Chapter 53: Roundhouse Kick
The towering wall of stone stood between them, dust cascading from its jagged edges as the chamber rumbled from the violent eruption.
For the first time since their duel had begun...
Shinsei had lost sight of Daito.
The silence lasted only a fraction of a second.
Monday saw the opportunity immediately.
His eyes widened.
"...Got you."
He planted both feet firmly against the fractured steel floor and inhaled deeply.
The electricity surrounding his body did not burst outward this time.
Instead...
It flowed inward.
Every crackling arc of lightning spiraled back into his muscles, veins, and lungs.
BZZZZTTTT...
His entire body trembled violently as an overwhelming amount of electrical energy compressed inside him.
Blue sparks danced beneath his skin.
His hair stood on end.
The air around him distorted from the sheer concentration of power.
BRRRRZZZZZ...!
The chamber echoed with an ear-splitting hum as the voltage continued to rise.
Aerin instinctively stepped back.
Brandon shielded his face.
Even Wei-Wan narrowed his eyes.
The pressure was immense.
Monday's chest expanded one final time.
Then—
He fired.
KKKRRRRAAAAAATTTTTT!!!
A colossal torrent of lightning erupted from his mouth.
The beam roared across the chamber like a divine dragon forged entirely from thunder, tearing through the air with terrifying speed.
Its blinding blue light swallowed everything in its path.
The chamber itself seemed to tremble beneath its overwhelming force.
Shinsei reacted instantly.
Her eyes snapped toward the incoming blast.
Without hesitation—
SWOOSH!
She pivoted.
Her heel smashed into the towering stone wall Daito had summoned.
BOOOOOOM!!
The massive structure ripped free from the ground.
Thousands of kilograms of rock launched forward like an enormous projectile.
The lightning collided with it.
KAAAAA—BOOOOOM!!!
The explosion consumed the entire center of the arena.
Stone disintegrated into dust.
Lightning scattered wildly through the chamber.
Fragments of shattered rock exploded in every direction.
A deafening shockwave rolled across the battlefield.
For an instant...
The entire arena disappeared behind a wall of blinding white light.
And in that single moment...Daito moved.
No footsteps, warning nor sound.
He emerged from within the explosion itself, hidden by the smoke and the overwhelming brightness.
A ghost, shadow and swordsman.
FWOOOOOSH...
Shinsei sensed him only an instant before he arrived.
Too late.
Daito didn't reach for his sword.
Instead...his entire body rotated with explosive precision.
His hips turned. His shoulders followed. Every ounce of force traveled into a single strike.
A roundhouse kick.
KAAAAA—POW!!!
His heel crashed into the side of Shinsei's head with overwhelming force. A thunderous crack echoed throughout the chamber.
CRAAACK!!
Time seemed to freeze.
Shinsei's head snapped violently to one side.
Her feet left the ground.
Then her body was launched through the air like a cannonball.
FWOOOOOSH!!
She tore through the first reinforced wall.
BOOOOOOM!!
Concrete and steel exploded outward.
She didn't stop.
The second wall shattered moments later.
KRAAAASH!!
Then the third.
BOOOOM!!
Chunks of reinforced steel rained from above as dust engulfed everything beyond the arena.
Only after smashing through multiple barriers did her momentum finally end.
CRAAAAASH!!
Her body struck the ground with tremendous force before skidding across the fractured floor.
Silence.
The dust slowly drifted downward.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Monday lowered his arms, breathing heavily.
"...Did..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Aerin stared into the cloud of debris.
Champagne remained perfectly still.
Even Cassian leaned closer to the monitor.
Then...
STEP–STEP....
Movement.
A silhouette slowly emerged from within the settling dust.
Shinsei.
She pushed herself upward one knee at a time before finally standing.
Pieces of broken concrete slid from her shoulders.
Her uniform had been torn in several places.
Fresh cuts covered her arms.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth before she casually wiped it away with the back of her hand. Her breathing was heavier now.
Not exhausted.
Simply...working harder.
The room fell silent once again as she slowly raised her head.
Her eyes burned with an intensity none of them had seen before.
There was pain.
There was frustration.
But above all else...there was focus.
She looked directly at Daito.
Then...she smiled.
"...Good."
The single word echoed quietly throughout the ruined chamber.
She wiped the remaining blood from her lips before allowing her shoulders to relax.
"...Now..."
Her fingers slowly curled into fists.
"...I don't have to hold back anymore."
She rolled her neck from one side to the other.
CRRKK...
CRACK...
The sound seemed unnaturally loud within the silence.
Then she took a single step forward.
THUD.
An invisible wave of pressure spread throughout the chamber.
VVVVMMMM...
Heat radiated from her body.
The air itself became heavier.
Harder to breathe.
Dust lifted from the floor as though pushed away by an unseen force.
The remaining members of the Outsiders instinctively tensed.
Even Monday felt sweat forming across his forehead.
"...She's..."
His voice caught in his throat.
"...She's been holding back this entire time..."
Across from her...
Daito slowly straightened.
His head still throbbed from the headbutt.
His muscles screamed from the countless blows he had endured.
His right arm tingled as feeling gradually returned. Blood stained the corner of his lips.
His breathing was heavier than before.
Yet his grip never loosened.
SHING...
His sword rose once more.
The blade pointed directly toward Shinsei.
His gaze never wavered.
No fear nor hesitation.
Only resolve.
Two warriors stood amidst the shattered remains of the training chamber.
Both wounded.
Both pushed beyond their limits.
Both continuing to evolve with every exchange.
The battle that had begun as a test...had become something far greater and now...with every restraint cast aside...
The true fight...was finally about to begin.
To Be Continued...