"Pan... Pan..." Someone was calling her name. The sound echoed in her head as if coming from a great distance.
"Ugh..." Pan slowly woke up, still dazed. Her memories of the fight returned in flashes. "Damn it... I lost."
"You've probably noticed, but this room is separated from the coliseum for the tournament's injured. According to the announcer, it was a draw," Giyo explained, stepping closer to the bed. "But anyway... what was that mark? How did you manage to awaken it?"
"I'm not sure either. In the heat of the moment, I just decided to push my power to the limit. I thought of you and our friends... I didn't want to let you down, I didn't want to accept defeat..." Pan looked away, dejected; the result clearly didn't satisfy her. "Promise me one thing... Giyo, you will win this tournament."
Giyo paused for a moment. Before leaving, he looked back over his shoulder and struck his chest firmly with his fist—a silent gesture of absolute determination.
"I will win!"
Back in the grand arena, the silence didn't last long. Giyo climbed the steps with a serious, focused expression, while Asuna followed, looking visibly irritated and impatient.
"PRESENTING THE FINAL MATCH! TWO AGAINST TWO!" the announcer roared.
The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts. Doubt hung in the air: did the first-year freshmen stand any real chance against the elite of the third year?
"ASUNA VERMILION AND GIYO vs. LAW THUNDER AND AKIO THUNDER!"
Face to face, the four of them walked toward the center of the arena until they were only inches apart. The announcer was stunned by their boldness; neither side seemed concerned about what would happen once the match began.
"It's been a while, brother. It seems you decided to stay in the tournament and face us," Law said with a smirk. "Don't forget what happened before. You were lucky to recover at all."
"I've beaten you once, Law. I can do it again," Giyo shot back, his gaze steady.
Asuna leaned in and rested her hand on Giyo's shoulder, whispering in his ear: "Let me start this first round. I'll take your other brother."
"Are you sure?" Giyo asked, never taking his eyes off Law.
"Positive. I don't know how much you've trained, but you can be sure I haven't been standing still either," Asuna stated firmly.
"In that case..." Giyo stepped forward. "I'll let her fight Akio first. Don't you think that's fair, brother?"
Law let out a short laugh, amused by their audacity. "You're bold, Giyo. But whatever... we'll play it your way."
"ARE YOU READY?" the announcer shouted, signaling the start immediately after.
Silence fell over the arena as Asuna and Akio faced off, waiting for the slightest movement. Then, in the blink of an eye... POP! A direct blow landed on Akio's face. He stumbled back from the sudden impact, and before he could react, a heavy punch was driven into his stomach.
Asuna stepped back and repositioned herself, her fists now shrouded in compressed air bubbles, ready for the next strike.
"You know, I'm not much of a talker during a fight... so I decided to get straight to the point. I hope there are no hard feelings," Asuna said, keeping her guard up.
"I'd expect nothing less from a Vermilion," Akio wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "You're too strong for this kingdom; it's no wonder you're part of the top class. But understand this: my brother and I had to follow orders."
"Orders?" Asuna questioned, narrowing her eyes.
"We were forbidden from using our true abilities just because of some first-year brats," Akio revealed, his voice cold.
"Oh, really? Well, I hope you don't worry too much about what I'm about to do!"
Without hesitation, Asuna lunged again. She threw a direct punch, aiming for the same spot as before. However, Akio dodged with supernatural precision and grabbed Asuna's hands, countering with a heavy blow to her face. She was sent flying, and before she could recover, Akio pinned her down at high speed, unleashing a brutal sequence of strikes.
"This guy's strength is insane!" Asuna thought, feeling the impact of every hit.
POP... POP... POP...
The sound of bubbles popping on her fists was the only noise competing with the crowd's roars. The Bubble Technique, the Vermilion Clan's secret, is so unique that every wielder uses it differently. While Forge Vermilion inflates his muscles like cannons and Torhell creates bubbles in every joint, Asuna had a different gift: in that battle, she was just beginning to copy them.
"It's no use... using the technique this way won't work. I have to go beyond!" Asuna thought, feeling the pressure of the fight.
Over her hands, a new bubble began to form. Akio smirked, underestimating her, thinking it would be just another one of her previous strikes. But the air, the timing, and the very atmosphere of the coliseum suddenly turned strange. Layer upon layer appeared before her palms: bubble after bubble, compressing and overlapping. In the center, a frantic rotation began to suck in the surrounding air. The spiral patterns glowed with a dangerous intensity.
"THIS IS MY TRUE ABILITY!" Asuna shouted.
Akio quickly retreated, leaping to a safe distance. "And what are you going to do? Try to hit me from there? I'm far enough away to dodge that useless move of yours!"
"No... I'm going to end this right now," Asuna replied, her gaze locked in.
Griping the compressed bubble tightly, she aimed her palm at her opponent. The sheer weight of the technique made her arm tremble, but her concentration was absolute. Then... POP! She crushed her own bubble between her fingers.
The vacuum created by the burst of negative pressure was instantaneous. Akio was violently yanked forward, appearing face-to-face with Asuna in a split second. Without missing a beat, she delivered a single strike with all her might, slamming the veteran against the arena wall, defeating him instantly.
"I told you I'd win!" Asuna turned back with a beaming smile. "Did you see that, Giyo?"
"Yeah... I saw it," Giyo replied with a faint smile, overflowing with pride for his partner's growth.
The coliseum fell into absolute silence. The crowd was stunned, trying to process how a first-year girl had overwhelmed a third-year veteran so effortlessly.
"Ha... haha... HAHAHAHAHA!" Law's laughter sliced through the stunned silence of the arena, dripping with dark irritation. "Don't worry. I'll end this right now."
BZZZZZT!
The sound of thunder echoed before Law even vanished. Electrical sparks raced across the floor toward Asuna at a speed the human eye could barely track. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind her. Giyo turned desperately to attack, but froze mid-motion as he saw Asuna being held by the neck, used as a human shield.
"ASUNA!" Giyo screamed, his heart racing.
"You have quite the partner, Giyo. Who would've thought you'd join the academy just to play house..." Law mocked, his eyes flickering blue.
"She's not like that! Let her go now!"
"Oh... come on, brother. Where's the fun in that?" Law's face darkened. "You took everything from me. You made our mother abandon me like I was trash. Now, watch your partner lose consciousness and fail to save you... exactly like what happened to me!"
Law tightened his fingers, shaping his hand into a rigid blade, and delivered a swift strike to the back of Asuna's neck. She collapsed instantly in his arms.
"That bubble technique is quite lethal... Akio should have been more careful," Law remarked, dropping Asuna's limp body onto the sand.
Blinded by rage, Giyo charged like a projectile. He closed the gap and threw a direct punch that exploded against Law's face. The veteran's nose began to bleed, and the impact was so hard that Giyo's knuckles throbbed with pain.
"YOU BASTARD!" Giyo roared, the veins in his neck bulging.
Law simply tilted his head to the side, wiping the blood away with indifference. His eyes surged with chaotic electricity. "Please..." he said with a macabre smile. "Now, I'm going to show you what PAIN REALLY FEELS LIKE!"
Law fired a brutal punch that exploded against Giyo's face. Even as he reeled from the impact, Giyo grabbed his brother's arm before being pushed away, and using the momentum, he delivered a sharp blow to Law's chest.
Law groaned in pain, but Giyo gave him no quarter. He charged in a sequence of violent, direct punches against the veteran's face.
"NEVER..." each word was punctuated by a strike, "HURT... THE ONES... I... LOVE!"
"The ones you love?" Law spat blood, finally managing to lock his brother's fists. "I'm only paying you back for what you did to me. You were always Daddy's favorite... But look at you now: where is he to protect you, huh?"
"You weren't like this... none of this was like this!" Giyo's voice suddenly softened, but his tone carried a deep disappointment. "Suddenly, you all started treating me like a freak. Why?!"
"The Thunders are disgusted by the blood that runs through your veins," Law spat to the side, contempt overflowing in every syllable.
"I see... so it was nothing more than tradition," Giyo said, and his gaze shifted. The rage vanished, replaced by a glacial coldness that seemed more dangerous than anger.
Ignoring the risks, Giyo lunged and clamped his hands around Law's neck, beginning to choke him. Law panicked, frantically striking at Giyo's ribs. Some punches went wild as the lack of oxygen began to dull his senses, causing him to hit his own chest in his struggle. At his limit, Law shrouded his hands in bluish lightning, generating a violent electrical discharge that forced Giyo to release him and back off.
"Dammit!" Law coughed, appearing to struggle to recover from the choking. "You're going to pay for this... LIGHTNING MAGIC: Thunder Storm!"
The coliseum trembled as Law unleashed his maximum power. The entire crowd rose, terrified by the intensity of the electrical storm. Director Hiro jumped from his seat, desperately trying to enter the arena to intervene, as if he knew the danger of that technique and knew it would be fatal... but it was too late.
Giyo and Law shot toward each other, their fists armed behind their bodies, preparing for the final impact.
"W-what...?" Law's eyes widened. Suddenly, the lightning covering his fist vanished completely. All of his magic had been drained in a fraction of a second.
"DEMONIC TECHNIQUE: Void Flames!" Giyo announced, his right arm now enveloped in sinister, dark embers.
"Where did you get these moves?! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" Law screamed, truly terrified for the first time.
"They are advanced techniques. Of course, I don't even fully know how I learned or use them..." Giyo confessed, never breaking his cold gaze. "It's not perfect; it works when it needs to. But, anyway... let's go to something I actually control. DEMONIC TECHNIQUE: Black Whips!"
Giyo canceled the flames, and from his palms, whips of pure dark energy emerged, cracking through the air with a deafening sound.
"LIGHTNING MAGIC: Raijū Claws!" Law responded, mimicking the posture of a beast. From his hands, claws of bluish electricity emerged, shaping themselves as if he were a thunder monster.
At that moment, Law and Giyo were ready to end the fight with everything they had left. Both charged at each other, chests out and arms wide in a silent challenge of brute force.
As they collided, Giyo landed a heavy punch to Law's face and, with surprising agility, followed up with a sweep that knocked the veteran down. Law, however, braced himself on the ground and spun, delivering a counter-kick. Regaining his footing, Law pressed his fingers together again, shaping his hand into an electric blade to pierce Giyo. The boy was faster: he entwined the Black Whips around Law's arm and hurled him across the ring.
As he recovered from the throw, Law saw the whips coming toward him again. He braced for impact, but the dark cords zipped right past him, anchoring firmly into the wall behind him.
Realizing Giyo's intent, Law crossed his arms in a desperate defensive stance, but it was too late. Giyo used the whips like a slingshot, catching the momentum and launching himself at high speed. The impact of the knee to Law's stomach was devastating.
Law gagged from the sharp pain and was sent flying toward the edge of the arena. With superhuman effort, he dug his hands into the ground, tearing up the floor to slow himself down, leaving a trail of destruction as a mark of his resilience. He stopped there, teetering right on the brink.
Law stood up slowly, his gaze of rage and contempt still fixed on Giyo. But deep within his flickering pupils, there was something new: a dark pleasure. The thrill of fighting and pushing himself further than he ever had before.
The claws on Law's hands vanished, and lightning concentrated into a single palm. Sparks raced across his entire body and the ground around him; his veins bulged under his skin, throbbing in agony from carrying such immense power.
Accepting the final challenge, Giyo shrouded his fists in Black Whips fused with Void Flames, showing that both had reached the absolute limit of their existence.
The crowd fell into a deathly silence. Many stood up, others remained frozen, mouths agape in shock. What they were about to witness was the final verdict of the entire struggle.
"You better not hold back... YOU WORM!" Law roared.
The two lunged. They ran at high speed, two blurs of energy colliding in the center of the ring. At the moment of impact... BZZZZZT! Black and reddish lightning whipped out from the collision. A sphere of pure energy glowed for a few brief seconds and then violently expanded from the shock of their fists meeting.
BOOM!!!
The ground shuddered. The arena simply disintegrated into countless fragments under the pressure of the strike. A thick curtain of dust rose, hiding the combatants from the rest of the world.
"It's over..." a voice said, nearly breathless. "I won..."
The dust began to settle slowly. The orange light of the sunset illuminated the center of the destruction, revealing the outcome.
"You... are... a... worm..." Law stammered, his last words before his eyes rolled back and he fainted completely.
"THE WINNER OF THE TOURNAMENT... IS GIYO!" the announcer shouted, his voice trembling with emotion.
There he stood, towering over Law's fallen body. The blood of both mixed with the gravel of the destroyed arena. Giyo's arm was severely injured, but ignoring the excruciating pain, he raised his fist toward the sky. It was the gesture of someone who had finally reclaimed his honor.