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| - “HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....” the robed man chanted, as he slowly pulled his arm back and concentrated, his muscles tightening and strengthening, before launching the punch directly at his opponent, “YAAAAAAAHHH!!!!” “Kami-e!” Sid said quickly, his body jerking this way and that as his opponent unleashed a barrage of punches directly in the same manner, his hands occasionally flashing out in order to redirect a punch or kick. This done, the two combatants leaped away from each other, each one landing smoothly a few feet away. They were battling in the first floor of the control tower, and it had a look very akin to a reception hall, with a large amount of smooth leather chairs arranged in neat little rows, while potted plants and similar decoration littered the place, as well as a large, unoccupied desk, obviously where a receptionist or some other functionary would sit should the place be put to its intended use. Sid drew his hand back, taking a deep breath. “Tekkai Ken...” His opponent did the same, crouching slightly and raising his palm backwards, “First Hand...” he began. Sid charged forward, releasing dozens of punches form a single blow! “Tetsu no Meiro!” The robed man countered, an odd aura, almost like that of a boar, surrounding his own palm as he launched it forward, matching Sid’s own attacks! “The Valiant Boar Defends Its Kin!” The two clashed, fist against palm, their strikes clashing and bouncing off each other, perfectly countering each other’s own attacks! They circled slowly around the room, still exchanging blows, as the area around them was consumed by a small air shockwave surrounding them, knocking some of the chairs and plants away! Finally, the both of them each halted their attack and leaped back once more, landing in opposite directions when compared to the first time they had separated from their clashes and conflict. Sid panted slightly, the effort of the long, drawn-out fight finally getting to him. This is getting ridiculous, he thought to himself, that guy’s weird martial art is perfectly countering all of my Rokushiki moves! Who the hell is he?! Almost as if his attacker had heard his inner thoughts, the man stopped and took a quick bow. “My name is Rayse,” he said simply, “one of the Executives of Deathwatch, and the man who will defeat you.” He lifted his head again. “You are a Rokushiki user, yes? Then, I am afraid that your attacks will pose no threat to me.” “No threat...?” Sid asked, standing to his full height as well, “what d’ya mean by that?” “I mean what I said,” Rayse answered simply, “the way in which I fight was designed to counter and defeat Rokushiki users. You’re welcome to switch out with one of your crewmates if you are so inclined, but I will defeat them as well.” Knowing Art and Pura-san, Sid thought, they’ve probably finished their fights already... but... if their opponents are giving them as much trouble as mine’s given me, they still might not be done. Damn it... And at this, the blue-haired navigator smirked, looks like it’s all up to me to defeat this guy. And with that, he crouched, before launching himself through the air towards Rayse! “GEPPO!” he called, zipping through the air directly towards the monk-like opponent and bringing both hands forward to strike at him, “Tekkai Ken: Okina Atsuryoku Hitto-!” “Dual Hands!” Rayse quickly countered, throwing both his hands into the air, “the Fangs of the Dragon that Capture the Hero!” As soon as Sid’s fists neared him, his own hands lashed out, perfectly tracing the movement of Sid’s own and seizing them! The navigator was halted, his body jerking forward slightly with the whiplash! “What the-?!” Sid began, but he didn’t have a chance to speak as Rayse let go with one hand and drew the other back... “Single Palm...” he said, “The Colliding Rhino that Defeats All Adversaries!” He swung his palm forward, smashing it directly into Sid’s abdomen! The blue-haired navigator’s mouth flew open, blood and spittle flying out, as he was knocked backwards and crashed into the wall across the way, causing smoke to gush from the impact, along with a crater forming, debris dropping to the ground around him. “Gahh... ahhh...” he coughed, dropping to his knees, one hand quickly reaching up and gripping his injured stomach. Blood still lined the corners of his mouth, and he was now covered in a variety of dirt bits and bruises, but he still forced himself up, facing the bounty hunter once more. “That’s a pretty impressive fighting style you have there,” he said, “where’d you get it anyways, if it can defeat me so easily?” “Heh,” Rayse sighed, dropping his arms slightly, “it’s a long and boring story. You have no interest in it, or, rather, you will have no interest in it.” “Aww, come on,” Sid pleaded calmly, “you can’t just say one thing about it?” “Nay.” “Then,” Sid smirked, “I’ll just have to beat it out of ya.” “If you can!” Rayse suddenly cried, appearing out of nowhere in front of the navigator, his palm lashing directly towards his head! “Soru!” Sid cried, vanishing just seconds before the palm plowed into the wall, delivering even more damage to it! The blue haired navigator appeared just a few feet away, his hands pressing on the ground as he hoisted himself to a handstand, his legs whipping through the air at an incredible speed! “Rankyaku: Rasen Tatsumaki!” he cried as his legs began to release an incredible amount of compressed air slashes, all flying through the air and slowly condensing together slightly, forming a small tornado of constantly slashing blades! “Ho!” Rayse cried, lifting up both his hands in a cross-guard right as the tornado struck him dead on! It made a noise like a thunderclap as all the damage was delivered, knocking yet more smoke and debris into the air! Right as the smoke began to clear, Rayse plowed through, his eyes searching quickly for any signs of his pirate opponent. However, Sid moved quickly as well, appearing directly above him with his leg stretched into the air! “Rankyaku: Shitamuki no Hane Nashi Sutoraiki!” his foot lanced down, striking Rayse with incredible force, but not releasing a compressed air shot! The monk was pushed into the ground slightly, his feet sinking somewhat into the earth, and the navigator vanished once more, appearing right in front of him, hands at the ready! “Shigan Ken: Oren!” he cried, unleashing a horde of super-speed and powerful punches! These plowed into Rayse’s stomach and chest, the bounty hunter grunting and crying out slightly as they landed. Sid delivered an immense amount of these attacks, slowly but surely pushing him once more out of the earth, and more importantly, ever so off-guard. With his adversary now open, Sid ceased his current attack, and drew his hand back, channeling all his strength into one blow! “Tekkai Ken: Okina Atsuryoku Hitto!” The blow collided with Rayse, and he gasped, a massive shockwave exploding along his torso with incredible strength, being thrown back and crashing directly into the wall where Sid had landed from a previous attack! The impact was much more strong than before, however, and this time the whole floor practically shook from the pure damage delivered. Smoke billowed into the air and drifted slowly away, a few more bits of debris toppling to the ground. The area around it was quiet, and Sid relaxed slightly allowing his muscles time to recover. “Well?” he finally called, “was that good enough for you?” ... “Of course.” Rayse seemed to appear from nowhere once more, this time with his palm directly striking Sid’s chest! The navigator’s head jerked back, blood spurting out of his mouth and his eyes whiting out briefly. He coughed, toppling back from the bounty hunter and dropping to a knee once more, coughing and hacking up blood. “I’ll tell you,” Rayse said, standing tall and imposing above Sid, “and after that, I will finish you off.” Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
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