'Thoughts'

"Talking"

Spells/Other's thoughts/Skills

[Captions]

{Korin's Voice}

Inner Voice

Chapter 21 Sky Battle Part III

Now, with the three Varia members lock in battle, Korin is currently heading towards the Rain Field to get Yamamoto with a random longsword he got from his battlefield. His thoughts of getting the swordsman out was cut short when he heard a loud explosion on the roof. When he looks out of the window in the corridor, he saw the bright orange flashes in the air, meaning that the fight is still going on.

"Tsunahime…" Korin muttered before running down the corridor to reach the Rain Field, "This is it." With the poison gone, he has his strength back, enhanced with his new enhanced sword; one that he slams it right through the wall.

The wall broke down like plaster, the teen now facing a two storey drop down towards Yamamoto, the baseball fanatic still lying on his front grunting in pain. He saw the pole, and without a second doubt leaped towards pole, grabbing the ring on top while completely overshot his intended target and now heading towards the wall.

'Shit!' He quickly stopped himself as he stabbed his sword onto the wall hard, now hanging off the handle barely, 'That was close…'

He placed his feet on the wall, pulls out the sword and freefall all the way down to the first floor, enhancing his legs as much as he could and landing down hard into the swallow waters. "Hang on!" Korin cried as he jogged towards Yamamoto, placing the Rain Ring into the wristband. "There…" He sighed.

"Hahaha… thanks for the save, I thought I was a goner." Yamamoto laughed.

"It's fine, it is the Knight's duty to assist the Guardians anyway." Korin stated as he helped him up on his feet, "Can you go get Sasagawa-san? He should be quite near here."

"Got it, but what about you?" He asked.

"I'm going to do what the Knight is supposed to do."

Back to Tsuna, the fight has taken a toll on her as her woollen vest that Reborn's pet lizard Leon reinforced has been completely blown away. Even now, she is currently panting and struggling to keep up with Xanxus. Now, she is trying her best bet in defeating Xanxus, the Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough.

Although the process of the technique isn't truly perfected at best, and with Xanxus attacking when she is trying to perform it; that left her going to re-trying it. That was stopped when Xanxus fired one of his strongest attacks at her, blasting her head on with the explosion loud enough to be heard throughout the school.

At the end of that blast, Tsuna was left seen unconscious in a bunch of craters from his attack. "Tsk, is she dead?" He wonders as he landed by the supposed corpse, "Foolish scum, you brought forward your own death. Like a monkey, imitating things you don't know about. Now that I think about it, there's no way a scummy fake like you could have done it."

"I will turn trash, into ashes." He raised his hand up, the Flames of Rage glowing ready to burn.

But, unknowingly, a small glow reappears on her forehead. It glows bright as it grows bigger till the orange flame of will is visible yet again as it bursts into life, Tsuna's eyes sprung opened as she lifts up from the ground in a burst of orange fire.

"WHAT?-!"

"Reborn-san!" Basil cried happily.

"Yeah, she succeeded it." Reborn smirked, "The Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough."

"What is going on here?" Colonello asked, "I was sure that… Tsuna suffered a direct hit that time."

"She neutralised Xanxus' Flame of Rage by creating the Reverse Dying Will State."

"Reverse Dying Will?"

"Yes, it's also been called the Minus State." Reborn explained, "Normally, a person in the Neutral State is at the zero point, and going into Dying Will mode and emitting flames is the Plus State. The Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough means when you are in the Plus State, you are able to reverse back into the Minus State."

"Minus…? You mean achieve an even emptier Dying Will than when you are doing nothing?" Shamal asked.

"That's right. Also, the part that becomes empty is able to receive the enemy's flame. When it is absorbed, it also negates the flames' effects."

"But, why does it produce such an unusual flickering flame?" Colonello asked as he remembered the flickering fire on Tsuna's forehead when she was preparing the technique.

"That's because, in order to achieve the Minus State, he must balance the timing of going back and forth between Plus and Neutral State." Reborn explained.

"Was that the technique that the famed Founder used?" Xanxus asked.

"That's right."

"Pft-HAHAHAHAHA!-! That was such a masterpiece!-!" He bellowed laughing, Tsuna startled by his sudden laughter, "I don't know who told you that, that is NOT the Zero Point Breakthrough."

"!-!"

"That's not even close to the real thing. Think about it, it is the ultimate technique of the Vongola. How could a technique like that would allow the user to suffer damage to that extent?-!"

"He speaks as if he knows!-!" Basil cried.

"No, what he said was right." Reborn stated, startling him, "The bruises on Tsuna's body are because she couldn't absorb the Flames of Rage completely. Even with this technique, her chances of winning is not good…"

"No way!"

"It's getting too risky. Reversing the Dying Will forces a great deal of life energy to be drained. It is a highly dangerous state. In addition to that, if his timing to receive the flames is even slightly off, he'll suffer a direct hit."

"B-But Reborn-san, weren't we training so hard to achieve this technique?-!" Basil cried.

"Yes, we could say that, but at the same time that is not it." Reborn stated, "The impression among most people is that the so-called Zero Point Breakthrough is a 'Technique' used by the Founder. But in reality, it is a reverse Dying Will 'condition' that shows the path to the technique."

"Condition?" Fon asked.

"If Tsuna can reach that condition, it's possible she will be able to work out a technique different from the Founder's."

"N-No way!-! Then, you mean we failed?-! What was the point of Sawada-dono going through all that strict training?-!" Basil cried.

"It's the end, trash!" Xanxus said as he charged up his gun, "I'm going to shoot you until you turn into ashes!"

"Then make sure you aim well."

"What?"

Tsuna's flame flickered, as she put her hands together with her thumbs meeting her index fingers, "Next time, I'm going to do it right."

"Sawada-dono…?" Basil muttered.

"The Blood of Vongola… It looks like Tsuna's Hyper Intuition seems to have figured something out." Reborn stated.

"Zero Point Breakthrough, Revised."

"Revised?" Fon wonders.

"She changed her pose!" Basil cried.

"Fuu, trying to come out with the Zero Point Breakthrough again… how many times are you going to bluff your way through before you'll stop?" Xanxus growled, "The REAL Zero Point Breakthrough does not have that pose!"

"Again, that guy!" Basil cried, "The Zero Point Breakthrough is a technique used only by the Founder, how dare he make such presumptions!-!"

"…There is only one thing I can think of… but it can't be…" Reborn muttered.

"I'm just going through with my own Zero Point Breakthrough." Tsuna stated.

"Pretentious scumbag… I'm going to kill you so that you never speak the name of that technique again." Xanxus raised his gun and fire his boost that launches him in great acceleration, before relaying towards the brunette with a kick to her face, sending her flying. Not giving her a second to breath, he fires a shot at her mid flight and crashes her into the ground again.

"Sawada-dono!" Basil cried.

Tsuna grunted, as her once extinguished flame reignites once more. She struggles to get up, the damage to her is now hard on her own body, her muscles screaming out in pain.

"Talking like you still have a trump card, but you can't even prevent yourself from absorbing all that damage." Xanxus said as he flew up, "Revised? What nonsense." He flew around her and fires continuous shots at her, "Bocciolo de Fiamma (Bud of Flame)!"

The attacks hit her hard, her screams of pain were heard throughout the entire yard, "What's wrong? Don't have any energy left to fly?" Xanxus laughed.

"That guy… he's going to torture the girl to death!" Shamal cried.

"Sawada-dono!" Basil cried.

"…" Fon then smirked a little, "About time he entered the field…"

"He?" Colonello wonders.

At that moment of attack, a rain of swords descends down onto Xanxus, the man surprised at the attack flew out of the way of the blades. The swords dropped and stabs into the ground around Tsuna, not a single blade touched her. "What…?" He wonders, just as a figure appeared rushing from his left, he aimed at the assailant only to get his gun hit up before he saw a sword swinging towards him.

He took care of it with a shot of flames that broke the sword's blade, the figure clicked his tongue before leaping back into the yard, "A worthless attack from a worthless trash, how befitting."

Korin growled, in his hand the broken sword handle.

"Motoyama-dono!" Basil cried.

"He somehow made it…" Shamal stated.

"Motoyama-san…" Tsuna grunted as she tries to get up on her feet.

"Relax, Tsunahime." He tells her, "Leave the rest to me."

"Ah? So the faker Knight is protecting the faker? Such a scene makes want to laugh." Xanxus smirked.

"…Dracul told me a lot about you." Korin stated, the man flinched at that, "As much as I want to sympathized with you, I just can't." He raised his broken blade at him, his hair bangs shadowing his eyes You attacked my boss, that's enough reason for me to treat you as an enemy."

At that moment, a golden flame erupted on his forehead, his eyes turned golden as the flames bursts out from all over him, "I'll defeat you, Xanxus. For it is my duty as Knight."

"!" Reborn was startled by Korin's sudden change.

"T-That's…!" Shamal cried.

"Dying Will mode?-!" Basil cried, "But how is he able to use it with a Dying Will bullet or a Dying Will pill?-!"

"Ho…" Xanxus smirked.

'Dracul…' Korin thought.

Xx Flashback, before Xanxus destroy the Storm and Lightning poles xx

"The Cursed Fire Clan…?" Korin asked, a bit curious.

"It was a clan of a race of humanoid demons." Dracul stated, "Well, calling them demons will be a little too far fetched… but I have not much I know about them, only that they once resides in this town many decades ago."

"They once…?" Korin then remembered how Yamamoto's father reacted when he heard his family name, 'Maybe…'

"Anyhow, that ring has chosen its wielder, so I wouldn't be able to budge in." Dracul said, "You are the Tenth Knight; that is that. But…" He flashed in front of Korin, "It seems like some of your powers were sealed." He raised his index finger up to the teen's forehead, a small glow appeared on the fingertip.

'What is this…?' Korin muttered, before he felt his entire body burning up, 'W-What?-!' He nearly collapsed as he felt what feels to be like fire flowing all around his blood vessels, just as he felt his mind being bombarded with several images and clips, including information that he has never heard of and somehow make sense now.

At the end of that ordeal, Korin dropped on his knees panting for air, "It is done." Dracul said.

"What… what did you do…?"

"I just released the seal." He stated, "You should be able to use those flames to their full potential now. As the time come, you will understand the abilities of the Knight, as well as its burden. The truth too is in there as well."

Korin looked up at the man, before noticing his legs are now gone, his thigh is now half vanished into ashes, "Dracul, you're-!-!"

"Hm?" He looked down and realized, "Oh… looks like it came sooner than I expected…"

"You…"

"I've supposed to be dead long time ago." Dracul said, "But in order to keep my immortality, I have to consume souls of others. I haven't eaten one for almost a century, so I guess my time limit is up."

His hands are now starting to disappear into dust.

"But I was glad to able to pass the baton before it came." He smiled, "Motoyama Yan Korin, what path will you guide the boss down, that I'll never find out now." All that is left is his upper body and shoulders.

"Wait! You can't go yet!" Korin cried, "That man that was with you, those two! Where are they?-! Where can I find them?-! And why did you attack my mother in the first place?-!"

"It was just a way to see the next Knight." Dracul laughed as his head is left, "Although, for Averuncus… I do not know… they have a goal or something… As for Forger…" His head slowly vanished completely, along with the answers.

Xx Flashback over xx

Korin raised his broken sword up, his golden flames started flickering, "!-!" Xanxus flinched in shock.

"T-That flickering flame!" Basil cried, "Don't tell that Motoyama-dono too knows the Zero Point Breakthrough?-!"

"Well, Korin did that have that ability to learn any technique just be seeing it once, kora!" Colonello stated.

"Yeah, but doesn't he has to actually SEE it first?" Reborn stated, "I don't think he was anywhere nearby when the fight is happening."

"Again with that?" Xanxus scoffed, "First the faker, now the faker's Knight? I can't think how many times I have said it already; that is NOT the Zero Point Breakthrough!"

"Zero Point Breakthrough?" Korin muttered, "No, this is different."

"Huh?"

"This is the technique of the First Knight, the Zero Point Ascend Heaven." He stated out loud.

"Zero Point Ascend Heaven…?" Basil wonders.

"A technique of the First Knight…" Reborn muttered.

"Ascend Heaven…?" Xanxus laughed, "That's ridiculous! For starters, there is no such technique of the First Knight. Second, even if it exists, what makes you think that a faker like you will be able to use it?"

"Because it is in me."

"Huh?"

"The true form of this technique, the Revised, I'll show it to you." Korin said.

"True form?" Xanxus muttered, before he raised both his guns at him, "Don't you get smug with me, faker!-!" He fires a large collection of blast straight at him, "Martello di Fiamma (Hammer of Flame)!" Korin pushed Tsuna out of the way before he raised his broken sword up to block the attack.

The blast hits him straight on, shocking the brunette and the other audiences, "Motoyama-dono!" Basil cried. "A direct hit!" Shamal cried.

"There is no way Korin can survive that." Reborn said.

"You think?" Fon asked, his two Arcobaleno comrades noticed his unnatural calmness to the situation.

The smoke vanished, leaving a small ball of flame surrounding Korin, his sword raised up as the flaming orb slowly shrinks and compressed around him, "Casting… Forging… Sharpening the edge… Tempering the blade… Polishing the sword…" The flames condensed till it is a sharp blade of glowing fire coming out of the broken sword he is holding.

"Forging… complete…" Korin panted.

"The Flames of Rage…!" Basil cried.

"He condensed it…" Colonello muttered.

"I see, so that's what he meant by Revised…" Fon muttered, his colleagues looking at him confused, "The Zero Point Ascend Heaven is probably a branch of the same technique that the Founder come up with. He knew that just absorbing the blast isn't enough so he 'revised' it so that he would change the form the attack into something he can use."

'I don't know why… but I can feel a sense of deja-vu… like I have done this before…' He thought, before getting flashes of images in his mind, 'But now is not the time…!'

"How… how could something like that… like that… not possible!" Xanxus cried as he raised his guns up. Korin flashed in front of him and kicked up the gun, forcing the firearm up with the man's hand. Not giving him a chance to flinch, he swings his blade down and released the captured blast in a large beam of energy from the sword, sending him flying and crashing him into the wall.

Korin exhaled tiredly, as he felt the empty end of the blade as the sword returned to its broken state.

"You…" Xanxus growled as he wiped the blood from his lips with large burn wound by his chest, "How could I… lose to your fake Zero Point Breakthrough… from a scummy fake like you… Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He roared out as black scars starts to cover around his face, "You fucking bastard!"

Korin flinched as he covered his eyes to avoid the pressure of killer aura blowing straight at him.

"You fucking low-life scumbag… unforgiveable…!" His guns glowed brightly as they absorbed intense amount of power from him, "YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!-!-!-!"

To be continued…

There! Yeah! This idea of the forging the sword
chanting came from a manga I read awhile back
and it was really interesting! So I thought, why
not give Korin a similar ability?

Anyway, there are still much debate for the path
of power that Korin is going to take, so until the
Future arc arrives, that debate will still be up.

With that, I thank you for reading this!