Chapter Three: "Blitz" or To the Death "Scythe" Match

Death the Kidd remembered clearly when Black Star burst into his chambers. Before he could get a word in edgewise the ninja shouted too loudly: "Stein and Maka are having a Death Scythe match!"

Lord Death frowned. "Hah?"

It came to pass that Black Star was more accurate than Kidd preferred to admit. Somehow classes were ended for the day. All of Shibusen crowded the arena that was usually used for the annual sparring festivals. Screams were coming from students rooting for their favourite meister or weapon.

"Stein-hakase is actually popular," Death thought offhandedly.

Stein was standing coolly on one side of the ring talking lowly to Spirit. Maka was warming up with Soul acclimating herself with his weight and their combined technique. She manipulated him flawlessly. It stirred memories in Spartoi. "Are you ready, Stein- hakase?"

Stein got rid of the cigarette he was smoking and sunk into the proper posture. "Sparring with my students," he said with a grin.

"They grow up so fast," Spirit added nostalgically.

"I know that's your daughter over their Spirit. I should warn you I don't intend on going easy on her."

Spirit said casually and with affection, "That's an Albarn over there. She can take you."

Stein ran to Maka. When Maka used to use her father in combat she made full use of the fact that he was heavy to land critical hits. His design was also great for quick defense due to a blade that can disappear and multiply in number. Soul on the other hand was lighter and his blade curved more. It made arching motions more sensible. In those motions Maka and Soul used the blade as a counterweight.

She spun out of the way now, Soul dancing over her wrists and gloved knuckles. Clang!—Clang!—Clang went the weapons when they hit. Returning from the defensive, Maka swung the scythe in an obvious move that Stein easily leapt over. He resonated with Spirit in that moment. He swung Witch Hunter down at the pair.

Stein smirked. "You're worthy of praise."

As the dust cleared a roar sounded off. Students and spectators were going wild within the stands. Kidd eventually saw why. Maka had blocked Witch Hunter with her Witch Hunter. Such a speedy resonance!

Black Star quipped, "What's the big deal? I could stop either one of those attacks with my bare hands!"

While that may be true, Shinigami thought, what's amazing is how quickly both Stein and Maka resonated with their partners. He watched their souls interact wonderingly. Logically speaking, Maka and Soul shouldn't have been able to get along. Their personalities were so discordant. Their strong friendship easily bridged that gorge.

"By the way, Tsubaki," Death asked of the young woman beside him, "how did this get started?"

Tsubaki placed a hand to her mouth in thought. "When Black Star and I returned, Stein and Maka were apparently having a heated debate about her prospective partner."

Is it about Jacob? Death wondered, well informed. Yet why was she using Soul now? Was it because she was a better scythe technician than an axe user?

Tsubaki continued, "Stein said that before she should use other weapons she should at least be able to master her primary, the scythe."

"Ah," Kidd said, now understanding. "And I suppose this spar is meant to justify Maka as a master technician."

"That's what I understood as well."

Black Star was shouting retorts and taunts and laughing gaily.

At any rate it's a rare sight to see one scythe technician against another. It's beautiful to watch.

Soul spun around Maka's neck to avoid colliding with Spirit. They'd returned to basic blades. They attacked and Spirit and Stein, with their malleable defense, blocked. Soul and Maka held their ground, their souls resonating and flaring at full power. Metal gritted against metal.

Stein said, "Your technique is well knit. It leaves very little space open for attack and how you both use your respective agilities is commendable. However…"

Soul Palm!

"…there's only so much that that can do."

Maka avoided it in messy retreat. She could feel Soul's reprimand.

"So you dodged, hm? Very good." He got into battle ready position again. "Get past my defense!"

She bolted forward. Stein swung—Maka fell and skidded on the ground beneath the attack. The staff of Soul in scythe form was caught in her ankles and, while spinning on her hands and still remaining low to the ground, the black and red scythe spun about Maka's kinetic legs to attack the pair from below. He struck Spirit into the ground to grind the motion to the halt but despite Soul's sudden stop Maka was still spinning and she landed a barrage of kicks on her teacher.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

The crowd was great and noisy.

The attack wasn't enough to force Stein back he landed a drop kick on her which she guarded against with her arms. Quickly, quickly, she palmed Soul and jumped back. Her forearms ached. Soul asked, "Maka, are you alright?"

"A little shaky," she admitted. "Stein-hakase and papa are tough, aren't they?"

"Damn old bastards," Soul agreed with a smirk.

Demon Hunter!

Peals of ecstatic screams went into the air. Soul's name was among them.

Soul and Maka maintained the massive energy as though it were a casual technique. They rushed, unrelenting, attacked quickly and aggressively. Stein made to use his incredible soul wavelength again. Maka registered it. "Soul, now!"

Unheard frequencies left the blade amplified by their resonance. Stein, caught off guard, flinched despite himself. He was not unaware of Soul's ability to transmit waves through Maka—be they sound waves or soul waves—nor of his ability to transfer them to other souls with a web-like ability that they earned from Arachne. But he hadn't predicted that he could make surrounding wavelengths fall into total disarray.

The spectators felt it. Their souls quivered reacted, changed even if incrementally and for a moment they were not themselves. It even touched Kidd and his giant Soul. Black Star seemed to notice it, but so far as Kidd could tell he rejected the assaulting frequency.

On the battle platform Stein grew discordant from Spirit despite himself and his ability to change his frequency to others. The Death Scythe was suddenly too hard to hold onto and he had to release him. Maka and Soul still didn't relent! They rushed Stein again taking advantage of his momentary stumble.

Stein bobbed and weaved, all too aware that they were forcing space between himself and Spirit-sempai. He smirked, "Well done."

And suddenly he was in front of Maka and tore Soul from her hands. She was surprised but had the awareness enough to backflip from his subsequent attacks. Spirit was suddenly in his hands again. Maka thought with a tsk, "I knew that it wouldn't last long, but I at least hoped it would have bought Soul and I some more time!"

Stein said, "Good tactics. You caught me off guard."

"For all the good it did," Maka answered sourly. Her smirk was sarcastic. Just as her father as a Death Scythe came towards her Soul flashed in front of her. She caught him mid-air and swung…!

Clang!

The crowd that regained its senses looked on intently.

"They're far from equally matched," Kidd thought, "but Stein is taking them seriously. He recognizes Maka as an adept scythe technician if not a master."

"How long is this fight gonna last?" Liz asked.

Patty had joined Black Star in screaming.

Space had come between the two fighters and now they were circling one another.

"Didn't I say that my daughter could take you?"

"She and Soul are holding on extremely well," Stein remarked. "I've finished."

Spirit panicked: "You've been analyzing them this whole time?!"

Maka dashed forward where Stein was waiting. Spirit's blade disappeared and Soul's blade was deflected along the staff and Maka's throat was caught in the cross bars of Spirit's scythe and she fell, pinned beneath metal and Stein's weight. There was pressure on her throat and little space to move.

"Maka!" Soul began to glow.

"Turn into human form you lose the match," Stein said in tonic sing-song.

"Like I care about that!" He grabbed Stein's shoulder.

Maka wasn't really choking, she was panicking. Soul realized that when Stein got up and he rushed to her side. Her throat was bruised and she kept coughing.

"That was a bit rough, Stein," her father complained.

The doctor replied, "I had little other choice. Maka's too strong to handle delicately."

She and Soul were on their feet. She was touching her neck gingerly. Soul was holding her elbow.

"Your verdict, doctor?" she managed.

Stein began to walk off. "You aren't a master yet. Don't be in too much of a rush, Maka. Development takes time too."

That was when they were aware of Shibusen's pleased applause.

Author's Note: A student had mentioned that it's a waste for Maka to be a woman. For those unfamiliar with the phrasing, it means that, in this student's opinion, Maka would be more popular and appealing as a guy. When Maka was a male in the book of Eibon (manga-junkies might be familiar) the entire Spartoi team had said that there was no difference at all. So Maka lacks appeal as either sex, it seems.

On the battle between Stein and Maka: Stein uses his body a lot. Maka uses Soul as an extension of her body. The main difference between them in this respect is that if either is suddenly weaponless, Stein's chances of success in battle don't change as drastically as Maka's would, or so goes my theory. Also the technique where Maka uses her legs to use the scythe is an actual move that she had used on the moon in the battle against Chrona when she was wielding her father. Because Maka and her father are related and have a familial bond, they don't need to sync wavelengths to use one another (Volume 24 Chapter 106: The Dark Side of the Moon Part 3).

"Blitz" is also of the Soul Eater's original soundtrack. It's the song that played in the anime when Stein and Spirit challenged Chrona in Italy.