Pride or Stupidity? - Hero's Lies Arc

The fight was beginning to heat up drastically. Schulz knew that for the next few seconds, Kage would be just slightly stronger and faster. He needed to go on the defense.

He slammed his fist down, breaking the spike that was piercing his chest. He pulled himself off, grunting slightly in pain. The hole in his chest instantly healed, closing up the wound. Schulz cursed himself under his breath. He had to use quite a bit of manna reserve for that. He grabbed the spike that he broke off, and formed a hilt made out of gold.

He swung the sword violently over his head, spinning his body in the same direction. He was using the sword as a very thick montante, and Kage raised an eyebrow.

"Your adaptability during battle is extraordinary. Well done," Kage spoke down on Schulz, causing the hero to charge, swinging violently. At first, Kage didn't look too concerned. However, the wide, wild arcs that Schulz was using were unpredictable. He jumped away, watching Schulz's movements, waiting for an opening.

Schulz swung the thick blade over his head again. Once, twice, thrice...now!

Kage used his teleportation power to teleport the newly formed sword into the air in front of him. With a smirk, he used a back spinning kick to launch the sword at speed towards Schulz. In a panic, he dodged to the left, and the blade run down his check, a small slit of blood forming. He looked up at Kage, who was fixing his position.

Twenty seconds had passed.

"Red," Schulz called. For the first time in the fight. He was scared. What if Kage didn't call a color at all? It was a seemingly normal play. Maybe, he could hold up with endurance and find a way to escape. However, every option to escape to turn the tables was burning up. He needed something to happen.

"Black."

Schulz looked up in shock. He didn't expect a color to be called at all. The ball rolled around the roulette table once again. Kage smirked with a slight cockiness.

"In this battle, I have the upper hand. I know what you are doing. You want to wear me down, dragging me into a huge fatigue, so you can make your escape," Kage told Schulz, who was beginning to shiver. "You are not going anywhere. Even if it means you are on equal footing. You won't outsmart me."

The roulette wheel stopped spinning. The ball slowly rolled and jumped, perfectly landing in a red slot.

Four buffs each.

"Fool! Now it's time for an equal match!" Schulz laughed, pushing himself away from Kage.

Kage knew Schulz's stupidity.

As long as Schulz was winning, he would not run away. He had a lot of pride, and wanted to show the whole world that he was a hero.

Kage was only dying to tear away the mask of lies and deceit.

Schulz grinned maniacally as he dashed left and right in a diagonal pattern. Kage dodged the opposite ways, simply flowing with his attacks like a river. Schulz thrust forward, and at first, Kage was confused, as there was nothing in his hand. However, instinct took over as Kage took to the sky, just as Schulz had formed a new golden sword. He looked up at Kage, his personality rushing back.

“You are still a coward, Kage. Always running from a fight. Do you know what would happen if Titania stopped their ceasefire? We would be smoked. Nothing would be left. And you are just going to sit there and watch it happen!” Schulz yelled out, his voice cracking slightly during his emotional rant. Kage’s eyes narrowed into a frustrated frown.

“Big words for a fellow coward. Weren’t you planning to run away?” Kage responded coldly. Schulz gasped, as he could feel a strong presence in his throat. 

Within the blink of an eye, Kage was in Schulz’s face, punching him square in the nose. Schulz flew backwards, but caught himself as he flipped over, digging his hands into the ground. He had covered his hands in silver, which caused enough friction for him to be stopped.

“If swords don’t kill you, then how about an old fashioned fist fight?”

Kage smirked, sheathing his katana. He cracked his knuckles and his neck.

“Now you’re speaking my language. Lesson four, my dear students!” Kage called out to them. “You don’t have to fight the same way! Change your tactics and flow! Surprise your opponent!”

The two men flew at each other at light speed, smashing their fists together with a huge impact. Another shockwave. The four students were blown back at high velocity. Hiroshi and Tomokazu, despite their injuries, took flight and caught their respective girlfriends, and lay them down.

“You really need to learn how to fly, Babe,” Hiroshi gasped. “Comes in handy, trust me.”

“Hee hee…I know. But just so we are clear, this doesn't mean you are stronger than me,” Wisteria replied with a smug look on her face.

"Did I say I was?" Hiroshi smiled at Wisteria. Maybe, just maybe, this time, the whole relationship idea can work. For the first time since Blossom, he didn’t want to die or hurt himself.

He was happy.

“Well? Going to say something like that to me?” Bibi pouted to Tomokazu, who looked taken aback.

“Sorry…I’m still getting used to this. Hiroshi? What do I say here?”

“How should I know? She’s your girlfriend.”

“Yeah, only since ten minutes ago! You know how these things work!”

Hiroshi sighed in disappointment. He knew he had to help Tomokazu. The man would be so useless at relationshiping.

“Red!”

“Black!”

The ball landed in red. Kage was once again up a ten percent buff.

“Hey…Schulz?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s increase our tempo. No holding back. No running away. Let’s give the world a show,” Kage said, jokingly offering a hand. “Besides, my students could use another lesson or two.”

“Fine!” Schulz snarled, nodding his head. "You asked for this!"

*Question Time!!!*

"Last question! Out of the four of you, who would win in a full on battle?"

Hiroshi says - "If I let Kuro-Yami take over, I would win. No questions asked. However, if I'm not allowed use that...hmmm...Wisteria would win. Her power is crazy, and her growth has been so fast, it's almost scary. It's hard to deny that she is a strong fighter and a compassionate warrior."

Wisteria says - "Um...can I pass? I would like to think we are all just as strong as one another. We are a team...although I need to smack some sense into my boyfriend for him to get that."

Tomokazu says - "I want to say I would. I'm fast, have a high battle IQ, great swordsmanship, and my father is a God. I should wipe the floor with all of them. But, in truth? Other than Kuro-Yami, I think Wisteria is the only other one that would not only stand up to me, but surpass me and win. Wisteria is the strongest."

Bibi says - "My bestie, Wisteria! Her manna control is superb, and her moves are excellent! She's so cool moving around so fast. And the way she uses her magic! It's awesome. No questions asked. The winner would undoubtly be Wisteria."

"Well there you go! Until next time, Question Time has concluded! If there are any more questions you want to propose to the main four, put it in a comment and I will ask them! Goodbye and thank you for reading!"