The unknown boy finally regained consciousness. The first thing he did was look around the room and notice that he was in a hospital ward. He quickly jumped to his feet, and moments later a nurse entered the room.
"What are you doing? You shouldn't be moving so suddenly."
"Where am I, and what is this place?"
"You're in a hospital in the Kingdom of Ozoro."
"Ozoro? I've never heard of such a kingdom."
"Please calm down."
Instead of listening to the nurse, the teenager decided to jump out of the window.
"I have to get out of here as soon as possible" he thought, running ahead.
As he ran through the city, he drew the attention of the residents — and not only them.
"Hey, isn't that the boy we found?" Nohara pointed out.
"Hmm, you're right. Let's follow him" they both ran after the unknown boy. "Hey, you! Wait!"
"Leave me alone!"
Seeing that Derivan and Nohara were still chasing him, the boy formed an energy projectile in his hand and fired it at them.
"Bastard" Yashimiro deflected the projectile, then leapt into the air, instantly appearing in front of the mysterious teenager, and spun halfway to kick him in the face. "I told you to wait."
"You want to fight?"
"No, I want to talk. But if you don't calm down, I won't have a choice."
In response, the teenager took a fighting stance. "Then come on. I won't surrender without a fight."
"I'll have to draw him away from the city" Derivan thought as he flew in the opposite direction.
"What, running away? Pathetic" the boy commented, chasing after him.
Nohara followed as well. After leaving the city, the unknown teenager fired another energy projectile. Yashimiro barely dodged it, but a second later his opponent slammed a kick into Shonetsu's stomach, knocking him to the ground.
"A weakling like you challenging someone like me? Laughable."
Suddenly, to the boy's surprise, Derivan's body dissolved into the air.
"What? He vanished?"
A second later Derivan appeared beside him, striking him in the face and sending him several meters away.
"You'd better not underestimate me."
"I admit it you surprised me. But I won't fall for that again."
"Before we get back to fighting, tell me your name."
"Fine. I like my victims to know my name. I'm called Blade."
Blade instantly appeared above Derivan, attempting to kick him. Yashimiro raised his guard to block, but the kick was powerful enough to start forcing him into the ground. He had to leap away from his opponent.
"Raiden!" concentrating choki in his hand, Derivan created a sphere of lightning and hurled it at his opponent.
"What a pathetic attack" Blade commented, trying to deflect it. But the moment he touched Yashimiro's attack, he was electrocuted by lightning.
Derivan smiled when he saw his attack worked. "Hehehe, see? I knew you'd try to deflect it. I designed it so that the moment an opponent touches it, powerful lightning charges shock them."
Even Nohara was impressed. "Is this really the same idiot as before?" wondered the heiress of the Hokane clan.
Derivan used Raiden again, this time creating multiple lightning spheres and throwing them at his opponent. Blade was forced to dodge by flying into the air, then rushed toward Yashimiro. Seeing this, he leapt up, grabbed a tree branch, swung around it, and kicked Blade in the back, knocking him to the ground.
"Damn… you're not as weak as I thought. I guess it's time to get serious " Blade admitted, releasing his power and causing a powerful shockwave. His body was surrounded by a purple aura, his pupils turned red with a black vertical slit, and dark circles appeared around his eyes.
"That power…" Derivan immediately recognized it. "You come from the demon race of Shonetsu."
"Bingo."
In the blink of an eye Blade appeared in front of Derivan and struck his stomach before he could react, making the teenager spit blood and fly back a considerable distance. Before Yashimiro regained balance, Blade appeared again and slammed him into the ground with another blow.
"DERIVAN!" Nohara rushed to help.
As Derivan tried to jump away, Blade grabbed his leg and hurled him toward Nohara. They collided and fell to the ground.
"You alright?" Yashimiro asked.
"I'm a bit sore because of you, but I've had worse. More importantly I'm joining the fight. Let's take this bastard down together."
"Tempting offer, but I'll pass" Yashimiro's reply surprised her.
"What? That guy's not normal. We need to combine forces!"
"You know I'm still not fighting seriously? Besides, the very thought of fighting someone like him excites me."
Nohara sighed. "You're just as stubborn as ever. No matter what I say, you won't change your mind, will you?"
"Exactly" Derivan replied, taking a stance. Blade merely smiled.
Derivan flew upward, but Blade instantly appeared before him and punched him in the face, sending him crashing toward the ground. Yashimiro smashed through several trees and fell into a nearby lake.
"You shouldn't have challenged me. Now you'll regret it" Blade flew toward the lake to locate him.
Suddenly he sensed something and dodged, thinking it was Derivan but it was his attack.
So that's where you're hiding Blade fired a powerful energy blast, causing an explosion.
"Missed" to Blade's surprise, Yashimiro appeared behind him and slammed both fists into his neck, sending him down again.
"Damn it you tricked me!"
Where Blade landed, prepared attacks left by Derivan detonated.
"Heh what do you say to that?"
"I admit I didn't expect it. But I still haven't shown my full power" Derivan's eyes widened as Blade created four clones of himself.
"A cloning technique quite rare among mages."
The clones attacked, striking Derivan in the stomach, face, back, and chin before one slammed him to the ground.
"DERIVAN!"
The teenager smiled, wiping blood from his lips. "Looks like it's time to use this" he announced, activating Dragon Revelation.
Yashimiro's hair turned blue, rising upward and transforming into flame. Blue dragon scales appeared on his cheeks, and a blue aura surrounded him.
"What power is that?" wondered Blade and Nohara.
Yashimiro smiled, vanished leaving blue flames behind, then instantly destroyed one clone, burned another with blue fire, and eliminated the remaining two.
"What speed…" Nohara commented in shock.
Blade attacked again, but Derivan dodged, grabbed his arm, and drove a knee into his stomach, making him spit blood.
"Damn you!" Blade leapt back and formed a magic circle that launched chains of energy.
Derivan dodged them all. Blade raised his hand, forming a growing sphere of energy.
"Eat this!" he shouted, throwing it toward the ground.
"Not good. Idiot you'll destroy the whole planet!"
"I don't care about this planet at all."
"Seems it's time to use that attack" Yashimiro formed a lightning-star shape in his palm. "Stardenori!" he unleashed it.
When the attacks collided, they caused a powerful earthquake.
"Such powerful attacks" Nohara said, shielding her face.
Moments later a massive explosion devastated a large area.
"Impossible… he repelled one of my best attacks" Blade stared in disbelief. Then he spotted Nohara nearby. "Heh maybe you stopped my attack, but can you protect your friend in time?"
"Damn. NOHARA, WATCH OUT!"
When Nohara uncovered her face, Blade appeared before her with an energy blade.
"DON'T DO IT!"
"DIE, BITCH!"