11 - Soul Ultimate

“I managed to get here in time...”

“But still...I have to buy enough time for those two to escape.”

“What’s wrong, did seeing a different color scare you that much?” Diego said, smirking widely. His figure, engulfed in azure flames, created an image of a devilishly powerful entity. Tsunehiro clenched his fists.

Diego quickly closed the distance, grabbing Tsunehiro by his gray combat clothes and shoving him back. He then grabbed him again, slamming him into the ground and dragging his body through the concrete. Tsunehiro counterattacked with dozens of small spears, but none of them did sufficient damage to throw Diego off his attack. Diego threw Tsunehiro up into the sky, and jumped up to chase him. He kicked him onto the GSC building’s roof, landing right after him and attempting to finish the fight right there. Tsunehiro dodged and stood up, as the two engaged in close combat.

“Shit!” Tsunehiro thought, as he blocked Diego’s strikes. His arms were heavily burnt despite all the soul prowess that was poured into reinforcing them. “His hand-to-hand combat is on a whole different level. Screw this...” He dodged back and retreated, as Diego chased him down with a mixture of hand strikes and kicks. Diego summoned his rapier again which was enchanted with the blue fire, and swung it fanatically.

“Am I really forced to use my last option now? There’s no other way I see of ending this fight...”

Diego concentrated his flames into his hands, forming a sharp burning arrow. He carefully aimed it at Tsunehiro. The latter, at the same time, quickly let go of all the weapons he was in the process of creating.

“Am I stupid for doing this?”

“No, in fact...this is the only condition for victory I currently see. Concentrate.”

Tsunehiro closed his eyes for a moment, and raised a finger gun in front of him. He took a deep breath. Diego, who could pierce through Tsunehiro effortlessly with the blue arrow, watched in curiosity. The impending release of soul prowess was dangerous, but it only served to ignite his curiosity. Finally, Tsunehiro opened his eyes and whispered.

“ ✦ Divine Acclamation ✦ ”

“Is he for real?!” Diego grinned, taken aback. A set of rings and various altar-like shapes arose behind Tsunehiro’s head, momentarily decorating the area with their bright white light.

“ ✦ Restless Blacksmith’s Will ✦”

As Tsunehiro’s soul presence skyrocketed and pressured everyone around, the raw power of his acclamation would soon strike Diego. Dozens of high power flying slashes rained down upon him, as he jumped around and dodged them ecstatically. He charged in, before having to stop due to a spear forming from the ground. Dodging that, he was once again within close distance.

“My divine acclamation might not even have enough attack potency to destroy someone of Diego’s caliber. It will only make me survive. Maybe, just maybe...Oskar and Dima can use this to set up a surprise attack.”

“I’m putting my trust into you guys. Before that...I’ll rip him apart as much as I can!”

As Diego approached Tsunehiro, with a fierce glare, he swung his rapier. Even at a short distance, Tsunehiro could feel its burning caress begin to nibble at his clothes and skin. At that moment...

“Huh? what?!” Diego yelled, quickly looking back. The spear in the ground that had initially missed him, now pierced his back. Tsunehiro quickly swung his sword and blasted Diego away with soul prowess.

“Surprised?” Tsunehiro asked, taunting his enemy. “All of my weapons I create have a homing property within my acclamation. Makes it easy to fight off average opponents like yourself.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to get inside his head a little...”

“Average? Is that so?!” Diego exclaimed. His flames regained their usual red color, as he danced around the dozens of knives and blades hunting him down.

“You think you’re hot shit just because you can use an acclamation technique?!” Diego thought, focusing more on the defense this time around. “If I use mine, aside from cooking everything that breathes nearby alive, I’ll get in trouble with Mr. Kamiki, and who the hell would want that...”

“Unfortunately for you, I won’t need an acclamation to deal with you.”

Diego’s body burst in flames, as the fiery paint gifted him a pair of large wings. Keeping himself up in the sky, while still being targeted by dozens of makeshift energy weapons, his arms slowly conjured a massive arrow of flame.

“How’s this for a show of force then?!”

“Ah, what an exhilarating feeling...”

“To think that I must contain this all the time, this thrill, this desire to burn what needs to be burned...and to spark like a true flame...”

Diego pulled his arm back, charging up the giant arrow and aiming it at his prey. The countless weapons piercing his body couldn’t even get him to flinch or react. His mind was consumed by his burning focus. Seeing his unyielding bloodthirst, Tsunehiro’s soul presence started shaking.

“It’s enough to kill me, isn’t it?”

...

“Huh, what is it again?” Hayk asked, finishing his plate of chicken. Tsunehiro, who was seated in front of him, picked at his plate of rice and smoked fish. His eyes were stuck on the appetite-inducing food, but not out of hunger, but out of his own thoughts overwhelming him. “You want me to help you with training?”

“Hayk, I’ll need a fighting chance if I ever get into a fight with the top dogs.” Tsunehiro coldly replied. Seated in the remote corner of the restaurant, by an old wooden table, the two could talk about war all they wanted.

“You’ll just have to leave it to me, man.” Hayk said. “I’ll deal with anything below Kaito.”

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“And how long are you gonna keep this for?”

“Hm?” Hayk seemed confused. He dipped his last piece of chicken in some hot sauce, watching the red goo slowly decorate his meal with fiery flavors.

“You’re being dragged around too much, Hayk.” Tsunehiro sternly said. “You’ve been doing this ever since you moved here, right?”

“It doesn’t bother me.” Hayk replied, taking a bite. “It’s my duty as a strong adult to protect weak children.”

“As if you’re not a weak child yourself...” Tsunehiro grunted. “Your constant selflessness is gonna be your downfall one day.”

Tsunehiro reached for a piece of fish, only to realize that his entire plate was covered in sauce. The fish was proudly impaled by Hayk’s fork, the moment of that action was never perceived by him.

“Don’t worry, I just made your food better.” Hayk laughed it off. He poured Tsunehiro another glass of beer. “If you want to help me that much, you’ll help with handling the kids outside of combat, not throwing yourself at soulfuls that are way bigger than you.”

“That’s just bullshit.” Tsunehiro replied. Disappointed, he took a few sips of his golden beer. “I’ll fight when I need to.”

“Dear Mr. Tsunehiro, do you feel like sacrificing yourself or something?” Hayk mockingly said, taking a deep breath. “You’re better off just doing your thing. Don’t burden yourself with what I do.”

“Bullshit.”

“Ever since the damn plane carrying you landed here, ever since we first conversed...”

“We both just want the kids to live a better life, don’t we?”

“Yet you acclaimed yourself as this savior, you think you’re the only one who can sacrifice yourself. You think you’re the only one who is privileged with dealing with shit because everyone else is so weak and vulnerable. What makes you think you’re so much better than me?!”

Tsunehiro stared at Diego’s flaming body ascending into the sky.

“Even without any interpretations, this much firepower is gonna turn me into dust. Focusing on defense isn’t an option anymore.”

He clasped his hands, with the rings behind his head gaining a new glow. All of his weapons dissolved into a beautiful white stream or raw soul prowess, forming an unknown amalgamation above him.

“In that case...I’ll just go on the offensive!!!”

An enormous crossbow formed in Tsunehiro’s hands. With a recognizable design and a pair of wings attached to its stock, Tsunehiro looked more like a medieval hunter - about to slay a devil-like creature. The devil in question looked more excited than ever.

“I’m scared.”

Both sides readied their attacks.

“But I won’t let Hayk doubt my own resolve!!!”

“Show yourself off then!!!” Diego yelled, releasing the arrow. The release happened earlier than Tsunehiro could fire his makeshift crossbow. Upon seeing the cascade of flame, his body froze. Despite the resolve burning through his eyes, his body still feared death.

...

“My soul expression can only fire portals on solid flat surfaces that can fit them.”

“Despite that limitation....”

“Rescue is still possible!”

“Oskar!” Dima yelled, as the two were stationed on the roof of a nearby building. It wasn’t tall enough to oversee the GSC building’s roof, where the fight was taking place. “I’m doing a fling. Drag a surface between them!”

“You got it!” Oskar yelled in response. From one of the nearby buildings, he magnetically ripped out a flat metal platform and threw it towards Diego and Tsunehiro. Dima made a portal next to himself and jumped off the building’s roof. A second later, he was flung out of his initial portal, and whilst high up in the air he fired off two more portals...

The crowd beneath was holding out with anticipation, watching the beautiful and deadly fight begin to reach its conclusion. At the moment of impact, the metal platform was flung towards the roof, separating the two. At the same time, Dima had direct line of sight, and fired a portal onto it.

And thanks to his great timing and a great deal of luck, he had just enough time to fire another one. The second portal emerged right below Diego. The devil’s own attack struck him from an angle he couldn’t predict. The result was a fiery explosion.

“The portal brat from before?!”

Diego thought to himself in anger, looking around. What he failed to notice was that the platform remained still. Dima climbed out of the portal and pulled Tsunehiro into it. As Diego turned to face it and prepared to attack, a familiar face greeted him on the other side.

Oskar’s hands released a bolt of lightning that struck and pierced through Diego’s stomach. The portal quickly closed, and the three were now en route to escape.

“Did they really think that my own fire would harm me?” He said, landing back on the ground and trying his hardest to heal his stomach wound. He was bleeding pretty badly.

“Damn pieces of shit...”

“I really got into the mood too...”

“What a fucking psycho...” Dima sighed, holding onto Tsunehiro’s semi-conscious body. “Mr. Tsunehiro, you’re...injured?!”

“The arrow wasn’t fully redirected?”

“Part of it got me...” Tsunehiro replied, coughing up blood. As Dima let go of Tsunehiro for a moment, his heavy stomach wounds and almost fully ripped out arm could be seen. “And the explosion...”

“We’re sorry.” Oskar quickly apologized. “We’ll take you to Rin, she’ll help you out.”

“Right, let’s get back to the gym. And let’s hope we don’t get intercepted on the way...” Dima grunted, aiming his finger guns towards the route home.

...

“Hayk’s off...” Rin thought while sorting medicine in the small cabinet in the corner of the gym.

“And so is Tsunehiro...”

“At least we have a chance now.”

[CRASH]

“Rin!”

Dima’s yells disrupted the silence, as he and Oskar were holding Tsunehiro by his arms. They quickly dragged his body into the gym and locked the door. Rin helped lay Tsunehiro down.

“Sacrificing yourself for real, huh?” Rin sighed, disappointed and infuriated at the same time. He slowly walked towards Tsunehiro, and turned to face Rin.

“How is he?”

“Fubar.” Rin said, pressing down his wounds with her hands. “His control of prowess is a bit unstable right now...he can’t pull off soul regeneration on his own. He needs hospital equipment...a proper hospital bed at least.”

“Soul Interpretation.” Rin quietly said, focusing her breathing. “Reversal Particle Epsilon.” A unique green light emanated from her hands, as Tsunehiro’s wounds began to slowly dry out and heal.

“It’s just the burns, no? And the arm...” Dima said. ”Come on, this is doable.”

“He lost a metric ton of blood.” Rin said. “He can’t breathe properly and most of his body is torn to shreds. And the chance of infection is very high.”

“Where’s Hayk?” Oskar asked.

“Retrieving the girls.” Rin said. “They ran across someone who they shouldn’t have run into no matter the context. I’ll tell him to get back here as fast as he can.”

She hurriedly took a piece of paper out of a notebook and wrote something on it, handing it over to the two.

“You go ahead and get me these.” Rin said. “Tsunehiro needs proper care. I don’t care if you have to break into a hospital...just go and get them. As fast as possible.”

Tsunehiro was laid down on a pile of clothes on the mats, he had already lost consciousness...