Special abilities are shaped by one's will, mentality, and desires. Looking at the man in front of him, Kyle could feel a storm approaching.
The air grew heavy, pressure weighing down on him as if the world itself recognized the chaos that surrounded this man. The man's aura was pure chaos and unpredictability, wild, untamed, and terrifying. One might mistake him for a primordial beast just by his monstrous shi'en.
Once again, Kyle praised his luck. If he had not used the Serum before all this happened, he would not have stood a chance against this man. Even if he somehow managed to defeat the Kimtos, this opponent was on another level entirely.
Kyle did not waste a second. He dashed forward, his movements sharp and precise, cutting through the thick tension in the air like a blade.
"Silver Moon Crest!"
While in the air, his heel glowed silver, carving a radiant crescent as it fell toward the masked man's head.
Clang
"A straight forward guy. I like you," the man said casually, blocking the overhead kick with his sheathed blade and forcing Kyle to retreat several steps.
"Sorry, but I'm not into men," Kyle shot back, hiding his unease behind sarcasm.
The attack was a probe one that failed successfully. Kyle could already tell his opponent was strong, he was simply testing the waters.
"Name is Zigi. Zigi Zolani," the man said with a smile.
"I've had a hard time finding strong opponents in this tournament. The only one worthy of a real fight is currently clashing with my little sister. I was getting bored chasing cowards around when I spotted you. You looked strong, but I couldn't figure out why you were stalling against those three. With your strength, you should be aiming to be the last man standing. It's almost like you're afraid of fighting or using your own power. And I'm supposed to be the weirdo?"
Kyle stayed quiet, scanning the battlefield again. Earlier, he had noticed something off, something subtle, yet deeply unsettling.
No one in the tournament seemed to be affected by Shi'en backlash in the slightest. Even those with advanced Shi'en used it freely, their bodies showing no signs of strain or instability. Every strike, every movement, was smooth, too smooth.
Now that Zigi had pointed out his strange behavior, it finally clicked. Or perhaps he simply didn't want to accept what his instincts had already told him. But now, with the truth pressing down on him like a weight, denial was no longer an option. But this would change things for him, it would mean in this all arena he was the most disadvantaged one.
He was no longer a predator stalking its prey. He was the prey, cornered and desperate to survive.
The goal had changed. Winning was no longer realistic. All he could do was endure, survive long enough to secure a spot among the top three. It wasn't the victory he wanted, but it was the only one left within reach.
Yet even that would not come easy. The man standing before him left no room for restraint.
To face him, Kyle would need to go all out. And that meant relying completely on his Shi'en pushing it past its limits, even if it risked tearing his body apart from the inside.
"You've got me kind of excited," Zigi said, eyes gleaming. "I'll hold nothing back, so don't disappoint me."
Then he launched forward, his strikes relentless. Kyle parried and blocked with his arms coated in Shi'en as he searched for an opening to counter attack.
They exchanged blows, fast, fluid, and merciless.
Each movement carried precision born of experience, every strike flowing seamlessly into the next.
They anticipated each other's moves, every strike met with a dodge, block, or parry.
For a while, neither gained the upper hand, every advantage was instantly countered, every opening swiftly closed.
The two were locked in perfect stalemate.
Then it happened.
Zigi's blade shimmered with lightning. Sensing the danger, Kyle tried to retreat.
"Lightning Flurry Barrage!"
Blue arcs of electricity ripped through the air, curving across the ground with terrifying speed. Each strike left deep scars in the arena, some detonating in bursts of raw energy.
Kyle twisted and dodged, blocking where he could, desperate to create distance between himself and his opponent.
Before the dust could settle, his instincts screamed danger, this time he could not react first enough.
Zigi appeared before him first as lightning, carried by a gusting storm that tore through everything in its path.
"Rumbling Heavenly Verdict!" he Matured.
His saber howled with thunder and lightning as it struck toward Kyle. A thunderous explosion erupted, hurling Kyle through the air before he crashed into the ground, carving a small crater where he landed.
"Disappointing," Zigi murmured, his tone calm but edged with quiet irritation. The smoke from his previous attack still hung in the air, curling around the shattered ground like mist.
That strike wasn't meant to end the fight, it was meant to test Kyle.
Lightening flurry was to create enough chaos to force him into defense while Zigi prepared his next move.
But he still hoped Kyle would see through the trap, to rise above the pressure and react accordingly. But it seemed he had overestimated him.
Zigi sighed inwardly. He wasn't here out of ambition or desperation like the others. The academy would have welcomed him regardless, his admission was practically guaranteed.
This tournament was just a formality, a playground to pass the time. The real reason he and his sister joined was far more personal, they had come to challenge someone specific.
When the tournament began, his sister found him fast. Even now, she was locked in a fierce battle somewhere across the field, the clash of their powers faintly visible in the distance.
Zigi, left without his intended opponent, had gone searching for someone else who could at least make the fight worth his effort.
But the search had been disappointing.
Most he defeated easily, while the rest either surrendered or fled at the first sign of danger. None of them had the will or composure he sought.
Then he saw Kyle.
From the start, Kyle's movements caught his attention, sharp, deliberate, yet strangely restrained. There was power there, but also hesitation. He wasn't fighting to win, he was stalling.
For what reason, Zigi didn't know, but it made him curious. That curiosity was enough for him to step in and issue the challenge.
He expected a fight that would push him, maybe even surprise him.
"Guess I was wrong," Zigi said softly, his expression flattening as he lowered his stance again.
The excitement he once felt had drained away, leaving only focus and the faint sting of disappointment