Hikari and the Soul Edge
Chapter 7: The Tournament Finals
Kilik began to charge for Hikari. Just as he shot towards her, Hikari suddenly remembered something from when she first began the study of swordsmanship.
The young Hikari stood on the opposite side of the arena as her father, each of them wielding a wooden sword. Hikari then charged straight for him. Kai then merely swept her feet with his sword, knocking her down. He then helped her to stand.
"Hikari," Kai began. "Swordsmanship isn't about rushing forward whenever you can. In battle, you must use not only your strength, but your enemies strength as well."
"Really?" Hikari asked.
"Just like I did," Kai said. "As you charged forward, I merely had you trip over my sword. The speed at which you were running made you fall just as fast."
The flashback ended. Hikari then realized what she had to do. As Kilik charged forward, Hikari threw her sword across the ground towards his feet. Kilik saw this and jumped into the air.
"That won't work on me!" Kilik shouted.
He looked down and saw that Hikari was no longer there. He landed on the edge of ring and immediately turned around. Before he knew it, Hikari's sword was in his face.
"Checkmate," Hikari said.
Everyone in the audience was amazed.
"Nice one!" Kenji shouted.
Kenji then remembered what had happened. Right after she threw her sword, Hikari performed a barrel roll across the ground. Before Kilik hit the ground, Hikari grabbed her blade, jumped up, and prepared for the finish.
"She had him jump when running at full speed. Because he can't stop himself in mid-air, he landed right at the edge of the ring," Kenji thought. "She really knows what she's doing."
After he got through the initial shock at seeing a sword at his neck, Kilik dropped his weapon and raised his hands into the air.
"I concede," Kilik said.
The crowd cheered as Hikari withdrew her weapon.
"Amazing!" the announcer shouted. "Hikari rolled her way into a from-behind victory and made her way into the finals!"
Kenji and Mog ran down to meet up with the exhausted Hikari.
"Great job!" Kenji exclaimed.
"Kupo!" Mog squeaked as he flew around Hikari.
"It's not over yet, guys," Hikari said. "I've still got one more match."
Just then, Hikari's stomach growled.
"But first, I have to get something to eat," Hikari said.
"No problem," Kenji said. "I think that competitors eat free. I'll watch the next fight. You go and get that meal."
"Keep a close eye on that Xianghua girl," Hikari said. "She's strong. I think she's been holding back this whole time."
Hikari then left to get something to eat. She was eventually in the café, where she began to chow down. After Hikari finished her tenth plate, Kenji and Mog rushed into the room.
"Hikari!" Kenji shouted.
"What happened?" Hikari asked.
"That…that girl, Xianghua…" Kenji panted.
"What is it?" Hikari asked.
"You were right!" Kenji shouted. "She was holding back!"
"Calm down and tell me everything," Hikari said. "Sit down and get something to eat."
Kenji took a deep breath and sat down. Hikari ordered a plate as Mog ate the crumbs on Hikari's plate.
"What happened?" Hikari asked.
"Well…" Kenji began.
A flashback began. Xianghua stepped into the ring with a man dressed in a black ninja outfit. On the ninja's back was a large shuriken.
"You will not survive," the ninja said.
"You sound pretty confident," Xianghua said.
"This match is between Shado and Xianghua," the announcer said. "Let the match begin!"
Xianghua drew her sword as the ninja pulled out a few kunai knives. After the initial clash, the two warriors began to move at a speed that made them nearly invisible to everyone in the audience. They landed at opposite ends of the arena.
"These two are moving at speeds that haven't been seen for years!" the announcer exclaimed.
"You are quite impressive," Shado said.
"You are as well," Xianghua said.
"But now you will see why they call me the Illusion," Shado said as he began to form a hand-sign.
Suddenly, five more Shados appeared all around Xianghua.
"Clones?" Xianghua asked.
"Despite my title, these are no mere illusions," one of the Shados said.
"They are all very real," another said.
"Fighting me is like fighting an army," a third said.
All six of them then grabbed their large shuriken.
"I was saving this move for the finals," the first Shado said. "But I believe you deserve to taste my power."
Without pulling the shuriken off of their backs, the six Shados began to run around Xianghua in a big circle. They spun faster and faster until it looked like a whirlwind surrounded Xianghua.
"Ninja-Art: Blade Storm!" all six Shados shouted.
Xianghua then got into a guard stance with her sword. Suddenly, the whirlwind contracted until nobody could see what was going on inside. When the whirlwind faded, all six of the Shados, as well as Xianghua, remained standing. All of the Shados were in fighting stances while Xianghua had her sword to her side.
"What happened?" the announcer asked.
A moment later, five of the Shados disappeared in clouds of smoke. The remaining Shado fell down and passed out.
"I don't know how it happened, but Xianghua managed to evade that attack and counter it!" the announcer exclaimed. "Now that's what this tournament is supposed to be about!"
The announcer began the count. As Kenji expected, Shado hadn't woken up within the ten seconds he had.
"And that's it!" the announcer shouted. "The winner is Xianghua! She and Hikari are both going to the finals!"
The flashback ended. Hikari, Kenji, and Mog had finished eating.
"She's not only fast," Kenji said. "She's powerful. I think she's much stronger than that Kilik guy that you fought was."
"It doesn't matter," Hikari said calmly as she stood up.
"How can you be so calm?!" Kenji exclaimed.
"This isn't a life-or-death situation," Hikari said. "If I lose this tournament, we just won't have any money. I'll just give it my best shot and hope for the best."
After a short while, Hikari stepped into the ring and stood face-to-face with Xianghua. The crowd surrounding the battle arena roared with cheer.
"It's time for the final round!" the announcer shouted into the microphone. "In one corner is the bandana-wearing Hikari Kamai! In the other corner is the swift and skilled Chai Xianghua!"
Xianghua bowed to Hikari, who immediately bowed back.
"Ladies and Gentlemen…" the announcer began. "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!"
A bell rang, and the two competitors charged towards each other. The sound of clashing blades echoed throughout the entire arena as they fought. Hikari then performed a side-slash. Xianghua jumped up to dodge the sword. She then flipped in mid-air and landed behind Hikari. She then sliced her in the back. Hikari fell to the ground.
"That strike could've killed Hikari!" Kenji thought.
Hikari stood up and got into her guard stance. Xianghua charged forward and lowered her sword for a strike to the legs. Hikari prepared to guard there, but Xianghua lifted up her sword at the last second to strike Hikari at her unguarded head. Hikari fell to the ground and immediately rolled around. She then rose up for a counter-attack, but Xianghua blocked the attack and knocked Hikari onto her back.
"It looks like you don't stand a chance," Xianghua said as she lifted her blade up for a final stab.
Just as Xianghua slammed her sword downwards, Hikari's sword glowed light blue for an instant, releasing a strange wave of energy that knocked Xianghua's sword out of her hand.
"Was that magic?" the announcer asked, puzzled. "It wasn't anything I've ever seen before. I guess she hasn't broken the 'no magic' rule."
Hikari looked at her sword and saw that it was normal.
"Weird," Hikari said to herself.
Everyone in the arena looked confused at what just happened except Xianghua and Kilik, who was watching from the stands. Xianghua looked over at Kilik, who merely nodded.
"I surrender," Xianghua said as she bowed to Hikari.
The whole audience gasped with shock. Hikari had the most confused look on her face at what just happened.
"Surrender?" Hikari asked.
"Yep," Xianghua cheerfully said as she picked up her sword and jumped out of the arena.
The arena went silent for a minute.
"Well…I guess…Hikari is the champion!" the announcer shouted into the microphone.
The crowd roared with cheer after the confusion faded. Later on, Hikari, Kenji, and Mog were getting ready to leave after they were given their prize. As they were leaving, Xianghua and Kilik were standing at the door.
"No rematch!" Hikari immediately shouted.
"We don't want any rematch," Kilik said. "We wanted to talk to you about Soul Calibur."
"Soul what?" Hikari asked.
"Does it have anything to do with the Soul Edge?" Kenji asked.
"Yes," Kilik said. "More that you know. Let's discuss this matter somewhere more private."
"Sure," Hikari said.
Hikari, Kenji, and Mog followed Kilik and Xianghua to a small room. They all sat down at a table and began to eat while they talked.
"Alright," Hikari said as she put down her glass. "Do you mind explaining what you know about the Soul weapons?"
"First of all, the swords are definitely real," Xianghua said. "They are two swords that have existed for centuries."
"How can swords exist for centuries without rusting?" Hikari asked.
"Powerful magic can make any object last for a while," Kenji answered. "But to last for centuries would require magic equal to that of a…"
"Demon," Kilik answered. "There is a demon spirit that is sealed inside the Soul Edge known simply as Inferno."
"It has the ability to take over the minds of anyone who touches the sword," Xianghua said.
"That's crazy!" Hikari exclaimed.
"It seeks only one thing: to absorb souls through slaughter and regain its full power," Kilik said.
"Then what is the Soul Calibur?" Kenji asked. "Is it another soul-sucking sword of doom?"
"No," Xianghua said. "It's the exact opposite."
"The Soul Calibur is a sword that was forged to counter the power of the Soul Edge," Kilik said. "It is equal in strength and is the only thing that can truly destroy the cursed weapon."
"One more question," Hikari said. "What do those swords have to do with me?"
"That is something I'm not entirely sure of," Kilik said. "But we both saw it when you were fighting Xianghua. Your sword transformed into the form of Soul Calibur for an instant."
"Do you mean that blue sword?" Hikari asked.
"Exactly," Xianghua said. "Whether you want to or not, you're getting involved in something that will decide the fate of the entire world."
There was a long moment of silence after this. Soon, Kilik and Xianghua stood up.
"It's about time we get moving," Kilik said. "I'm sure we will cross paths again, Hikari."
"Yeah," Hikari said.
Hikari shook their hands. Xianghua and Kilik then left the room. Eventually, Hikari and Kenji left with their prize money.
They didn't speak for the longest time as they walked down the path to the next town. Kenji eventually decided to break the silence.
"So we just got involved in something bigger than we ever thought," Kenji said. "But I guess we've been involved since the beginning, right?"
"I guess," Hikari said.
"Something's on your mind," Kenji said. "What is it?"
"It's just…I wonder why I've been chosen to do this," Hikari said. "Why am I different from some other warrior?"
"I don't have the answer to that," Kenji said. "But that's what an adventure can do: answer questions. Let's learn more about your destiny as we go on."
"Sure," Hikari said.
"And just remember that I'll be by your side the whole way," Kenji said. "I made a promise to you."
Mog then fluttered by Hikari and cheerfully cried "Kupo!"
"I guess he's saying the same thing," Kenji said.
Hikari petted Mog on the head.
"Alright," Hikari said. "Let's get moving!"
With newly found confidence, Hikari began to rush forward with Kenji and Mog right behind her.