Titbit II

Junepai wasted no time, a gentle blue light illuminating around his fists. Himeno stood and reeled her body around, cushioning the bottom of her foot with an immense amount of magical energy. The ground beneath her foot exploded, her leg springing from the ground in an instant. He held an arm to the side of his head, reinforcing his arm with an equal amount of magical energy and negating the force of her blow. He shrugged off her attack and further closed the distance, slipping inside with a quick twin jab combo. He followed up with a wide swing, only for Himeno to connect with a straight square to his nose.

Junepai recoiled backward, his vision going white. When he recentered his vision on her, he swore he could see her one hundred times.

Mana gathered beneath both her feet, the gap between them closing instantly. She allowed her hands to fly, connecting with blow after blow. She swung her body into a hook, slamming her fist into his stomach, immediately following up with a hook to his cheek. She stepped inward, keeping the gap between them at a minimum. She feinted left, Junepai raising his arm to block, only for her to stop her hand mid swing and upper cut with her right.

Junepai stumbled back in an attempt to regain his composure, his ears ringing and his vision going blurry.

“You’ve done enough, Junepai.” Yuya stepped in between the two, planting a firm foot onto the ground. A dim yellow light highlighted their immediate surroundings, a dome made of that same light now encapsulating them. The dome towered several meters high, covering a city block's worth of land.

“Zero zone,” Yuya muttered, calmly exhaling.

|

A week and four days ago, Yuya, Junepai, and NN met briefly within a small cafe.

“If my suspicions are correct, which they usually are, there’s a high likelihood that you’ll have to face off against Himeno Takeba. Even her record and file, she’s not someone to be taken lightly, which is why a two versus two scenario is something I wish to actively avoid.” He took a sip from his mug, setting it back down onto the table. “Truth be told, if we were to compare your files, Himeno severely outclasses you. Her physical chart is unlike most I’ve seen. She’s crazy strong and fast with magical capabilities to back her up.”

“Alright, alright, I get it, she’s stronger than me. Are you going to tell me how to beat her?” Junepai sounded irritated.

NN turned to Yuya, “It was while I was considering all of this that I actually discovered a use for the weakling.”

“M-me?” Yuya gulped.

“Yes, you will be the key to defeating Himeno Takeba.”

“But I can hardly use magic.”

“That’s the point.” He calmly spoke, “There exists an ancient technique that was commonly used by weaker warriors such as yourself. It was called ‘zero zone’, it was a technique in which a person would use up all their reserved mana to create a small area where the use of magic is prohibited.”

“Zero zone?” Junepai repeated, “I’ve never heard of that before.”

“That isn’t a surprise considering how outdated and unreliable the technique is. However, given these very specific circumstances, I believe this technique may be the key to defeating Himeno Takeba.”

“Ok, how do I use this ‘zero zone?”

“It’s as I’ve already stated, you expend all of your mana reserve, and depending on the amount expended, you will create an area in which mana temporarily ceases to exist, putting you and Himeno on equal footing. Though that is easier said than done. There will be several precautions and conditions that need to be met before using this ability.” NN paused, looking to Junepai, “As I already stated, the technique is severely outdated. The zero zone technique is notorious for its unreliability. It affects anyone within its radius indiscriminately, and once you’ve used it, that’s it; you’ll have burned through your entire mana reserve in minutes. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that you can counter this technique by simply stepping outside of the zone. Which is where you come in. You’ll wear down Himeno as best you can and keep her distracted, try your best to give Yuya an opening. From there, Yuya will close in and use zero zone, taking the battle from there. From then on, your main goal should be assisting Yuya by ensuring she doesn’t flee from the zero zone's radius.”

“What if that doesn’t work?” Yuya questioned, sounding nervous.

“Then you both lose. You only get one shot with this technique, if you screw up, it’s over.”

|

Himeno stood in surprise at the dome around them, the feeling of something inside her dying out. She felt weaker, exposed, like a deer in headlights. Yuya glanced at Junepai, his breath heavy, blood trickling down his bottom lip.

“I should have let you die in that dungeon.” Himeno hissed, her eyes blazing with fury.

He ignored her remark, placing his hands in front of him with a wary approach.

She too approached, her hands held before her. They were so close their hands could touch; however, they both refused to make the first move. Himeno was fearful of this strange dome surrounding them, and the even stranger sensation of weakness that had overcome her.
Yuya’s fingers twitched, and in that very moment, Himeno launched the first attack.

Her fist cut through the gap between his arms. He took a quick step back and swatted her hand away, launching a powerful strike. A howl of wind and a low whistle followed, his strike only connecting with the cold, empty air. She’d stepped just out of his range, his fist just inches away from her face. With his arm approaching the end of its swing, she stepped back inward, poking at him with several jabs.

I knew it, I can’t use my magic.

Yuya continued to evade backward, Himeno gazing at the dome through her peripheral. She stepped inward, her body dropping downward. She planted her front foot beside Yuya's back foot, hooking at his side and beyond his guard. His body flinched in the opposite direction in an attempt to mitigate the power of her blow. His arm fell from its guarded position and wrapped around hers, pressing it against his hip and holding it in place. With his free hand, he attempted a counter, only for her to slip her arm from between his hold and catch his attack. She reeled him forward like a fish on a hook, turning her entire body backward and taking a stomp forward. He could feel his feet lift from the ground, his surroundings meshing into a blob of colors. Time slowed for just a second, and without thought, Yuya twisted the lower half of his body while at the height of her swing. Her grip loosened around his wrist as he came closer to the ground, his feet planting firmly in the concrete, leaping away from her as quickly as possible.

She’s a beast.

He took one look at her face, at her eyes. Something in him began to stir, a feeling of unease incomparable to anything he’s ever felt. Powerful fear. It ate away at him. As more time passed, the idea of victory became just that, an idea, a distant thing that seemed unattainable.

“Keep on her, Yuya!” Junepai approached from behind, dodging back from Himeno's backhand. She stood between the two of them, head darting back and forth.

She practically leapt at Junepai, the two of them exchanging quick blows. She darted to the side, only for him to leap in front of her.

“I may not have my magic.” She muttered, “But I’m still faster than you.” She stepped to the opposite side before he could fully land, dodging around him and sprinting down the street. She could see something whip past the corner of her eye, the dark figure cutting her off. She stopped in her tracks, anticipating Yuya's next move. His arm blurred through shadow, and on pure instinct, Himeno raised her arm for a block.

The dome in the sky flashed a brighter gold for just a second, the light dissipating as quickly as it came. The dome slightly shrank in size, pulling itself inward.

I can’t waste any time with these two! Her mind screamed. Her head was plagued with gut-wrenching images, images of Sylvie's corpse left for her to find, blood pouring from her wounds. Tears swelled in her eyes. And again, she was in that cage, but this wasn’t a dream.

“Be a better woman than me.” Her voice rang in her head

Yuya was taken aback, stunned by the expression on her face.

Her figure and stature appeared much larger to him; her eyes seemed to point daggers, her fists two deadly weapons, despite being stripped of her magic. They were balled at her sides so tight that her nails could draw blood, yet Yuya felt no malice, no rage.

He took another look into those eyes, and within them was not a roaring beast, but rather, a scared animal backed into a corner. It was fear. His own fear had been replaced with deep, insurmountable guilt. He was too stunned to continue acting.

“She’s crying?” He muttered to himself.