Overwhelming Power

Thunder roared. Lightning crashed. The freighter swayed against tumultuous waves. Hiro stared at Bao Ma in bated breath, ready to leap out of danger at any time. Not once did Hiro’s intense focus waver. Adrenaline spiked, and his heart rate skyrocketed. A single misstep could lead to his demise.

Bao Ma snapped his fingers. “Last chance. State your name, and you might be spared.”

Sweat filled Hiro’s forehead. His thoughts whirled rapidly. Was he lying? Would he actually let him go? Why did he want his name so much? What would happen if his name became public? Far, far worse consequences raced in Hiro’s head. He decided to keep silent.

“Then so be it. Die, Orin scum!” Bao Ma tore off two more pieces of the container and hurled them at him.

Hiro jumped behind the container beside him. The metal chunks clashed against the floor and plunged to the sea. It was a long fall.

Bao Ma furiously stomped toward him. Every step made the floor quake. But since he moved much slower, Hiro used the containers to keep his distance. Eventually, he would tire his opponent out, he surmised. Alas, that plan was swiftly foiled.

A booming bellow startled Hiro. The container he leaned against rumbled until it was slowly lifted off the floor. Bao Ma, with his own bare hands, carried the entire container over his head.

Hiro squealed as he crawled backward. A mighty growl erupted from Bao Ma as he dropped the container down. In a panic, Hiro scrambled to his feet and sprinted as far back as he could. The container smashed into hundreds of pieces. Sharp shards grazed Hiro’s legs, which sent him tumbling down.

“So, where are your allies?” Bao Ma asked. “Even a fool would think twice before coming here so outnumbered, so outclassed. Are you really facing me alone? Such vain hubris.”

As Hiro struggled to stand, he felt a bulge in his pocket. His eyebrows shot up in sudden realization as he pulled the gun out. He aimed it at his foe. “D-Don’t move.”

Bao Ma laughed hysterically. “A gun? How adorable. What is it with Orin people and their toys? Is the battlefield just a playground to them? Go on, then! Take your shot!”

Hiro’s fingers trembled. His knees felt weak. Every instinct in his body begged him to run away. But he’d been in this situation before. He’d already failed before. This time was different. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. With a deafening high-pitched scream, he pulled the trigger with all his might.

He missed.

The bullet flew straight past Bao Ma’s shoulder. The massive man didn’t even need to move his body; it was a clean and utter miss—a complete failure of a shot.

Hiro’s mouth was agape in disbelief. He dropped the pistol to the floor and hurriedly activated his nanobarrier. “S-Stay back! Get away from me!”

“More toys, I see. This is why you people are so weak. Let me give you a taste of real strength!” Bao Ma ripped out a bar from the ship’s railing and hurled it at him. It collided against the nanobarrier with such great force that it knocked Hiro back.

Hiro’s hip crashed against the railing. Bones cracked; he fell to his knees and desperately clutched his side. Pools of saliva dripped out of his wide open mouth. He wanted to scream, but all that came out was a hoarse whimper. When he looked up, he saw the nanobarrier lying on the floor some feet away.

Bao Ma approached the nanobarrier and picked it up. He inspected it closely and gave it a good shake. “Hm, what is this called again? How do you even make this work? It’s just a hunk of metal.”

Hiro reached his arm out. “N-No… Not that…”

“How pitiful. Look at the sorry mess you’ve become.” He kicked the nanobarrier far into the air. It vanished into the pink clouds.

“No!” Hiro’s voice cracked. He banged his fist against the floor. The only source of protection he had was now long gone. He looked to his left; Haruka was preoccupied fighting the rest of the guards. Nothing stood between him and his opponent. In a form of resignation, he bowed his head and cried.

It was pitiful indeed. In the pursuit of strength, Hiro instead found himself at the mercy of his enemy once more. All his time, effort, and desperation amounted to nothing. But was it actually his fault? He’d just joined Lionheart. He’d just come from a grueling fight with Yuusuke. They just threw him into a mission everyone knew he wasn’t ready for. How could he possibly blame himself?

But he knew for a fact that he’d brought all this upon himself. In the depths of his determination—nay, prideful stubbornness—he endangered his loved ones, got Miles killed, and even selfishly ignored his dying wish. If he was just strong enough, none of this would’ve happened.

“I’m sorry, Granny Jay. I’m sorry, Miles,” Hiro mouthed under his breath. Even his apologies felt empty and redundant. He’d promised countless times that he would become a better person for them—only for him to end up as the very same disappointment he’d always been.

A fitting end for himself, Hiro thought. If anyone deserved it, it was him. Bao Ma beckoned for him to get back up. Even his enemies took pity on him. At that point, why continue? Why live on? At the very least, perhaps he could meet Miles in the afterlife and apologize face to face.

“You need to live.” These words echoed in his mind. It came from a distant memory—one long since forgotten, but never deleted. It ceaselessly repeated itself, like an alarm that demanded his alertness.

“Tch.” Hiro pushed himself back up. Though his hip throbbed, he willed himself to stand once more. His eyes glowed bright green.

“There you go! I knew you could do it!” Bao Ma smacked his stomach. “If you tell me who sent you, you get a free hit right here. A good deal, I’d say!”

Hiro focused his gaze at him. One second. Five seconds. Ten seconds. That wasn’t enough. He needed to see further ahead into the future.

“...Are you going to keep me waiting?”

The nerves on Hiro’s temples bulged. He grit his teeth to steel his focus even further. Fifteen, twenty seconds. Still nothing good.

“So be it.” Chocolate aura covered Bao Ma’s upper body. He hunched his shoulders and charged straight at him.

Hiro’s head pounded. Every single second mattered. His opponent closed in. All energy was spent on full and utter concentration.

Thirty seconds. At last, he found it—a way out.

Hiro leaped off to the side at the very last moment. To stop his momentum, Bao Ma forcefully punched the floor, which left behind a hole in the process. Hiro spared no time as he darted toward the ship’s bridge. Along the way, he picked up his gun.

Bao Ma chased after him. His thunderous footsteps echoed together with his sardonic laugh. Hiro hid behind a stack of containers held together by chains. He closed his eyes, frantically praying for success.

“There’s nowhere to hide, you fool!” Bao Ma rapidly closed in, but his steps soon slowed down. He looked at his feet; the floor was moving. A large wave had collided against the ship. They were now tilting backward.

Hiro felt a surge of both excitement and relief. His vision turned out exactly the way he saw it. He fired at the chains, but the containers only barely inched forward. With all his might, he tackled them. Sharp pain rang from his hip. It cried for him to stop, but he pushed on. The containers eventually succumbed and toppled. They tumbled down and crashed onto Bao Ma.

Gripping his pistol, Hiro slowly approached the wreckage. One by one, Bao Ma pushed aside the metal debris. Hiro already knew this wasn’t enough to kill him. He aimed at his opponent as he waited for him to surface. Everything rested on this next shot.

As it did the previous times, Hiro’s hands trembled. “Third time’s the charm,” he kept repeating to himself. This mantra barely helped. In a desperate attempt to calm down, he bit his hand. Though still present, most of the quaking stopped.

At last, Bao Ma shoved away the last piece of rubble. His head was in clear view as he slowly stood up. Hiro knew it was time to shoot, but at this crucial moment, he hesitated.

“You… You and your dirty tricks!” Blood sprayed from Bao Ma’s lips as he spoke. “If you will not fight me with honor, then die without honor!”

As his foe stretched his arm out to him, Hiro let out a powerful scream. He pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the center of Bao Ma’s palm. For the first time in his life, Hiro had hit his mark.

“Heh… Hehe. Is that it?” Bao Ma balled the hand that had just been shot into a fist and opened it. Black char singed his palm. The smoking bullet lay at his hand, but there was no wound. It couldn’t pierce him.

Hiro’s vision began to blur. His eyes glowed green, but he couldn’t focus. He’d expended all his options. His only plan for success ended up in shambles. The only hope for him now was the gun in his hands. Any hesitation would kill him.

Before Bao Ma could say another word, Hiro pulled the trigger. Again. And again. And again. He unloaded the entire magazine on his opponent. The smell of gunpowder filled his lungs. Every single bang was deafening, but he no longer cared. In a desperate fight for his own life, he didn’t stop until he depleted every last bullet.

Bao Ma crouched down and guarded his face with his arms. Chocolate-colored aura engulfed his entire body. All his muscles flexed at once. Like a wall of steel, the bullets merely ricocheted off his body. Not a single scratch could be seen on him.

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

Hiro ran out of bullets. His foe stood tall after the onslaught of gunshots, unscathed. Hiro struggled to breathe. The immense pressure he felt choked him, as though he stood face to face with death itself. As a last resort, he flung his gun at him. The throw was flimsy; it drifted slowly in a high arc.

Bao Ma caught the gun with two fingers. He took one look at it and scoffed. With a single hand, he crushed the pistol into tiny pieces.

This startled Hiro. An abrupt cry escaped his lips.

“Aw, did that sadden you? You can have it back then!” Bao Ma threw the pistol’s fragments at him. They pierced through skin and tore through clothes. Hiro quickly shielded his eyes, but one shard cut through his left ear.

A high-pitched sound rang continuously. It drowned out all other noises. When it faded away, Hiro’s left ear was completely deafened. He turned around and bolted away. Warm blood oozed down his cheek. To stop it, he pinched the ear shut. He cried aloud for help but could barely hear his own voice.

Hiro could see his opponent yelling and pointing at him but couldn’t decipher his words. Bao Ma bent his knees and stood on his toes. In a single jump, he covered the distance between him and Hiro. With fingers interlocked, he pounded against the floor as he crash landed. Metal plates and bolts scattered all around. Hiro leaped away to avoid the hit, but the impact summoned a powerful gust of wind. It knocked him further up in the air and blew him away.