Shadow within the Darkness
(Day 13 – Part 5)
By: Little Ucchan
"That idiot!!" Kento growled through clenched teeth, barely suppressing his anger as he stared at the subject of his aggression: Ryo.
"Couldn't he wait?!"
Rowen tossed a glance at the boy. "Would you?"
A pause.
"That's an entirely different story!!" he had managed to say. "Rowen! You've gotta agree with me here!!" Kento immediately began when he caught sight of how the blue haired boy rolled his eyes. "Ryo has no idea about that move of hers!! We have to do something!!"
Rowen sighed, replaying the previous fight over in his mind, analyzing it with methodical precision. He kept his focus on the Vampire's Touch, from memory alone trying to find a fault in the move that Ryo could possibly use. But to no avail. There wasn't anyway to defend against it other than to run. The alternate approach, which was to go strictly by martial arts and try to win that way, was too risky in his opinion. It might have worked if their opponent was slower, making the move easier to evade. But that was a falsehood. And Ryo couldn't possibly come in fast enough to deliver a punch and dodge the wakizashi at the same time. Besides, even if Ryo is a fierce fighter… he won't hit her. Not unless she makes the first blow.
So given the circumstance, Rowen had to agree with Kento. Even if it meant loosing the Halo armor, he'd rather have Ryo fight Sierra another day when they at least had thought of some way to defend against the trump card that had suddenly come into play. But Ryo had already initiated the challenge. Was it possible to pull out of the duel without it being a forfeit?
Maybe.
There just has to be a way! But God help him if he knew what it was. And as he thought more and more about it, the less time he had to act. Ryo and Lady Sierra were locked in a battle of nerves, staring each other down, seeing which would break first and attack. But a deadlock such as this could only last as long as both warriors kept their cool. And Ryo wasn't known to be a very patient man.
Rowen was so engrossed in his musings that he didn't notice the young man, clad in an emerald green sub armor, that came and rejoined the group, White Blaze at his side. Readily contemplating the idea of just dropping onto the floor exhausted but always stopping short of actually carrying out the act, Sage looked first at Kento, then at Rowen, then at the pair standing in the middle of the street. Not one of them moved. Only Cye came up to greet him.
"Sage, are you alright?"
"Yeah."
He looked him over skeptically. "Are you sure?"
"I'm fine. Just tired," Sage assured him. "My muscles are a bit weak right now." Which was understandable, this being his first real battle in six months, going on seven. And even if his few run-ins with the enemy and that match this morning got him loose, his body still wasn't fully adjusted yet. Throw in that little trick of Sierra's and you've got one worn out Ronin.
"You should rest," Cye suggested, although both he and Sage knew that the current situation didn't call for laid-back attitudes, even if he was all for it.
"I will," he replied, looking again to where Ryo and Lady Sierra stood. "Once this is over."
"Well…" Cye followed his gaze. "You might have to wait a while."
"…They're testing each other," Sage said. "Ryo might have the edge, but I don't know. It depends if Sierra has any more skills we aren't aware of."
"What do you mean by that?" Kento asked suddenly, breaking away from his preoccupation once Sage's words had reached him.
"Since he's not going to use his surekill and he doesn't have any other offensive attack other than straightforward fighting, the outcome of the match will be riding on how well Ryo can respond to Sierra's techniques," he explained. "If she has anymore she's willing to use."
"Aren't you forgetting something Sage?"
"What?"
"That move of hers! The Vampire's Touch or whatever!" Kento cried, exasperated. "If she uses that on Ryo, it's all over! We're toast!!"
"Have a little faith, Kento," he smiled knowingly. "Besides, she's not going to use it on him."
"What?!" That definitely got reactions from everyone. Even Rowen, who had only been listening with half an ear, his mind having had been focused on coming up with a plan until recently.
"Sage, are you sure about that?" he demanded.
A nod.
"How do you know? I mean, she didn't look like she couldn't or anything."
"I know, but… trust me on this one."
Sage would have also been doubtful of Ryo's odds of winning if he believed that Sierra was going to use the sesshoku no kyuuketsuki again. But two factors made him stay firm to his belief that she couldn't use it. Or rather, she wouldn't use it. He knew it took up a considerable amount of energy to execute and that it had drained her strength, since he was able to dodge her last two sword attempts when he was already incredibly weak. Whether or not she and Ryo were at an even par, he didn't know. But using it would definitely put her at a disadvantage if she couldn't end the match immediately after. And she wouldn't risk it. Plus, no one would have given me so many chances to surrender when the attack wasn't even life threatening. Sage couldn't believe that her acts were merciful. Rather a bluff that he had repeatedly called without really knowing of it till now.
"The only thing that we should really be concerned about is if Lady Sierra has other tricks up her sleeve," he added. "If Ryo can't overcome them with his swords then…"
Sage wasn't able to finish his sentence, his words dying in his throat as Ryo's battle cry rang clear in everyone's ears. The match had begun.
***
Right blade drawn back, Ryo charged with such speed and aggression that for a moment Lady Sierra didn't move, her brain stalling for a split second before she began to respond in accordance to the Ronin's attack. But spilt seconds always made the greatest of differences when it came to battles. And that time lost immediately placed the ninja on the defensive, evading Ryo's blades to try and clear some distance in order to initiate her own attack.
Using her shuriken as a temporary makeshift sword in order to defend against his second katana, Lady Sierra could only parry Ryo's moves, the boy being exceptionally fast. After a quick deadlock between weapons, she pushed herself away, jumping back to get some space. But Ryo wasn't about to let up on his attack. Having had gotten the jump on her from the outset of the battle, he wasn't about to let go of his lead, charging forward again to close the distance between them.
Damn that facemask covering her mouth! He could have kept the advantage on his side if only he had seen her smile.
Ryo immediately skidded to a halt, veering hard to the left to avoid the shuriken that came flying straight at him. He was for a moment stupefied, realizing how close of a near miss that attack really was when he felt the wind blowing up against his face in the weapon's wake. Shit! That was close!
But at that moment, the scale was no longer imbalanced, Ryo's edge having had been blown away the moment he reversed his forward momentum. Sierra, now on the offensive, dashed forward, wakizashi ready. Her blade clashed with Ryo's, his sword's deadlock with hers automatically compelling his free hand to come in for a secondary strike, even if he knew that there would be no weapon present to block it.
Ryo blinked, realizing what was going to happen, and at the last minute reversed his blade to strike with the dull side. He realized soon after that the act was unnecessary, a resonant ring of metal colliding with metal awakening him to a feature of Lady Sierra's attire that he had overlooked before.
Her wrist guard.
Holding the katana effectively at bay, the metal guard that covered her entire forearm is what had made that sound, and what also made Ryo drop his guard. Taken aback by the fact that the protective covering was not only holding its own against the Wildfire sword, but actually pushing him back, Ryo had accidentally loosened the strength behind his attack, allowing Lady Sierra to forcefully shove him back.
Damn! How could that have hold?! He couldn't understand how the guard could stand against the armor's sword. But now was not the time for musings. Feeling a rapidly approaching object coming from behind, Ryo immediately back flipped, avoiding the shuriken that made its return trip back to its master.
Catching the throwing weapon in her right hand, Sierra took up a fighting stance, shuriken drawn back for another round. Ryo held up his twin swords in readiness. Another standoff had begun.
***
"Okay, this girl is really starting to piss me off," Kento cried once the break between bouts had transformed into yet another face-off. "Just who the hell is she?! And how can that wrist guard of hers fully block Ryo's sword?! I mean if I were hit that hard, even in my armor, I would have felt it! And she didn't even flinch!!"
"Sage. Rowen. You guys are the experts here." Cye turned to both of them, confusion running circles deep beneath his eyes. "What's so special about her weapons that she can hold that strong against Ryo's armor? Even her shuriken is different. Throwing weapons don't stay airborne that long. Especially with the way she was handling it."
Kento also turned his attention away from the battle, crossing his arms over his chest and awaiting a response from the two Ronins who would most likely figure out the secret behind this phenomenon. "…Well?"
Rowen and Sage exchanged glances for a moment before looking back at Lady Sierra. Each fell silent. Neither of them knew what to say. But they had to come up with an answer.
"Sage…" Rowen began, not taking his eyes off of Sierra. "You don't suppose that she's able to solidify her aura's energy waves into something tangible, do you?"
He blinked, staring at his friend for a moment. He was a bit surprised with the guess, but more so with the possibility that it might actually be true. Closing his eyes, Sage prepared himself to use his 'other sight' in order to try and confirm that theory. Blacking out to the world around him, testing to see if he had enough strength to do this right, Sage probed around with his senses, immediately feeling the auras of his friends plus White Blaze, who wasn't too far off. He paused for a moment, noticing for the first time how… weak they were. Well, 'weak' might be the wrong word to use. It was more like… normal. He could always identify his friends by their distinct auras, and still could at that moment, but the strength that surrounded them because of their link with the armors was gone. He now understood the full extent of what Lady Sierra did. They really were normal teenagers now.
Pushing that thought aside, Sage located the auras of the two combatants. Taking in a calming breath, for he hasn't used this ability in a long time, he opened his eyes. He tried to ignore the initial wave of power that came pouring into his sight, his eyes not only picking up images of his surroundings, but also the auras that surrounded each of them. He kept his eyes open, staying focused only on what he had to do, blocking out all that he saw and honing in only on the two auras that were most important.
He first centered on Ryo, almost being able to feel the heat radiating from the Wildfire armor. He saw that everything was in check, the Wildfire armor being a bright red color accompanied by the dimmer, softer hue of the sub armor underneath it. He recalled how the armor operated on different levels, the actual plating giving off a stronger aura and offering better protection in comparison to the under gear that covered Ryo's entire body. Sage kept that thought in mind when finally diverting his attention to Lady Sierra.
He first identified the aura surrounding her, seeing the dark purple waves pulsating with every heartbeat. Concentrating harder, he managed to zero in on her wrist guards.
"What'd you find out?" Rowen asked when he noticed that Sage's eyes had returned back to normal. He blinked in surprise at the expression that had immediately overtaken the blonde. His lips were pulled tight into a line, eyebrows furrowed in obvious distress. Sage didn't look too happy.
"C'mon Sage! Stop holding us in suspense, will ya?" Kento huffed impatiently.
"What's wrong?" Cye asked.
"…Rowen's right," he finally said. "Her shin and wrist guards, along with her weapons, aren't made of real metal. They're energy transformed into weaponry and armor."
"And what else?" Rowen pressed on. "That expression of yours can't be good."
"Her… The way she's---how can I say this…" He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Her clothes. Her battle gear is like our armors."
"I don't get it," Cye interrupted. "Like our armors? How so?"
"Her ninja gi is not made up of real fabric. It's energy."
"Wait," Kento stopped him. "What did you say?"
"It's energy," Sage repeated himself. "It's like… you know how our armors feel like real metal, but it's not. It's solidified energy that originally came from our armor orbs. Well, it's the same with her. I don't know how she's able to do it, but Sierra's using her aura's energy patterns to create her own combat attire. And her weapons and metal guards have a strong concentration of energy coursing through them that they're able to withstand Ryo's attacks."
"Sage, are you absolutely sure about this?" Rowen demanded.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I had looked at Ryo's energy patterns before examining hers. Her battle gear's energy composition mirrors the Wildfire armor."
"Do you think that she might also possess something like our armor orbs? An object that serves almost the same purpose?"
"I don't know about that, Rowen," he said, even though he had a pretty good idea of what that item might be.
"Okay, now here's a question. What makes you think that she's not somehow connected to the Dynasty?" Kento questioned. "I mean, what you pointed out about her and the armors just reopened the topic."
"No, it didn't." He shook his head. "I'm sure that it's not the Dynasty."
"But Sage—"
"Hey, if he says it's not, then it's not," Cye cut in, effectively silencing any further protests. Looking over at Sage, he asked, "You saw something right? Something about her that's not Dynasty related?"
He nodded, not saying anything else. But his mind was going back to his dreams, and that jet-black pendant the young princess wore. That environment… it's not the Nether Realm. It's somewhere else.
***
I seem to fall into very long standoffs with this one, Lady Sierra thought wryly to herself, watching Ryo carefully. It seemed to her that the boy was confused about something. His body movements revealed nothing, but she could see it in his eyes. It revealed everything to her, and so she knew exactly when the right moment to strike came.
Now! She let her arm rip loose, the shuriken speeding towards Ryo from his right, making him dash to the left. The weapon harmlessly passed by his side, but its mission was a success. Lady Sierra was right in front of him by the time Ryo caught sight of her.
SLASH! Ryo felt the force of the cut brush by his midsection, but fortunately not the blade. She had barely missed by a hair's distance, Ryo having had pushed himself farther back as a last-minute effort to evade the wakizashi. But he wasn't out in the clear just yet. Lady Sierra came around with a high roundhouse kick, hoping that her shin guard would connect with his helmet. Ducking under the pass and dodging the near stab that came right after, Ryo had finally regained his momentum, coming in with a cross slash. He heard the familiar WHOOSH of his blades as they cut through air, Lady Sierra hurling over the Ronin, somersaulting to a landing directly behind him.
Whirling on his heels, Ryo moved to attack when suddenly Sierra back flipped, her body moving out of the way to reveal the shuriken that came flying back in Ryo's direction.
"Ryo!! LOOK OUT!!"
In a split second decision, Ryo fell back onto the floor just as the shuriken whizzed above him, the weapon barely missing his head as he slammed into the asphalt. Sensing Sierra's approach, he quickly got up onto his feet, getting off the ground before the ninja's wakizashi scraped against the concrete and then jumping back out of the reach of a side slash.
He barely landed on his feet before her shuriken came at him again from his backside. But he was ready. Having had enough of that pesky cross shaped throwing star, Ryo crossed his twin katanas in front of him and with one swift movement struck the weapon dead on, abruptly stopping its flight to send it crashing to a halt into the ground.
Panting from the intensity of that last bout, Ryo looked back towards Lady Sierra who had also stopped right when he had struck the shuriken.
A bit stunned, but in the most part unfazed, Sierra stretched her free hand outward, her eyes narrowing into slits as energy began to collect itself around her hand. Ryo blinked astonishingly as her shuriken began to vibrate, rattling noisily for a moment before the weapon had yanked itself free from the ground, flying right back into Sierra's hand. Taking up another stance, she waited.
"Shit," Ryo cursed, taking in another deep breath. What the hell is up with that shuriken of hers? It always seemed to come after him when he was most vulnerable. But… there was no way that Sierra could have known of the openings beforehand and had planned it out in the beginning. That was simply impossible! No matter how much skill a warrior possessed, you can never predict an opening that prematurely. So the only thing Ryo could think of was that she was controlling the shuriken while it was airborne to strike him when she found it convenient. But how? Damn it! How can she control it without doing anything?! It doesn't make sense!
He was becoming frustrated. And that kind of emotion was not healthy to have in battle. For it was much easier to land an attack if your enemy was aggravated. And Lady Sierra knew this.
SWOOSH!! Again the battle was in motion, her shuriken ripping through the air at Ryo. Again he dodged, letting the large blade spin on by. But no one could call this attack a repeat in tactics.
To everyone's amazement, the shuriken stopped, the weapon hovering in the mid air for barely a second before coming back the opposite way it came in a straight path directly for Ryo's turned back.
CLASH! Shuriken against katana. The Ronin leader raised his blade at the last minute to block the attack that would have rammed into his side. But it wasn't over. He realized that as the force against his blade somehow increased. The shuriken seemed to bypass all laws of physics known to man. Locked onto the boy's katana, the pressure still remained strong, as if some invisible person was on the other end, forcing it down onto the baffled warrior. This is crazy!
And if that wasn't enough already, Lady Sierra took that moment to attack him from his other side, at his left. A cut slashed through the air, followed by a loud clang. Now it was katana against wakizashi, Lady Sierra's attack being blocked by the sword in Ryo's free hand. But now, he was in an odd predicament. Both hands tied and seemingly no way out, he was sandwiched between two attacks from the left and the right. And neither one was about to let up.
***
"Shit! That's impossible!!" Rowen exclaimed, eyes wide and fists clenched as he and the others watched the battle with rising anxiety.
"Oh yeah? Well tell that to her!" Kento cried. "I don't think she understands the law of gravity."
Sage remained silent, arms crossed as usual. But that didn't mean that he wasn't worried as well, the constant tapping of his index finger against his arm being a sure enough sign. This is not good. If he shifts his power to drive out either one he'll leave himself open to an attack from the other side.
"You guys?" Cye asked quietly. "Is it just me, or does it look like Sierra's holding something in her right hand?"
"What?" All three of them looked at what Cye was referring to and sure enough, Lady Sierra had her free arm raised with her fist tightly clenched, grasping onto… air?
Well… that's what it looked like.
Why is her arm raised like that? Rowen asked himself. If I didn't know any better, it almost looks like she's pulling back on something. The idea then struck him so hard that he gasped aloud in realization. "Ryo! Her fist!!"
Ryo caught on quickly, deciding to risk it all on this one move. Jerking his right hand up, he broke the lock with the shuriken, taking away the only thing obstructing its collision course with the boy's head. A second later, it would have hit him. But Ryo had already crossed his arm over, slashing at the invisible line that bound Lady Sierra's hand to her throwing star, causing her to disengage immediately as the deadly weapon dissolved in a blinding flare of light.
It was dead silent when Ryo had executed that move. And now that it was over, everyone visibly calmed down, relief shown on all five of the Ronins' faces. That was way too close for comfort.
"Okay…" Kento was the first to speak. "Someone please tell me what happened. I completely missed that."
"Rowen," Sage looked on towards him. "The floor's all yours."
He nodded. "From what I can tell, Lady Sierra had a line of energy that connected her hand to the shuriken, so that one move from her wrist could alter the weapon's path."
"Like a yo-yo?" Kento asked.
"…To put it simply, yes. She was using that line to pull the shuriken up against Ryo while she attacked in the opposite direction. And I guess since the weapon was energy based and the line was an extension of her aura's energy, when Ryo's katana severed the link, the shuriken disappeared," he explained, pausing for a moment before adding his next thought. "…She has remarkable control over her aura. Not something an amateur could do."
Sage had to agree. Controlling and manipulating energy wasn't exactly an easy feat. And how she handled the shuriken as expertly as she did… she had to have a very strong psyche in order to pull that off. Just how strong is she mentally?
After taking a quick breather, Ryo glanced over at Lady Sierra, eyeing the short sword in her hand. "You're not going to fight me with just your wakizashi, are you?"
As a response, she held her blade up horizontally in front of her, her free hand palm open against the backside of the blade.
Ryo crossed his twin katanas in front of his chest. "Suit yourself."
The battle began again, this time Ryo taking the initiative and attacking first. Surprisingly enough, Lady Sierra was doing fairly well with only one sword, using the blade to intercept the boy's initial attack while using her wrist guards as a means of blocking the second. The scraping of metal against metal and the scuffled footsteps dancing across the blacktop were the only sounds that could be heard as the match continued, Lady Sierra breaking off a few steps to get enough momentum behind a charge.
Seeing her dash forward with a horizontal strike, Ryo intercepted the attack with both of his blades in hopes to use the added strength to force Sierra back and get the jump on her.
Bad move.
Ryo gasped aloud, the wind knocked out of him as a sharp wave of pain stabbed at him from his midsection. He should have read Sierra's confidence with the short sword as a sign of something unexpected to come. And he shouldn't have used both of his swords to block her own. The act left his hands tied and one of hers free. And that free hand had reached behind her to grab hold of her sheath and use it as a secondary weapon against the unsuspecting Ronin.
***
"Oh God… " Cye breathed once he saw the tip of the sheath dig into his friend's right side. "Ryo!!"
"First blow," Rowen said quietly as he watched Sierra suddenly pull back to strike Ryo for a second time, catching him full in the chest and sending him flying onto the ground. This is the first time Sierra has ever hit any of us. He frowned. "It's going to get worse from here on end."
Ryo got up slowly, wincing as the movement further aggravated the pain he felt in his chest. Man, I haven't been hit that hard for over half a year. He had almost forgot what real pain had felt like, but was grateful that Sierra had struck him with the sheath and not the sword. She's holding back… like I did earlier.
But even if she did, that still didn't change the fact that the intensity of the match had now escalated to a new level. Lady Sierra knew that, holding the sheath out in front of her and drawing her wakizashi back. By actually landing a hit, she had set the standard of how the fight would continue. She had no other choice. She couldn't beat him with the way things had been going. She would have worn out first.
I need to end this soon, she thought to herself, watching as the sun was well into its transition from afternoon to evening. Just don't concern yourself with him. Concentrate on winning!
Charging forward, the match continued with a deadlock between weapons, followed by slash after slash, parry after parry, both warriors fighting as hard as they could. Sierra pulled from the strength she had left to increase her speed, thrusting sharply at Ryo's midsection, but missing and having to block a side slash from her left.
She couldn't land an attack.
She always had the advantage before with the various techniques that she could employ. But straight out fighting was never her strong point. If you compared fighting to racing, she would be a sprinter, not an endurance runner. And the stamina she had was running out.
Deadlocking again, she searched through her mind for some way to end all of this. C'mon. There's gotta be a move that I could still use. Mentally running down the list of all the special attacks she knew of and axing out the ones she couldn't use (either due to lack of energy or the prospect of instant death), she had narrowed the field down to one sole move.
The hiraishin.
It was the only thing she could do. But…
It'll hurt him.
Sierra gritted her teeth, curing herself for being so weak. Damn it! Just drop it already! she told herself, parrying another one of Ryo's moves. You'll never win by having sentiment for the enemy! But that was the problem. He wasn't really her enemy. The whole reason behind her challenging the Ronins for their armors in the first place was to keep them out of the fight with the demons. To give them what she could not have…
A normal, peaceful life.
And because of that, unless she threw out all of her emotions and focused solely on fighting, she could not bring herself to truly hurt Ryo. But she couldn't win without doing so. It was now impossible to end the match without one of them getting hurt. But what could she do?
Screw this. Disengaging and jumping out of Ryo's way, Lady Sierra had finally made up her mind. I have to do it. She closed her eyes, diverting all of her energy to her wakizashi and its sheath. If he gets entangled in my affairs, every person he has ever known… could die. Feeling her weapons crackle with energy, the power stored crescendo to a peak, she opened her eyes. This is for the best, she assured herself. A few injuries couldn't even compare to the value of living.
***
He felt the energy shift. Distinct and profound, Ryo recognized it at once, his body automatically going rigid with anticipation. He had to be ready. If this next attack Sierra was preparing herself for was what he thought it was, he had to have his reflexes sharp. Anything less would cost him the match.
Slowing raising her arms, Lady Sierra concentrated on keeping the energy contained within the confinements of her weapons. She felt the power surge more wildly, ecstatic currents tingling her fingers as she crossed both weapons over her head, lightning running up and down the blade and its sheath.
She sharply brought her hands down out in front of her, keeping the wakizashi and the sheath parallel to each other with acute precision. The battle cry ripped through her throat before she even realized it, the dark beam of black lightning energy that was circling through the weapons shooting out in a straight line at its appointed target.
Ryo immediately dashed to the left, the beam whizzing by him with deadly speed. He had successfully evaded the attack. Unfortunately, he found out too late that his triumph was premature.
The energy shifted right before his eyes, no longer a rigid rod of power but an uncontrollable whip of cackling electricity. With the snap of the wrist, the lightning whip shot out to ensnare Ryo in its grasp.
This time, he couldn't get away.
The tip caught the Ronin in the shoulder guard, sending jolts of energy surging through his body the moment it made contact. Ryo screamed aloud, the prickling sharp sensation encompassing his entire body, paralyzing him where he stood. With another move of the wakizashi and its counterpart, a portion of the lighting whip traveled down to Ryo, coming hard against his chest and sending him flying through the nearest wall.
"Ryo!!" Kento yelled in a panic. "Ryo! You okay?!"
As a response, Ryo got up from where he laid on the floor, panting heavily. He felt numb all over. And his heartbeat seems to have increased tenfold due to the effects of Sierra's attack. But he could still stand. He could still fight. And that's what mattered at the moment.
"Don't sound so worried," Ryo called out him. "I ain't through yet. Not by a long shot."
But before he could regain his strength, Lady Sierra attacked again with the hiraishin. The straight beam caught Ryo in his stomach, the Ronin not having enough time to react as once again he was on the ground in pain.
He clenched his teeth, refusing to let the cry settled in his throat to run free. Breathing hard, his chest rising and falling in rapid succession, Ryo again got to his feet. More slowly this time… and with more difficulty. Shit. If I get hit like that again… I'll lose. His legs could barely support him, feeling like quivering rubber bands that would bend at any moment. His heart was beating too hard against his chest, that and his breathing the only sounds he could hear. His skin felt like it was on fire from the inside and his vision was starting to blur.
One more time… Just one more time and he would not be able to continue the match, or stay consciousness for that matter. I have to do something! I can't lose! He was panting harder now. I can't let the guys down. His eyes narrowed, a spark of power building up beneath those determined tiger blue eyes. I won't!!
Before he knew it, Ryo had connected the ends of his katanas together, a strong force coursing through his veins, radiating from his body and filling the atmosphere around him, staining it a deep blood red hue.
"Oh no…" Rowen couldn't believe his eyes. "No… he's not…"
"He is," Sage said with equal amazement. "He's going to use it."
"Oh shit," Kento breathed.
Preparing herself for another attack, Lady Sierra focused all her energy into her two weapons, knowing in her heart that this would be the final round. It's time.
With a sudden burst of energy, Sierra unleashed the power of the hiraishin, sending the attack careening towards the Ronin leader. The one with the hard set eyes and seething battle aura. In a final decisive moment, Ryo raised his weapon over his head.
No… Cye kept shaking his head. This can't be happening!! "RYO!!!"
"Flare… Up…"
"DON'T DO IT!!!!"
"NOW!!!!!!!!"