Shifting Lines

He never felt when his knees hit the earth. Never felt the grass quickly coming up to his face. Nothing.

It wasn’t the same familiar feeling as before. It wasn't a second visit.

Yuki woke up in a void, naked. He floated off the ground. Gasping, he looked around and immediately understood. “Really, two in one fight? I’m really getting tired of almost getting killed here. Try something else, maybe something…unique.”

“For someone dying, you sure do complain a lot,” responded a voice.

“Well at least it isn’t Seiji,” snapped Yuki, as he saw himself appear in front of him. “Can this get anymore cliché?”

Shrugging a little, the mirror Yuki looked dismissive of him. “This is your mind remember? I’d say this is chalked up to your reading selection.”

“I guess you have a point.” He begrudgingly gave himself the point. Quick to change the direction of the conversation, Yuki clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s get down to business. I’d prefer not to drag this out too long. I’ve got a fight to get back to.”

“I think you’re sort of defeating the purpose of this scene.”

“Good, I’m leaving then!” And he did (seriously, that was it).

Chapter 192 – Shifting Lines

As Yuki started returning to life, he kept hearing a familiar voice. The voice spoke to him, but he couldn’t understand it. Everything was blurred. Pain rushed through his head. The surge left him screaming for a moment. His white hand clamped down on the stump left of his forearm. Blood pooled out staining the smooth white finish. “Damn it hurts, sort of…wish I was dead…”

“Yuki Hayashi.” Vangelis stood over top of him. The sword he used to cut Yuki pointed down at him ready for another attack. Yuki’s blood clung to the edges of the sword’s blade. “I can grant you that wish. But stand up and fight me first! Don’t prove them right now!”

‘Prove them right? What’s he blabbering about?’ Yuki felt pressed for time by more than just Vangelis’ lethal presence. Blood kept pouring out of his arm as much as his arm tried to cut off the circulation. Lightheadedness returned as a real threat for Yuki. The longer he went without his power to seal it up the sooner he had no chance to survive. However, the overwhelming power that Vangelis brought made Yuki question what he could do. ‘He’s so much stronger now, his Field can easily overrun mine. I can’t match that sort of strength. All I’ve got is reserves to spare…’ His eyes widened in realization.

Yuki stood up, his appearance turning a little hazy. Distortions and ripples erupted through the air blasting off Yuki. A wind seemed to be coming off Yuki. The wind ran still and then retracted inward to Yuki.

Yuki’s body shimmered brightly. The light bleeding off him grew in stronger intensity than before. Disruptions in the air remained and slowly looked as though under water. Part of the energy gathered around his missing hand and forearm, it gathered increasing in density until it nearly became completely opaque. It formed a new hand and forearm. Yuki tested out the new hand along with his white hand, it felt a little odd missing both of them, but he had substitutes.

Turning his eyes back to Vangelis, a man who looked almost starved having to wait on Yuki; Yuki found his new resolve for the fight. ‘I can’t lose when I haven’t done anything!’ Everything felt different for Yuki suddenly. Seeing it all around him, it made him a little surprised. “Seems I forgot something important,” grinned Yuki, “I didn’t mean to be holding out on you all this time.”

Vangelis took another swing at Yuki to test his boast. As the sword arched down for Yuki, the blade quickly vaporized from merely the particles swimming through the soupy air. The weapon never had a chance. He grinned with delight. “Don’t leave me disappointed, kid!” The sword meant nothing. Vangelis stretched out his arms with the Field erupting into the air flipping everything to molten lava. Through the air in the motions drawn out by his hands a multitude of magic circles formed.

The energy in the air swirled around as though a wind turned it all about. It took on a life of its own responding to Vangelis’ next attack. Ice shards, lightning bolts, fireballs, waves of water, chunks of earth, everything flung through the air at Yuki. A storm of magic surged up against the dancing winds of energy. Explosions went off continuously knocking out powerful winds tearing at their clothes.

Yuki and Vangelis started to run in parallel paths. Magic exchanged with blasts of energy. Shockwaves rang out clouded up by smoke only to be blown out by the next series of attacks. The air ignited with sparks of the clashing forces. Smoke quickly filled in the area between them. Colors from the explosions within painted the highlights of the clouds reflecting the intensity inside.

Swiping his hand through the air, Yuki directed a large swathe of his energy to wipe away the veil. He saw the next round quickly coming. A snap of a finger sent a mass of the energy into Vangelis’ space. Parts of it disappeared, approaching into the proximity of his strength, but reached in. The light of the magic suddenly ceased, canceling out the casting. ‘Good! If I increase the density I can still do it, even with his Field strength increased!’ Twirling a finger, daggers and swords suddenly formed up in the air from the energy. They dove in at Vangelis.

A barrier quickly formed around Vangelis. Tips of the weapon sank into the barrier digging in only for it to be shattered a moment later. A flash of light and circles all happened in the second that the weapons struck. Micro explosions went off everywhere around Vangelis masking him out of sight, but Yuki didn’t stop. He kept up his assault with even more projectiles.

More explosions went off accompanied by thin lights. Then suddenly a massive light blew up from the center of the smoke. The force of the wave tore through the cloud punching a hole that wrapped around it as everything quickly cleared out. Yuki's eyes widened at the size and intensity. Instinctively, he pulled in a defense as shockwaves of explosions chained through the dense air. The destructive wave gouged out earth and grass in chunks flinging bits in all directions.

When the cloud over the battlefield began to clear Yuki and Vangelis both remained standing. Vangelis looked worse out of the exchange with numerous minor cuts over his body. Yuki didn’t make it completely unscathed, but already heavily bloodied it was difficult to tell new versus old.

Vangelis wiped away thin trails of blood from his brow and jaw. “Impressive, kid! You can keep up with me even at this level.” It troubled Vangelis how well Yuki countered his actions. ‘He hasn’t wasted his time in the fight. He’s learned how my powers work and has found suitable countermeasures. It’s a clever move using your little masses of stuff to disrupt my magic circles canceling them out. I might actually have to go all the way with him.’

“Well I can’t disappoint you now, can I?” Yuki panted heavily trying hard to ignore how much his body screamed at him. He knew how little time he had remaining. ‘Damn, I thought this would give me more of an advantage, but I don’t know how much longer I can last at this rate.’ Across the Fields, Vangelis took a step towards Yuki. Reflexively, an array of weapons materialized in the air around Yuki.

A cube formed in Vangelis’ hand. He bounced it loosely in his hand. Behind his eyes, a dark intent provided portents to the coming storm. “Congratulations, kid! You’ve become the second!” Suddenly, much of the air around Yuki cleared up. In the moment before the attack, everything was calm, almost deadly calm. The scene was at peace. Then the cube launched and everything in its path shattered. Earth exploded in the wake of the cube shot out at Yuki.

Gears, hydraulics and shattered metal pieces flew up in the air as the cube went straight through the replacement arm. The shield deflected the cube away from a direct hit, but it still traveled through Yuki. Blood sprayed up from the re-opened wound on his arm. The torn up remains of the hand dropped lifeless to the ground.

The force of the attack knocked Yuki back. “Damn!” he shouted, already spotting the next round coming at him. He struggled to pull back everything he had for a defense. Several of the blocks still blew through, clipping him. While he slid over the grass, more projectiles came at him with his defenses breaking down.

Glancing around him, the mist coalesced into a semi-visible form wrapping around Yuki’s torso and dragged him out of the line of attacks. He modeled it to right himself up, keeping a safe distance away from the ground. A few appendages grew out giving it room to move Yuki quickly around the Field to stay ahead of the attacks. ‘I can’t stay on the defensive, my body’s being ripped apart and I’m having trouble focusing.’ Yuki squinted trying to keep his attention on Vangelis.

Vangelis suddenly disappeared again, only to appear flanking Yuki with a massive blast unleashed with no delay. He vanished almost immediately and appeared on the other flanking side of Yuki with another beam of light whiting out the area. Appearing once more in a new position, Vangelis wielded a spear in his hand. The arm stretched back, tightening up for the moment of visibility.

Trailing dust off the edges of his body, Yuki surfaced from the double attack looking even worse. The left side of his body looked red and his gi started to reform. However, he didn’t have a chance for much else. The spear was already in the air. It pierced through Yuki’s stomach, off center. He coughed up blood, while his body was pulled back almost folding in on itself from the force.

Yuki dropped to the ground. The spear disappeared, out of Vangelis’ Field range. ‘Bastard! He’s so powerful…I need more…’ He coughed another round of blood, his body kept trying to tell him it was over. He refused. Yuki pushed himself up with his energy only to see Vangelis standing over him again. Gritting his teeth together, Yuki stared down metal. ‘I must win! I can’t die here! Come on body, give me everything you’ve got!’ His desperate plea rang through his body as the weapon came down.

Staggered, Vangelis found his weapon disintegrating. A force knocked him back, it lashed out at him leaving minor lacerations on his arms. He paused judging Yuki’s condition. “So you’re learning how to Fold, kid.”

It took him a few seconds, but Yuki found himself standing once more. Everything in his head was going hazy. His eyes had trouble focusing on Vangelis. ‘I feel like I’m going to drop at any moment…’

Vangelis wiped sweat from his forehead. His fingers massaged his temple a little. “Doesn’t look like you’ll last much longer, kid.”

“You don’t look much better, your final Fold is taxing your brain,” bluffed Yuki, he couldn’t even tell if the man was grinning or grimacing. However, the lack of a retort made him feel like he hit right. “Don’t tell me, you’re going to do something as cliché as calling for a final all or nothing exchange.”

Laughter answered Yuki first. “This close to death’s door and still full of spirit, kid!” Vangelis’ Field went barren. “However, it won’t be very satisfying dragging things out anymore. You’ve only got enough to stand for one more round. Let’s make the most of it, kid!”

If Yuki had the energy to spare to stagger, he would have listened to Vangelis. “You really are,” Yuki said with a little disbelief in his voice. “Fine, this’ll be the final attack!” Mist swirled up from the earth ripping aside the soil. It spun around Yuki and funneled into his arm, the one still mostly intact.

A large sword materialized in Vangelis hand with a blade that extended over even the hilt, a circular area around the hilt remained open for a hold. Magic circles drew around his arm and on the blade, some even floated around it. The magic infused into the metal caused it to start changing shades of blue, red and yellow. Swirling masses of energy funneled around his body channeled into the back of the sword.

Moments slowly drained by as they pushed everything remaining into their attack. Power focused, compressed, folded and forced into the tightest most concentrated point. Disruptions in the air came off the amount of power gathered.

Once their powers met their climax, Yuki and Vangelis drew back their arm and charged towards each other. Their power clashed even before meeting, sending off distortions and shockwaves of wind. A massive explosion of light erupted from the moment the two collided. A backwash of colors washed over Yuki and Vangelis completely wiping them from sight. Earth ripped up and the ground rumbled with quakes. The longer that time passed the more the light expanded, reaching for meters upon meters.

Nearly a minute passed before it seemed that things finally started to settle down. It took another minute for the light to fade away enough to make out shapes, only the jagged forms of upturned chunks of earth and rock were visible. Eventually, the area cleared out, presenting Yuki’s body lying in the grass with blood dripping around him, his power clearly off. Several meters away, opposite of the epicenter of the blast site between them, Vangelis laid panting heavily with fresh blood covering his arms and chest.

“…damn, kid…you packed…a lot in…”

Yuki coughed suddenly, jerked back to life. “…that was…the plan…”

He tried to laugh, but stopped himself. “…right…” Vangelis turned himself over to get his hands to push himself up away from the ground. A thin sword materialized in his hand giving him a crutch. He pushed off from it to get back to his feet, leaning on it heavily. “…even they…didn’t…push me…this far…” Vangelis staggered over a step, everything wobbly in his body. He kept slowly working towards Yuki.

Looking through one eye, Yuki saw Vangelis approaching him. ‘…damn, he’s still…’ He tried to order his body to move, but everything was numb. If he didn’t know better he would have thought he was only a head and torso, the way he felt. ‘…can’t move…can’t do…anything…’

“Lie down,” replied Saki, flicking her finger at Vangelis’ forehead.

Vangelis coughed up blood as his body flipped backwards. Blood sprayed from his nose and from a crack in his forehead. He collapsed to the ground unmoving.

Yuki jerked up, but only a centimeter before collapsing again. He immediately looked over at Saki. “…you didn’t…”

“No. He’s just unconscious.” Saki walked slowly over to Yuki. When she reached his side, she stared down at him. Part of her looked a little distant with her eyes not fully connecting to him. “I protected…Yuki.”

He managed a slight smile despite the pain in his body. “…I’m…pretty sure…I did…most of…the work…” In the effort to speak, he lost sight of Saki. His blurry vision darted around from his prone position trying to find her. He expected some retort from her, but she said nothing. Then he heard a thud next to him. “…Saki?”

Yuki forced his head to turn in her direction. He found her body covered in blood and it dripping out into the ground. She panted heavily looking to be in possibly worse shape than him, which he didn’t think possible. “Saki!”