Chapter 8: Knight vs Guardian

Koaru walked through a hole in the chain link fence surrounding the harbor, Lita closely following behind. Passing through the shadows of dozens abandoned shacks and warehouses, the two finally rounded a corner and saw Tenshi leaning against the side of a red brick workshop. The Knight had already transformed; a dark blue, gold trimmed jacket that swept down to his boots. His hands were covered by white gloves, and at his side rested a radiant rapier, its golden hand guard gleaming in the light from the moon.

"You actually came?" Tenshi called, sounding amused. Koaru smirked as he unbuttoned the top of his shirt and fished out his Crystal.

"Yeah, I did," he replied before looking back at Lita. "Leave." he said in a low voice. Lita looked at him, her expression outraged.

"What? I am staying!" she shouted, and Koaru sighed.

"At least stand back a ways," he said, turning his eyes back to Tenshi. "Judging from the amount of energy he's channeling through his body, we're going to need a lot of room."

Tenshi smiled at Koaru's words, drawing his rapier as the Guardian finished.

"I couldn't have put it better myself, he said, pointing the weapon at Koaru. "Now transform! Let me see the might of the great Guardian!"

"Not a chance!" Koaru replied, grinning. "I don't need to transform to beat you!"

Tenshi didn't respond to Koaru's words. Instead he gave out a small chuckle and charged; vanishing in a flash, leaving a small cloud of dust where he had been standing. Koaru's eyes snapped wide as his hand grabbed onto the Crystal.

Lita fell backwards as the air around Koaru suddenly exploded in a flash of golden light. Shielding her eyes from the light, she heard the sound of steel scrapping steel, and she forced herself to look. Koaru and Tenshi stood in a dead lock, the Guardian's powers activated, his long white jacket billowing from the force of Tenshi attack as his black boots dug into the ground, the seven foot long sword of the Tritus royal family pressing against the silver bladed rapier held by the Knight.

"What happened to not transforming?" Tenshi asked, pressing harder against Koaru. The Guardian felt his knees start to buckle under the pressure of the Knight's strength and pushed back, grunting slightly.

"I figured that I might as well show you how a real warrior fights." he replied, smiling before slashing his sword across Tenshi's sword, throwing the man backwards through the air.

Tenshi slid back across the ground, crouching forward to keep his balance. Stopping and looking back up to Koaru, his eyes went wide as he flattened himself on the ground, Kameharu ripping through the air where his head had been less than a second earlier. Rolling and curling up, Tenshi planted his hands on the ground and pushed off, throwing himself into the air as the massive sword bite into the earth, tearing a jagged scar through the dirt. Gritting his teeth, Koaru pulled the sword free and charged after the Knight, charging his powers into the massive blade.

"Black Sun Cannon!"

Tenshi turned in mid air as the black fire ball was launched from the sword towards him. Spinning and swiping his rapier to the side, he split the flaming energy, causing it to dissipate. Landing and glaring in Koaru's direction, he charged power into his own weapon.

"Water Blade!" he shouted, slashing the air and launching a razor sharp arc of water at Koaru. Smirking, the Guardian swept his sword through the arc, knocking it away and into a nearby building; the attack slicing clean through the steel walls. Whistling, Koaru looked back to Tenshi.

"Not bad," he said, resting his sword against his back. With a low grunt, he swung the blade, this time launching dozens of black fireballs towards his opponent. Tenshi stood still, watching the flaming spheres approach him, a smile on his lips.

"Swift Blizzard!"

Koaru stared in shock as every single fireball froze into a solid ball of ice and fell to the ground, shattering. With a quick flick of his hand, Tenshi suddenly sent every shard of ice flying back at Koaru. Leaping back, he Guardian transferred his sword to his left hand and extended his right hand towards the approaching shards.

"Crystal Flame!" he commanded, causing silver colored flames to shoot from his hand, melting the ice shards instantly. Switching Kameharu back to his dominant hand, he charged forward through the flames.

Tenshi ducked as Koaru's newest attack swung over him. Twisting, the Knight spun and jabbed at the Guardian with the tip of his sword. Koaru twisted in mid air, narrowly avoiding the attack. Pushing his blade into the ground, Koaru counter balanced himself and swung around the sword, aiming a kick at Tenshi's stomach. The Knight leapt over the attack and slashed down at Koaru, who relinquished his grip on his weapon and dropped to the ground. Getting to his feet, the Guardian frowned, finding that everything he did was being countered by the Knight. Grabbing his sword, he charged forward, both hand gripping the handle of the sword. Slashing at Tenshi, he grinned as the Knight seemed off balance by the speed of the attack. Grabbing the opening, Koaru spun and kicked out, catching Tenshi in the chest and throwing him through the air until he slammed into the brick wall of a nearby warehouse. Without hesitating, Koaru aimed his left hand at Tenshi.

"Silver Thunder!"

Tenshi froze up, feeling his muscles tense and shudder at the sound of the air ripping apart as a silver bolt of electricity flew towards him. Slamming his right foot into the ground, he flew above the attack, his eyes following the bolt as it crashed into the wall and exploded. Landing, he felt his knees buckle and he dropped down, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Across the grounds, Koaru smirked.

"So, you do have a weakness, you bastard," he said as he charged power into Kameharu.

"Raging Thunder Strike!" he commanded, launching an enormous lightning bolt at the Knight from the sword. He watched the attack connect, the ground where Tenshi stood vanishing in a ground shaking explosion.

"Gotcha, little bugger." he said, shouldering his sword. A sudden spurt of scarlet made him look down at his chest, his eyes wide. A deep wound had spontaneously opened across his chest, blood running from the cut.

"Never underestimate your opponent," came a voice from behind him, and the Guardian turned, eyes wide in shock. Tenshi stood behind him, his jacket smoking slightly, his eyes narrowed in rage, blood dripping from the blade of his rapier. Charging forward, Tenshi lunged, forcing Koaru to pull his sword over his chest to block the attack; the force of the impact sending both combatants through a building. As the soared, Tenshi pulled back and spun, slashing across Koaru's Zweihander, forcing him to fly faster, crashing through the walls and skidding across the ground on his back on the pier. Looking up, he watched Tenshi leap out of the dust clouds and aim the tip of his sword at his heart. Reacting on instinct, Koaru rolled back on his shoulders and lifted his legs, catching Tenshi in the chest, using the momentum to throw him over his head and into the water. Slowly getting to his feet, Koaru spat on the ground, frowning as he saw red mixed in with his spit. Looking back to the water, he felt his jaw drop in irritation.

Tenshi was standing on the water.

"Oh, you're fucking kidding me!" Koaru shouted, thoroughly pissed off. Tenshi laughed and cricked his neck before sheathing his sword.

"No, I am not kidding," he said, holding his hands out over the water at his sides, "and now I'm going to show you the difference between us."

Koaru felt himself waver as the water beneath Tenshi's hands started to swirl, sinking into whirlpools, then bursting up into two tentacles of water.

"Twin Hydra Fang!" he commanded as the twin water spouts took on the features of giant water snakes. One instantly struck out at Koaru, who slashed his sword through it, causing the water to fall to the ground, lifeless again.

Turning his eyes back up after his counter attack, Koaru faltered as the second snake slammed into him, carrying him through the air and pinning him against the wall behind him."Ah, shit!" Koaru shouted Kameharu fell from his hand. Extending his hand foward into the water serpent, he started charging up another Silver Thunder.

"Not so fast," Tenshi said, smiling as he snapped his fingers, causing the serpent to freeze solid, trapping Koaru. Leaping through the air, he landed beside the Guardian and drew his rapier, pointing its tip at his throat. "Ready to surrender?" he asked, pressing the blade into his skin.

"Not just yet." Koaru said, turning his eyes towards the frozen water serpent. Tenshi turned his eyes to where Koaru was looking and faltered; his fingertips were glowing with a reddish gold light, pointing right at him!

"Giga Ray!"

Lita looked up in shock as an explosion shook the air around her, filling the air with smoke by its point of origin.

"I can't stay here," she whispered, turning and running, heading to Serena's house, hoping to get help.

Tenshi pulled himself out of the wall he had crashed into, coughing slightly as he fell to his feet, shaking his head from the shock. Spotting his rapier on the ground, he crouched down and picked it up, swinging it slightly to make sure his wrist wasn't injured. Satisfied, he looked back to where Koaru had blown himself up with that last attack.

"That stupid idiot," he sighed, turning and walking away.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Turning back to the smoking wall, Tenshi felt fear grip his heart as Koaru walked out of the smoke, his sword resting on his shoulder. Thick black markings like flames were slowly spreading across his body, his left eye glowing red in the growing darkness. Smiling and exhaling slowly, a light purple smoke exited his mouth, lifting up into the sky.

"Now," Koaru said, smiling evilly as he pointed Kameharu towards Tenshi, "the real fight can begin."