As Isamu practically dragged me to the viewing deck, I began to feel a small sense of dread. Have you ever had a day go so well that you knew something bad was gonna happen sooner or later? Well, that same feeling was having a particularly strong grip on me right about now.
Both Nova and Orosu took their places on either side of the field and didn't even greet each other with a simple bow. It was clear to see the tension in the air. These two families had a history with each other. Orosu looked like he was ready to kill Nova. But she didn't let that get to her, so she stood strong against Orosu's piercing gaze. "Admit it. And the condition I leave you in will be less agonizing," Orosu said, his voice holding a hint of mockery.
"I have nothing to admit, not to you, you piece of shit," Nova shot back.
"Let's see if you say the same thing after I'm done here," Orosu replied.
"That didn't sound very friendly," Isamu remarked. I could sense he and almost everyone on the viewing deck were uneasy about the interaction they had both shared.
"We have Nova Rust! Wielding the attribute: Fusion. Her opponent will be the infamous Orosu Kurasshu! His attribute: breaker!"
For a moment, we all held our breath
"Ready! Fight!" As soon as the match starts, Nova throws a bunch of materials across the battlefield in seemingly random spots. Some of them are various types of weapons, and others are materials that you would use to build weapons. Other things include a spool of tough spider silk, medical bandages and a couple of rocks. Then, something even stranger happens; she starts to teleport instantly to some of the items she's scattered. Collecting a metal chain and spider silk as she dashes towards Orosu without an ounce of regret.
Brandishing her sword in the air, she takes a giant swing.
Not good, she's attacking blindly!
Orosu easily side steps her blade as it comes crashing down on the platform tiles. He then takes the opportunity to target the weakness in her stance and delivers a powerful knee to her stomach. This sends Nova about 10 feet in the air before crashing back down on her ribcage. Orosu strides towards Nova, her body trembling. His aura is overpowering everything in its vicinity. It's like an overpowering stench in our nostrils, clogging up our ability to breathe. It's simply terrifying.
"Get up, insect," Orosu threatens.
Nova struggles to get to her feet. Forcing herself to stand through sheer willpower and hatred. She's up on her feet, yes! All she needs to do is get clear of his range and… huh? She's- she's not moving? Nova stares dead into Orosu's eyes, her own becoming softer, more relaxed.
Orosu and Nova began to look at each other differently, but the tension of what they displayed towards each other still remained. Then, in an instant, they simultaneously took a step back and clashed with their fists. The result was a shockwave that blew them both back to the edge of the platform. Neither of them missed a beat. Landing square on their feet, bending their knees to absorb the impact and accelerating faster than the speed of sound, creating a synchronized sonic boom. Each of them moved in unison. Orosu came in with a flying kick, and so did Nova, colliding with each other in the air, creating another small shockwave. They both grounded themselves and immediately ran up to one another. Throwing a right hook, then a left. A right cross, and a left-footed lick. Hands flew between them. It was like watching a match through a mirror.
Nova broke away from the rhythm and took out the spider silk and chain she had picked up before. Pressing them together and with a purple flash. The silk disappeared, and only the chain remained, which Nova then used to tie up Orosu and immobilize him.
"Don't bother trying to escape those. Spider silk to insects is like trying to tear down a mountain. Now that it's been imbued to act as the force holding the atoms of the chain together, you get something exceptionally solid and durable."
Orosu smirks. "Welded this together with your attribute, did you?" There's something off about him. The unnatural smile, his cool, calm, collected nature.
"To quote Isaac Newton: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." As soon as those words leave his mouth, several sparks of pure black surround and almost envelop parts of his body. I could feel it, the life force that resides inside all things, Harmonic energy.
"Nova! Get the hell out of there!" I scream at her in an attempt to make her legs react reflexively. But it's all pointless. Because my voice doesn't even make it past my mouth.
The surge of harmonic energy that came from Orosu was so intense that the air ripped right from my lungs, a vacuum of sorts. I doubled over, clutching my chest. Breathe. I told myself. Breathe. I look up, my eyes as big as the sky itself, as I see Orosu. The chains restricting him were now lying on the ground in pieces as the dark aura I saw before wrapped around his arms.
"There's no way…" Isamu stands beside me, gently clutching his throat. "She said those chains were fused with spider silk."
I'm left trying to figure out what he could have done, what the hell was Breaker? What did Orosu Kurashuu's attribute do?
Looking down and further out onto the pitch, I see Nova, scrambling to get back on her feet after that explosion of light and sound swept them out from under her.
Orosu strides towards Nova with an overwhelming air of confidence, it made me want to get in there and wipe the smirk off his face myself. But that would be Nova's job, lose or win, her goal remained the same, unchangeable, unbreakable, unwavering.
Fighting is a human's basic nature. To want to build an army, amass power, and conquer, those are the type of people who lust after the rush of the battlefield. Others simply fight to survive because it is a necessity. And if you can win, it is a cause for celebration, but it is also a cause for living, because as long as you stay alive, you can make it to tomorrow.