Satiama, which made the esper grow an irritated vein on her forehead, ready to send him to the moon. But just as she was about to do it, Saitama pointed out to the Arena field.
"Looks like he's changing forms again. By the way, how do you even build yourself up from being reduced to liquid? Ain't that a little unfair or something?" Saitama curiously questioned the patio space, only to get answered by all of his friends looking at him with a deadpan look. From Genos and Bang looking at him with a blank stare, with Shoten and Tatsumaki looking at him with a bored look. Even King looked at Saitama with a deadpan face, one that had the words written on it that said -Really Bro?- After looking at each of them, Saitama felt a little defensive, as if he had to justify something for himself.
"What?" Saitama asked innocently enough, only to be met with more stares and silent acknowledgement by those who really knew Saitama. As Saitama was about to defend himself, Drive Knight's voice rang out loudly throughout the Arena field.
On the Arena Field...
"[Amalgamation Mode]: S.I.E.G.F.R.I.E.D. SEQUENCE!" Drive Knight called out into the air, the flurry of white particles not stopping in its intensity. What erupted from the flurry of white came a stoic looking Drive Knight.
Now seen with a helmet variant head on the once headless body, Drive Knight stood proudly out on the grassy field. He wielded a massive blackened chrome broadsword, and the air that encompassed him seemed almost regal for some reason. His black armor shined brightly against the sunshine, and for the first time since the start of the match, the strong winds had settled down, slowing down to a calm breeze. Although meant to look imposing, his new form resembled that of a valiant knight to the audience, standing against a tyrannical man who had lost his mind and honor, that being Flashy Flash. Said man was still sailing through the air, watching the whole transformation happen, even as he was crashing back down to the ground.
Landing harshly against a grassy hill, Flashy Flash was hurt beyond belief, clutching at his right side. With a few seconds of recuperation, Flashy Flash got back up on his feet, still clutching his right side, wincing heavily with the blow he had sustained. Though, the thing that helped him ignore the pain was remembering Drive Knight and his deceitful ways. Recalling the events that led him to where he was, he remembered seeing Drive Knight emerge from a flurry of white as a knight it seems, which made Flashy Flash angrier than he had thought possible. The insult of taking on a form that seemed to signify he was now going to fight him on even ground really irked Flashy Flash for reasons unknown even to him, and the thoughts that plagued his mind were now all about defeating the being known as Drive Knight.
Watching with scornful eyes from a distance, Flashy Flash made out the distance between him and Drive Knight, which turned out to be a few hundred feet. Taking another moment to breathe, he calmed himself, and prepared himself for whatever attack this form of Drive Knight's will perform. But before he could, a question lingered in Flashy Flash's mind, one that made him wonder how Drive Knight was even able to take on a new form when he had literally erased his entire body from existence. Yelling loudly into the air, pain obviously wracking his voice, he voiced his question out to Drive Knight.
"By what matter did you manage to strike me from nowhere?! I had completely obliterated a large part of your existence, and yet you seem to create another body from nothing! Tell me machine, how did you do it!" Flashy Flash spoke out in a rage, barely containing himself from attacking Drive Knight out right. Drive Knight could only sigh, seeing as Flashy Flash was still acting childish to the very end.
"If you took the time to realize what happened, you'd only get angrier at your own carelessness. Remember when you cut me down from the top? Well, you seem to have forgotten what's at the bottom. I still had a pair of legs to work with hidden beneath the Arena field, which was more than enough to create another sequence. All I needed was some time for the body to create itself, and luckily for me, you like your theatrics." Drive Knight said matter-of-factly, which made Flashy Flash growl in anger, making Drive Knight snicker to himself. Flashy Flash really was acting like a child who had gotten tricked by an adult, making the whole situation all the more satisfactory for Drive Knight.
"From there, my newly formed body located me from beneath the ground and made it's way towards us. And around that time, I think you know what happened next. Judging by the sound of your voice, it looks like you have about two more attacks in you, maybe three if you dig deep enough. Now the smart thing is to put you down now, but the thing is, I'd be hard pressed not to let you use them. So I'll give you the chance to do one of them first. Consider it recognition for the worthy, or so you would like to say." Drive Knight said with a chuckle, sensing Flashy Flash has become the angriest he has ever been. Emotions tend to ruin one's judgement, and for this instance, it wasn't an exception, as Drive Knight watched with a smile as Flashy Flash prepared himself for an attack.
"I will take part in the sweetest joy in defeating you, Drive Knight, so prepare to be done it by me!" Flashy Flash roared into the air, crouching down, his katana unsheathed. He then closed his eyes, picturing in his mind where Drive Knight would be. With his right hand trembling, katana in hand, Flashy Flash put his entire anger in this strike.
"Sacred Directives: SEPARATE." Flashy Flash spoke in a whisper, opening his eyes again, rushing down the field. What made this attack different however was the fact that Flashy Flash was actually visible to the naked eye this time, he looked like he was simply running down the field towards Drive Knight.
But Drive Knight knew better, considering this was Flashy Flash, and as expected, Flashy Flash's image started to separate, and from one person came two, two to four, and so on. And within a blink of an eye, Flashy Flash had become an entire wave of himself, more than a hundred Flashy Flashes were present, and they all were coming in hot towards Drive Knight. To the audience watching from afar, they were in awe as Flashy Flash had made a battalion of himself, all of them charging simultaneously against Drive Knight. Even the kids the audience had to admit it was pretty cool, and the fan girls of Flashy Flash were once again cheering, more for the fact there were more than hundred hot guys on the field now.
But this show of strength wasn't anything Drive Knight couldn't handle, for he grabbed his own sword from his back, and pulled it out towards his right side. Breathing deeply to himself, he focused his sights on the Flashy Flash he knew was the real one, and within a few seconds, Drive Knight made his move.
"One of you, a hundred of you, hell, bring an entire army of you, it ain't changing the outcome of this fight. I just hope this humbles you enough to realize you need to grow up, you edgy piece of shit! Galvanized Buster Wave!" Drive Knight roared against the hoard of Flashy Flashes that descended upon him, his sword glowing a dark black against the sunshine. Swinging with a hardened resolve, Drive Knight's blade grew twice in size as the swing was happening, effectively becoming a wall of black chrome to those who were unfortunate enough to be in front of him.
With a mighty yell, and with a swipe from his massive sword, an enormous wave of black energy seeped from Drive Knight's strike, blanketing everything in front of him with blackened chrome energy. The energy vaporized everything it touched, laying waste to both the Arena field and many of the Flashy Flashes that had rushed him down. The Flashy Flashes were disappearing by the dozens, each of them with eyes wide open from how destructive the attack was, but the original Flashy Flash was already in position for his next attack, smiling to himself that his diversion had worked.
"Who is the cocky one now, Drive Knight?! To you, I deliver you upon the void itself!" Flashy Flash yelled, Drive Knight turning around to see Flashy Flash was behind him the whole time. But before he could react, Flashy Flash had already made his move.
"Flickering Flashes: Slurry Slashes…" Flashy Flash spoke in a whisper, his katana a blaze in front of him as he slashed at everything that looked remotely black. He was so fast, he had to switch his katana between both his hands to constantly keep up with the attack.
An entire minute of nothing but slashes passed, as Flashy Flash kept on striking everything that was in front of him, grace and poise be damned. Flashy Flash was so fast, it seemed like a faint mist of white had enveloped his body during this time, his face covered in focused anger as he kept up his attack. Everything in front Flashy Flash had been reduced to air, as he continued to slash everything up indiscriminately, not even the hills and grass were spared. But at some point, the slashing slowed, as Flashy Flash couldn't keep up with the exhaustion anymore. Once he had thrown out the last strike, he panted heavily, seeing the destruction he had laid waste in front of him.
What came from his attack was a barren stretch of land devoid anything, aside from the dark brown dirt left behind his wake. It so happened that Flashy Flash had carved himself through two hills during his attack, and he was left with a small feeling of shame as a result. This attack reminded him of a time where he couldn't control his emotions, and because of it, he had to live with the consequences. Feeling sorry for what he had done to Drive Knight, Flashy Flash could only close his eyes, and prayed for forgiveness for the atrocity he had to put the man through. Thing was, that all went out the window when he heard a whistle coming behind him.
"*Whistle* So I take it that's why you were known as The Mist of the Blurry White, huh? You definitely have a big chip on your shoulder for you to start blindly swinging at nothing for a minute." Drive Knight said casually as he looked towards Flashy Flash, taking into account the pure destructive power that Flashy Flash held. If he had taken the brunt of that attack, who knows what would've happened.
"H-How did y-you dodge that a-attac-" Was all Flashy Flash could say, before Drive Knight charged him with his broadsword raised. In an instant, Flashy Flash brought up his katana, both of them colliding into each other. At that moment, they both crossed swords, a heavy clang of metal reverberated throughout the Arena field.
"I've been telling you this the whole time. You got a bad case of letting your emotions go, and the next you know, you're swinging at anything your sword touches. You didn't even realize that I side stepped your attack at the last moment. And to answer your question, it's you, you're still the cocky one, jackass." Drive Knight said calmly, feeling almost bad for his colleague for his continued blunders throughout the fight. It got to the point where it wasn't even funny anyymore how many times that Flashy Flash had messed up his chances to strike back at him now.
Feeling levels of anger that were new to him, Flashy Flash was at a critical point now. He was seeing red now, a haze of anger clouding his judgement, and for the first time in a long time, he had felt some sort of motivation, a purpose if you will. That motivation was nothing more than to prove Drive Knight wrong, and defeat him in this fight, regardless of what may happen. Pushing both of them off from their clash, Flashy Flash landed himself a couple of feet away from Drive Knight, the pain coursing through his body only reminding him who made him feel this way in the first place. With a passionate yell, he raised his katana, and charged Drive Knight once again, dead set on finally ending this fight. Drive Knight in turn met him head on, also dead set on ending this children's spat once and for all.
They met each other with raised blades, striking at whatever they could, defense and guards be damned. A barrage of slashes met Drive Knight's body, but he didn't care, as he also laid down the same damage onto Flashy Flash, whose body cried out in pain, but he didn't listen, as his anger was masking it. Deep cuts, open wounds, and large bruises sprouted all over Flashy Flash's body, as his clothes were being torn left and right due to Drive Knight's merciless strikes. By the end of their exchange, Flashy Flash was left with only his tattered pants covering him, while his upper body laid bare in the open, both severely bloodied and damaged. Drive Knight on the other hand was leaking blackish blood onto the field, his body not fast enough to heal the damage that Flashy Flash had inflicted upon him. Although weak in nature, Flashy Flash's attacks were numerous, and soon enough, they piled on the damage, and Drive Knight was left with a few bits of his armor that clung to his arms, while his broadsword was chinked in multiple places.
Both heroes were left riddled in wounds, their blood staining the field in a poetic painting describing two heroes willing to duke it out to see who was stronger. Their attacks not slowing, both Flashy Flash and Drive Knight continued to fight on, as the roar of the applause urged them on. On the flip side, this made Saitama, who watched the whole thing without batting an eye, ever more envious and eager to go out there and fight again. His heartbeat both became steady and strong, which made the two people sitting on him smile inwardly at his genuine excitement. But with all good things, an end must follow, for Drive Knight spoke loudly one again.
"For an edgy guy like yourself, you can really let it on when you're serious. But it's time we ended this fight! Here it comes Flashy Flash! Reckless Onslaught!" Drive Knight roared out towards Flashy Flash, his blood boiling from the sheer rush he was feeling. Drive Knight had never felt so obligated to bring a person down before, so this was a first for him. And for Drive Knight, rushes like these don't come by very often.
With his broadsword glowing a bright black once again, Drive Knight threw caution to the wind. Barreling down towards Flashy Flash, Drive Knight gripped his sword with both hands and started hacking away at him, confident that not even he could deflect so many power strikes. Flashy Flash, already at the end of his rope, desperately flailed against Drive Knight's pursuit, parrying all of his attacks the best he could. Each one of those strikes could chop off any of his limbs with ease, and it took all of his concentration just to keep himself from passing out from the pain and exhaustion. Long minutes of the clanging of metal rang throughout the Arena field, followed by the cheers of the millions that watched them fight. Surprisingly enough, Flashy Flash had held back against Drive Knight's attack, barely standing as he tried catching his breath.
Impressed by his determination, Drive Knight stood motionless, as he too tried to catch his breath as well. Once he had found his second wind, Drive Knight jumped backwards, arming up one more attack that should finally nail down Flashy Flash once and for all. Flashy Flash, done with going on the defensive, also resolved himself to attack once more, thinking that if he were to die here, at least he wouldn't insult himself by not going all out on his last move.
"If this were any other circumstances, I'm pretty sure we could've seen each other eye to eye. But with what I know about you, and you're sordid history, I've got no choice but to beat the answers out of you. Don't hate me for what I will do, Flashy Flash." Drive Knight said solemnly out towards Flashy Flash, who stood silently to the question. With what seemed like the longest amount of silence that has passed between the two, Flashy Flash spoke up for the final time.
"I was wrong about you Drive Knight. You definitely have something very human about you, and I genuinely apologize for the behavior that I have shown you today. It is also true that in a different encounter, we could have possibly agreed with each other on something. But as it stands, you know something about me that forces me to dispose of you. If I should perish after our encounter today, then at least I will find myself with some well deserved rest. So come at me with whatever means you deem necessary, I will face it head on." Flashy Flash said with an acknowledging grunt, finally dropping his sour demeanor. He was answered the same way from Drive Knight, with a long period of silence.
With both heroes waiting for a cue to act, they stood still, each anticipating the other in an agonizing silence that seemed to overstay its welcome. But like all things, fate heard their call, and answered the two heroes with the howling of a lone gust of wind. It was more than enough to start off their last clash of day, with both heroes using their attacks.
"Last of the Conquerors: Sky Shattering Skewer!" Drive Knight yelled passionately towards Flashy Flash, gripping his broadsword with both hands, his broadsword glowing brightly, so brightly that it caught on fire. Covered in beautiful flames of black that stretched the length of the blade, Drive Knight was going to stop Flashy Flash one way or another.
"I will be sure to meet your attack head on! Limit Break; Final Move: Flash of Inspiration: Resplendent Flash Slash!" Flashy Flash answered back with a roar of his own, gripping his katana with both hands, as his blade bathed the Arena field in brilliant white flash. Using all the speed he could muster in his damaged legs, Flashy Flash charged Drive Knight with all the willpower that he had left in him, intending to defeat Drive Knight once and for all.
With Drive Knight, his body was covered in a blur within his own attack of black that barrelled down the Arena field, while Flashy Flash was draped in white streaks of light, blazing across the Arena field himself. Both heroes had been consumed by their respective colors that their blades emitted, one of white, and the other of black. With each hero clad with their own wills, both heroes were about to meet each other head on. But just before they could, Drive Knight yelled into the air, his voice ripe with conviction.
"I'm sorry Flashy Flash, but for your sake and mine, I have to defeat you here and now! All I ask you is that you forgive me after all of this is done! Limit Break; Final Move: Endless Advancement: The Pursuit of Progression!" Drive Knight shouted to Flashy Flash, making said hero look at him with confusion. But all was lost when they clashed, for Flashy Flash was engulfed in a sea of black flames in an instant, and lone strike to his chest.
Within that moment, Drive Knight had morphed himself mid attack, taking on the appearance of a Grim Reaper, with a long robed hood and all, while also having his weapon change into that of a large scythe. With the momentum made from his previous sequence, his new attack had grown far stronger. Effectively multiplying his power output ten times over, Drive Knight felt this was a tad bit too much, considering Flashy Flash was already weakened throughout the entire fight. But if anything, he was sure to bring down Flashy Flash by any means necessary, and alive if he could.
Once both heroes had clashed, Flashy Flash couldn't handle the sheer heat that came off from Drive Knight's scythe, and the final attack that had struck his chest was what finally made him pass out. After all of the action had passed, and the black flames had died down, along with the last streaks of light fading away from Flashy Flash, it was shown that Drive Knight was the last one standing, while Flashy Flash was seen on the ground. His katana lay fallen beside him, with lines of steam coming off from his body, Flashy Flash was finally down for the count, miraculously still breathing. Finally done with the match set before him, Drive Knight allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.
At first there was a brief silence, but what followed was a roar of applause that threatened to deafen all of the people that were present in the Arena. Endless cheers coming from adults, children, and heroes alike, Drive Knight could only answer their response with a humble bow to them, walking over to Flashy Flash, and carrying him to the medical team that stood by to help him.
Meanwhile: On the Patio Space…
Watching in awe, most of the heroes were dumbstruck by the spectacle that they just witnessed. Drive Knight had managed to bring down the pompous hero that was Flashy Flash, and with relative ease by the looks of it. Not to mention that he had cheated death twice over, while also looking like death himself, Drive Knight had become an even bigger sensation over the course of forty minutes. And to rub salt in the wounds, Drive Knight had inadvertently stole most of Flashy Flash's fan girls, not like Drive Knight cared however. Just as the heroes were about to talk amongnst themselves about how the fight went on, a loud cheer was heard from a certain bald headed hero.
"Wow, nice fight! I hope the next match is half as good as that one!" Saitama said with a stupid grin plastered on his face, already pumped up about the next fight that would take place. He was then answered by two voices that belonged to an esper, and a boy genius.
"With how things are turning out, I believe the next fight should be just the thing you're looking for Saitama!" Shoten said happily, getting his head patted from his response, causing said boy genius to gush at his touch.
"Hmph! Just wait till I'm up their baldy, I'll put on a show for you that'll make you faint from how strong I really am!" Tatsumaki said with a haughty tone, getting her legs patted by Saitama as a response, a contented sigh leaving her as she melted under his touch.
The rest of the heroes chuckled, but also wondered at the back of their minds if they could reach the level of expectation that Saitama was hoping to see out of these matches. That question was soon brought to the forefront when the Arena intercom blared to life once more, bringing with it a message that rattled the heroes to their cores.
"Greetings once again beloved audience members! That last fight sure was a nail biter, wasn't it now?! But here's the kicker, we still have one more match underway, and I can tell you all right now that it is the match to witness! It is at this time that we would like to have the heroes S-Class Rank: 17 - Puri-Puri-Prisoner, and S-Class Rank: 11 - Superalloy Darkshine to come through the Arena entrance, or onto the Arena field as soon as possible. As for the rest of you, we plead to all of you to continue being the audience that these heroes so rightfully deserve!" The Arena intercom went on with it's booming voice, before shutting off once more. Silence soon covered the patio space, as Darkshine looked over to Puri-Puri-Prisoner with a friendly expression.
"May the best man win, man." Was all Darkshine could say, a warm smile on his face as he looked towards Puri-Puri-Prisoner. Both heroes then stood up from where they sat, looking at each other with respect for one another. Said hero then faced towards Darkshine with a smile of his own.
"And I wish the same to you honey. But if we're gonna be truthful here, I'll be the one who'll be moving ahead, so no hard feelings after all this, ok honey?" Puri-Puri-Prisoner said playfully with a seductive wink at Darkshine, who only chuckled at his colleague's demeanor.
"Sure Sure, but let's try to keep it civil between us, alright man? So why don't we down to business already, what do you say man?!" Darkshine asked confidently to Puri-Puri-Prisoner, squatting down from where he stood, and then jumping up into the sky. Crushing the patio floor beneath him, Darkshine was then seen soaring over the entire Arena. He then crashed down towards the new Arena field that had been placed, one that seemed to resemble a city block. With fake buildings and abandoned cars scattered throughout the various sidewalks and streets, it truly looked like a slice of the city had been placed within the Arena this time.
"For that man, I guess I can act with a little more tact, but only for now. Dark Angel Stance: Angelic Flight!" Puri-Puri-Prisoner yelled out in the open, flexing his arms all over the place. It didn't help that he was already shirtless, making Tatsumaki and Shoten gag inwardly to themselves. Once he had stretched adequately enough, Puri-Puri-Prisoner then flapped both arms at the same time, much like a kid imitating what a bird might do, except for this instance, he actually started to fly off from the ground, and at breakneck speed too for that matter. Much to the discomfort of how atrocious his technique looked, everyone couldn't deny that Puri-Puri-Prisoner had literally flown off the patio space by looking like an idiot.
A few minutes later, Puri-Puri-Prisoner landed himself in the cityscape environment. Puri-Puri-Prisoner looked at the field with fascination, as it seemed to resemble City-Q, the home of Watchdog Man. As he was looking around, he then discovered Darkshine not too far away from him. With a tilted head nod from the both of them, they stanced themselves up for the clock to appear to finally signal the coming battle between the two muscle bound heroes.
...
"Oi Dio, go on and get outta here, I'm back."
...
Hello, Chicken here, and It's been awhile since I've been here. But hey, I'm here now, and I hope you like the new chapter. Life hits hard in ways you'd never imagine, and all I ask is that you stay safe out there. Hope to see all of you in the next one.