Capítulo 13: Rock, Paper, Scissors!
Shadows blanketed the ongoing battle at the highest tower on earth, noon was sure to arrive soon. The ongoing thunderous sounds of clashing metal and kicks assaulted the morning sky repeatedly. Looking worse for wear, the competitors once again broke away from each other. 'This guy is tough, he can take a beating pretty well. Asta would be impressed.' Zahna was curious as to why her opponent was now smiling. She had been pushing him back quite handily for quite some time now. And although he had superhuman speed, she was able to pick up on his ki. A sense she was getting sharper with over her time in this new world.
"I can't believe you're really gonna make me use this…dammit." Yajirobe sighed and suddenly he was a blur.
Zahna's eyes grew wide with surprise. 'I can still sense him, but he's moving so fast! It's like he's in multiple places at once!'
Korin's ears perked up when he saw what was happening, "So, you're finally using my move now?" he mumbled to himself in a low voice.
Multiple blurred visions of Yajirobe surrounded her. Each of them felt faintly of him as she twisted her head back and forth to look at them. The circle was closing, and an attack was coming; with his ki scattered around her like a fog, it was hard to get a good enough read on the true attack. All at once they dove at her, six apparitions of the swordsman closed in with slashes. She cut through two of them but unfortunately, she had missed. And a blade cut her across her left flank, partially slicing through her armor and flesh at once. She quickly placed a hand on her new injury and hissed with pain. "Urk!"
The wound was seeping red slowly, she could feel the blood soaking into her clothes beneath her armor. It was warm and stung with the fresh agony of a clean cut; little at first, and then the flood. "So, you're using an illusion?!" She growled through the pain, "Fine, I'll show you what I can do!" As soon as she said that her grimoire took flight. It hovered beside her as her body was enveloped in a compressed version of her shifting twilight colored aura.
Splitting into a blur once again, Yajirobe hoped to gain his victory before she had a chance to do whatever it was that she was planning on. He could sense ki, though not as well as others, and from what he could tell; not all of the energy that Zahna controlled was detectable to him. And it was that strangeness in her power that told him; she must be using magic as well. He couldn't remember the last time he faced an opponent capable of using magic during combat like this, but what he did realize is that due to her also being so skilled with a sword it could only get worse for him if he gave her even a bit of room to fully utilize her majicks against him. "I'm ending this fight!" Brimming with determination and confidence he issued his declaration.
The circle of clones once again started to close around her, flickering like phantasmal intruders. But to his surprise she wasn't trying to follow any of them with her eyes, in fact she didn't even have them open.
He lashed out with his afterimage strike once more, but this time something strange happened. As he converged on her position, she was gone! A penetrating blunt blow struck him in the back, shooting pain through his kidneys. He felt as if his insides were going to fall out and doubled over. Yet before he could have a moment's reprieve, a follow-up was delivered.
Zahna's blade was cloaked in darkness as the blunt side swept towards the back of his legs, knocking him off his feet and spinning him into the air. He was able to predict the final strike of the surprise combo and positioned his weapon to block it. Her blade came down on him like a bolt from the blue and connected with his own. Sonic shock waves rippled out as he was smashed into the floor with a BANG!! The tiles cracked under the tremendous forces while receiving him like a meteorite. Stone, and dust billowed outward and clouded the area. Zahna stood ever ready to continue the fight, her blade still trained on the swordsman's last location. Silence held for but a moment until she heard movement.
Groaning could be heard from the rubble crater, and soon thereafter the sound of someone shaking themself off permeated the dust cloud. Labored breathing and rough sounding coughs were next. As the cloud disbursed, Yajirobe was kneeling there. He propped himself up with his sword, barely able to do even that much. But it was a true testament to his strength that he was even able to kneel after such a blow. "I…I can't believe it." his head was hung low as the words escaped from him like a deflating balloon. "I… I was the best swordsman in the world…How could you…" As the disbelief of failure began to set in, his eyes welled with tears. Gritting his teeth, he raised his head. "You win...this time." Slowly he sat into half lotus and put his sword back into its scabbard.
With a smile Zahna walked over to him and sat opposite to him. "You know…You're one of the better swordsmen I've faced. Thank you for sparring with me." As she said that his face turned red, and he looked away from her. She held her hands out, with her palms facing him and said, "Rejuvenating Starlight!"
Yajirobe was startled at first but then completely surprised, he had never seen anyone capable of such a technique. Korin was gawking as he saw that she was able to use healing magic. All the damage that Yajirobe sustained in the mock battle was reversed, and then she did the same to herself. Unfortunately, the pair of them now had slightly destroyed clothes and Zahna had yet to achieve a level of mastery over the magic materialization to remedy that problem as well.
Korin came back down to speak with the two of them after the battle was over. And as promised he gave Zahna a bag of seven senzu. He warned her not to over consume them due to the very physical consequences of eating so many days' worth of food in a short period. Soon he began asking her all kinds of questions, and she was happy to answer. Though, after he learned that she had been displaced from another world and that the culprit was none other than his own former student, he couldn't help but to palm his face in shame. "That old lecher!" He hissed.
Noon arrived, and the three had sat down to enjoy tea together. Zahna told them of her desire to reach for new heights of power and told them a tale about the Wizard King. Yajirobe was especially interested in the other swordsmen that she had trained with and found it inspiring that there were others that were even more skilled than she was with the sword. Korin had offered her a place to stay but told her that he couldn't do anything for her clothes, and with an impish smile she replied to him "I think I know someone who can help me there!"
Yajirobe asked her if she would challenge him again before she left for her world, and she made a promise of it on the condition that he train with the intention of beating her next time.
After saying her goodbyes, she jumped over the edge of the tower. She fell faster and faster, before yelling "Flying Nimbus!" the cloud raced to her at a blinding speed and pushed itself under her feet. She flew down towards Karinga Village once more.
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etherealphonic
etherealphonic Chapter 13! It's hard to believe that it's already this far!
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