DALNO: The Beginning

CHAPTER 9: Escalations

Amidst the fight, Blaze starts to weaken from the blows he threw to Ren, which is still mysteriously untouched. Blaze currently sped up in circles as fast as the remaining of his energy could. While his eyes are still on Ren’s casual position, the same question occurs.

Why can’t I hit him?

Other than that, how can he hit me without any physical contact?

Blaze finches his eyes and is glad to notice that Ren’s fists have fresh-made bruises. He immediately charged toward Ren with a smile on his demolished face. Ren, still unknowingly clueless, began to smile and slowly tilts his head toward Blaze in an uncanny way.

Even running faster than the falling leaves, it startles Blaze. He stared longer at Ren’s face, and his uncanny face became disturbingly wrinkled. Blaze decides to end this and quickly throws a fist loaded with his Arcanae energy towards Ren’s face. But as it got closer, his gaze can’t be moved from the death stare of Ren’s right eye. Then it suddenly tilted to the side as if he can move at the same speed as Blaze.

“Boo”

Blaze loses control of his constant speed and trips, in a quick moment of time, Blaze saw his back in front of him and bumps into it at great speed. He got thrown by the impact to a slight distance and screamed as he recovers from the pain in his head and back. But instead of just senselessly destroying his voice. Blaze uses it as a distraction to analyze what he just experienced and saw.

I saw a familiar hand earlier inflicting damage on me.

Now, I headbutted my back.

That settles it.

The final piece to this illogical puzzle.

Is an Arcanae technique all along.

Blaze stopped the childish act, yet Ren was still as calm as ever.

I want to kill this Lissclion so bad that Aston will finally go back to our mission.

Hopefully the other way around.

“Portal, I see... Or, is it?”

Damn it.

Did I show up too much?

Or is that brat just on par with the lately rumored Aishte in strategical terms?

“Why won't you answer? Tired standing on those legs of yours?”

Blaze speeds up to his stead and instantly began to absorb his emitted Arcanae hexagons through his right fist. Yet Ren is still one-step ahead and made a small portal enough to hit Blaze’s desperate face with his fist and went outbalance. Ren then kicked Blaze to a nearby tree and used Blaze’s spitted saliva to polish his black shoe.

Carp

Curse you for making me do this

Ren

Leaving no choice, Blaze stood up once again and began to charge toward Ren with a crossover.

“DON’T YOU GET IT, BRAT? If you kept charging forward for a change, it will hit you back in the same impact that you made”

Ren began to materialize more portals while Blaze stomped his left foot to a halt and began absorbing his own Arcanae hexagons to the right hand he loaded from his back. Blaze then balls it up to a fist hard enough for his veins in the verge of popping out. Meanwhile, he aimed his left hand’s open palm toward Ren’s face.

“I am aware of the consequences Ren, more than anyone else from my clan. If you’re against it or not, I am going to change this system that man did. And you… are blocking it from afar and behind”

Ren smirks and envelops his right fist with his Arcanae energy and aimed it towards the enraged Blaze.

“I have my reasons for being the blockage you figured, as I don’t want you to be like him”

“What do you mean by him?”

“A certain Lissclion whose name deeply connects yours”

Blaze forgot to listen and screamed as Ren screamed back.

It’s not ready

But I need to use it to move forward.

In an instant, the chaos from the sound of dense void and speed resembled one of an exploding volcano. Their fist was already near for an impact. Blaze’s fist starts to get dissolved by Ren’s Arcanae energy, and Ren’s fist starts to get burns from Blaze’s Arcanae energy and giggles. Supposedly aiming for the face, Blaze took the slip chance to hit Ren to the face and released the Arcanae hexagons he stored in his right fist.

“Signature Form, Lissclion Style: Bow An—”

The chaos suddenly stopped, silence is an understatement, everything went to normal in an instant, and Ren went to a serious expression. Blaze opened his eyes and saw a familiar hand blocking their back-as-normal fists.

“Hello, kid”

It’s Genzouphabous, smiling at Blaze. Blaze suddenly looked everywhere as if looking for something but to no avail than an unsettling silent forest of a just-previous battlefield.

“Where did you bring it to?”

As Blaze led his sight back to Genzouphabous, he saw him smiling. This made Blaze more uneasy and asked the question once more desperately.

“Kid, somewhere very, very… far”

Out of a sudden, Blaze heard an explosion which felt near him, he quickly looked in the direction of the sound and left himself in shock as he see that there was nothing beside his direction but falling leaves.

“Ugh, you’re no fun, Cicial”

“Hmm, I think this isn’t one of those things that keep you fun, Ren”

Ren walks closer to Genzouphabous and at the moment he’s about to pass him, Ren pats Genzouphabous’ left shoulder and whispered.

“If it’s the brat you hit on that other time… You’re sorry when you get there”

Genzouphabous returned his gaze to Blaze as Ren materializes a void portal and gets in, leaving the scene.

“Why are you late, Mister?”

“Hmm, just being me I guess”

Genzouphabous gave a smile and walked toward Blaze. The moment he pats Blaze’s cyan head, a chime from an emitted Arcanae is heard and they got into a rocky place with the shimmering Homura waters below in such instance as fast as the occurring chime.

“Wah?... why are we at the southern point of Homura, Kanzen?”

“It would be better to remain as a mystery, right Lissclion?”

Blaze took a deep sigh and sat on the rocky ground facing the horizon, Genzouphabous then follows and sits beside him.

“Are you… really going?”

“Hmm, I did everything and had fun playing with you, Lissclion. But getting a real game that gives better benefits is a better choice, right?”

Silence led the conversation to a halt with the sound of wind and waters taking up a melancholic song.

“So, you’re really are leaving me”

Genzouphabous stood up with a soft grunt.

“Don’t worry, can a keepsake will do?”

“Oh, you will?”

“Heh, of course, you’re my only student after all”

With a face as bright as a sunflower, Blaze stood up and moves in a childish way, silently guessing what will Genzouphabous’s keepsake be.

“Tadaa!”

Genzouphabous presented Blaze with a red wool-woven scarf. The redness astonishes Blaze and received it with his hands gently.

“There’s one catch though”

“Eh? I’m about to wear it ya know? Why?”

“Now now, there’s your improper speech again”

“Eh— ah—… sorry”

The streaming water from Blaze’s eyes counters the mood of his statement. The crunching of the red wool with his hands subverts his positive presence. And all have been noticed by Genzouphabous since the beginning. Genzouphabous gave a soft smile and pats Blaze once more while his hands begin to emit Arcanae hexagons.

“Remember these catches Lissclion, as this will define your path towards your goal”

The stream began to be a flood as the familiar chime repeats a millionth time. Blaze wipes it up and began to break down.

“The first is that, befriend the cruelest person known to locals, and help him reach his goal, as it will help reach yours, and others, by keeping the path straight… The second will be… only wear the scarf when in disguise, other than that… destroy it with all your might, or it’ll destroy yours”

A final chime is heard, Blaze opened his teary eyes, he’s back in the woods, Genzouphabous is gone. He has his teacher’s words engraved on his mind, fixes himself, and walked with his head down. As he gets out of the woods. As he passes by the abused Ashites. As he enters the crowd cheering for his family name. He raises his head triumphantly. And said.

I will

Be the strongest

As that cruel man

Become the strong

In Homura academy, Shado and Falcon continue to stall on the enraged Ren. Avoiding the void portals the teacher makes and its void tentacle-like whips. 30 seconds are left, and both of them began to exhaust. As their last resort, they both charge forward and used their Arcanae abilities to block Ren’s attacks while reaching in grunt for the head. As their grunts became a desperate shriek, Blaze opened his determined eyes.

Standard Speed: x10 Acceleration

Baze’s hands start to do a jerky motion as fast as x10 worth of speed. A short time has passed, and as Blaze focuses more, the more his hand moves faster as its movements began to distort by a naked eye. The Arcanae energy he emits began to reminisce of lightning as he reaches x10.

I know I can’t do it yet

But I know how to simulate it

Falcon and Shado’s defenses shatter in front of their eyes and watch in terror as the void began to extinguish their hair.

“Where are you… BLAAAAZZZZEEEE”

A wave scattered around the meadows, breaking the windows near it in the process. The wave is also enough to blow Fury and Falcon away from Ren. At a glimpse, Shado saw Blaze, covered in his cyan Arcanae energy, with a fist for the final blow.

Attack Speed

Manipulate

“Thousand Impact”

Blaze threw the punch that made another sudden movement of the wind blowing Shado and Falcon further, making them faint in the process. As expected, Ren blocked Blaze’s attack. Blaze yelled to forcefully generate power, his punch became a barrage that become faster by the nanosecond. As the barrage lengthens, the barrage starts to break through Ren’s void cloak, dematerializing it back to Arcanae hexagons.

Both sides struggle with Ren doing minimal. The moment Ren’s chest is touched, the barrage came back to a punch and Blaze transports his remaining Arcanae energy with the technique still ongoing and blew Ren away slamming him to the ground in 0.42862 seconds. Immediately ending the exam with 25 seconds remaining.

The students that stayed inside the establishment and saw the commotion called the school medic and began to heal everyone. 3 hours passed. Blaze gained consciousness and saw Vincent, still lying unconscious with healing ongoing. In a worried expression, and then smiles softly releasing a giggle.

It seems

I got new rivals

On the other hand, Ren woke up and realized he couldn't feel his body because of the attack’s impact making his body slightly paralyzed. He takes a sigh with a smile as he sees his student’s efforts toward the exam.

In the leader’s office, Aston is being ignored by the leader about the broadcasted incident matter. Instead of leaving right away, Aston went suspicious. He goes to a table with papers and picked a blank fill-up document for parole. 

“If you don’t have the power, sir… Can you release the Ashite leader if you truly abolished the Anti-Ashite Law, as you are the one who announced on the broadcast about it”

I hope my actions were right

Aston left with a cold stare. When his presence is nowhere, the leader turned his office chair and started towards the door with an irked face. He then stood up with a sigh and gets out of the office while fixing his wrinkled black tuxedo.

In a grassland in Kanzen, Homura. Yoteigai and a mysterious old man had a conversation. Yoteigai is standing, while the old man is laying down on the dancing grass.

“When is the next worldwide event?” The old man asked.

“It’s the Ithorenth Agency Licensure Exam, sir”

“Ah, I see… Seems like I’m being older by the second. Anyway, can you get Rengoku here for me, please?”

Yoteigai accepts the favor, as he goes further from the old man, the old man grins while standing up.

“Happy, Joy”

Two people appeared from the woods. The old man converses with them about a certain action on a certain day and place. After a while of talking, the old man dismisses them and they left in a flash, then the old man began to walk.

During so, a ringing sound is heard from the old man’s pocket, he picked it up and placed it near his ears. 

“Hello, there”

“This is Nozomi Makushi, sir… may I ask you a favor?”

“For the needy, yes… what for?”

“Make me stronger… I need to avenge him”

“Ah, sure thing… I’ll do what I can do”

“Thank y—”

The old man drop the call and rerouted to his workplace. He began to giggle in a sinister way and bought a deep sigh as he raises his head towards the afternoon sunshine.

“Things are still intact even if it’s heavily destroyed, why are the good things keep falling into my hands? This coincidence is unreal… satisfyingly unreal, HM HM HM HMM”