Those days under Hachiman. When she made her decision to leave the Sanjouno clan and become a warrior worthy of standing next to Bell. She barely remembered them up until now. The only things she could clearly recall were her feelings at the time. Or rather, a singular feeling.
Frustration. Frustration at her lack of talent. Frustration at her position in the food chain of the Divine Arms school. She was utterly out of touch with martial arts. Her endurance was pitiful. She would always be behind everyone as they ran, as they lifted weights. Yet now she could remember her... obsession. She never gave in. Even if it took hours more, she would finish her drills. Her sleep was cut down to a minimum, as she spent the time reading up and memorizing the moves, hammering scenario after scenario into her head for she lacked the natural instinct most fighters had. It was foolish, most students say. Meaningless to try and do this. Yet Hachiman himself never admonished her. He silently approved with nods here and there, only stepping in when she was at the verge of destroying herself.
When did it change? That frustration, when it became pride. When the images in her hand overlapped with reality, when she overcame others and caught up to the top? When she forcefully created her instinct with those stubborn actions of hers? And when did she forget all that? The happiness she felt when reaching level two against all odds. When she didn't think about Bell at all and only thought about surpassing yesterday, to become stronger and better tomorrow?
Haruhime wondered why she was thinking back to those days, as her heart felt like it was set aflame. When Bell wanted her to give up. Like she was a liability... which she was. She had been a liability since she arrived in Orario. She remembered them. In this moment as time slowed down, when Bell expressed his lack of faith in her, he remembered the words that plagued her mind ever since this entire mess started. When the amazon held her down with ease, wondering why she faked being a warrior. When Kaguya broke her bones, the kind girl who was forced to be cruel, asking where her fang was. Her teacher, that arrived in the last days, even more merciless than Kaguya. Who wondered what the point of her training was. Who stated that she had enough skill but that it was meaningless without spirit. It all culminated in one question.
Why? Why did she go through all this effort? They were right. She wasn't a warrior. Not as she was now. She was currently no different at all from the shy, isolated princess, that hoped for someone to save her. She realized where she went wrong. She realized when Lord Hachiman went from a stoic, yet proud teacher to a man filled with disappointment. She lost sight of her goal, her initial reason for wanting to become stronger. Along the road... she had a false dream. She wanted to be like him. Yet she had to face the truth. Bell Cranel truly was one of a kind. If she kept deluding herself that she could become pure like him, then she would lose. She would cause a loss for her familia. So no. She couldn't. She couldn't ignore the dark flame in her heart, the kind that most adventurers had in their soul. That thing, that ugly thing that pushed them to greater heights. No one was exempt from it, besides Bell. So if she wanted to win... she had to let go and accept the logic of Orario. She wished it was different. She wished she could have a soul like Bell. But in the end... if it meant that she could reach her original goal... and stay by his side…
She growled. Fine. She shall become a monster then if that was what it took. She shall return to the basics, to her past, the days where she was separated from Bell, where it was only her. Mentally she apologized to her goddess. The moment she made her decision, the moment she truly remembered, many things happened. Her hair and fur grew. Her teeth became sharper and her skin turned more scarlet, just like her sclera did, as her heart pumped faster and faster, causing her veins to pulsate from the increased blood flow. But more importantly green fire suddenly appeared around her left hand. Danos' eyes widened at those changes, letting go immediately out of instinct, yet the next instance confusion appeared on his face when he stared at the spot she grabbed, pristine and not burned. But that was a mistake, to become distracted.
It was the sound of a whip. Danos for the first time doubled over, wheezing as his breath was taken.
"A kick to the solar plexus?!"
"A concentrated one as well!"
Like a singular fang stabbing in, Haruhime's toe, covered in the green flames, managed to push its force through the thick muscles. To the viewers, they could immediately tell the difference between that attack and every other from before. Not only because of Haruhime's own Beastification, however she pulled that of, not because of those green flames or her increased blood flow. No, it was the intent behind it. She demonstrated it once more, as Danos' head was lowered as he reflexively touched his chest, that she threw a hook with her left hand. But instead of a punch, it was a singular index finger, the nail having grown into a small claw, aimed for his eardrums. His eyes snapped open in pain as the bone began to pierce through, aimed for his brain directly. With a mighty roar, he threw a straight punch, sending the Renard flying after getting hit in the stomach. The people winced at the crack they heard as she spat out blood. Yet she managed to land on her feet, sliding over the ground before being on all fours as her fluids dropped off her mouth. Danos held his ear, bleeding as well, as he stared at the Renard in shock.
"Nopainnopainnopainnopain-"
She looked like a manic beast. A ghostlike fox on all four, with the green flames flickering like wisps. A beast intending to kill. After all, unlike before, she was aiming for vitals proper. The hesitation, the fear of killing, was gone. The veterans were fully aware that from now on, she would no longer miss opportunities, like the time she flew over him and just punched his spine, when she could've aimed for the eyes or the throat in mid flight.
"About damn time, girl!" Kaguya shouted, a feral smile on her face as she witnessed her student's growth.
Haruhime rose to her feet, leaning forward as she rolled her shoulders with a snarl more close to a beast than a human. Danos removed his hand from his ear, showing his own beast like smile as he raised his fists.
"Much better…! Excellent! Come, Karateka!"
With that, the two fighters rushed at each other once more.
"Whoa there, it's like two animals going at it!"
"Sakamoto has the speed advantage, but Danos still has the bigger build!"
A single mistake would spell her doom. Yet with that mental pressure, Haruhime kept moving around Danos, who swung wilder and wilder, his blows actually creating gusts of wind. With a left Middle Knuckle fist and her right elbow, she jabbed and cut with more explosive force now. Her movements were minimal but it was like she was shooting arrows with the small windups she had. Her attacks dug into his flesh, not drawing any blood, but Danos was grimacing more and more with each next hit. It wasn't something he was prepared for, that something could pierce his natural defenses without weapons. But it was only natural. Whatever knowledge he had of the Divine Arms style, it was limited. He couldn't know about the knowledge of the lethal techniques, of the targeting of pressure points that Hachiman taught each student personally. His mighty muscles began to quiver and shake, unable to keep up the iron defense they had. Thus the pain increased. Thus his flesh gave in to her blows. However, more power and lethality aside, Danos saw a weakness in Haruhime's approach.
Close range, her right elbow. A bit further away, her left hand. With her right fingers broken, each side had their own range, something he could see. And if he could see it, he could start to predict her next move. He was stilly wary of the green fire that surrounded her ever since she used her Beastification, but no heat came off them. They were harmless to his body. Therefore, he ignored it. He narrowed his eyes, seeing Haruhime entering her mid range. Her left arm twitched, just as expected. He raised his hands, about to counter, catch it, whatever would suit him more... before his word tilted as a sharp pain flared up from his side.
"Overhead punch from a blindspot!"
He heard the words, but he was utterly confused even as the left fist landed square in his face, hitting just above his nose. That attack just now didn't come from her left. He stomped on the ground, forcing her to retreat and the sight he saw shocked him to his core.
"Oh, that's disgusting!" Hestia shouted, her face becoming green. Kaguya chuckled in amusement, drawing delight from how even some higher ranked adventurers like Raul felt squeezy at the sight.
"That's the Earth Style for you."
Her right fingers, broken and mangled in a sense, forcibly contracted into a fist as Haruhime grinned with sharp teeth. With only muscle control she maneuvered the subtle and specific movements of her hand without aggravating the damage. Of course it was less solid than her left hand, but it opened up more options that Danos had to be wary of now. He felt his blood scream in excitement as he roared at the same time as Haruhime. Yes, now this was a proper battle! He rushed forward, throwing a right straight which the Renard barely dodged, twisting her head while doing so. At the same time she jabbed her left finger into the crook of his arm. He grunted in pain before forcefully twisting his body. She raised her arms in guard but was still sent flying from the sheer force, eliciting a painful cry as she smashed against a rock and through it. He leapt at the dust cloud, intent to finish it. But then his vision was covered.
"It's the Karateka's dougi!"
Without his knowledge, Haruhime was behind him, only her bandages covering her modesty. With her belt in her right hand she exhaled and kicked upwards. Many males winced at her action but Danos shrugged it off rather well as he immediately turned around and tackled her with his shoulder like a charging bull. It launched the girl once more, most likely breaking things as she coughed up blood again, her knees buckling even after landing on her feet. Danos didn't miss his chance when he reared his right leg back, intent on finishing this. Yet then something weird happened. His vision became blurry and his head ached as he saw double. In a panic, he aimed for the right Haruhime, but his feet met nothing, piercing through the hazy illusion his mind made up.
"Why did he attack the air?!"
"I couldn't tell you why!"
As confusion made its way through the ranks, Haruhime wrapped her belt around his left leg. She pulled, forcing him to the ground. As he fell, he spun around, trying to break his fall with his hands, but his eyes widened. Even with his hazy vision he saw Haruhime just as her elbow dropped down his nose, causing it to crack. Mounting him, she threw punch after punch, claw after claw, down his face, screaming her throat hoarse as Danos sluggishly tried to protect his face in his daze. It was then that Riveria out of all people realized what happened to the weretiger that caused him to become so dizzy.
"Mind Down...?"
People turned their heads at her as the mage herself recognized the signs of lacking the mental strength for spells. Yet she lacked context as to why it happened. Context that every Far Eastern individual did not lack however, as they pieced it together themselves. They all recall the legends of Renards. As they were a rare race all things considered, some of them fell into obscurity. But there were myths of them having had a more insidious nature than the nobles and shrine maidens of today. When the world was uncivilized and preyed upon the weak like anyone else. Rumors said that they ate away at the spirits of men themselves, creating illusions and the like. Naturally many believed those traits to be part of their magical talent. After all, the secrets and memories of Beastification, if the Renard ever had any, were long forgotten. But now, Sakamoto Haruhime seemingly forced the secrets back into the open.
Danos grit his teeth and threw her off by raising his hips. Haruhime quickly retreated before he could smash his fist down on the ground. The two stood their ground, breathing heavily. Both have accumulated a lot of damage. The next exchange could finish it all. At the sight of all that, the god Hachiman nodded in approval.
"So she remembered."
"Sensei?"
The teacher kept his eyes on the battlefield as they slowly circled around each other, trying to recover their strength as much as they could for the final exchange.
"What the Divine Arms style is all about. Having reunited with Cranel distracted her unlike her year of isolation from him. Now she has finished her introspection and overcame her own hangups."
"So she has become a warrior at last?"
"Of course not. Her attitude is zero." A rare smile appeared after he shook his head. "Thus, her aptitude for the martial art is a hundred percent."
"I do not understand... "
He sent a disappointed look at the student that muttered those words. After he blushed in shame, Hachiman looked back with his crossed arms.
"My style was created to forge the weakest of mortals into gods. Without a doubt, Haruhime is the weakest student I had. And thus she is the best student I had."
The two combatants took on their stances once more. To everyone's surprise, Danos shifted his feet, as he took on a boxing stance. It was by the book. Yet one could see that this man, who only accepted strength, took on a stance meant for technique. A simple technique, but a technique nonetheless. He took a deep breath before smiling softly despite his tiger form at his opponent.
"It has been an honor."
Haruhime's eyes widened. But before she could respond, he reared back his right arm. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the now as she rushed forward at high speeds. She saw his weight shift. His hip twist as his straight came. She took a wide step forward with her right leg. The air rushed at her as he unleashed his blow, like a ballista firing a massive arrow. She touched the ground first, milliseconds before the first connected to her shoulder. She screamed, in agony as her flesh and bone gave away to the massive blow. Danos grinned widely, knowing he landed the hit as he surely broke her shoulder and was about to tear her arm off completely. But then everyone saw. The crying goddess of hers. The ones who helped and supported her in the Twilight Mansion. Her despairing Familia. Her martial arts teacher.
They all saw her tear stained, pained, yet wide smile. A shiver went down Danos' spine. The next instance, Haruhime's left leg hit his neck and sent him flying. He crashed against the wall and slumped down. Silence reigned, with only the gasps of Haruhime sounding in the arena. Then the crowd exploded in cheers at the unbelievable sight.
"Where did that power come from?!"
"A magnificent counter!"
"That's not a counter, that's an explosion!"
Positioning herself close enough, stabilizing her stance and risking her life. Redirecting the force of her opponent. Letting it flow through her body, before reinforcing it with her own might and throwing it back at her opponent. Those were the 'basics' of her technique, only known to the circles of the Hachiman Familia and his students. Essentially Danos was hit by his own, strongest attack yet, focused entirely on his neck, empowered by Haruhime's own strength.
"Power is meaningless against overwhelming techniques," Hachiman commented quietly, nodding proudly at her student who was at the verge of collapsing. She stared at the lying form of her opponent and closed her eyes. Even he couldn't possibly get up from that.
But the instance Haruhime thought of that just as many others, the moment she allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief... The Titan rose once more. The Renard paled in shock as she stepped back, even when the weretiger shook, even when the weretiger wasn't even on his feet yet. While his eyes wavered... they were alive as he stared right at his opponent, an unreadable expression on his face. The girl tried to raise her arms, but exhaustion and broken bones prevented her from doing so. Everyone knew what the sight meant.
There was no way Haruhime could do anything more. She ran out of steam first. She lowered her head, biting her lip in frustration. After all that... she failed her Familia. She shook her head, not wanting to hear the sounds of Bell's concern, the pity of the audi-
"The winner is Sakamoto Haruhime!"
They all snapped their attention to Penthesilea who raised her hand with a smile. Haruhime blinked before tilting her head numbly, not able to believe her ears.
"Eh?"
"What?!"
The crowd was in an uproar. Anger filled the ranks, of those who bet against the Renard and those that were on Eris' side. Yet out of all people, it was Danos who shook his head, laughing weakly as he rubbed his neck, blood seeping out of it.
"I fainted. If only for an instance." He lowered his head, eyes clenched shut. "It is indeed my loss."
Hearing the challenger himself accept his defeat was more than enough. The crowd applauded the fight. Haruhime had every right to celebrate her victory, But instead, she walked up to him and offered her head with a shy expression, red in her face.
"T-Thank you for this match!"
He stared at her in surprise before chuckling and accepting the hand. Raising himself, even if Haruhime was almost pulled down, he stood tall in front of her and bowed his head.
"I apologize. You have been a worthy opponent."
With those words he wandered towards his side. Haruhime then let out a squeak as the crowd loudly approved of her actions. Unlike the beast she was before, with her skin color and eyes back to normal, her hair and fingernails shrinking back, she quickly picked up her dougi and tried to cover her face and body. But when she arrived at her side of the arena, she saw the smiling faces of her familia. She sniffed before raising her left hand, as much as it hurt.
Her Familia didn't hesitate to high five her, a loud smack sounding in the air.