Blind Phoenix

Emotions Exposed

The final day of the tournament had arrived. No longer were the crowds extremely loud. They were all focused and conversing with each other in an attempt to guess the winner. Despite it being a beginner’s tournament no one had seen such intense combat among newbie fighters. The crowd’s favor was divided equally among the two. Byur had shown great skill and determination in just two fights, many respected this. His opponent had almost accumulated a year of experience. This was to be his last beginner fight.  The reptile man Kal was a very patient fighter that had not been knocked out in six fights. Some argued his will to fight surpassed Byur’s. It had some fact behind it, although in the end, it was just speculation. No one really knew how the fight was going to end, but they could bet that it was going to be a good one.

            In the crowd were Anthroph and Stigandr, to their surprise they were also tense in anticipation. The small man turned to Stigandr and said, “You look out of place old man. A giant among men with such apparel, hah! They will think you’re some lunatic, you’re taller than most of the aliens here.”

            Stigandr glared at his ally and refuted, “You are the strange one, and I do not need to remind you why.”

            The giant man was, well…giant. A tanned man with a height of 8’4”, colossal muscles, a necklace with prayer beads and a dark brown long-skirt with a belt made again of human vertebrae was not something anyone or anything had thought they would see. He wore no shoes, either. Some wondered if he was human and indeed he was.

            “And remember to respect your allies; I am not an old man.”

            “You’re right, you’re a demon.”

            Stigandr completely blocked off Anthroph’s comments and re focused his attention onto the ring. The announcer had finished up her usual sayings and raised a fist up into the air, then soon after initiated the fight.

            Maria and Lynn cheered for Byur as he leisurely approached Kal. Kal’s skin was a dark greenish blue and scaly. His head was long. It went about a single foot behind his body. Kal had no pupils or irises, his eye was glowing yellow and his mouth was covered by more scales which he could open whenever he wished. He also had a fairly long tail.

            Byur was the first to strike and quickly retreated. Kal stepped forward and swung his tail around before launching a blue energy blast. He attempted to sweep Byur’s legs from the ground and was met with a sturdy defense.

            “So what they say is true, you’re pretty good for someone with little training. I hope you don’t plan on walking out on a victory. I know much more about your skills than you do mine.”

            Byur looked at him and said, “Well then, I guess winning will be that much more rewarding.”

            “For the sake of fair game I will tell you something about myself. I may be a beginner, but I am much older than I look. I was 97 years old when I started training. I took a random interest in it after decades of being a renowned philosopher. Due to my background I am a very strategic fighter, so expect the unexpected, young one.”

            Byur advanced and threw attacks from his right side before ending his combo with a straight left hand. Kal’s tail seemingly came out of nowhere and slid on the tips of Byur’s hair. They both went on the offensive and were fairly matched. Their styles contrasted well. Byur punched and kicked wildly, relying on his speed and the amount of power he was putting behind his swings. Kal on the other hand picked his shots with extreme caution, while also keeping a nice pace. Out of nowhere Kal opened a blue barrier around his body, damaging his opponents hand while repelling the attack. As Byur was regaining his balance the shield disappeared and he was hit straight on the nose.

            “Gah, damn it that hurt!” said Byur

“I can see you’re not taking this fight seriously. Perhaps we both underestimated each other. As an act of mutual respect, let us begin at our peak.”

“Sure, that sounds like a good plan! Show me your best self.”

            Both of them took a few steps back and began concentrating their energy. A white aura surrounded Byur and a blue one enveloped Kal. Small pieces of the arena floor chipped off and slowly went up into the air along with the combatants themselves. They bolted forward and gave it their all. Every attack was met with a well-placed counter, a sight to see. Byur swept his hand forward and pushed Kal back with an energy wave. They took their time catching their breath. The energy surrounding them was growing; Byur raised an eyebrow and gave the man standing in front of him a question, “You said we would both power up to our limits, how is yours still rising? I have an explanation for mine, but…what exactly are you doing?”

            Kal smiled under the scales covering his mouth and lifted his finger to point at Byur, “You are not the only one to delve into the arts of utilizing life energy. Not everyone can do it, yet it is not unique to you alone. I have found a way to beat you already, young man. Allow me to teach you how your so called 'rising phoenix' is really done.”

            Kal leaped forward while hurling energy blasts. Covered by the smoke that surrounded him he leaned towards the right and attempted to kick Byur in the head. He soon realized that his opponent was no longer in the same position. He felt hands grab onto his tail, he was being spun around like a piece of pottery soon after. Then he was released, his body flew to the floor. Kal brought his arms close to his body and then extended them, causing and shield to appear and stop his momentum. He felt a presence behind him and swept his leg and tail into that direction. This time, he had hit Byur. It was not a direct hit, it clashed with Byur’s forearm and both the leg and tail were quickly pulled away.

            Byur stepped forward and drove his fist into his opponent’s abdomen before Kal had time to properly defend himself, a swift uppercut followed after, launching Kal into the air. Byur flew up into the air and attempted to continue his combo. Kal’s body then slowly became more and more transparent until his entire body was gone. The blind fighter soon heard light, echoing laughter, followed by his adversary’s words.

            “That was a nice shot, very clean. You’re probably wondering what’s going on. You see, whenever I stop moving and relax my muscles I can go invisible at will. Of course, now that I’ve told you, you might figure out how to counter that.”

            Byur responded, “Then don’t you think it’s a bad idea to tell me? I kind of feel like you’re still underestimating me.”

            “On the contrary, I want to bring out the best in you. I just sometimes accidently give out exposition. Perhaps I’m a bit too confident…yet so are you.”

            “Well, yes, I am. I’ve gotta say though, for someone who’s almost a century old you just missed something very crucial.”

            “Ah? What would that be?”

            Byur relaxed his muscles and stoop up evenly as an innocent smile flashed across his face.

            “I’m already blind.”

            With lightning like speed he rammed his elbow behind himself, and sent the now visible Kal stumbling backwards.

            “Y-you!”

            “I can sense hidden energy much more proficiently than you could expect. Ever since that fight with Yuig, my body hasn’t exactly been the same.”

            The first round ended with the bell’s ring. Maria patted Byur’s shoulder and said, “Nice work, you don’t seem to have lost anything despite that injury of yours! So far the match looks nearly dead even, you’ve definitely gotten the full 10 points.”

            Lynn took a peek at Kal, she was noticed and he waved at her.

            “Hey, Byur, be careful around this guy. He’s so calm, I feel like we haven’t seen anything yet.

            “Really? He seemed surprised when I was able to detect him.”

            “Surprised, no, but excited that you’re better than he though. Plus, just look at him. Is that the energy level of a beginner?”

            A chill ran down Byur’s spine as he noticed an insane power in front of him, staring him down. A blue energy raged inside the arena.

            “What?! How the hell did he do that?”

            Lynn looked at Byur as the next round started and said, “Don’t be afraid, he’s probably testing you.”

            Byur stood up cautiously and walked forward. He swallowed his spit as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

            “You still with us, old man?” he asked, wondering if Kal had lost control of himself somehow.

            “Of course. My rising phoenix has already activated, now begins your true test. Do not disappoint me now of all times.”

            Kal slipped forward and shouldered Byur and brought down a swift elbow strike. He spun with a backhand fist, stepped on Byur’s leg and head-butt him. With unbelievable speed he then initiated a barrage of attacks with great precision and power. The young fighter was unable to defend himself and was brutally damaged. The rain of blows stopped, and he felt a hand grab his hair and had his face pushed into the floor. The crowd was going wild as Kal continued to beat on Byur.

            The announcer was getting ready to step in to stop the fight, unable to see a point in continuing. At the moment, Kal’s fist was grabbed firmly by the now glowing Byur. The blind young man looked up and his eyes were glowing red through the bandages over them. The material slowly burned away and the heat of the energy not only burned them, but turned the bandages into nothingness. Byur’s clenched teeth had grown a bit sharper and his muscles had increased in definition.

            “You’re finally wide awake, eh. Now the difference in our fighting styles will be clear.”

            Kal looked deeply into Byur’s eyes and asked, “You’re…having trouble controlling your own mind? Hahaha, this is a great development. We’ll both grow from this…You there, announcer! This fight is no longer based off rounds; we will fight until either of us is out cold.”

            The announcer made a confused face and said “O-ok?!” while tilting her head. While the battle raged on Lynn was speaking to Maria, “What’s going on? Byur doesn’t look like his regular self. Something’s wrong with his energy.”

            “I really don’t know, it seems like he’s somehow lost control of his emotions. I can feel he can still control himself, but a rage inside of him is keeping him really tense. Their power is just incredible; they’re like a new generation of fighters. Maybe we’ve been slacking off a bit…”

            “Tch, no way. Our training was almost unbearable; all the credit goes to these guys or rather, their potential. They are both blessed with amazing possibilities, even more so than me.” Lynn cracked a smile, “Lucky bastards.”

            It sounded as if a gun battle was taking place inside of the ring. Kal executed one of his signature abilities. He crouched under a reckless right hook from Byur and concentrated energy into his legs which launched him into the air. Taking advantage of his momentum he landed a left uppercut on his opponent’s chin, causing Byur to spin out of control and fly up. Kal pursued the young man and was immediately met with a cold stare from Byur. It left him undaunted; he attempted to push him back but was swiftly knocked to the side by an overwhelming wall of energy. As they engaged in close quarters combat the contrast between the two heightened. The style of Byur was careless and swift. Never did he slow the pace at which he was going and he gave everything in each punch. One large, unfortunate miss was all it would take for him to sustain serious damage as a result of his momentum being used against him. On the other hand, Kal picked his shots very carefully and almost always hit his mark. Even if an attack missed it left little openings.

            “Excellent performance, young one! You still have more, we both do. Gather all of your determination and willpower. We are true warriors without limitations!”

            Byur concentrated everything and shrouded himself in a thick orange aura. Sparks of energy flew everywhere, he exuded air from his lungs as he roared, drawing out every last drop of his strength. Both fighters seemingly broke any limit one would expect from a newcomer.

            Maria’s eyes widened, “This is- The entire arena is crumbling. This place isn’t meant for this kind of pressure! Lynn we have to evacuate.”

            “s**t, you’re right. What the hell are they doing, you two? Gah…they can’t hear me let’s get out of here, to the portals. We’re probably being ordered to go back anyway.”

            Every soul in the underground arena fled to nearby portals which returned them to the main base of OWL. The entire area crumbled as the two martial artists frantically gave it their all. In just a minute the whole place had been reduced to a crater of rubble. Anthroph and Stigandr levitated nearby to watch the fight while the rest watched from the organization’s base.

            “What is this Kal trying to do, they’ve only met a single time and now they are fighting as if they were lifelong rivals” Said Stigandr. “He’s definitely up to something. No matter, this…is interesting.”

            Anthroph threw his head back and laughed disgustingly, “Those filthy scum are something, aren’t they? Crushing that boy under my feet will be so much more invigorating after this.”

            “Perhaps he will not be the victor, whatever happens, the plan won’t change.”

            “Well big guy, my bet is on the boy. Just look at him, he’s almost like a rabid dog.”

            Both glowing their respective colors, Kal and Byur clashed like madmen. Their battle was like art, it was as if an unquenchable monster was attempting to devour a dragon.

Back at the main base of OWL the entire crowd was watching on screens which obtained a video feed through tiny cameras. The equipment could capture and follow any movement up to 6,255kmph. The gigantic hemispherical building levitated in the sky but was left unseen by those under it. Inside Liam was questioning Lynn, Maria and Nico.

“What is the meaning of this? Two beginners destroyed an entire arena of ours, covering this up will be near impossible…”

Nico stepped forward and said, “We don’t know either. Byur just started going crazy is what it looks like. The guy he’s fightin’ seems to be just dandy. Maybe he knew this was going to happen.”

“What could he possibly have to gain for this?! That damned old lizard! This probably has not a thing to do with whatever plan he has; destroying the arena was just a predicted cause of it. All I know is that we need to stop this now before they attract even more attention.”

“W-wait.” Maria said, “Please, don’t send anyone to intercept the fight, let them finish. Let’s just cover them with a barrier around the arena ruins. Their fight can continue this way.”

       Liam looked at Lynn and asked, “Hmph, what about you. Do you think we should let them keep fighting? At this rate, just imagine, they could cause even more damage.”

       Lynn sighed and spoke calmly, “I…think we should let them continue. A fight like this is invaluable for both of them, the limits they might end up breaking…just look at them. Their powers are still rising and they don’t even notice it, they’re lost in the fight.”

Liam stared at the screen for a few seconds and turned back to the young adults in front of him.

“Make sure nothing happens…I am entrusting the three of you to keep this under control. If you fail, I’ll take the blame and lose my position here and forever be branded a failure. Don’t make any mistakes.”

Nico cracked his usual confident smile and said, “Don’t worry sir; we’re the best in the business.  Besides, we’re famous in the organization. If anything, all the blame will be on us, not you.”

       Nico turned back to the screens, took off his sunglasses and quietly said, “Man, look at them. What’s their secret, eh? Lynn, when we get there, gauge his energy level with a scaler or just take a guess.  This is unnatural.”

In an instant the three of them appeared at the site of the arena. Kal and Byur were matching each other blow for blow and getting stronger still. Neither of them stopped for a second to check who had come.

“Now,” said Maria, “Raise the barrier.” In unison they created a clear, massive energy dome around the ruins. Once finished, Nico, Maria and Lynn watched as the combat raged on.

“Why do you guys think they’re like this? They were fine when the fight began” said Maria.

“I have no clue either” said Lynn.

Maria messed with her hair and made a worried expression and said, “Ah geez, how are we going to excuse Byur this time…”

“Hey, look!” yelled Nico. “That old lizard just knocked our boy unconscious! Hey, Kal, the fights done. Give to poor guy a break.”

He looked back at the young adults somewhat confused while holding Byur’s limp body up by the arm.

“You’re joking? You think this is all he’s got?” Kal said as he tossed his opponent aside. Nico furrowed his brow and responded, “The poor kid is knocked out, what more could you want from him? No point in dragging it out longer. Either way…destroying an entire arena has its punishments, bruv. Come on, let’s take both of you to get healed and we’ll see how we’ll work this out.”

Kal looked back to Byur’s body and sighed. “Just give me a minute, please. The fight isn’t over!”

Lynn stepped forward and spoke in a commanding voice, “That isn’t for you to decide. We will take you by force now, if you decide to resist.”

Kal’s voice grew impatient, “You don’t understand. This fight is much more important than you could imagine.”

“If it wasn’t for us, it would have ended as soon as you two caused this destruction. We extended your time by a few minutes. I’m giving you one more chance to come peacefully” Said Lynn.

As she prepared to rush to Byur’s body, Lynn noticed it twitch.

“B-Byur?” she muttered. 

Everyone turned their heads to Byur. His entire body was twitching as if all his muscles were attempting to work together to pick him up. He got up, shaking and nearly collapsed. Rotating to face his adversary and friends, the expression he dawned made it seem like he saw nothing past Kal. Byur opened his lips and uttered, “It’s…not…over.”

Nico responded by saying, “Don’t push yourself, man. There’s no need to continue this fight.”

Byur ignored his friend’s words and raised his hand to his face. Slowly unwrapping the bandages he spoke, “I still see his face…that smug bastard. His corrupt smile, those eyes that made you lose hope, and a presence black in appearance and soul…”

Kal spoke softly to Byur, “You showed your sadness to everyone, but in such a frail body you had no room for the emotion you’re feeling now. No room for anger.”

The bandages had been completely removed from Byur’s face. Everyone looked in surprise and they saw that the holes in his eyes had healed, the color of the eye however, had reverted back to grey.

“Yes…I hate him. I was alone with my grandmother for so many years. The books…listening to the stories was the only thing that stopped my loneliness aside from her. Just like before, all I can see clearly is his frightening face. Where was help when I needed it was when I thought…it’s what I still think! I had done nothing wrong, none of his victims did. The help I wanted came years too late!”

Byur‘s energy was rising again, he was able to stand easily. Gritting his teeth he rose up into the air.

“It’s true…I can never completely forgive you three for not finding me sooner, but you don’t deserve my ire. The one I truly cannot forgive is…”

Dark clouds gathered around the crumbled arena as he spoke. Blood flowed from his hands and he shook, slowly bringing his limbs towards his body his power shot up greatly. The earth began to quiver. Looking at him was nearly blinding. With a booming voice filled with hate he yelled with an extended cry as his energy burst forth, “IS TENNO!”