Her heart beat is gone - her warm body has now turned cold - her eyes that were full of hope has now become hollow.
Though he my try to refuse it. Reiji knows that Sonya is no more.
All he wants to do is finish the exam and pay respect to her, but before that, his fuming eyes are set on Nero.
He picks her up and runs in the opposite direction from Nero. Who's lips is still stretching from the corner of his mouth to his ears.
"Is he scared that I might go after her again?" Whispering to himself, "How kind of him."
**
Reiji is back, breathless as he may be the fire on his eyes has not been extinguished. He raises his arm pointing his index finger to Nero.
"What kind of a ninja are you?"
"…"
"What right do you have to murder other people? As a ninja you are suppose to protect those people. So why would you do such a cruel thing?"
"P-protect who?" Nero adds, "All I want is to feel a sense of happiness when ever I archive what I want like any other person. What's wrong with that?"
"And that happiness you feel it when you take someone's life from them?"
"What's wrong with that?"
With a roaring scream, Reiji charges forward, his fist clenched together and a strike heads toward Nero's face.
Nero leaps back, however Reiji faints it landing a left strike on his nose.
Nero bounces over and over from the ground before hitting a tree. Even if he sents Nero to a tree, Reiji understand it will not be enough to defeat Nero.
He may use the skill he learned from both Pretro and Hachimaru, but he has not mastered them. So his only choice right now would be to use Kisha's ability.
Nero stands up, his grin still present on his face.
"I've become slow. Fighting three people seems to have taken a lot out of me. If I continue like this I'll outlast him, but I'll be bored quickly. Guess I will have to kill him." Mummering to himself.
In the distance Reiji has put between them, he notices Reiji's eyes have closed.
"Guess I won't have to use hand to hand anymore."
He raises his palm pointing it at Reiji. His palm begins to exude a blue light that is getting bigger and bigger every second.
"This should be enough."
[DEMONIC ABILITY: HŌSHUTSU SURU]
The light shoots straight to Reiji thinner than a twig. One emotion flows through Nero, but…
The light misses or rather Reiji was able to move out of the way. Nero tries again - same results - again - same results.
"H…how?"
Reiji's eyes shoot open, no more burning with rage, instead they are filed with excitement. Wasting no time, Nero shoots again, however nothing comes out and his nose seep out a red snort.
Reiji sprints towards him faster than before. Nero raises his hand, though Reiji is able to stop it before it can extend further.
"I understand now." Reiji says to Nero.
Nero places his left palm on Reiji's face. With just a smile, Reiji headbutts him on the bleeding nose causing it to gush out blood.
Nero steps back holding on to his nose. He directs his eyes to Reiji and in a quick movement a punch flies past him. Reiji does not stop - he continues throwing a barrage of punches and Nero repeatedly evades each one.
'I don't how, but if I continue taking his attack head on I'll not be able to stand up like before.'
Sometime back.
There was something eating away at Reiji. How did he sense that Sonya was standing behind that tree? Was it luck? A good guess? Or something else.
The only way he can know the answer is to close his eyes and allow the darkness to swallow him.
He wondered how he himself could see it? Yet he could. He stepped aside from the incoming light.
When he peeked with one of his eyes a flash of light blasted past him. All he could say is that he got lucky, because that light could have killed him.
Another followed with another and he knew that he can sense Sei. How? He does not know. All he can say is…
"Thank you Sonya."
**
'I have also learned something new about Nero's ability.' Reiji adds, 'In order for Nero to use his ability he has to extend his arms or his circulation pathway is blocked.'
Now Reiji plans on making sure that Nero is unable to extend his left arm.
'Tsk. It seems I won't be able to use my left palm anymore and with the amount of Sei I have I won't be able to use HŌSHUTSU SURU for more than two times.'
Nero bumps on to a tree, diverting his eyes to the tree for a second, but that second is enough for Reiji to make Nero block.
Nero's smile is gone replaced with gritted teeth.
Nero kicks Reiji in the stomach, putting a few meters of separation. He brings his arms down.
"I can't believe that I allowed two people who don't have a Demonic Ability to punch me like am a punching bag. If Faizan was here, I bet he would have laught at me."
"Don't worry, your not the only one surprised. I never thought you would be this weak. The only damage you have inflicted on me so far is my torn clothes."
Nero sprints towards him doing the Rin, Hei, Toh and Kai hand sign. He leaps to the sky.
"Hand to hand combat it is."
Reiji jumps out of the way, however Nero twisting like a bottle cap and punches him. But, Reiji has blocked it using his elbow.
Nero tries again and Reiji blocks each coming attack even when it's a low kick.
'Learning Pretro's fighting style was a good idea.' Reiji thinking to himself.
Nero pauses mid attack. Reiji stumbles back and like a moving train, Nero does the Rin , Hei, Toh, Kai, Jin, Restu and Zai hand sign faster than Reiji can stumble.
[DEMONIC ABILITY: HŌSHUTSU SURU]
Nero extends his left palm and the blue light shoots with more power than before. This time Reiji has no way of blocking.
After sometime the light disappears like it was never there - only thing present is Nero's left hand still hanging.
He brings it to his waist, collapsing with both his knees and puffing continuously. On the other hand, Reiji is covered by smoke; with the ground beneath him obliterated.
The smoke fades; revealing Reiji's burned body. All the clothes he had on gone, his hair once blue is now black.
Reiji falls face flat on to the ground. Nero snickers before a hysterical laugh escape him.
His laughter coming to an end, he stands up from the ground, his feet dancing with exhaustion and his malicious smile returning.
"I know you've been watching me since the tournament. So I know you know who I am and where I come from. Just come out and arrest me already. Special Force Ninja, because right now I don't have enough strength to fight back." Nero looking up to a tree.
However he is met with silence. He lowers his head trying to take a step forward and sadly he can not. He comes to the conclusion that all he can do with his legs is to stand up.
"I wonder what his doing right now." Whispering to himself.
Ever since that incident, Nero has continued to kill most people in his mission weather they are bystanders or not.
'Will I relive that feeling after I die.'
Once this exam is finished, he is confident that he will be captured to reveal more information. If the Shogun were to hear the news of his failed mission. Will he trigger the tag that's in his chest?
To him it seems that no matter what he does, after this exam ends he is doomed in every possible way. The only thing he regrets is not seeing how Faizan looks under that mask of his one last time.
In the meantime, a *thud* sound vibrates in the ground. Each second the sound gets louder and louder until the birds fly away from it.
Nero turns his eyes to Reiji's body. Bewilderment covers his face at what his witnessing.
Though he blasted him with enough energy to take down a house. Reiji is capable of twitching his fingers.
From twitching his finger, to his body skipping around and his carcass raising from the ground.
Standing upright - he piviots his body, raises his index finger.
Nero in alertness he extend his palm.
"Tsk. I don't have enough Sei to use my Demonic Ability. But how is he even standing"
Sparks cumulating in the center of his finger.
"Calm down Nero." His smile returns. "Not like he has a Demonic Ability."
He closes his eyes. A feint voice whispers on his ears.
"It's fine. I am dying anyway."
His eyes jolt open, his exhausted body filling up with excitement. Nero's eyes bright with joy.
"Let's see. Whatever your planning or my ultimate ability!"
[DEMONIC ABILITY: KYŪKYOKU NO KAIHÕ]
Both light blast from each person simultaneously; colliding like two swords. One trying to dominate over the other.
Nero's bones on his left arm crack - his ligerments tear - he quickly holds his arm in the air.
Unfortunately… his wrist is unable to settle on the instability. His blue light shrinks and Reiji's blast pierce through him.
Up in the tree someone looks down with amazement. Reiji collapse on to the ground. Nero's left half is missing. To better describe, it's like it's been bitten of him.
Nero coughs up blood. He falls down to the ground with his back and his half smile intact on his face.
The winner between Reiji vs Nero is…
Reiji.
TBC.
NEXT CHAPTER: PRELUDE 32