AN: Yes I know, a whole month without updates. I'm really sorry about that, guys. June was a rough month for me but on the plus side, I just came back from a nice family vacation so my batteries are a little recharged. ^_^'
Anyway as you might know from the last chapter, a certain Batman villain might make an appearance in the future. But don't hold your breath about him appearing too soon, it'll take quite a while before we see him again.
CHAPTER 08: The Worst One and the Tenkousei
HAGUN ACADEMY WALL NEWSPAPER
Character Topics. Writer: Kagami Kusakabe
Bruce Wayne
PROFILE
Affiliation: Hagun Academy, Year Three Class One
Blazer Rank: D
Noble Art: NO DATA
Nickname: NO DATA
Personal Overview: A transfer student from America
Physical Ability: A
Luck: A
Offensive Power: E
Defensive Power: E
Magic Capacity: D
Magic Control: F
-Kagami Check!-
A mysterious foreign student has appeared! Shocking! He may be scary looking but he has difficulty with his magic. In fact, he hasn't even named his device or his Noble Arts! Not much else is known about him, he tends to keep to himself and rarely opens up. He wouldn't even let me do a proper interview with him, what's up with that!? But he is certainly intriguing so rest assured readers, I won't rest until I solve the riddle behind Hagun's latest addition!
The fifteenth training arena was lively with crowds of cheering students at the spectator stands and the ring below was lit up with a glowing blue. Above it was a hexagonal fixture with monitors mounted on all six sides, displaying the profiles of both combatants. A girl's voice boomed through the speaker system, acting as both announcer and commentator.
"We have have quite an exciting match in store for us today, folks! Our first combatant is a fan-favorite among the student body and well known for his win last year against Donrou Academy's Yamamichiyuki Azuchi. Everyone is looking forward to seeing him in this year's festival. He is the C-rank Knight, Shigenobu Suga!"
On cue there was a roar of cheers from the audience directed towards the one standing on the west side of ring. Suga, a tall bald boy with a tattoo of twin lightning bolts on the right side of his head, reveled in his own hype while punching a fist upward in assured victory.
The girl's voice continued to boom through the speakers as she announced the next combatant.
"His opponent, making her debut, is a B-rank from the respected House of Kurogane. She may be a first year but her magical feats and ruthlessness have earned her the nickname 'Lorelei' so she's definately someone to look out for. Shizuku Kurogane!"
The youngest Kurogane, who stood at the opposite side of the ring, was surprised at the amount of cheers she received. To anyone else this wasn't a shock, she was considered the second best of the first years and her family legacy made her a topic that was followed by many students. In a way she was like a celebrity.
But the sudden attention made her feel a little nervous and so she looked towards the stands to find the one person who made her feel at ease. His recognizable unkempt hair wasn't hard to spot, her brother struck his hand high in the air and waved at her happily. Despite Stella and Nagi also being there with him, she focused only her precious onii-sama; his presence was all that was needed to bring a loving smile to her face.
Unfortunately, that moment for her was ruined when Suga called out to her.
"So you're a first year, huh? Did you skip a few grades or something? I didn't think they were letting little kids in the Academy."
Shizuku switched her gaze to her opponent with an irritated expression.
"I'm fifteen." she stated.
The bald boy grinned in response.
"Could've fooled me. You look more JC than JK!*"
Shizuku silently growled in offense but kept calm, she already knew what Suga was capable of and had a technique in mind that would put him in his place.
While the crowds continued to cheer and talk excitedly, there was one among them who didn't. He was a certain twenty three year old who was passing himself off as a seventeen year old teenager, or at least attempting to. He seated himself in a section of the rows isolated from the other students.
"So this is what I'm going be involved with for the next few months..." Bruce muttered incredulously.
He took in his surroundings from the lights to the sheer electric energy of the students. It drove home the fact that this school really did encourage gladiatorial fights, bloodshed and all and soon it will be him in that ring. He didn't care to be part of such spectacle but if what he saw last night really was a vision of the future, then his best bet to prevent it was to participate in the Sword Art Festival.
Bruce frowned as he thought about the man who was apparently at the center of it all. The Joker: the Clown Prince of Crime, the Agent of Anarchy, the Harlequin of Hate and Gotham's worst nightmare.
As far as he knew, the Joker was supposed to be locked up in Arkham Asylum right now. This begged the question of how did he get here? or how WILL he get here? Bruce could only surmise that the group responsible for stealing the sword and bringing him to this world would probably have something to do with it.
If that was the case, then those people didn't know what they're getting themselves into. The Joker was not only dangerous but he's extremely unpredictable.
Last year, he had taken advantage of the tense cold war between the remaining cartels and crime organizations; not only did he manipulate and escalated the situation into a full blown conflict but he also amassed an army from defected gang members to escaped Arkham inmates. He then planned a series of bombings, all to show Gotham the 'ultimate punchline'.
In the end, Batman put a stop to his schemes but it wasn't the victory he desired. A lot of good people died in that day.
Despite Bruce's intention of keeping to himself, his presence and behavior didn't go unnoticed. It was Ikki who turned his sights from Shizuku towards him.
"Wayne-san seems to have a lot on his mind." Ikki commented.
Stella rolled her eyes with a huff when she realized whom Ikki was talking about.
"Who's cares what that jerk is thinking! If he wants to sit alone and mope, let him."
But despite Stella's words, Ikki stared at the transfer student with a curiosity that wouldn't let go of him. He may be a little dense when it came to matters of the heart but his powers of observation were unmatched, especially when it came to deciphering a person's spirit. There was just something about Bruce's eyes that grabbed his attention and he wasn't sure what it was yet.
Before he could wonder about it further, his attention was pulled back to the ring when it was announced that the match was about to start. Shizuku had already summoned Yoishigure, a Tanto with a silver blade, while Suga summoned his own Device, a pair of Khopesh-like swords that crackled with electricity.
A buzzer sounded and the monitor displayed the words along with an electronic voice that signaled the start of the fight:
'LET'S GO AHEAD!'
Not wasting any time, Suga made the first move.
"You're outta luck, First year! I hear you're a water user but my ability is lightning and everyone knows that water is weak to lightning! But don't hold it against me, 'kay?"
With blades in hands and sporting a triumphant grin, Suga crossed his arms over his torso and readied his Noble Art.
"Hakuraijin!"
His blades swung outward with a wide slash and this released a 'wave-like' electric projectile that headed straight for Shizuku. The petite girl remained still, her jade eyes were focused, cold and calculating. Just when looked like she was about to be struck, she raised an open palm and uttered two words calmly.
"Shouha Suiren."
The water moisture around her condensed into a large body of water which flowed in front of her to form a watery wall. When the projectile impacted against the water construct, nearly everyone in the arena was expecting Shizuku to be electrocuted but it didn't happen, instead it effectively blocked the attack!
"Wha!? How did it not shock her?" wondered Stella in surprise.
The other seated students were also bewildered and even the commentator was surprised at this but Bruce on the other hand, knew the answer.
"Ultrapure water." he noted.
Contrary the popular belief, water itself is actually a poor conductor of electricity. It's the impurities and ions that do the work. In its purest form, there are no charged particles for the electricity to flow through.
"But even then, what Shizuku is doing is no small feat. Water is highly absorbent, it has a natural tendency to 'pollute itself'. For her to pull this off, she would've had to have been actively deionizing it from the start. That requires extreme focus and control over her magic. The girl's truly a class of her own."
In a way, Shizuku was the polar opposite of him. His own magic control was abysmal and even more so compared to hers.
As far as education goes, Bruce was not only top of the class but the best in the whole Academy. Apparently nobody in the history of Hagun got grades as high as he did and it made him an instant favorite with the teaching staff who would gush about him in amazement.
"Wow, Wayne-kun is something else. He has not faltered in a single subject!" one of them said.
"This kid is a genius! No, a renasance man in the making!" said another.
Indeed, school work was boring affair for Bruce but he knew it had to be done. Unfortunately when it came to his magic, it was a totally different story.
"If only he would put the same amount of effort in his magic as he does in everything else." they said sadly.
"It's truly a pity. He doesn't seem to have much talent in that regard." the others concurred.
It didn't bother him that they actually thought he wasn't even trying but it was still frustrating that he still hasn't figured out how to improve his control yet. Before, this wasn't too big of a deal but now that he was competing in the Selection Battles...
Bruce shifted his attention back to the match and observed Suga using his Hakuraijin two more times but neither attempts effected Shizuku's wall of water. The young girl slowly advanced towards him in a calm matter yet with a menacing vibe.
"Damn, I better put some distance between us." Suga said to himself nervously.
But as he tried to step back, he found that his feet refused to budge. One glance downward revealed to him that large ice crystals had formed around his feet and have anchored him to the ground.
"Running away, are we?" Shizuku asked.
"Unbelievable!" the girl commentator's voice boomed. "Kurogane Managed to freeze Contender Suga's feet to the ground! Where did that move come from?"
With Yoishigure primed at her side, Shizuku was ready to deliver the finishing blow.
"Suiroudan."
With a horizontal slash, a gush of water released and formed a large orb which latched on to Suga's head. His swords clattered to the ground as he tried to free his head from the watery prison but all his struggles were fruitless and only drained his stamina.
"That's what you get for underestimating a First year. But don't worry, I won't hold it against you." Shizuku mocked coldly.
Suga continued to struggle against the adamant water orb until finally, as his lungs ached from the strain, a large air bubble was released from his mouth and his hands fell limp. It was at that time when Shizuku dispelled the prison on his head and feet, resulting in him falling unconscious to the ground.
"Shigenobu Suga can no longer fight! The winner is Shizuku Kurogane!" the referee declared loudly.
The arena immediately erupted in cheers, the overhead monitors displayed Shizuku's face with the words 'WINNER!' underneath as the girl commentator sounded over the speakers.
"Amazing! Even against an opposing element, first-year contender Kurogane has taken the win with an impressive display of technique!"
Shizuku looked towards the stands and saw her brother as well as Nagi cheering in happiness and surprisingly, even Stella clapped her hands in respect.
Bruce didn't react and was quietly observing while mulling to himself. He knew there was a possibility he might face Shizuku or someone like her and if he was going to get through these Selection Battles, he needed to control these abilities he had as soon as possible. His battle against Nene required some trickery but he doubted he could keep pulling off stuff like that throughout.
He scowled in thought. As much as he hated the idea, he was going to need some help.
With the morning matches done, the excitement at the Arena began to wind down as students slowly dispersed from the exit gate, among the last of them was Shizuku.
Many of the students whom she passed had congratulated her and she only responded shyly with a nod and a small acknowledging "Mm". Ikki and Stella greeted her after her match but much to her displeasure, her brother didn't stay for long and Stella definitely wasn't going to keep her company. And so she found herself walking outside alone with heavy thoughts.
Soon she heard a familiar voice call out to her and she looked to see Nagi waving at her.
"You were amazing, Shizuku." he praised when she joined him. "I've been listening around and apparently you've become quite popular among the student body, it seems that they're rooting for both you and Stella as this year's rising stars."
But Shizuku didn't respond and that's when Nagi noticed her sullen expression.
"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.
Shizuku was silent for a moment while fidgeting with her hair in embarrassment.
"Hey Alice,..." she began to speak. "Do you think...?"
She trailed off then gathered her nerves and tried again.
"Do you think Onii-sama only sees me as a little kid?"
Nagi blinked at her, caught a little off guard but then gave an understanding sigh.
"Sweetheart, are you letting what that boy said get to you?"
The youngest Kurogane's brows knitted pitifully as she hung her head in shame. Nagi's heart honestly went out to her.
Shizuku had confided in him many times that she wanted Ikki to see her as a woman but feared that her body type would make that task difficult. She may be cute as a doll but she knew that Stella had some 'obvious advantages' over her and that was often a source of ammunition for the princess when the two of them got into their frequent bickering.
None of this of course mattered to Nagi, Shizuku was one of the most matured people he knows. How could he make her see that?
His answer came in the form of a bittersweet memory. It was from long ago when he was boy in a snowy town, where he and a bunch of other kids did a silly rite of passage alongside a boisterous red-haired girl.
Nagi pushed the memory away and addressed Shizuku with a motherly smile.
"If you want to be an adult then you'll have to prove it."
"Huh?" Shizuku looked up in surprise.
Nagi then positioned himself behind Shizuku, daintily put his hands to her shoulders and leaned down to her head.
"There's this place I know where we can prove your adulthood, we can go there after classes end if you wish. Think of it as my little...treat for your win today."
He said so in such a shady manner that Shizuku couldn't help but feel a little hesitant, particularly because of his choice of words.
"It's not any place weird, is it?" she asked with doubt.
The lavender-haired boy grinned like a Cheshire cat as he spoke in a sinister tone.
"Unless you want it to be."
Shizuku spun around and looked at him with shock and disbelief. There was no way he could be possibility implying...
"I'm kidding!" Nagi chimed playfully. "What kind of person do you take me for? Don't you trust me, Shizuku?"
The youngest Kurogane did. Even though she found it a little strange that she did. She had only known him for about a week and at the time she generally didn't care for anyone besides her brother either due to her shyness or distrust. But Alice was different, he patiently listened and never pried in matters she didn't want to share. When she confided about her feelings for Ikki, he never judged her for it and so she showed a side of her to him which she never shows anyone else. Alice may like to tease but he was truly the big sister that Shizuku never had, she felt lucky to know him.
"Yes. I trust you, Alice and..." Shizuku then pumped her fists like she fired up with determination. "I want to prove that I'm an adult!"
"Especially to Onii-sama." she added in her thoughts.
Nagi beamed in response.
"It'll be fun! We can even dress up before we leave, I know a couple of more makeup tips I could share with you."
"Arisuin."
A hard voice interrupted the two of them and when they turned to see who it was, Shizuku immediately scooted behind Nagi and peeked out tensely. It was Bruce.
"Oh, Brucie. Fancy meeting you here." Nagi greeted with a wave.
Bruce didn't offer his own greeting as he approached them, his eyes were sharpened and his face was a mask of seriousness. He intended his interaction with them to be strictly business and nothing else.
"Miss Kurogane mentioned earlier that you can show me how to control my shadow abilities. I'm taking you up on your offer. Whatever means necessary, I want to know everything there is to know about magic control."
Shizuku frowned at this, not only because he referred to her so brazenly but also because he was literally demanding rather than requesting. But Nagi didn't seem to offended, only slightly surprised.
"Right now?"
"Yes." Bruce nodded.
A thought occurred to Nagi and his lips turned slyly into a smirk.
"Come to think of it, I hear that you've decided to take part in the Selection Battles. Does this have something to do with it? How come you're so interested in the Sword Art Festival?"
Bruce didn't seem to be fazed by the question and responded in a curt manner.
"Everyone in this competition have their reasons and I have mine. Can I rely on your help or not?"
Nagi 'hmmed' in thought, the sly expression never leaving his face. It looked like he was plotting something but Bruce couldn't be sure, it was difficult to figure out what went on in the effeminate boy's mind.
"All right then." he agreed. "I'll need to gather some things so how about I meet you behind the main building, say, after classes end?"
Shizuku's eyes widened.
"But Alice, we had plans!" she protested.
Nagi patted her shoulder apologetically.
"Let's take a rain check on that, dear. You know I can't say no to a handsome man in distress. But you're welcome to join us if you'd like, that okay?"
The question was directed towards Bruce who gave his consent by nodding but this only made Shizuku glower at him with distrust.
After he had congratulated his sister on her victory, Ikki excused himself from the group saying that he'll be at the track field. It was time to prepare himself for tomorrow and he decided to starting with some basic conditioning, a few jogs around the field. With a calm mind, he first took off at a fast walk before gradually increasing his strides until finally settling into a synchronized rhythm between his breathing and the movement of his limbs.
Till the time around his second lap he was like a well oiled locomotive but then there was a disturbance. It happened when his mind began to drift towards Kirihara, particularly his encounter with him last year.
Ikki's eyes contracted as he tried to push the terrible memories from his consciousness.
"I've come this far." he told himself. "Everything I've worked for has led up to this, my first match. I can't loose. I WON'T loose!"
And then the voice of a certain boy entered his mind.
"I'm sorry Kurogane, I can't be your friend anymore."
"Guh!"
He gasped and skid to a halt, panting in a stricken state. That memory, why did he suddenly remember that after all this time?
After blinking, he then noticed something from the corner of his eye. There was a lumpy shape lying on the side of the road adjacent to the track field. He was able to make out that it was human shaped as he approached it and when he was finally next to it, he recognized it as a certain woman who apparently had passed out.
"Oh, for goodness' sake." he sighed while shaking his head.
It took him about two minutes to help Yuuri Oreki to the school infirmary. Apparently she was just returning to the staff room after commentating today's matches when she blacked out. As usual, she retained her carefree attitude throughout the way.
"I'm sorry, Kurogane-kun. I'm giving you so much trouble right now." she said sheepishly.
She hobbled alongside him with her arm slung over his shoulder as he supported her weight.
"It's fine, but please don't try to talk if you're not up to it."
Yuuri nonchalantly dismissed his worries.
"I'll be fine. I guess I've been so busy supervising the commentary of today's matches that I forgot to take my medication."
"That's not not something you should forget! Honestly Sensei, you need to be more careful."
With that said, Ikki pushed the door open and pulled her along inside. The pungent smell of medicines assaulted both their noses and while Ikki flinched from the sensation, Yuuri breathed in a tranquil state like she was sniffing an exotic rose.
There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room.
"Hm? The nurse isn't here. Why don't you rest up here while I go find someone?"
Yuuri calmly pulled away from Ikki and walked towards the medical cabinet, her gait regaining some stability.
"No, that's okay. I can pick out medicines on my own. After dealing with so many illnesses, my medical knowledge is on par with most doctors."
Without a care, she opened the cabinet and looked through it's contents.
"Let's see here..." she hummed as she browsed like a kid in a candy store. "Paracetamol...Indomethacin... Cilostazol...Ooh, Daizepam! I love these! Do you want some?"
"N-no, I'm good." Ikki declined nervously.
Yuuri shrugged and then finally fished out a glass jar containing blue and yellow capsules. Ikki expected her to take one or two but to his astonishment, she ended up chugging a bunch of them.
"Don't scarf it all down like that!"
Despite his words, she seemed to have improved her condition with whatever amount she took and with a content sigh she happily plopped herself on the nearby patient bed.
"Ahhh! Much better! Thank you for caring for me, Kurogane-kun. Hehe, this whole thing reminds me of last year when you used to look out for me like this."
Ikki couldn't help but chuckle as his mind was warmed with the nostalgic memories he had of his dear sensei. He felt nice that she didn't change much since he first met her.
"Yeah, I remember."
But then his expression darkened as other memories from last year resurfaced.
"And just like last year, I'll be having another encounter with Kirihara." he muttered.
His eyes shot up when he realized that he said that out loud and when he looked towards Yuuri he saw her expression wide-eyed in surprise before it slowly sunk down in sorrow.
"I remember that too." she said ruefully. "I may have a lot of ailments but blindness isn't one of them. I saw the way the board chairman, Kirihara-kun and Iwadare-sensei treated you and I didn't do a thing about it."
Yuuri looked off to the side with downcast eyes and her voice began to crack with emotion.
"I'm such a horrible teacher."
Ikki felt like kicking himself in that moment, the last thing he wanted was to upset her.
"Sensei, don't say such things! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here in the first place and things are different now that Director Shinguuji has taken over."
"But what if she didn't? What would you have done if things stayed the same?"
He was taken aback by her sudden question before speaking again. His voice was eerily firm and earnest.
"Whatever I could. If I was able to convince you, then it was only a matter of time before I convinced the other teachers...even if it took me years to do so."
Yuuri sighed and looked at him with pity.
"Some say that doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result is the definition of madness."
"Do you think I'm mad then?" Ikki asked.
She shook her head.
"No, I think you've been hurt so many times that you've become used to it."
Ikki's breath hitched at this and his eyes slightly enlarged. Yuuri took this as a cue to continue speaking.
"In the end, strength just comes down to how much you can endure; Believe me I should know. When we can't endure anymore our minds signal to us, in anger or sadness or irritation, that enough is enough. Otherwise, we would break under our own burdens. But you've tolerated so much, you can't even read the signals anymore."
He didn't understand and he briefly wondering if his Sensei was saying these things because of the meds. She made it sound like he was lacking emotion and he knew that wasn't the case, there were plenty of times when he felt angry or sad.
"I think you might be over thinking it, Sensei." he said.
Yuuri smiled in response. It was a smile that carried a little melancholy but it was also hopeful at the same time.
"You may be right. Perhaps I just believe that suffering is one way for people to become in tune with each other's feelings."
These words definitely got his attention, his eyes widened again and he froze in place.
"Kurogane-kun, my hope for you is that someone out there will come along help you read those signals and maybe..." Yuuri's smile grew wider as if she had someone in mind.
"Maybe you can help this person in return."
Bruce was internally thankful that there was no one else in the recreational area besides him, Nagi and Shizuku. The open ground behind the main building was adjacent to a collection of trees while having a few picnic-style tables in the middle, a perfectly quiet spot for students to study...or do some training.
Keeping a distance away from the two males, Shizuku perched herself atop of a raised concrete structure near a staircase while swinging her legs with impatience. She watched Nagi giving Bruce a basic run down on the usage of Mana, Mana emission and Mana defense. Frankly, she was getting annoyed and bored; all these things were elementary to a prodigy like her.
But for Bruce on the other hand, despite his brilliant analytical mind, he was beginning to feel a little lost.
It's not like he didn't understand what Nagi was saying to him, he did. He understood that Mana was a mysterious vital energy that all Blazers possessed in varied amounts, he understood that this energy can be manipulated to form a strong barrier around the body (Mana defense) and that it can be funneled through the body to increase performance like strength and speed (Mana emission).
The problem was that when it came to explaining how to actually use Mana, Nagi spoke like it was the most natural and obvious thing in the world.
Of course it would be to him. After all, Blazers grow up with magical powers and it was second nature to them but not in not in the case of Bruce since he only became a Blazer two nights.
"What in heaven's name have they been teaching you over there in the States?" Nagi asked while looking at Bruce weirdly.
"Look, it doesn't matter." Bruce responded with exasperation. "Just pretend I never used magic before and tell me how I can start."
The lavender-haired boy sighed and then caressed his chin in thought. Bruce had asking him all kinds of silly questions so far and this one took the cake. How to start using magic? There's no answer for that, your powers awaken and then you just...start using magic. But Nagi was a patient lad and tried to explain the best he could.
"It's not like I can speak for everyone else, every Blazer's abilities manifest differently. But humor me for a moment: a Blazer's magical abilities are normally grouped in four basic types, do you know of them?"
Bruce nodded, recalling that he previously read about it.
"Body Enhancement, Nature Interference, Conceptual Manipulation and Causation Manipulation."
"Exactly. My shadow abilities could be classified as a Conceptual Manipulation type."
"So it's safe to assume that my abilities are of the same type?"
Arisuin grinned in approval.
"Now you're getting it. When I use my Noble Arts, well, the best way I can describe it is that I focus on a visualized concept as a blueprint, then use my Mana as building blocks to give it form. Naturally I can't create just anything, that depends on the building materials. In other words, my Mana. This is where Mana control comes into play and believe me, it's easier done than said. Observe."
With that said, Nagi walked towards the picnic table where a box laid on top. Bruce noticed the effeminate boy had it with him when the three of them rendezvoused here, it did make him curious and it looked like now was the time for the box's mysterious contents to be revealed.
When the boy opened it, he found that inside was what looked like grey colored putty.
"What is that thing?" Bruce asked warily.
"Relax, it's just Golem Clay."
"Of course it is."
Nagi ignored the dry comment and then outstretched an open palm towards the box. Immediately, the clay was surrounded by a soft blue glow before it levitated in the air.
"It works like a magical conduit and one of our basic tools to practice Mana control. You have to use your magic as an extension of yourself, you see."
As he was explaining, the clay molded itself into different consecutive shapes. It started with basic ones like boxes and cones but then soon progressed to complex structures before he finally reverted it back to its original state and lowered it back into the box.
"Now you try."
Bruce looked at the clay with eyes that were first wide with unease before squinting them in determination.
"This shouldn't be a big deal." he thought as he outstretched his open palm. "Some of what he was describing was similar to Wing Chun meditation. Perhaps controlling 'Mana' is just something similar to controlling your Qi energy. I'll just need to stay calm, focus..."
For a moment nothing seemed to be happening until slowly a blue glow began to flicker around the clay like a dying light bulb. Nagi of course was elated and leaned towards it in anticipation. But then...
SPLAT!
To their surprise, the clay suddenly exploded in an ugly mess. Even Shizuku, who had been observing them silently looked dumbfounded.
"That's...not supposed to happen, right?" Bruce asked plainly.
Nagi, who's face was unfortunately caked with most of the clay, chuckled nervously as he wiped his eyes clean.
"It's alright, practice makes perfect."
With a wave of Nagi's hand, the scattered bits of clay glowed and floated towards a point mid-air where they recombined back into the clay's original state. His control over every speck was so accurate that his face was completely cleaned when he was done.
"Try again." the boy urged with encouragement as he lowered the clay back into the box.
Bruce took a deep breath and repeated his effort, making sure to completely sharpen his mental focus. The glow flickered back on but this time he was able to get the malleable object to float in the air.
"See?" Nagi said. "That wasn't so har-"
SPLAT!
Sure enough, it exploded again and poor Nagi once again found his face coated with chunks of clay. For a while there was no sound or movement between the two, save for a gust of wind, until Bruce spoke up.
"Try again?" Bruce asked.
Nagi sighed and nodded.
Shizuku's jaw dropped and her eyes widened each time Bruce tried over and over only for the same exploding results. She knew he said that he had trouble controlling his magic but she didn't expect this level of ineptness.
"This person...he's...he's PATHETIC!" she thought.
"Brucie..." Nagi muttered as he wiped away the latest chunk of clay on his face. "I like a good mud pack every now and then but are you sure you're not doing this on purpose?"
"Of course not! I don't know why this is happening."
Arisuin let out a breath as he reformed the clay again but this time he closed the box.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but maybe we should move on to work on your Noble Arts. You said your can manipulate shadow and smoke. Surely you must done some kind of extraordinary feat for you to know that.
Bruce immediately recalled his fight with Iwadare, particularly the part where he created many Batarangs with a slash of his sword. Obviously, he can't talk about anything Batman-related so he tried to make it sound as simple and basic as possible.
"When I swing my Device, I create some kind of spinning projectile. It's black and translucent." he said.
"Now we're getting somewhere. It seems you can create shadow constructs."
"But it only happened a few times. I haven't had any luck activating it again." Bruce said, skewing the facts a little.
Nagi smiled as he gestured to Bruce to stand before the trees like him.
"That's because you didn't know how to apply yourself. Remember: visualize it, focus and then use your Mana to give it form."
Bruce got the idea of what Nagi wanted him to do but the whole 'use your Mana' thing was still a concept that escaped him. Nevertheless, he was willing to give it a shot.
With the trees before him, he summoned his Device and then primed it to make a slash as tense thoughts went through his mind.
"Worse case scenario is that nothing happens but an even worser case would be it actually working. Conjuring a Batarang is going to raise way too many eyebrows so I'll have to change its shape to something else. I can only hope that I have at least that much control."
After taking a deep breath, Bruce tried to follow Nagi's instructions while particularly concentrating his mental efforts to reshape the projectile. Finally he swung but the shape that released was like blackish vapor that dissolved.
"You're almost there, one more time." encouraged Nagi.
He tried again and this time something did spin through the air and embed itself into the tree on the far right side. It was a shadow construct! And to Bruce's relief, it wasn't a Batarang but it did resemble an S-shaped bladed boomerang.
"Good job!"
However Nagi's congratulations seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. He was confused to see that the older student was frowning, not looking the least bit satisfied about his accomplishment. In fact, he looked disappointed.
"What's wrong? Your ability activated with no problems."
"I wasn't aiming for that tree." Bruce rasped.
"Oh."
Bruce primed his sword again for another slash as his face contorted into a grim expression.
"Let me try this again"
"Err..."
He slashed again in the same way as before and another black construct was sent flying. Nagi could see what the problem was, the thing was moving in an erratic direction and this time it embedded itself on the ground no where near Bruce's line of sight.
"Brucie, watch where you're aiming that thing."
"I am."
Bruce slashed again. This time it headed towards Shizuku who shrieked and jumped out of the way.
"Damnit!" Bruce swore to himself and slashed again
The latest construct went straight up in the air and spun downwards right towards where Nagi was standing! Bruce swerved around to push the boy out of the way but it was too late. Thankfully, the construct only embedded itself on the ground and Bruce could see Nagi slowly peeked his head out from behind the table which he apparently dashed at.
"If you ask me, I'm game for trying something doesn't involve us getting maimed. Aren't you?" the boy asked nervously.
It had been more than an hour since Bruce and the two teens gathered and by then they had discerned that Bruce was able to use at least one of his Noble Arts, the other one which he described that he could generate smoke by stabbing into the ground just wouldn't work for some reason. Whatever magic he has was being held back by his poor control and Shizuku tried to quietly convince Nagi that they should just leave since there wasn't much he could do for him. But the effeminate boy wasn't ready to give up yet.
"I have an idea." he spoke up. "Why don't I teach you one of my own Noble Arts?"
Bruce's brows shot up at this, he knew it was possible for him to pick up other Noble Arts but didn't expect the boy to voluntarily offer to teach him.
"Are you sure? Keep in mind, we're all in the same competition. It might be disadvantageous for you."
Nagi tittered in response.
"Look who's talking! It seems to me that you're going to need every advantage you can get. Besides, I'm certainly not going to show you EVERYTHING...unless maybe you buy me dinner first." he finished with a wink.
The older student rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the blatant use of innuendo, allowing Nagi to continue speaking
"I'll show you my Shadow Walk technique. This time, I'll guide you every step of the way. What do you say?"
It wasn't like Bruce was making much progress anyway so he figured that he might as well.
"Fine."
With that agreement, Nagi summoned his Darkness Hermit and took his place beside Bruce while Shizuku stood a few feet away. The younger Kurogane still had her eyes narrowed in distrust, still not understanding why her roommate was indulging this talentless idiot but nonetheless figured that she should at least keep an eye on him in case he did anything funny. She kept watch as Nagi held out his hand towards Bruce.
"Grab my hand. Be gentle now." he said with mock bashfulness.
Bruce gave an annoyed grunt and did so, prompting Nagi to then wave his dagger. The former billionaire was caught a little off guard when the two of them began to sink into their shadows but held himself calm knowing that the boy knew what he was doing...at least he hoped so.
It was strange experience when they totally submerged, it felt like they were in an inky black ocean yet he could breath and above them, he could see holes carved in different shapes where light shone through a rippling surface as you'd expect underwater; Bruce guessed those where probably the other shadows they could access on the surface above them.
Nagi ended his demonstration when he swam towards one of the above hole with Bruce in tow until they both emerged back where they sunk from.
"Just like that." Nagi said. "If you're having trouble, I'll use my Mana emission to help you out."
"You mean like sharing your Mana? I didn't know Blazers could do that."
"I wouldn't call it sharing. It's more like giving you a push if needed."
Luckily, Bruce didn't need that push when it was his turn. He visualized what he wanted, gave a silent command to his Device and yes, even waved it for effect despite him feeling silly doing it but it did actually do the trick. Unfortunately, it was after they had sunk into their shadows when Bruce realized that it was too good to be true.
"That's odd. This place seems so different compared to when I've accessed it." Nagi mused.
At first glance, the inky black ocean looked like the same 'Shadow Space' that Nagi often frequents but this time they could see that they were surrounded by some kind of boundary. It was faint and blurred within their murky environment but they see it, it looked like jagged red cracks that seemed to pulsate. Not only could they feel the throbbing vibration but there was a horrible foreboding feeling; something was definitely wrong.
"Arisuin..." Bruce addressed with his usual deadpan tone. "Why does it feel like the walls are closing in?"
It wasn't just that, Nagi's fearful eyes noticed that the two of them were continuing to sink and didn't seem to be stopping.
"Swim." he whispered.
Bruce turned a questioning glance at him.
"What?"
Nagi whipped towards him with a panicked expression.
"SWIM!"
He immediately got the message as Nagi began to frantically swim upwards, the loud echoing throb from the boundaries only heightened their urgency. The two males kicked their feet and moved their arms furiously but no matter how much they tried they weren't able to ascend and it felt like the red cracks were getting closer!
"Shit!" Bruce cursed under his breath. Of all the ways he imagined going out, this was definitely not one of them.
Just as their limbs burned from the fatigue, a sudden torrent of water flushed through the opening above and spiraled like a whirlpool. It caught the two males with its watery grip and to their surprise, the strong current swept them upwards until they were forced out of the shadowy portal they had sunk into, unceremoniously falling to ground in the process.
"Alice!" Shizuku called out in worry as she ran towards her roommate's aid.
Bruce spat out the water in his mouth and noticed that the girl had her Tanto in her hand, it was apparent to him that she was the one who saved them using her power over water. Nagi coughed a little as Shizuku helped him up, he seemed to have taken the whole ordeal in a good natured way despite being a bit shaken.
"Oh my, that was quite an experience. My heart's still racing." he chuckled, albeit with ragged breaths.
Bruce picked himself up and approached the two.
"Arisuin, are you-?"
He didn't get to finish the question as the tip of Yoishigure pointed at him threateningly.
"Don't come any closer!" Shizuku snarled, her eyes contracted tensely at him.
The older student froze and remained still, his expression showing nothing more than being taken aback.
"I don't know why they let a talentless disgrace like you in this school but stay away from me and my roommate!"
At the end of Shizuku's harsh words, Nagi's eyes flicked towards Bruce to see if there was any reaction. There wasn't, which made the effeminate boy figure that Bruce didn't wish to provoke her more than he already did.
"Come, Alice. We're leaving." Shizuku huffed and walked off coldly.
Nagi hesitated before following her and glanced back at Bruce, he couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic and so he went up to him quickly and whispered.
"She'll come around."
And with those words, the boy left to join her while Bruce looked on silently.
By the time the evening sky turned to an orange glow, the selection battles for the day were done and all the practice arenas were void of any presence or activity, except for one.
There were many times when Ikki had ventured into the arena ring when no one was around, it helped him get a sense of the battlefield in ways practicing elsewhere wouldn't. And of course with his match tomorrow, it felt to him that he needed do so now more than ever, he knew that Kirihara was going to use every inch of that ring to his advantage. His upcoming match wasn't the only thing on his mind but also on what Oreki-sensei told him. He made his way to the ring as he tried to figure out what she meant but when he arrived, he was surprised to see that someone else was there.
This person was positioned in the middle of the ring facing the direction away from where Ikki entered, swinging his sword in different arcs and then adjusting his stance. Ikki noted that despite wielding a European-looking sword, he was employing eastern sword styles like Kenjutsu and Haidong Gumdo.
Ikki's interest was certainly piqued. He already knew about the story that Kagami posted about Wayne's mock battle against Saikyo but seeing him practicing like this put into perspective on how skilled he was.
Bruce didn't seem to notice Ikki approaching him; or maybe if he did, he wasn't showing it. Ikki was about to sound a greeting but the words froze in his throat as he began to feel nervous. It was probably because he didn't know how to deal with a person like Bruce. Despite his attempts to be sociable to him, Wayne was just distant and unfriendly for some reason.
Nevertheless, it was too late to turn back now that he was next to him and so he tried to engage him with light casual talk.
"Um, It's such a different place without all the lights and hubbub, huh?" Ikki commented, unassumingly looking around.
Bruce paused from his drills and silently glanced towards the boy behind him. Almost immediately, the image of Ikki's dead body from that vision flashed in his mind. He stared for just a moment with his neutral expression unchanged and then without another word, he went back to his practicing.
Ikki felt a little put off from being ignored but didn't say anything and instead turned his back to him and summoned Intetsu to do his own practicing.
For a good while the two males went through their drills, attacking their respective invisible opponents while the whooshing sounds of their slashes as well as their breaths echoed throughout the arena.
The F-rank noticed that Bruce didn't seem to be bothered with his presence and so this encouraged Ikki to continue with his training without paying him any mind, but then he occasionally took breaks to observe the older student's movement and posture.
"You probably have lot of experience, Wayne-san. I don't see any flaws in your techniques." Ikki blurted out.
Bruce didn't seem to react and Ikki only took that as a cue to continue speaking.
"But I've noticed that your joints tend to stiffen when you're changing your angle. My guess is that you haven't used your sword in a while and are a bit rusty."
Noticing that Bruce's hand suddenly twitched, Ikki rushed to clarify since he feared that he might have offended him.
"Don't take it the wrong way or anything! It's easily rectifiable. And more than that, the way you handle your slashes and stabs, there's...so much unbridled force behind them... it's like you're angry about something."
This definitely caught Bruce's attention, his sword swing paused abruptly mid-arc and his brows raised. Ikki began to sweat seeing Bruce now completely turn his sights towards him. Has he done it now? Did he accidentally provoke the transfer student? If he did, it was too late to backpedal and so Ikki continued to ramble.
"W-what I mean is, normally anger leads to bad and sloppy discipline but you've somehow effectively channeled it into every single one of your attacks. You're obviously very driven and-"
"I don't get it."
Ikki blinked, not expecting this kind of response.
"Pardon?"
"I don't get it." Bruce repeated. "I've mastered every mental discipline known to man, trained my body and mind to its finite degree."
The former billionaire furrowed his brow and clenched his free hand.
"But magic..."
"You just don't get it?" Ikki asked.
Ikki only got a small nod in response but it was enough for him to realize how frustrated Bruce probably was. He was well aware of the older student's reputation of being magically inept and couldn't help but be reminded of himself when he was disregarded by his own family for being ranked F.
"He's like me!" he thought with astonishment.
He particularly remembered what he told Stella a just few days ago when she asked him why he wanted to be a Mage-Knight.
"I want to become a man like Ryoma Kurogane. And if I ever meet someone like I was then, then unlike my parents, I would show them that they don't have to give up and that people aren't just their talents. I'll give them what my great-grandfather gave me."
He had initially felt that he needed to be stronger to become the man he aspired to be but right now, there was someone in front of him who was as lost as he was those years ago, almost dying in the snow. He didn't know if his words would have the power to help Bruce but he knew he wouldn't feel satisfied if he didn't at least try.
"To tell the truth, I'm kinda in the same boat as you. My situation may be different from yours but I know what it's like to feel dismissed and frustrated. See,...I'm an F-rank."
Bruce scoffed.
"I don't care much for rankings, is it really such a big deal to be ranked low?"
Surprisingly, Ikki wasn't the least bit offended. Usually when he told someone about his rank, they respond with a deadpan "oh." like he worked at the latrines. It felt so refreshing for him to hear someone not bothered about hierarchies that it brought a small smile to his face.
"Maybe not in the Union but here, it means I'm the worst of the worst. Because my magic was so weak, I've been dismissed as talentless and some even thought I wasn't even a Blazer. I've been only getting by with my swordsmanship."
Bruce fixed a thoughtful gaze on him.
"That's not entirely true. You have Ittou Shura."
Ikki's brows shot up at first but then he sheepishly grinned and scratched his hair, feeling a little embarrassed.
"You read Kagami-san's article about me, huh?"
"I try to read up on everyone." Bruce said. "Your Noble Art...it boosts your physical capabilities, correct?"
"Yes, with whatever Mana I have and only for a short while. Your right, I have some degree of control but it's not like I've had much to work with. You mind if I say something? From experience?"
"Whatever floats our boat." Bruce shrugged.
Ikki blinked in confusion which caught Bruce a little off guard.
"Because you said that we're in the same boat? That was supposed to be a joke." he explained lamely.
"Oh." Ikki said plainly.
Bruce internally cringed at the short awkward silence he created, it seemed that he still had no idea how to talk to a teen. Ikki coughed, breaking the silence before he resumed speaking.
"Um anyway...like I said, I've been told over and over as a child that I'm talentless, that I couldn't do anything and I shouldn't even try. And for a moment...I almost believed them, I thought there was no point to go on."
It was unmistakable what Bruce heard in the boy voice, there was so much hurt and pain that he wondered who were these people to make him feel such things. His normally impassive face softened a little as he continued to listen silently.
"But then...I met someone."
Ikki decided to leave his family name and the identity of his great-grandfather out of his story. Samurai Ryoma and the Kurogane family were renowned the world over, he didn't want to be compared to such a legacy, be it to put him down or prop him up.
"He told me that I should cherish my tears of frustration because it was proof that I haven't yet given up on myself. He told me to not be the kind of person who doesn't try and call it 'maturity' but to be the kind of person who walks so far ahead that others can't trace their footsteps. After all, humans was never born with wings and yet they flew to the moon. These were just words of course, but they filled me with so much joy...because for the first time, someone had faith in me."
Although Bruce was silent, he couldn't help but feel glad that Ikki got the encouragement that he needed.
"This someone sounds pretty wise." Bruce commented.
"I'm not trying to fish for sympathy. All I'm trying to say is you don't have to feel like you're fighting alone. I wasn't the type to give up and I can tell that neither are you. I can see it in your eyes, there's something powerful that drives you; you may look calm but there's a raging inferno inside that gives you strength."
Bruce shrugged.
"Maybe I'm just irritable."
Ikki clammed up and raised a brow at him.
"That's also supposed to be a joke." Bruce said.
There was a momentary dead air before unexpectedly, Ikki clenched his lips to hold back his bubbling laugher until he couldn't anymore and burst out laughing.
"Ahaha! That wasn't funny...at all!" Ikki laughed out. "You're not very good at quips are you, Wayne-san?"
Bruce chucked, it was actually a mirthful chuckle and his normally serious expression turned pleasant.
"I guess not. And enough with this 'Wayne-san' stuff, just 'Bruce' is fine."
Ikki thrust an arm out for a hand shake.
"Hello 'Just Bruce', I'm 'Just Ikki'." he greeted with a wide smile.
Bruce's lips curled further upwards as he clasped the boy's hand and as he shook it. Just like that, whatever ice that was there between them just seemed to shatter away.
"Heh, I like this kid." he thought.
"Hey, here's an idea..." Ikki began to ask. "Why don't we spar? Like right now?"
Bruce's expression fell at this, remembering his failed training session with Arisuin. Last thing he wanted was to put another boy in danger.
"I'd rather not. My magic is still unstable to be safe."
Ikki shook his head, his expression growing excited.
"I'm not talking about magic, I'm talking about pure physical skill. Sword to sword." he said, readying his sword to initiate his friendly challenge.
Bruce looked at him with hesitancy.
"No magic?" he asked.
Ikki nodded enthusiastically.
"I can work with that." Bruce said with a smirk as he got into his stance.
After a decent work out and a relaxing shower in the girl's locker room, Stella let out a content sigh as she made her way towards the dorm building. There wasn't much on her schedule today so she decided to spend the remainder of the day relaxing.
Just as she was about to wonder if Ikki had returned from whatever training he was doing, she noticed a bunch of students rushing past her. First it was three of them, followed by a group of five and the numbers kept increasing until she realized that she was caught in the middle of a traffic of Student-Knights all running towards the same direction.
The princess's mild curiosity turned to a frustrating need to know what was going on and so she intercepted a First Year girl by grabbing her elbow as she was about to run past.
"What's happening!? Where's everyone running off to!?" Stella demanded.
The First Year girl responded with panted breaths.
"Ikki Kurogane and that gaijin tenkousei**...they're having a duel!"
That was all Stella needed to hear to chase after the crowd.
There were a series of clangs echoing throughout the arena and the majority of the Student-Knights have already gathered at the Practice Arena's stands by the time Stella arrived. They were mostly standing, spectating and gawking while whispering amongst each other as their attention were drawn towards the ring below and when the red-haired princess focused her attention at the ring, her jaw too opened with astonishment.
Intetsu and Branwen clashed at a steady rhythm within every possible space between them while their wielders, in a to and fro manner, tried to close in and then increase the distance between them in their attempts to control the field of battle. Neither Ikki nor Bruce gained an advantage nor did they seem to notice the crowd they attracted, their focus was only on breaking the other's defense.
"Look at them go." one of the students at the stands said.
"It's like I'm watching an old samurai movie." another commented.
And more them began to talk among themselves.
"That's the Worst One, right? He defeated Stella Vermillion. But who's the other guy?"
"Don't you know? He's that new foreign student who's bad at magic, what's his name again? Blues?"
"Hey wait a minute, isn't Kurogane scheduled to face Kirihara-senpai tomorrow?"
"You're right! Looks like now's the chance to see if he's for real or not."
Bruce and Ikki broke away from their sword skirmish and began to slowly circle each other while holding their stances. There was a grin of excitement on the F-rank's face, the whole time during their exchange Ikki was trying to figure out his fighting style but to his surprise, Bruce was trying to figure him out as well. Their approaches were similar but Bruce was more methodical...like a detective! A detective trying to draw out clues and deduce his opponent. Ikki still didn't know much about him except that he was not just some student and was certainly no ordinary knight.
Bruce matched Ikki's grin with his own competitive smirk, it seemed he was enjoying this as much as Ikki.
Their warm up were over, now the real fight begins.
Bruce took the initiative by charging with a wide slash. Ikki reacted with a parry but Bruce quickly followed it up with a flurry of slashes, all of which were parried but barely. It wasn't that Ikki couldn't see the slashes coming, he just wasn't prepared for the sheer power Bruce put into his attacks despite witnessing it before. Indeed those muscles weren't for show; when Bruce hits, he hits HARD.
Ikki thought back to his mock battle with Stella. She too was strong but that was due to the amount of Mana she possessed, this was Bruce's base strength. Ikki knew how to nullify brute strength but Bruce didn't fight like a brute, he fought with such speed and surgical precision that a soft defense wasn't going to work on him. And ironically, that same defense he used to tire Stella was beginning to tire him.
The F-rank Blazer found himself a little overwhelmed and as he walked back while defending. He noticed that Bruce employed a lot of hand-to-hand techniques alongside his use of his weapon. He also noticed that every counter he attempted was used to Bruce's advantage; like Bruce was two steps ahead of him.
Bruce finally changed up his attack with a powerful thrust towards Ikki's left side but Ikki spun out of the way and retaliated with a swing to Bruce's right. Bruce blocked immediately with his blade positioned behind his shoulder and slashed towards Ikki's feet which Ikki reacted by jumping while bringing his sword down. Unfortunately for Ikki, Bruce used his body's momentum to deliver a capoeira-style spinning kick to his sternum.
Ikki was sent flying but he managed to pivot his body forward and skidded back while landing on his feet. He pushed himself up with his sword ready, he was beginning to tire but he grinned. This bout was actually turning out better than he expected and he chuckled with ragged breaths.
"You're...You're funny, Bruce." Ikki panted.
"I thought we established that I wasn't." Bruce responded with amusement.
"I meant that I find you a little unusual. I don't mean to brag but I can tell a lot about a person from the way they fight."
"Really now?"
Ikki nodded. Usually with his powers of sheer observation, Ikki can predict his opponent's next move; from muscle movements, habits, their rhythm, even from their personality traits. He called this technique 'Perfect Vision' and it is the basis of another certain technique.
He hesitated to speak what he was going to say but decided to go ahead and say it.
"You're a strategist. Every move you've made till now was intentional and with purpose, you think many steps ahead like you're playing chess. I admire that but you are also very secretive and even manipulative. You downplayed your win against Saikyo-sensei not because you're modest but because you're counting on people to underestimate you, to give you an edge. That's...not very knightly."
Bruce dropped his playful expression but aside from that, there wasn't much of a reaction nor a word from him. Ikki on the other hand, gave a warm smile as he continued speaking.
"But despite all that, you don't fight with cruelty. You've made sure all your strikes were non-lethal and you have a good heart. But wanna know the strangest thing? You're fighting two handed..."
As this point, Ikki's expression became a little taunting as he suddenly held Intetsu in reverse grip behind his back and got into a certain stance.
"...Yet your sword style is one handed." he finished.
This got a big reaction out of Bruce as his eyes widened in shock.
"What the..!?" he internally exclaimed.
This time it was Ikki who launched himself at Bruce. The older man met the boy's blade with his but Ikki didn't allow him pause as he spun to deliver a slash to Bruce's side. Bruce barely managed to parry but then Ikki suddenly followed up with an open palm strike from his free hand which Bruce swerved out of the way but wasn't able to avoid Ikki jabbing the hilt of Intetsu into Bruce's gut and then land an elbow strike to his jaw.
Bruce grunted and staggered back but then recovered and changed his stance.
"Those techniques…" he thought. "They're from the League of Assassin's fighting style! How did he...?"
He didn't have time to ponder as Ikki quickly engaged with him again. Intetsu and Branwen clashed again and again, a rapid tempo of clangs and sparks burst as the blades bit at each other in succession. It seemed the strength behind Bruce's strikes were no longer an issue to Ikki since he finally figured out how to effectively deflect them.
Stella was absolutely gobsmacked at the feats the two knights were showing. Ikki and Bruce were now alternating from swipes from their swords to punches to kicks. Both dodging and countering with acrobatic moves, the speed of their attacks increased bit by bit.
They were stalemated, neither able to gain an edge. If Stella were describe it, it would look like they were locked in a deadly ballet.
Finally, Bruce managed to knock Ikki to the ground but Ikki quickly reacted with a leg sweep that knocked Bruce's legs off the ground. Thinking fast, Bruce recovered by pivoting his shoulders towards the floor and then using his free hand to push himself into a flip and land on his feet a distance away. Ikki used this time to get up and bring his sword up in a guarded stance.
With the distance between them, the two knights held their ground. Their swords gripped as they both panted from the strain of battle, their eyes locked tensely on each other while they waited for who is going to make the next move.
"This is crazy!" Bruce thought. "I'm using almost every fighting technique I know against him but he's still able to read my moves and counter it!"
Bruce took a moment to study the boy. Ikki looked winded but he kept his ragged breathing steady and Intetsu tightly gripped. One thing Bruce did notice was the way his eyes were: his pupils were completely dilated, like a hawk trying to take in every bit of visual information. Now that Bruce thought about it, those eyes were like that throughout their duel and never once focused away from him, completely dialed in.
If Bruce allowed his facial expression to change, his eyes would've widened in astonishment because of the realization that dawned on him.
"N-no way! Could it be? Is that how..?"
It was a strange notion but given what he had observed from their fight so far, it seemed plausible.
"There's one way to know for sure." Bruce concluded.
First he closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath followed by a long exhale, then he relaxed his stance till his arms were limp to his sides. Finally, with his posture and guise completely neutral, he began to walk towards Ikki.
Ikki's brows shot up in surprise, seeing his opponent advance slowly towards him without a hint of agitation.
"What is he doing?" he wondered.
And Ikki couldn't get an answer. Try as he might, he wasn't able to read anything from him! Bruce's muscles were completely relaxed, his poise gave no clue to his intentions and his face was expertly poker.
The F-rank kept his guard up, he knew it had to be a trick! He figured that Bruce was probably trying to bait him and he didn't intend to fall for it. But as Bruce got closer and closer, Ikki began to sweat and feel anxious. Soon Bruce would be within arms length, close enough to attack but what would he do? Would he try to attack or try to disarm? Was this his tactic all along? To close distance and blindside him?
He figured out enough of Bruce's fighting style to know that he was formidable at close range, perhaps he should attack first with a sweeping arc to maintain distance. But he also knows that Bruce is the kind of person who'd be anticipating such an attack and might be planning to use it to his advantage.
Ikki gritted his teeth. This was a first for him, who would've thought that his insight about an opponent could backfire on him? Bruce is the most complex opponent he has ever faced, he may be able to gauge his system of fighting but he's not a mind reader. With him not giving any visual clues, he couldn't tell what he might do next. There were just too many possibilities!
As much as Ikki didn't want to admit it, his hand has been forced. He decided that the best course of action was rush him and catch him off guard. And so he did.
With precise footwork, Ikki charged at him with Intetsu's blade positioned forward. Bruce did not react but it was when he was within a foot away from him, Ikki noticed a twitch in Bruce's wrist. That was all Ikki needed to know that Bruce planned to attack head on! And so within a mere second he raised Intetsu and brought it down in an overhead slash.
CLANG!
The final clash of metal echoed around the arena and everyone, especially Stella, looked on with stunned expressions as something went spinning upwards in the air before it fell and embedded itself a distance away from the two combatants. That something was Intetsu.
Ikki stood eyes wide and jaw open in shock while Bruce stood opposite him with Branwen's tip pointed towards him. There wasn't any point continuing, their sparring session had come to a close. At first, Ikki wasn't sure what happened but then he replayed the last few moments in his mind to realize that he had played right into Bruce's hands. He mentally berated himself on the spot, he was sure he would've seen it coming if he hadn't acted so recklessly.
"You were watching me." Bruce suddenly said.
"What?" asked Ikki, still a little out of it.
"This whole time you had complete attention on all the subtle movements of my body, studying it so accurately that you're able to predict my moves in advance but that's not all. I know for a fact that some of techniques I used aren't well known, yet you replicated them like you've practiced them for years. A kind of mimicry I've never seen before, like...'photographic reflexes'."
The boy gasped and then his lips settled into a rueful smile. It seemed his earlier assessment that Bruce had the mind of a detective was correct.
"I wasn't sure at first so I used a little trick I learned to put my body in a relaxed state. What confirmed it for me was when you reacted to my last attack. That was just to throw you off, I switched styles within the last few milliseconds to disarm you. Now tell me something, Ikki..."
Bruce's eyes narrowed a little. He didn't want to believe the boy was being dishonest but he needed to know.
"Was that a Noble Art?"
Ikki quickly shook his head.
"No. Not at all. Because no one was willing to train me as a child, all I could do was watch others. I read books, studied video footages, watched people training in dojos from afar until I was able to steal their styles. I call this technique 'Blade Steal'."
The boy's response actually managed to leave Bruce surprised.
"You developed this on your own!? That's incredible!"
To say that the former billionaire was amazed was an understatement. The boy before him was only sixteen years of age yet with just determination and insight, he was able to amass a wealth of combat knowledge that took him years to master. Ikki wasn't just good, he was scary good! Though there were areas he lacked in, the so-called Worst One had the potential to become one of greatest fighters in the world.
"Don't think much about this outcome." Bruce said as he dismissed his Device. "Had magic been brought into the equation or perhaps if this bout was drawn out a little longer, I don't think I would've fared better."
But Ikki didn't respond. The boy's face was downcast to the point where his hair obscured his eyes. Bruce was taken aback by the sight, he hadn't meant to make Ikki feel discouraged but just when he opened his mouth to say something, a continuous series of beeps rang out from his pocket.
Bruce's expression quickly grew grim. He knew it wasn't a call but the software he installed from his suit.
"I have to go." he said bluntly, turned and left.
Up above at the stands, the spectating students remained in their places for a while, seeing that Kurogane was the only one standing in the ring, before they began to disperse and leave as well. But Stella stood still with an aghast expression. "How was this possible!" she thought, Ikki was the strongest swordsman she had ever faced! He won against a prodigy A-rank like her so she knew his power. For him to be defeated by someone like Bruce...it was unacceptable!
To make matters worse for the princess, the leaving students were talking to themselves: loud enough for her to overhear them.
"That's that I guess. But he's an F-rank so what do you expect?"
"Poor guy's gonna get slaughtered tommorow."
"That win against Vermillion-san must've been a fluke."
"Nah! He's from the Kurogane family, remember? I hear they're loaded. I bet he probably bribed her to take the fall."
Stella clinched her fists and gritted her teeth. She wanted to yell at all of them to shut up or even threaten them to not say anymore but she knew it would be pointless. She instead directed her ire towards one particular person.
"That perverted jerk! This is all his fault!"
Meanwhile Bruce Managed to find himself a secluded spot to peer into his phone. One the screen was displayed a map of Tokyo with a blinking dot at the east side of the city while the audio sounded off the police emergency broadcast.
From what he can tell, a patrol car in the Koto Ward noticed three suspicious vehicles, particularly a truck which they identified as stolen. They confronted them, gunfire was exchanged and now about ten police cars are in pursuit of them.
One of the men was identified as not only a Rogue Blazer, but as an upper-level member of the Ichinose-gumi.
Bruce narrowed his eyes at this, he had heard of them. They're Yakuza. And alongside Rebellion and the Dragunov mob, are among the major organized crime organizations in Tokyo.
"It's time." he whispered to himself.
Black boots were secured around his legs and feet, Utility belt was fastened around his waist, then the gauntlets were fitted around his forearms and the three bladed fins on each of them flexed a little. Finally after draping the cape around his back, the cowl was pulled over his head till the tip of his nose, his blue eyes now replaced with sharp glowing white lenses.
Prior to suiting up, Batman made sure to stash a spare set of clothes outside within the Academy ground. It was a precautionary measure in case someone in the school began to take notice of his nightly activities, better to let Bruce Wayne get into trouble than allow news to spread about the Batman being sighted in Hagun.
After slowly sliding his balcony door open, he peeked outside to make sure the coast was clear. He could see that the sun finished setting and the skies have already been enveloped by night's dark veil, about two hours left till curfew time. Luckily it seemed that there wasn't any students in sight and he assumed that they were all busy having dinner. And so he dropped to ground outside, using both the shadows and his grapnel gun to stealthily make his way towards the rail station.
He wasn't aware that there was someone watching him.
The station next to Hagun was an elevated structure that encompassed the long rail bridge that stretched towards the city. It was on the roof of this structure where Batman stood, overlooking the bridge and waiting for a certain train.
Through the vision of his eye lenses, a graphic of the metro-rail route map was displayed and it alerted him just as the train rushed through the station under him. On cue, Batman jumped down and landed on the roof of the train. He would've easily fell off if it wasn't for a feature in his boots which magnetically anchored him to the moving vehicle. As he held his footing, the police broadcast continued to squawk in his ears; Apparently the perps have passed through Odaiba and were heading towards the Rainbow Bridge.
"I could use the Yukimome line and intercept them at the Shibaura district." Batman thought.
The ride lasted for a little while until the displayed map alerted him to switch a parallel rail line, prompting Batman to quickly fire a grapple line at an overhead gantry and reeled himself with the grapnel boost, making him shoot in the air like a literal bat out of hell. He spread his cape and glided towards an adjacent rail bridge and when another train rushed below him, he landed on top like he did with the previous one.
"Not exactly the best method of travel." he admitted to himself. "But it should help me get there in time."
TBC
AN:
* For those who don't know, JK and JC are Japanese slang words. JK stands for Joshi Kousei (Highschool girl) and JC stands for Joshi Chuugakusei (Middle school girl).
** Tenkousei means 'Transfer Student'.