'Thoughts'
"Talking"
Spells/Other's thoughts/Skills
[Captions]
{Korin's Voice}
Inner Voice
Chapter 27 Trials
As he sat on the chair of the airplane, a private one to his shock with Nurari in her day form and her guardian Norio sitting down opposite him, his mind starts to wander off back to the issue with Tsuna's disappearance. 'She really makes people worried a lot, does she…?' He mentally sighed.
Nurari stared at him while chewing on her potato snack, his worried expression getting to her, 'Geez… What's with him…?' She wonders, 'He has been like this since we boarded the plane…'
"Want me to ask Hiryuu?" The Metal Beast asked.
'It's okay, Steelexia-sama…' She tells the Joteijuu, 'I'll ask him myself.'
"Motoyama Korin." She spoke up, the man not hearing her.
"Motoyama Korin." She asked again, this time louder.
He ignored her.
*TICK* "OI! MOTOYAMA!-!" She shouted as she whacked him with her sheathed katana, getting a cry of pain from him.
"ITE! That hurts!" Korin shouted angrily.
"That's for not hearing me for the first time!" She shouted before settling down on her seat, "What's wrong? Is there something worrying you?"
"No, there is nothing wrong." Korin tells her straight.
"…Is it a girl?"
Korin nearly collapsed down comically from the sudden assumption, "It's not that I dislike young love, but you need to get your mind out of the gutter and focus if you want accomplish this job."
"It's not like that!" Korin shouted in denial, "I'm supposed to be the bodyguard of a certain girl but then she just disappear couple of weeks ago with no clue where she is."
"Oh…" Nurari nodded in understanding, "So it's the old samurai bodyguard fall in love with princess story."
"It's not!" Korin cried, "For one, she is just my charge, a way for me to find my mother's murderer! Nothing more!"
"Are you sure?" Norio asked with his eyebrow raised, "From the way you said it, you worried about her much more than a regular bodyguard should."
"Well, yeah." He stated, "I hate to admit it, but she kind of grow on me. She has great potential, far more than what she believed she can do. I want to see that potential rise out."
"Sure, that's all?" Nurari asked again.
"Yeah, that's all!" Korin growled.
'It's obvious that he cared of her much more than what a guard should be…' The quarter hanyou thought, 'He is unsure of his own feelings, huh? It is obvious that she means a lot to him though…' She sighed a bit before taking out the sheet of paper from inside her haori, "Anyway, this is the request that I need help in." She placed it on the table.
"It is a large tower in the middle of the Turkish desert." She explained to him, "From the information that was gathered by the survey teams, it is a magical relic from over an era ago that had reawaken about a month ago. Researchers are still finding out whatever this thing is supposed to be but all of the survey teams that even come close to tower disappeared."
"Disappeared? Near the tower?" Korin checked with her again.
Nurari nodded, "Not only that, there are thousands of demons that were sighted in the surroundings of that tower." Norio took out a photo and placed it on the table, showing several black figures that are shaped like gargoyles, minotaurs, cyclops, there even are a couple that look like giant spiders.
"So, our request?" He asked.
"We are the frontlines." She stated, "We are the force that will break a way through that hoard of demons and letting the researchers and their staff to enter the tower safely. After that, we entered with them and stay with them until they finished their research and escort them back out."
"I see…" Korin muttered, "So the researchers, who are they working for?"
"Hm… who was it again…?" Nurari thinks for a while.
"I believe it is the Istanbul Mage Association." Norio stated, "I think there are some small magic clans including ones from the Kansai Magic Association and Kanto Magic Association, they even sent in one that seems to originally from the Ala Rubra."
"ALA RUBRA?-!" Korin cried in shock, "As in THE famous Ala Rubra?-!"
"You seem quite familiar with them." Nurari asked curiously.
"Isn't it obvious?-! All of the magic society knows about of them! The legendary group lead by the famous Thousand Master, Nagi Springfield! They are legends in the making even when their leader died seven years ago! And you're telling me that one of them is going to be part of this?-!" Korin cried.
"Yeah, but I'm not sure who that would be." Norio stated, "But then… since one can't make it here, while another can't leave his home for obvious reason…"
"Probably the brat." Nurari stated, "Well, it would be interesting how much he has grown over the years."
Korin blinked in confusion.
Arriving at the Afyon Airport, the three got their luggage and left in a jeep into the Middle Eastern desert. Korin has changed into a much more suitable and battle ready attire for the desert environment, a beige short sleeved buttoned shirt left opened over a white sleeveless hoodie with khaki pants and black hiking boots, his gun tied to hip favouring his right side.
"We'll be reaching to the camp soon." The driver tells them, the three of them looking over to see a series of tents filled with people of many cultures, more from the Islamic country and several English and Japanese people in there. It was obvious to them who are the mages, the ones with staffs or wands.
In the distance, there lies a large stone tower stretching up almost thousands of meters and piercing into the sky itself with a dark cloud of sand surrounding the base of the building.
"So, these are the people we will be working with…?" Korin wonders.
"Nah, most of them are actually guarding this camp." Nurari stated, "I can tell. They aren't people that really specialized in magic combat or in combat at all. They probably think this is easier since monsters rarely try to attack this area, or that they are the lower ranking mages employed by one of the Magic Associations."
Korin looked around, there definitely a variety of different magic cultures around. There are Eastern mages in their Japanese priest robes and Chinese Taoist robes, western mages with their brown hooded cloaks and wooden staffs, even the Middle Eastern mages mostly in white or black robes with the symbol of Solomon in their necklace or ring.
"So, all of them are just normal mages within each individual Magic Association?" Korin asked.
"There are some rather known names here as well…" Norio stated, pointing at the dark brown haired man in a white sleeveless hoodie and grey pants standing near the tent with a long staff that has a red gem in a golden circle at its tip, "Flame of North: Dave Drekwood, he is said to have stopped rampaging snow giants in the mountains of northern Europe."
"Ah, that one I know." Korin stated, pointing at the red haired woman in a blue sports bra and beige denim skirt sitting down by a barrel smoking a cigarette who has black, "Ruby Mystic: Linda McCry, the mage that specialized in magical gem spells and the daughter of the Gem Sorcerer: Farhad McCry, the founder of the gem magic."
"And then there's him." Nurari sighed as she looked over to the muscular tanned man with short blonde hair in a black army tank shirt and army pants punching the air with a rush of straight jabs, "Knuckle Buster: Fred Surfie, elite mage of the American Magic Association."
"That's a mage?" Korin wonders, "He's all muscle and all…"
"Well, I never think that you of all people will accept this job."
A deep male voice spoke to them, Korin turning around to see a middle aged white haired man in a white suit and tie, "It has been a while, Nurari-sama." He spoke while lighting a cigarette.
"Well, if it isn't little Takamichi-kun." Nurari snickered.
"Korin, this is Takamichi Takahata." Norio tells him, "He is an old friend from a while back and one of the ex-members of the Ala Rubra."
"Wait, he's one of the members of Ala Rubra?-!" Korin cried.
"Yeah, but you probably didn't heard much of him. He was still a kid when Ala Rubra was in its prime."
"So that old coot chose you to represent the Kanto Magic Association, huh?" Nurari said, "Not a bad choice, considering that you are one of the strongest among them at the moment. Say, how is Eva-chan doing?"
Korin decided to leave those two to their own business and look around the camp. He then turn to the small duo by the lonesome, a tall man with white hair and a scar on his right eyebrow in a brown leather jacket over a white shirt and dark blue jeans and brown boots and a young girl with tanned skin and long black hair in a black gothic dress.
From the two souls' wavelengths, they are definitely bonded by a pactio, a contract between a mage and his or her disciple or partner. Although, he did sense some kind of demonic energy from her, like how he sensed Setsuna's, except hers is much stronger so it's more obvious.
'She's not a normal human, is she…?' Korin wonders, staring at her from a distance. She turned to look at him, her eyes of a shade of hazel brown but almost emotionless. Her partner than noticed her reaction and turned to face him.
He smiled at him with a friendly wave, one that Korin returned in a matter of politeness.
"Oi, Motoyama!" Nurari shouted at him, getting his attention as he turned back to the little quarter demon, "We are going to meet up with the small forward team."
"Oh, got it."
Entering the small tent with Nurari, he greeted with several young man and woman in lab coats carrying several bags and large luggage, "Mages of all races, I thank you all for accepting this job, although this is essentially is a suicide job." One of them spoke out, a man with bright red hair and bronze shaded eyes, "I'm the head of this survey team, Mark Rise."
"Well, it is a unique request so it's worth it." One of the mage, a man in a black suit and expensive looking hair style said with a snap of his gloved fingers, "A magic relic of unknown origins and name, it would valuable to study it myself."
"You're the Black Alchemist: Drake Everstein!" Norio cried. "The one that managed to recreate the legendary magic metal, Angellum?-!" Dave cried.
"Angellum?"
"Angellum, the legendary metal that said to originated in heaven before being brought down to earth when the Christ was first born." Nurari explained to Korin, "Its very existence was known all over the world and in history, it is said that all of the metal was used in the creation of Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, blessed by the fairies and angels."
"And he managed to recreate it?" Fred stated.
"We're not even sure if that metal he recreated is indeed Angellum." Linda said with a blow of her cigarette, "The only known tool, or sword, to actually use this metal is Excalibur, and it is lost till this day."
"I can assure you, it is indeed Angellum." Drake tells her.
"I'm still not convinced." Takamichi spoke up.
"Real or not, this is not the reason we are here, right?" The young man that Korin saw stated.
"…That's right." Drake said. "The job that was signed on is much more important."
"Protecting the researchers while heading into the relic tower, right?" Fred said.
"So, you said you are the leader of the head of the survey team right, Mark-san?" Norio asked.
"Yes, that's right. I'm leading this small group of researchers into the tower in order to find out what that thing is." He stated, "It is just me and four other researchers. Also, we're bringing along some equipment to study the ruins."
"And in order to do that, you need us to protect you people and lead you into the tower, right?" Dave stated.
"I have a question though; how do you intent on entering the tower? Do you even know how to enter it in the first place?" Nurari asked.
"Yes, we believe we have." Mark explained as he took out a large map, showing the entire area from the tower to the camp, "This is a detailed map we got from a satellite camera. Look here." He pointed at the southern area of the tower, "There is a small dent down from this area. We have calculated with the weather patterns and this is not possible by any sandstorm or wild winds."
"It's an entrance." Korin realized.
"That's right." He stated, "The way we're going to do it is to circle around the infested area and clear a straight path into the entrance there."
"Impossible." The girl by the young man stated suddenly.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Mark asked.
"What is it, Mana?" The man asked her.
"Demons there are strong." She stated, "Need sealing."
"Demons that need sealing…?" Korin wonders.
"What on earth is that girl saying…?" Linda wonders, "It's like she knew what kind of demons they are."
"If I recall properly, you two are from that NGO… Kanbanurae." Mark said, "Serizawa and Mana, right?"
"I heard they travel quite a lot and earn a well-respected reputation." Norio said.
"Why do you know how strong the demons are?" Korin asked Mana, the girl shrinking behind her partner's leg, "It's fine, Mana." Serizawa said to her, "I'm sorry, but I can't disclose anything about my partner. Her private matters are her own."
"Not in this team." Fred said strictly, "In a team like this, we can't hide any secrets if it might cause negative effect to all of us."
"Sorry, but please let her be." Serizawa said, "It may seems suspicious, but she is no threat to us or the mission."
Korin looked at her, the girl's eyes soulless and void of emotion like a mask; but he can tell, she is saying the truth. "We can believe her." He tells them, "She isn't lying. Besides, if she does turn out to be a threat, we can just defeat her then. One girl is more than easy to three great mages, right?"
"…Hmph, your flattery skills need work, boy." Linda said, "But I'll take your word for it. You are allied with Nurari after all."
"Thank you." Korin bowed politely, "You have my gratitude."
"So, when do we depart?" Dave asked.
"Considering what Mana said…" Mark thinks for a while, "We will head out two weeks after."
"Two weeks?" Drake's eyebrow raises up in confusion, "Why wait so long? Considering the equipment that you might need, you can have pretty much everything ready and set. Besides, don't you have a deadline to keep or something?"
"I hate to say it, but we are chosen because our achievement in the magic research field isn't well known, and the Magic Associations doesn't wish to waste any precious manpower for something like this." Mark stated, "We were never meant to go home, so we pretty much never have a deadline in the first place."
"I get with that, but why two weeks?" Dave asked.
"Two weeks from now, we have calculated it would be a full moon." Mark explained, "Not only that, the ley lines in the desert will be at its peak condition and flow along the area that we wished to enter from."
"With the ley line along that area…" Linda muttered, "We will be able to draw the planet's magic resources much easier…"
"But what about the full moon, what does that have to do with anything?" Korin asked.
"There are countless fail attempts in dispatching a survey team into the tower with all of them never returning at all, but there was one attempt that managed to return home." Mark stated, "And it was during a full moon. We theorised that the demons might be weaken from the state of the full moon."
"And making it a much easier task to burst through them when they are weakened!" Fred realized.
"That's a good strategy." Linda said.
"So, we are okay on this?" Mark asked.
"Sure." Drake said with a snap of his fingers, the rest nodded in agreement.
"So it's settled, we will leave in two weeks' time."
In the two weeks, everyone prepared for the assault. Linda went back into the capital to purchase some gemstones to use as ammunition, Dave pretty much relaxed for the two weeks, Drake holed up in his tent working on some new magical potions of sorts, Nurari and Norio went to the main library to see if they can find any clues of what that thing is.
Korin, Serizawa, Mana and Fred pretty much have a certain conversation between them.
Korin sighed as the one week has passed since his arrival here. He had called back to Nana to ask whether Tsuna has returned yet, but he got no results. The mother hasn't seen a hint or tail of her daughter, and judging from the voice he heard on the phone, she was really worried.
'Man, Tsunahime… what are you doing…?'
"Oh, you're that boy."
Korin heard the voice and turn around, facing Serizawa and Mana, the girl hiding behind the man when their eyes met.
"You're… Serizawa, right?"
"Yes, I like thank you for helping Mana, Mr… er…"
"Ah, it's Motoyama Korin." Korin tells them.
"Motoyama… wait, are you related to Motoyama Karin by any chance?" Serizawa asked.
"Eh? You know my mother?"
Serizawa's eyes widen in surprise, "She is your mother?-! Amazing! To think I meet her son of all people!" He took out a small white board out of nowhere and shoved in front of him, "Please sign it for me!"
"E-Eh?-!"
"Serizawa, you're making him nervous." Mana tells him.
"A-Ah, sorry about that…" The man apologized, "It's just that I have admire her for a long time…"
"You admire… my mother…?" Korin wonders, how his mother have got someone to admire her so well. She is not a normal everyday woman since she is… well… a mage and a pretty skilled one as well from what he was shown by herself, but it is just regular everyday magic spells, from lighting a simple glowing ball of magic to levitating something off the ground.
…On second thought, that levitation spell is actually quite difficult…
"Motoyama Karin…" Another familiar voice spoke, the blonde American mage walking towards them with a frown, "The Moeruryuu Miko (Flaming Dragon Priestess) that has said to have burn those that has dared to go against her or her comrades… and you are related to her?"
'Moeruryuu Miko…? This is the first time I've heard that name…' Korin wonders, 'But he states mom goes by that title…'
"From what I can see, that name has no significance to you." Fred said, "If that's the case…" He took up a boxing stance, his aura changing from what Korin can feel to somewhat of a killing intent being blown straight at him like a huge gust of wind.
He knows this sensation; he is not just an average mage. He is a soldier, one of the highest calibre and the most experienced among all of them.
"HAH!" Without warning and a loud cry, he lunged forward and delivers a straight right jab to Korin's face; only it missed as the teen moved his head at the last moment before rolling away from skidding to a stop a fair distance away from the blonde man. Fred did not give a second for him to breathe as left hook was sent and collide with Korin's brought up arm.
"What are you doing?-!" Korin shouted angrily.
"Rush." Fred launch a rush of jabs straight at him, the teen barely have time to block as he intercepted most of the attack before one hits his chest hard, he can feel the area of his ribcage broke under the impact while sending him flying and crashing onto the sandy ground under him.
"Motoyama-kun!" Serizawa cried.
Korin got up, grunting in pain as he felt the damage to his ribs. He can feel his healing factor activating, his ribs should be better within a minute. But considering Fred, he probably won't get even one second of rest.
Which is true as Fred appears in front of him again with a fist aiming for his head, aiming to knock him out. This time, as if on instinct, he moved forward a step and grab his biceps before tossing him over his head with a judo toss. That stunned the boxer mage who somersaulted in the air before landing on his feet with a soft thud.
'He reacted fast…, unlike the first time…' Fred thought.
'Did I just do that…?' Korin wonders. He senses another attack and turned to face Fred as he dashes forward with the intent of raising a jab at him. Thanks to the distance, Korin has enough time to pulls his gun and aimed at him, before firing it at him.
Fred skidded to a stop as he moved slight sideways, the bullet grazing his cheeks slightly. "Gun Knight's gun…!" He muttered in shock.
"G-Giltine?-!" Serizawa cried in shock.
"To think that you possess that gun too…" Fred said, "Tell me, did you fight the Gun Knight for that?"
"Fight…?" Korin blinked, "No, I got it from my dad."
"Dad…?" Fred blinked this time.
"Wait, Yan Yong Kia is your father?-!" Serizawa cried.
"Um… Yeah…?"
"PLEASE SIGN FOR ME!-!" Serizawa pushes his whiteboard in front of his face once more.
"W-W-W-W-WHOA HOLD ON FOR A MOMENT!" Korin cried.
"The son of both the Moeruryuu Miko and the Gun Knight, you are some special kid." Fred muttered, "I mean, to be born from a member of the Ala Rubra is one thing, but to be related to the Yan Exorcist Magic Council as well?"
"Wait… what did you say…?" Korin blinked, "My mother is part of Ala Rubra?-!"
"Yeah, you didn't know?" Serizawa asked, "She was always seems to get the Thousand Master out of trouble. She was often said to be his sister even if not by blood."
Korin lowered his gun slightly as his mind went overdrive, 'Mom is part of the Ala Rubra… and even treated as the Thousand Master's sister…? How much of mom did I not know…?'
After this, Serizawa seems to have gotten star struck by Korin and wishes for his autograph for the past two weeks. Korin manages to get some preparations, bullets for his gun and more charms.
At long last, the day has arrived.
The team now waiting at the camp's entrance in the evening, the research team now arriving with their equipment on their backs as the mage team ready their own supplies and gear. The mage team too is set as they have their respective equipment at hand or slung in pouches and bags. "Have you guys prepared everything?" Mark asked.
"Yeah." Olivia stated while the rest nodded.
"We are ready when you are." Serizawa said.
"Right then." The leader stated as they all walked out into the desert, "Let's go then." Korin followed them as he looked over at the horizon, where the sun is setting down in an orange hue, the tower now just a pillar of darkness to their view.
'Mission starts now…' Korin muttered as he carries on walking.
Xxx Future Era xxx
Tsuna is currently riding down the elevator to the training area where Lal Mirch is possibly waiting for her. The past two weeks was exhausting, physically from the training she has gone through under the ex-military's requiem and mentally from the strain that two of her friends are recovering and the fact that the enemy is almost next door to their base.
When Fuuta and Bianchi returned from Italy, the boy now towering over Tsuna as a young adult, they brought information about the Millefiore.
There are a total of 17 squads, with only six captains above A-rank and two of them are currently stationed in Japan. They are Electric Gamma and Irie Shouichi. The location of their base is in Namimori as well, at the Namimori Station Underground Shopping Mall that has started construction ten years ago.
With this, they already formulated a plan that is suitable for all of them: An attack directly at the hideout. Of course, it is impossible for them with two fighters still recovering and Tsuna currently is not strong enough to face them in her current state.
Thus, the race have begun.
Will Tsuna and friends be able to improve fast enough to handle the Millefiore, or will the enemy find their base and strike first?
But another disturbing news they brought as well is the fact that the Tenth Knight, Motoyama Korin is missing. Ever since the death of this era's Tsunahime, they has lost contact with him entirely. No matter what they tried or where they look, they can't find him.
This has Tsuna worried and scared. This is the first time she has faced a crisis without Korin to back her up or to protect her. It also made her realized that she has been protected by Korin this whole time. After the Ring Battles, she thought she has become a little stronger, but she was still getting helped by him like the time with the angry fan girls.
At first, it has discouraged her a lot when she heard that Korin was missing. It was till Kusakabe tells them of the message that future Korin has left for Tsuna, one intended for her future self.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Just prepare for a party for our victory."
Those words were enough for her. It does seems out of character, but the four words: Don't worry about me, they were just what Tsuna want to hear. She knows that Korin is reckless, but he isn't weak. If he says not to worry, then she won't.
It became the last push she needs to move forward.
Thus, the past thirteen days has been nothing but training with Lal Mirch for her to strengthen her flames' power when she is in Hyper Mode. Now, she told her that the training will be different from what they have been doing, which is why she is in the elevator in the first place.
As she exited into the training area, she is greeted by two people she did not expect to meet today.
"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto greeted.
"Good morning, Hime-sama!" Gokudera greeted.
"Y-You guys!" Tsuna cried in surprise, "Is it okay for you to be walking around?"
"Of course!" Gokudera tells her, "I'm getting worried about getting out of touch!"
"I-I see…" Tsuna nodded, a bit delighted to see them all right now, even though they still have some bandages around their arms and Band-Aids on their faces.
"All three are present, then." Reborn's voice said, him and Lal Mirch together in the training hall with them.
"Listen well." The ex-military tells them, "As I mentioned, you all will be starting a new training course today. It's called the [Individual Assault Training Program]."
"Individual Training…?" Tsuna blinked.
"Just like Tsuna has been receiving one-on-one training from Lal Mirch these past few days, you'll each get your own home tutor to train you." Reborn stated, "It's like what happened during the Ring Battles."
"For example, the one I'm training is Yamamoto."
"Eh?-! Reborn's training Yamamoto?-!" Tsuna cried, "I-Is that alright?-!"
"And I'm in-charge of Hayato." A familiar voice spoke, revealing the one person that really shouldn't be with Gokudera at all.
"B-Bianchi?-!" The effect is immediate, as Gokudera fell over as his face turned palely white.
"T-This must be a joke…" He muttered weakly.
"Since we're siblings, it's unsurprising that my strongest attribute of wave energy is also storm." She stated, her ring lighting up a red Storm Flame as proof, "Secondly, if you managed to complete your training successfully, I have something to award you."
"Something from otou-sama."
'O-Otou-sama?-!' Gokudera thought, but the shock wasn't enough for him to forget about the stomach pain as he collapsed again.
"T-This isn't going to work!" Tsuna cried, "W-We better stop this now!"
"You should devote yourself to your own training." Reborn tells her as he fired a bullet right between the brunette's eyebrows, sending her crashing into the wall. Just as everyone worried for her, she stood up, her eyes now burning orange and the familiar Sky Flames on her temple burning in its full might.
The aura she is now emitting is stronger than it is previously, as her gloves now burning in the orange flames.
"T-That's amazing, Hime-sama!" Gokudera cried, "The intensity has improved even more!"
"You're like a totally different person." Yamamoto stated, "You've improved leaps and bounds ahead of us again."
Tsuna leaped up and landed in front of Lal, "Shall we began, Lal Mirch?"
"I'm no longer training you." She tells her, "You have not attained the level that I expected you to at all. I've realized that you will not improve as much as I hoped for in such a short time."
"But, this is really all I've got." Tsuna stated.
"Your power is far greater than this."
At that moment, a spinning Cloud Hedgehog flew and strikes towards the brunette, who dodged it by flying out of its way and landing on the side of wall. The spinning spiked projectile changed course and flew straight at her, to get blocked by Tsuna with a burst of sky flames.
"If you don't pay attention, you'll die." A familiar voice spoke as the man walked in, "I'm going to pry open all of your abilities."
"Y-You…!"
"It is exactly like what the infant said." Hibari Kyouya of the future era stated, "This level is a far cry from your future self. How disappointing. Are you trying to get to Motoyama's level with this kind of strength?"
"Guh!" Tsuna channel her strength into her gloves, her flames flickered as the Cloud Hedgehog froze with the Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition. What she did not expect was that purple cloud fragments float around her preparing to encase her in. She quickly retaliate trying to freeze all the small parts of Cloud Flames, but they were multiplying too fast and she can't keep up.
"T-Tsuna/Hime-sama!" Yamamoto and Gokudera cried out.
She ended up being encased in a large purple spike ball, as it crash down onto the floor hard. The ring on Kyouya*'s finger broke into pieces as he walked up to it.
"It's the globe of needles form." The Cloud Guardian tells them, "It's an airtight sphere molded with the Cloud Flames, making it completely impervious. It is impossible for her to break through the sphere with either her physical strength or her flames."
Inside the sphere, Tsuna pushed and released a burst of flames from her hands. But it barely made a dent, not even a burn mark.
"It's airtight, so there is a limited amount of oxygen within the sphere." He tells her, "If you don't get out soon, you'll die."
"EH?-!" Gokudera cried, "Are you insane?-! You think you can just show up few days later, and try to kill Hime-sama?-! Let her out right now!"
"The weak will be buried; that is a given." Kyouya stated, "To begin with, even if I have a reason to kill Sawada Tsunahime, there is also no reason why I should let her live."
'…Hibari…This man is definitely no ally of ours…!'
"Then, we should begin our training as well." Reborn stated out to them.
"W-Wait a minute, Reborn-san!" Gokudera cried, "If we don't stop this, Hime-sama will…!"
"Hibari is serious on this…" Yamamoto stated.
"I know he is." The infant tells them, "That's why it has to be Hibari."
The two looked at the hitman confused, "In every generation, the boss must overcome the Vongola Trial. The trial cannot be compromised, so a genuine threat is necessary."
'Vongola… Trial…?' They thought.
"Okay, you should get started too." Bianchi said as she twisted Gokudera's head to face her, which proven too much as he faints out grunting from his stomach-ache.
"Yamamoto, I'm going to change first." Reborn tells him, "Meet me in basement 10."
"O-Oi, kid!"
Yamamoto descended into the dark abyss, before the number stopped at 10 and the elevator's door opened. There, the floor revealed to duplicate a standard Japanese corridor, with wooden floor and paper sliding doors on the sides. 'It's completely dark… Where's the switch…?'
He strolled down the corridor, before sensing KI and readied his shinai for a fight.
"So you are able to sense the threat? You have improved again, Yamamoto Takeshi."
"Who's there?-!" Yamamoto shouted.
"But you've yet to master the Shigure Kintoki. If you use the ring to draw out its full potential, you'll be stronger than even the current Sword Emperor of this era. Well, that's what your future self stated."
Yamamoto looked around, to find the infant standing in the spotlight with his shadow extending into one of a grown man.
"K-Kid!"
"When you're able to combine the Shigure Kintoki with the power of the Vongola Ring, you will be a unique presence among the Vongola." He tells the baseball nut, "In order to achieve that, I thought it would be fine to show you my true form."
In another room, a piano is playing a gently melody. Slender fingers pressing on the keys with grace as the song kept playing. 'This music… ah, it's that piano…' The melody kept on playing, 'Eh… still playing with the High G out of tune…'
Gokudera slowly opened his eyes, him lying down on a couch with a wet towel on his forehead, 'Damn… what dream is this…?'
He turned over to his right where the melody is coming from, to see a young lady with flowing waist-length silver hair sitting down by the piano playing the musical instrument. He got up in shock of her presence, but then it was just a hallucination as Bianchi is the one playing.
"Are you awake, Hayato?" She asked as she turned to face him, a pair of goggles covering her eyes, "I've cover my face so you won't collapse even if you see me now."
"Wha… What are you doing, aneki?-!" Gokudera cried, "And why is that piano here?-!"
"It was shipped over from the mansion a while ago. I'm surprised you still remember it. You were still so little at the time."
"Quit joking with me!" Gokudera cried, "That mansion, father too, no longer has anything to do with me! You too, aneki! There's nothing you can teach me!"
"Stop it, Hayato." Bianchi states out as she slams a poison cake onto her brother's face, "You have to stop letting your emotions get the better of you. Do you want a repeat of that fight with Gamma and your defeat?"
"…What do you say?-!" Gokudera shouted as he rubbed the poison frosting off his face.
"…All right, we're going to start." The poison scorpion stated, "Your goal is to complete the SISTEMA C.A.I., designed and built by this era's Gokudera Hayato."
'I… designed it…?'
"If you don't like it, just run away." She pointed out, "Like when you ran away from the mansion back then."
"What?-!"
"The only thing is…" She ignited her ring and inserted into her red Box Weapon, "You'll have to get through me first."
Gokudera steadied himself for the attack.
Back at the training hall, Tsuna is still inside the airtight cloud spike sphere. She can feel the air inside running thin, her time is getting shorter with every breath as her lungs burned with the need for more oxygen than she has around her. She is at her utmost limit of her strength and will.
'I can't take anymore…The next strike will be my last… after that, it's sink or swim.' She concentrates all remaining energy and flames onto one hand and burst it at one small area.
In the end, it is no use as it only melted a small fraction of the sphere. The area around her ring, flames of higher purity. 'Even so… how can I create a higher purity Flame to break through the sphere…?'
Her legs buckled as she dropped down onto her knees panting, 'I… I can't die here… Not in a place like this… What should I do…? Is my resolve not strong enough, is my feelings not strong enough…?'
'What am I supposed to do now, Motoyama-san…?'
Xxx Present xxx
In the middle of the desert at midnight, with the full moon in its glory shining down on the sandy plains, Korin and the rest of the mage team are battling out against the near endless hordes of demonic beasts that are rushing towards them. "Drake, behind you!" Dave shouted as he sends a torrent of flames swirling towards the demon behind the alchemist.
"Thanks!" He shouted back as he pulls out two vials filled with strange liquids, removes the corks and threw them out at the many demons in front of him, the two liquids mixed and cause a bright flash that obliterated them completely.
Linda threw out three jewels of different colours and they fired out towards the many demons that lunged out towards her, exploding and destroying them with a boom. "Man, the hordes seems endless!" She cried.
"No kidding!" Fred shouted as he punches a demon by the jaw, "It's like they endlessly spawns!"
"It could be that tower is generating dark magic that created these creatures." Takamichi said as the demon in front him got hit away by something.
Bullets rain all about on the demons as both Mana and Serizawa fired their twin pistols at them, "Mark, any signs of an entrance?-!"
"Still looking for it!" He shouted, him and the research team searching around the wall that that was supposed to have a way into the tower, 'Damn it!' He slams his fist on the wall, 'Was I too hopeful? At this rate, we're all going to die!'
Olivia slices down another demon in front of her, "Do you think we can break through the tower?" She asked.
"Even so, we would need an equivalent of a heavy tank." Norio said as he swings his two swords and decapitating another two demons.
Korin swings down his summoned sword at the demons, slicing it in half. "Where are we going to find something like that here?-!"
"Allow me." Takamichi tells him, taking his hands out of his pockets. In the palm of his hands, magic energy and ki energy filled over his right and left hands respectively and he puts them together. The two energies overlap one another and gave a large burst of power erupting from the man.
'Merging ki and magic?-!' Korin thought in shock.
Putting his hands in his pocket, the man turned to the tower's walls before a large cannon size blast erupted from his side and impacted at the wall hard, leaving the teen shocked and jaw-dropped, "W-W-What was that?-!" Korin cried.
"So that's the rumoured Kanka, huh?" Fred said as Dave whistled at the destructive power.
"As expected of a member from Ala Rubra." Linda stated as she threw a jewel at a demon approaching her.
"K-Kanka…?" Korin blinked, confused.
"It's a technique that uses ki and magic, and overlap them over one another." Olivia tells him, "The result is a new form of energy that is much powerful that each individual energy. It is often used as a major power boost for those that doesn't have much magic or ki."
Korin looked over at the sheer power that Takamichi put out after using the technique. Unconsciously, his mind already started analysing the technique to great detail, but on a conscious level, he is beyond amazed by it.
But despite its power, the wall barely have a crack on it, or even a small dent from that attack.
"Damn, even the Kanka move doesn't work!" Mark cried out in frustration.
The demons kept on boxing them into a small corner. Despite being weaker than normal, their sheer numbers are staggering. It looks like it is the end for them, a truly what was said to be a suicidal mission.
Korin then got an idea. He placed his hand on the wall, channelling magic into the wall itself, "Spirits of Earth and Wood, lend me your aid." In his mind, a small blueprint of the current wall he is holding is appearing in his mind. He notices a small area part that was much thinner than the rest, the area left of where his hand is touching.
"Takamichi!" Korin called out, "Aim that attack of yours here!" He slams his summoned sword at the area.
The older male nodded as he turned and fired another blast at the area, hitting the sword first and it digs into the area hard before it bash right through and the wall collapsed behind them.
"Quick, inside!" Mark instructed, the research team enter the hole with the mage team following. When all has entered, Linda throw down a black gem and it glows to form a black magical wall that blocks up the hole.
The team all sighed in relief as some dropped onto the floor exhausted. "Thank goodness…!" Serizawa panted out as his partner too is exhausted, Dave and Linda sitting down on the floor completely spent while Drake completely is lying down on the ground taking in deep breaths. Fred, Takamichi, Norio and Olivia are the few people that still have some energy left in them. Even Korin is exhausted as he was leaning on a pillar catching his breath.
"Good thing… Takahata-san's attack… got through…" Drake panted.
"It was thanks to Korin-kun." Takamichi tells them, "If he didn't point out the weak point of the wall, I wouldn't have break through."
The teen panted out, "You're welcome" and gave a thumbs up to him.
"So, this is the tower…" Norio looked around the dark emptiness. He can barely make out some stairs and the ceiling, due to the height.
"Seems, Babylonian." Olivia said, "The architecture is over a millennia old."
"My guess it is probably sealed for that long." Takamichi added.
Mark touched the pillar, feeling the grains of stone on his fingertips, "Fascinating…! The tower seems to be from an ancient time, somewhere during the Babylonian Empire rein, but its age is like it was just built a couple of months ago."
"The condition must have remained like this when it was sealed." Fred said, "I've heard of magic that is capable to pausing the lifespan of an object as long as the magic is applied in cycles."
The research team starts to put down their equipment, some starting to pick up some small stones left by the hole they blast through and looking through them with a special glass lens. "Korin-kun, I want to ask you something." Takamichi said walking up to him.
"Yeah?" Korin replied, managing to get some of his strength back.
"That thing you did with the wall." He asked him, "You seems to have scan the wall and pin-pointed the weak-spot with rather ease. Was it a form of magic as well?"
"…Oh, you mean that." The teen said, thinking for a bit, "I guess it is like that. It's a spell known as GouzaoLijie (Understanding the construct). What it does is analyse the structure of the thing I'm touching and pretty much show me the blueprint of that said object. It's faults, strength, materials, what keep them together."
"Then, you saw the weak point of that wall through that spell."
"Pretty much."
Takamichi thought for a while, "I see." He smiled as he sat down next to the boy, "Still, I'm surprised. I've never heard of a spell capable of doing that before, even in your clan."
"Well, it's something I came up when I was young when I was training on my enhancement spell…" Korin said sheepishly, before realizing what the old man stated, "Wait, my clan…? You mean…"
"You're part of the Yan Exorcist Magic Council, right?" He stated.
"You… knew…?" The teen blinked.
"Of course." The old man said, "You looked a lot like your father than you think."
"Takamichi-san, you knew my father…?" Korin asked.
"He was a good friend and mentor." Takamichi said, "I was just a young boy, but I can still remember the great feats he is capable of performing. Hell, in his fights, he was a juggernaut."
"T-Then, he's part of the Ala Rubra as well?-!" Korin cried.
"No. He wasn't part of the same group." He tells the boy, "If I remember correctly, he named his own group as Arondight, after the famous sword wielded by Sir Lancelot in the Arthurian Legends… While that group was disbanded many years ago, Yong-Kia is still pretty active."
"Yeah, I know." Korin nodded. 'He still accepts missions from the Council, after all.'
"They and our group often clashes back then. Yong-Kia pretty much is above Nagi in terms of skills, strength and overall power, but Nagi is above him in magic prowess. We still never figure out who is stronger among the two of them."
"W-Wait, oyaji is at the same level as the Thousand Master?-!" He cried out, "The same man, who is pretty much a heavy hitter medic, fought THE Thousand Master, the Man of a Thousand Spells, to a draw?-! Are joking with me?-!"
"Nope, all of it is true." The man laughed, "But the term heavy hitter medic… I've never thought his own son will say that."
Korin faced an another shocking truth, his father and mother are acquainted with the famous and infamous Thousand Master, with the latter being part of the same group he founded and the former having the same level of strength as him. He never thought that his parents were that famous at all, especially his mother who seems to act like a normal housewife mother in the years he has lived.
"…Why… didn't they tell us…?" He muttered.
"Hey, you guys!" Mark called for them, "We're about to make a move!"
"Got it!" Takamichi shouted back, "Come on, Korin-kun." He got up from his spot on the floor and walks off to join the rest of the team. Korin shook his head, erasing the thoughts away for now. 'I need to focus on the mission for now. I'll ask the old man when I get back.' He got up and follows the man back to their team.
"Whoa…" Mark stated out as his fellow researchers starts to wander around the many rooms in the tower. When they found the flight of stairs heading up to the top, they starts to go up the spiral stairs. Investigating every room in every level is pretty much what they are doing, the mages separated into two groups with the researchers so they can spread out to check out the floors quicker.
But surprising, the entire tower is bare, not just of people but furniture as well. It seems that the tower was built to host a kingdom worth of people, but there aren't signs of residence in most of the rooms. There are some with signs of shelves, beds, but the rest of the rooms they have searched were completely empty.
Mark still looking around, but he was much more amazed by the age of the architecture than anything, "No matter how many times I have seen this. The building is beyond what I known of Magical Preservation. There isn't signs of any glyphs, runes, or any written incantation on the walls or ceilings. To preserve this big of a structure without using any of those things, how strong of a mage are we talking about…?"
"This could be a dimensional magic." Drake stated, he in the same group as Korin, Serizawa and Mana for guarding Mark, "Containing the large building in a separated plane of reality seems more plausible."
"Dimensional magic required glyphs, runes at best in order to activate." Korin argued, "And there isn't any signs of any outside or inside."
"Not necessarily." The alchemist tells him, "There are dimension magic that once used, the runes disappears as soon as the magic deactivated. A one-way dimensional portal."
"But then, why would the building came back?"
"That's a right question, young boy." Drake stated all knowingly.
Mark stopped as his hand took out a small walkie-talkie, "Nothing here, should we continue?"
"No, let's rest first. We have search through the tower for the past three hours, and we need to sleep."
"Got it, let's go to next floor, we will rest in the biggest room on that floor." He hang up as he turned to the mages accompanying him. "We're heading to the floor above us and set up camp there."
"Okay." Korin nodded, the other three nodded.
Following the lead researcher up the stairs to the floor above them, they met up with the other group that have already built up the campsite, some preparing their sleeping tents and bags with Linda placing down crystals around the site. "Rest up." Mark tells them, "We'll wake up on sunrise."
"Okay."
All of them starts to fall asleep one by one. Korin decided to lean on the wall at the borders of where the crystals are placed, and falls to sleep.
'I wonder if Tsunahime is doing alright…'
Xxx Future Era xxx
Tsuna still in the large airtight sphere completely enclosed around her, her breathes slowly drawing the remaining oxygen as she tries her best from falling over from exhaustion. Her pants became shorter as she fell out of her dying will state and dropped down on her back panting hard, 'What should I do…? At this rate…' She removes her mittens and stared at the ring on her middle finger.
'What more… can I wish for…? What…?'
At the thought, the ring glowed as a small light shines from the insignia and projects the emblem of the ring on her forehead, 'What…?'
Kill him
"P-Please! Give me another chance! If I die… my children and my wife…!"
*BANG*
"GAHH!-!"
'What's this…? It's being transmitted directly into my mind…'
Revenge
Ambush
Eradicate
'W-What is this…?-!' Tsuna thought in shock as the gruesome images are projected into her mind with the voices of countless people, begging for mercy, screaming in pain.
"The Vongola's past sins."
She looked up, noticing several man in suits with flaming mask covering their eyes.
"Murder. Revenge. Betrayal. An insatiable thirst for power. This is the blood-stained history of the Vongola Mafia. Holder of the Sky Ring, do you have the resolution…?"
"The resolution to inherit these dark sins?"
"Please help us!"
"GAHHHH!-!"
"Stop… It hurts…"
"Have mercy!"
"Give him back, give back my son!"
"My eye! MY EYE!"
"No… Stop… STOP THIS!-!"
Outside, the adults stood around the sphere as they await the results of the trial, 'Sawada…' Lal thought worriedly.
"The oxygen inside is nearly out. Both her mental and physical states are reaching critical levels…" Kusakabe stated.
"This will not achieve anything!" Lal cried, "She's going to die at this rate! Stop the training at once!"
"It was you who instructed Sawada Tsunahime to fight with the ring on her finger, isn't it?" Kyouya stated, "That was the right thing to do. But whether she is able to achieve the same level as the Sawada Tsunahime you hope for, she must be tested under extreme circumstances."
"Although, there hasn't been one so young to face the trial in Vongola history before."
"She isn't ready for this yet!" She cried, before hearing footsteps and saw the hitman tutor entering with unnatural serious air around him. When she saw his expression, it is obvious what he is saying. 'What are you trying to accomplish here…? Are you trying to rewrite Sawada's personality?'
Inside the sphere, the young girl panting out in horror from the mental images and the lack of oxygen. The gruesome visions won't stop, and they keep getting worst with every visions, "Stop it! Make it stop!-!"
"Do not avert your eyes. This is the destiny of the successor of the Vongola. This is the purpose of the life you were given."
"No! This isn't… this…!"
"This is the price we must pay for the power we wish for. If it's great power you desire, you must also have the resolution to inherit our great history."
"Great… history…?" She muttered, "What GREAT history is this?-!" 'This power… if I have to inherit this…'
Rain pours down on the ground hard, her eyes widen as she saw the area around her has changed. It is now a forest deep in the night, rain pouring down from above but not affecting her, 'Where…?'
"Aniki! Please hang on, aniki!"
She heard a young, yet familiar sounding voice. Her eyes turned to the scene in front of her, a young boy at around the age of ten kneeling next to a dark-brown haired man in a red trench coat with black shirt and black pants lying down on the wet grass. What she then realized is that the man is drenched blood all over his face, his shirt darker than normal with many cuts over his coat and pants on his limps.
"Hahaha… Looks like… It was too much… after all…" The man pants, "But you're… safe… that's… all that's… matters…"
"No! It's not!" The boy cried, tears pouring out of the side of his eyes.
"…Korin…" He panted out as the man patted the boy on his black haired head, "…Come on… do you… want to… get mocked by… Tenchi again…?…"
'Korin…?-! So that's… Motoyama-san…?'
"I don't care!" Korin cried, "I don't want you to die! I don't want anyone else to die! I… DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE AGAIN!-!"
"…You won't…"
"My mom is gone… my family didn't know I'm alive… everyone else is gone…" He sobbed, "I don't want you to go as well!"
"…Korin…" The man panted, "…You know… I've… dreamed of… becoming a… hero… once… But I know… that's not… possible… A hero… is someone… who can… save everyone… No one can… save everyone… I have tried… but… I failed… That's why…" He grabbed the boy's head and placed his face on his chest, "You'll live on…"
"You'll be my proof, the proof of my dreams and ideals."
"Aniki…"
"…Remember… Korin…" He coughed out, "Stay true to your heart… And regardless of how cruel the world is… Always… protect the ones you love."
At that last speech, the man drew his last breath, his hands slumps on his side numb. His eyes closed as his body stopped moving, his face in a content smile. "H-Hey… Aniki…?" Korin shook the man, "Aniki…? Aniki! Aniki!" Tears poured out as he let out a loud cry, roaring out at the heavens.
The vision ends, leaving more questions for her than answers. But, it also gave her the last thing she need to know. The last words that the man spoke out to Korin, it was the same to her. "I thought if I could protect everyone, I could do anything… but this…"
"This power… I DON'T NEED IT!-!"
"What?-!"
"If you want to make me inherit these such mistakes… Then, I'll… I'll destroy the Vongola!"
She panted out at the last of her energy in that declaration, completely exhausted, 'What… what have I said…?' She slumps forward exhausted, 'I'm sorry, everyone…'
What she did not expect was to land onto a firm chest, looking up exhausted she saw someone that she never expected to see, "N-Ninth…?-!" The old man smiled kindly, before walking off, showing her the long row of people of eight with one man sitting on a throne of sorts, all of them wearing suits of many colours.
The first one was the one that looks menacing, like Xanxus but with shorter hair and lack of scars, one she identified as the Secondo. His hand glowed out in the infamous Flames of Rage.
The one opposite him is a middle-aged man with a near bald head, identified as the Terzo. In his hand in an ornate knife ignited in orange sky flames.
The third one next to Secondo is another middle-aged man with brown beard and hair, identified as the Quarto. In his hand is a fork in orange flames.
The fourth is a probably the other young-looking man in a white cape with a tattoo in between his eye-brows and well-maintained pale-brown hair, identified as the Quinto. In his hand is a two prong katar shaped like a ring.
The one next to Quarto is another middle-aged man wearing a monocle on his left eye, identified as the Sesto. In his hand is an ornate boomerang with the tip he is not holding burning in orange flame.
The sixth one is a man wearing a top hat and possess a moustache, identified as the Settimo. In his hand is a black revolver in orange flames.
The one next to Sesto is the only female member with black hair tied in a bushy tail by a red ribbon and a flower-like pattern on her left side of her face, identified as the Ottavo. In her hand is a white crossbow engulfed in orange flames.
The last one is the old man, the boss that have chosen her as his heir to the Vongola throne, the Ninth boss. In his hand is a sceptre with the tip burning in flames.
The eight leaders stood facing each other in a long row, the mark of the Vongola shining under them in all its glory. The last of the leaders stood up from his throne, revealing a similar black and white glove from inside his black ornate cape but instead of an X, a I is on the back of the glove, his feature mirroring her own, except for the blonde hair and the orange eyes with the dying will flame burning on his forehead.
"Your resolution, has been unequivocally accepted."
'What is this…?' Tsuna thought in shock, 'A dream…? An illusion…?'
"Our hours have been engraved into the ring."
'Hour…? Time…?'
"To flourish or to perish, it's up to you now. Vongola Decima."
'Vongola… Decima…?' She thought, 'Tenth?'
"We have been waiting for you."
Their flames all burst stronger than before, until nine flames of orange hue surrounds her in a circle as the symbol under her glows ever brighter.
"It's time for you to inherit, the proof of the Vongola."
A bright light surrounds and blinds her, as the surge of power courses through her body.
Outside the sphere, the purple spiked ball cracked. Bright light shone through the cracks as they grew along the large sphere continuously, shocking everyone outside watching, "Wha-What's happening?-!" Lal cried, Reborn stood there with the same stoic face he has whenever he is serious.
"Kyo-san, what is this?-!" Kusakabe cried.
"The Needle Globe has been broken." Kyouya states out matter-of-fact.
The sphere couldn't take the power inside, and gave way and broke, exploding in a large boom. Within the smoke, they saw the figure standing up with glowing orbs of light around her hands. Raising up her hand, revealing a new pair of gloves, her X-gloves now sporting a blue gem that mirrors of the Vongola Sky Ring.
'X-Gloves: Ver. Vongola Ring.'
"That… That is…!" Lal cried out.
"She passed it." Reborn stated.
'This is it… This is what I have been waiting for. It is said that the Sawada Tsunahime of this era is able to draw out the power of the Vongola Ring by equipping it on the back of her gloves…'
"I never expected that it is the result of the Trial."
"Me neither." The infant tells her, shocking the ex-militant, "In all honesty, I couldn't come up with any other way for her to power-up rapidly besides the traditional Trials. Very impressive, Tsuna."
Tsuna looked down at her new gloves, invoking the flames and getting much clearer orange flame that is almost crystal clear. 'What… a beautiful flame… It doesn't seems that reliable but… it feels as though it is coming from within my own heart…'
"You're starting to resemble the you I know." Kyouya smirked, "The one that gives me the thrills like the baby does." He took out his purple Box, "From here on out, I can do whatever I want, right?"
"Yeah. That is what I promised." Reborn stated.
"Then…" He igniting his ring in purple Cloud Flames, opening his Box to reveal his iconic tonfas, "Let's begin." Cloud Flames ignites on his weapon, bursting a large wave of pressure at them.
'What Flames… no, this is his killing intimidation!' Lal thought in shock, 'He has kept it under control until now…! So, this is Hibari Kyouya…'
"There are no rules in this fight." Kyouya stated, "The only choice you have is to defeat me, or to die."
Tsuna flinched a little, "I'll defeat you." She said firmly.
"…" He smirked, "Come and get it."
'He's… truly planning on killing her…!' Lal thought.
Tsuna took a stance, her palm facing her back. In a large burst of orange flames, she accelerates up that she disappears from everyone else sight. This speed was new to her as she was surprised when everything around her is nothing but a blur within the next second, except for the one in front of her. Kyouya simply runs forward, and somersaulted up and over the brunette, causing her to continue to speed towards the wall. Tsuna twisted her body as fast as she could and lands hard on the concrete wall, creating a large crater on impact.
She pants out a breath before igniting her gloves and accelerates towards Kyouya in near-sound breaking speeds. Hibari dashes towards her, slamming his tonfa into her gut hard. Coughing out in pain as she was send flying into the air, Tsuna quickly stabilized herself with a small burst of Sky Flames. The skylark leaped up towards her with his weapon ready, "You're afloat." He mutters.
'The flames are too weak…!' She thought as she released much more flames on her gloves, not expecting the extremely large burst of flames rocketing out, sending her crashing into to the ground under her.
Kyouya landed down on the ground, "What are you trying to pull?"
She grunts out in pain as she got up on her feet.
'What's going on here…?' Lal thought, 'It's said that the purity of the Sky attribute increases the most among the seven, so its propulsion force rises just as rapidly. What are you doing, Sawada?-!'
"It seems Tsuna's new gloves has a special Peak-Type characteristic." Reborn stated.
"Peak-Type?"
"Yeah." The infant continued, "From the look on Tsuna's face, I don't think that the flame came out was what she expected."
"…True, she is moving rather awkwardly." Lal commented, "Isn't that because she was overwhelmed by the flames' power?"
"If that's the case, she could fight within the limit she can control. But now she couldn't even do that." Reborn stated, "It's probably because Tsuna's normal X-Gloves rise in power linear to the strength of her will. But the Ver. V.R.'s has a function that the power jumps up exponentially. She couldn't handle the sudden increase in acceleration and was pitched backwards."
"I see…"
"That new weapon the ancestors gave Tsuna is a unpredictable wild horse."
"Why are you saying that with such a happy face?-!"
"It is not something she can use yet, not without plenty of practice." Reborn stated, "She has yet to grasp a feel of the distance and the timing."
'These gloves… they consumed my stamina more intensively than I thought…' Tsuna thought wearily as Kyouya stood by ready for whatever she has coming, 'Worse, he is not an opponent I can fight if I can't get my flames under control…'
"Hey, remember what I said…?" Kyouya asked.
"…I must defeat you, right?" She replied, he smirking at that response, 'I don't have any other options… I don't like it but it's my only chance for survival… It's now or never…' She readied herself and poise her hands back away from her, and blasts straight at the skylark in a high-speed attack.
Kyouya looked on, before stepping forward and hits her hard when she came close enough, knocking her and crashing into the wall hard. He sighed angrily, "I'm disappointed in you. I have no interest in weakly herbivores. I don't even feel like engaging you directly." He searched his pockets for his Box, only to find empty.
At the crash site, Tsuna panted out tiredly as in her hands is the same Box that the Cloud Guardian uses, one she snagged during their small clash, "Please work…" She mutters as she ignites her ring, opening the Box and the hedgehog came flying out straight at him, faster than when Kyouya uses it.
He smirked, 'That's it, Sawada Tsunahime. You were always the interesting fellow…' He pulls out a ring along with another Box of the same kind, opening and releasing his own hedgehog against Tsuna's, purple and orange flames clashes hard against each other.
"I've changed my mind." He states out, "I want to fight when you're stronger, when you are able to stand on the same stage as HIM. Until then, I'll stick around a little longer."
"Now then, people." He added, "Do you know, how Boxes came to be?"
To be continued…
There! Done! Finally! This chapter took forever!
I was having trouble with how I would portray
Korin's own mission in the present plus I was
exhausted with my own NS duty and so forth.
For those who waited this long, I'm sorry.
Also, I have been hooked on reading all those
RWBY fanfictions lying around. When I saw
the first season, I was hooked. The animation
and plot was a bit underdone, but it was pretty
solid considering it was done with a handful
of people. If you want to see a really well done
amateur series, you should consider it, especially
with its second season finished few months back.
Now that is said and done, I was planning on
making a RWBY fanfic myself. Seeing on how
my current stories goes, I might do just that.
Tell me what you guys think?
With that, I thank you for reading this!
*I'll be referring the future version of the guardians by their first or second name, whichever that I didn't refer to them in previous chapters so to make things less confusing. This means future Hibari will be Kyouya and future Ryohei will be Sasagawa.