"Urgh..." Eden groaned as he spat out blood.
"What have I gotten myself into?" he thought.
At this moment, he lay on his belly on the ground, riddled with slashes and holes.
Everywhere hurt like hell. He coughed out blood and continued to quiver from the pain.
Eden could hear the faint sound of footsteps.
He raised his head and saw the sweet girl from this morning looking at him, but right now she didn't look like that sweet girl.
She looked more like a devil sent to take his life. Every cut, every slash made her grin even more.
And whenever she landed a decisive blow, she laughed. To others it might sound very sweet, but to him it always sent a chill down his spine.
"Are you going to get up, or am I going to give the suit away?" the girl said.
FLASHBACK
"So where are we doing this sparring match?" Eden asked.
"I can't feel any power radiating from her. For her age, she must not have activated her life core. I have a chance," Eden thought.
"Oh, you know when we get there," she said and pointed to a shelf.
On it was a large array of weapons, different weapons of different kinds.
"So which weapon do you pick?" the girl asked.
"No, I don't use weapons," Eden said.
Though that wasn't true. In his past life, he was a swordsman, but until he understood what was going on with the white core, he wasn't going to use any weapons in the meantime.
"Suit yourself." She shrugged and picked up a longsword from the shelf.
After she pushed a button, the sound of gears moving was heard before two doors began to open.
Beyond the door was a large space made entirely of concrete, with a few audience chairs around it.
"You ready?" the girl said and jumped into the arena.
**********
Eden was stunned. What he expected was not what happened.
As soon as they entered the room, he turned to where the girl was, but she was gone.
BAM
He felt a punch in his back that sent him flying. As it turned out, the girl had suddenly appeared behind him and punched him.
"That energy level, it definitely has to be thirty-five or about," Eden thought.
"How is she—" He didn't have a chance to finish as she was upon him again.
She drew her leg back as she prepared for a kick.
BOOM
Eden had managed to dodge the blow.
"You dodged that?" she said, then she chuckled. "Then I have to pick up the pace."
She unsheathed her longsword and planted her foot into the ground.
BOOM
A massive shockwave was released as she lunged at Eden.
"This speed?" Eden thought. "How did she get so fast?"
Slash
Eden had barely been able to dodge, and a nasty gash had been cut in his chest.
He coughed out blood as he rested his hands on his knees.
"Yo, girl, you trying to kill—" He had to stop his sentence midway as the girl lunged at him again.
Slash
There was another nasty cut on his shoulder.
Slash
Another cut to his leg, and so on and so on.
At this point, his body was covered in cuts and holes.
"Who are you?" Eden asked.
"You don't need to know that," she said as she lunged at him again.
Cut
The slash cut right through his back, causing him to fall on his belly.
END OF FLASHBACK
*************
In a hall comprising about a hundred people, they were all seated and seemed to be waiting for someone.
"Why are we even waiting for that man? He had long since fallen from his pedestal," one man with a scar on his face said.
"Oscar, will you be patient for once? He said he had something of great importance to share, so we have to wait for him," the man on the high chair said.
Oscar just mumbled a few things but said nothing more.
Then the two large doors of the hall opened, and Ben and another young teen walked in.
"Nice of you to finally show up," Oscar said.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Ben said as he bowed.
"Enough with this nonsense. You said you had something of grave importance to tell us," another man in the hall said.
"Yes, I do. Edward, please," Ben said while making a gesture to the teen he brought with him.
"Honored men of the Haven Council, it is my honor to speak in front of you," Edward started.
"The reason for our visit is because we sensed the energy level of ninety." As he said that, there were collective gasps around the hall.
"Are you sure you sensed it right?" one man asked.
"Yes, sir, we are sure," Edward continued.
"As you all know, after the creation of your core, you give out an energy called life energy. The amount of energy you store or can give out is rated out of a hundred. For an average person, after they have activated their core, it is at twenty. The highest ever recorded is ninety-three, and that was by one of our great fighters.
"Now, as we speak, somewhere out there a person or thing with an energy level of ninety is roaming about, and this is of grave concern."
***********
The girl looked down at Eden and sighed.
"Oh well, thought there was something special about you, but it turns out you are just so weak."
"Guess I'm keeping the suit," she said and turned as she walked away.
"No," Eden said as he stood up with great difficulty.
"I am still standing. It means you haven't won."
"Very well."
BAM
She slammed into Eden. He crashed into a wall but immediately got back up.
She slammed into him again, but he immediately got right back up.
"What is happening? Why won't he stay down?" the girl asked herself.
"I am not going to lose. I am getting that suit, even if it's the last thing I do!!!" Eden yelled.
A huge shockwave spread out from him.
"This power!?" the girl thought.