—FLOCH IMMOBILIZED ARIEN.
—IMPOSSIBLE.
—HE CANNOT MOVE.
—Wow, I really didn't expect this. —said Arien without any concern.
—To be honest, I thought it wouldn't work.
—Well, what will you do now?
—I'm not really sure. Against any other opponent I'd take advantage of you being immobilized to get closer and attack, but you are Arien, and I'm worried you might have another Ace up your sleeve.
—Oh, no, no... I don't have another Ace... Or who knows? maybe I do and I'm just tricking you. But you'll never know if you don't try.
—Well, nothing ventured... nothing gained —Floch ran to the right—. Time Technique!: —raised his katana—. Chronological Wave! —launched a slash through the air that went straight towards Arien.
Arien turned his head to watch the slash approach at great speed, there was a calm and relaxed smile on his face.
The slash came closer quickly, but suddenly... The slash vanished in a second without warning. Floch was left shocked and confused, he did not know what had happened.
Zeik turned to Kael to ask.
—Is the slash vanishing part of Floch's attack?
Kael shook his head.
—No, it is not. —He did not take his eyes off the fight.
Arien let out a low, soft laugh.
—That really was a good attack.
—But... But how? —asked Floch in disbelief.
Arien looked him in the eyes.
—It was my ability. Remember that all technique wielders also have a special ability, and mine is what made your attack disappear.
—Your ability?...
Arien nodded his head repeatedly.
—Yep.
—What is your ability?
—Mmm... To tell you the truth, I don't remember.
—Are you serious?...
Arien laughed softly again.
—No, I do remember —looked at him again—. But how about if I keep it hidden to make it more mysterious?
Floch narrowed his eyes, he was trying to figure out what that ability could be.
—Now the most important thing... You have me immobilized, you have me cornered... well, that's what I'd say if I were anyone else, but... —Arien tried to tense his muscles and strain to force his body to move— you said it yourself, I am not just anyone, I am... ARIEN! —Managed to force his body to move, breaking free from Floch's immobilization.
Floch opened his eyes wide.
—Huh?, What?, There was still time left before the immobilization wore off! —he said to himself.
Arien was able to move his arms and legs freely again.
—It feels so good to be able to move after being immobilized. —he said while stretching his arms toward the sky.
—Another trick?!
—Mmm... No, it was just brute strength —turned his body completely to stand in front of him—. Now then, let's continue the fight.
Floch exhaled deeply to focus and attack again.
—Time Technique!: Infinite Loop! —launched another slash through the air that once more went straight for Arien.
Arien smiled widely with genuine excitement.
—Impress me with your technique! —Blocked the attack easily with the scabbard of his katana.
Arien waited for something more, but nothing happened for a few seconds, until another attack appeared in the same direction as the previous one and shot out toward him again.
Arien blocked it again, but this one was much stronger than the first, which made him step back a few centimeters. After that attack, another one appeared in the same direction and shot out faster, then another and another and another. Each time the attacks were much swifter.
—Did the attack get stuck in a loop? —wondered Arien.
Floch circled around him quickly to get behind him, and Arien kept stepping back further and further. Once Floch managed to position himself behind, he ran toward him to strike directly with his katana.
Arien glanced over his shoulder with that same confident smile of his, while holding his katana in front of him to keep blocking the attacks.
Floch held the hilt of his katana with both hands, pressed against his right side horizontally, with the tip of the blade pointing backward.
Arien looked forward again, then dropped face‑down to the ground. Floch's eyes went wide, stunned. Floch's own attack shot straight toward him, forcing him to switch from offensive to defensive stance.
Floch barely managed to block it with his katana, but now the attacks were so fast he could not move aside to dodge them, even though he was still quite a distance away.
He had no choice but to stomp the ground to deactivate his attack. Once the attack stopped, Arien stood up and rushed forward with a clenched fist to strike him in the side.
Floch gritted his teeth hard, worried.
—Time Technique!: Reverse Flash!.
In the blink of an eye, Arien was back on the ground in the exact same position from a few seconds ago.
—Damn it...
Floch started breathing heavily through his mouth, he was truly exhausted. His legs felt heavier and heavier.
—Activating your technique several times in a row tires you out too much, doesn't it? —asked Arien.
—Yes... Very much.
—Do you still want to keep fighting?
Floch tried to steady his breathing and stand firm.
—Y-yes...
—You shouldn't push yourself too hard. I'm not telling you to give up, but sometimes you have to know when to stop so you don't hurt yourself too badly.
—I know… But… After seeing so many students fight until the very end, it would be a huge humiliation for me to quit now. So... —Lifted his gaze toward Arien, his face now set with a determined smile. He returned to an offensive stance—. Just one more time!.
Arien stood there for a few seconds looking at Floch, then smiled widely with pure excitement.
—Ha, ha, ha! I knew it! You and Terrmomix are truly amazing! THIS TOURNAMENT IS FAR MORE INTERESTING THAN I EXPECTED! —he exclaimed euphorically.
Terrmomix watched the match from the stands, as expressionless as ever.
Arien finally drew his katana; the sheer pressure of it shattered the barrier protecting the students in the stands from stray attacks, forcing the academy to conjure a new one as fast as possible.
—COME ON, FLOCH! LET'S FINISH THIS WITH ONE LAST ATTACK FROM BOTH OUR TECHNIQUES!.
He gripped the hilt of his katana tightly.
—LET'S DO THIS THEN!.
After a few seconds of silence, both ran toward each other at full speed.
—LIGHT TECHNIQUE:
—TIME TECHNIQUE:
—LIGHT OF THE END!
—SPEAR OF ZERO INSTANT!.
When they were barely two meters apart, Floch's thrust came dangerously close to Arien's face, but a pillar of light formed above them, crashing down to engulf both combatants and bursting into a small explosion across the entire arena.
The arena fell silent after that devastating strike. Smoke covered the whole field, slowly beginning to fade.
Once the smoke cleared completely, Floch lay on the ground, unable to stand from his injuries. Arien remained standing, but with a fresh cut on his left cheek that surprised him slightly.
The arena was completely destroyed, with massive cracks running all over the floor and walls.
Floch looked up at Arien with a faint smile. His body was badly hurt.
—Well... Looks like I lost...
Arien looked back at him, closed his eyes and smiled gently.
—Yes, I think so.
Floch tried to shift to sit up, though it pained him greatly.
—Is there anyone else at your level and Kael's?
—Mmm... It would be foolish to think that in this vast world, the absolute limit of power is mine or Kael's. There are plenty of people all over the world stronger than the two of us... But you know what the best part of knowing that is? It means I can still get so much stronger. Those are new limits I will reach and surpass so I can protect everyone I care about.
Arien held out his hand to Floch.
—So to answer your question, yes, there definitely are others at our level, and even stronger.
Floch took his hand and pulled himself up, leaning on his shoulder for support.
—You don't have the same drive as Raiden, but yours is just as extraordinary. You're not called the strongest promise of this generation for nothing.
Arien helped him stay upright.
—Yeah, I know. Everyone keeps telling me that.
FIFTH MATCH OF THE THIRD ROUND OF THE TOURNAMENT, FINISHED.
WINNER: ARIEN VALKAEN!.
The two walked out of the arena together.