The Divine Core

"FRESHMAN VS SOPHOMORE(4): THE MALEVOLENT SOUND"

In a state of unconsciousness, Kai was fed a stream of constant delusions. He envisioned a vague memory involving two people in his presence.

One of the two individuals repeatedly called out his name. The echoes of the call finally roused him up from his dreams.

He woke up to find himself in a room with Haku, who was already awake and eating a meal brought by his classmates.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"The healing center," Haku replied, taking a sip of water.

"Hey, great match, by the way," he politely commended Haku.

Haku chose to ignore the comment.

"Okay, we need to clear things up," Kai requested.

"Hey, you know what we need to do?" he sarcastically asked. "I'm going to enjoy this delicious meal, and you're going to sit there like a good little boy and shut up! Just shut the hell up!"

"I still don't understand why you're so angry with me. I really didn't do anything wrong," said Kai, attempting to clarify things.

"Stop trying to redeem yourself, kid," he interrupted.

"There's only a year's difference between you and me…"

"And that one year should be enough for you to show me some respect. Do as I say, brat," he retorted.

"Is it because of that little scene with Akane that got you all worked up like this, bro?" Kai questioned.

"Little?" Haku thought to himself, seething with anger.

He composed himself to avoid causing further harm to Kai.

"Firstly, I am not your bro. And secondly, I don't ever want to hear my girl's name coming out of your mouth again, do you understand?" he demanded.

"I was just trying to help her out…"

"Help her out with what? Saving her from the stress of knowing how her cheeks feel?"

"Don't be ridiculous. She nearly fell, and I…"

"Held her really close to you?"

"Stop making this sound more embarrassing than it already is."

"I don't want to hear anything from your mouth again, got it?"

"Is she really that important to you?" he asked.

"What did I just tell you?" he asked, his composure barely holding.

"Is she?"

Haku ignored the question and resumed eating his meal.

"You don't have to tell me. I can see it in your eyes," Kai speculated. "Behind that anger lies a heart—a heart that loves and cares about others—about Akane. Seeing me with her like that ignited nothing but hatred for me. I understand.

"But you have to believe me when I say it was just a terrible accident. I meant no harm. She's yours and yours alone. Okay?"

Haku continued to ignore him. Kai let out a sigh and slowly got off the bed.

He groaned, stretched, and walked to the balcony to get some fresh air.

On the balcony, he spotted Kota, who seemed to be alone and in good spirits. Kota turned to see Kai.

"Hey there. I've never seen you with such a big smile before. What's going on?" Kai asked the cheerful Kota.

"You're awake? Dang! You just missed him," Kota informed him.

"Missed who?"

"Kenji. He was here just a moment ago. He came to watch the tournament," Kota said.

'Kenji… Kenji… Oh, that's right. The last roommate!' Kai struggled to recall where he had heard the name before. "Really?"

"Yeah! He really enjoyed your match with Haku. He said, 'Your potential is limitless.'"

"Oh… is that so? That means a lot coming from an Aeon. So… where did he go?"

"He received a call from the higher-ups. Something about unusual activities in a city. He left to investigate. The reunion ended on a bittersweet note," Kota recounted with a hint of sadness.

"That's too bad. I hope to meet him again."

"I'm sure you will."

"Did I miss the tournament?" he asked, realizing he might have missed the entire event. 'Come to think of it, what was the outcome of my battle?' he wondered.

"Nah. Actually, you woke up just in time for the second match. Let's go!"

They entered the room where Haku had just finished his meal.

"Hey, Haku! Are you coming?" Kota asked.

He grunted in agreement.

The three headed to the battlefield and took their reserved seats, conveniently located right next to each other.

The crowd erupted in excitement as they settled in to watch Akuma and Chiko prepare to fight.

"Hey, Haku. Who's this Akuma guy?" asked Kota, intrigued.

"Hmm… who knows?" Haku replied. "We have no information about him. He's a transfer student and was handpicked by Sensei Nakamura to participate in the tournament. All we know is his name, his rank, and the fact that he's the Core of Malevolence. His abilities? Unknown."

"So Chiko is entering the battle without any information about his opponent?" Kai confirmed.

"It's not against the rules, is it?" Haku cleverly responded.

"Alright! Since the contestants are ready... RUMBLE!" announced Satoru.

Chiko and Akuma engaged in an intense stare-down. Akuma appeared remarkably calm, with his hands in his pockets.

Chiko studied his opponent carefully, aiming to decipher his technique.

"It seems neither side is ready to take the offensive," Satoru observed.

"Pretty smart move by your student, Shujin," Nakamura complimented.

"Your student seems as confident as ever, Naka," Shujin acknowledged.

'Malevolence. What could that mean? Well, it doesn't matter. I need to end this quickly,' Chiko thought.

With the speed of sound, Chiko sprinted forward to close the distance between them.

He closed in and launched a powerful right-hand punch, accompanied by a dense sound wave, directly at Akuma's abdomen.

The impact was so immense that the resulting sound wave obliterated the ground beneath them, leaving dust swirling in the air.

The audience was astonished as the match appeared to be over in an instant.

"At a speed too rapid for the n***d eye to perceive," Satoru announced. "Chiko delivers a devastating blow to Akuma's abdomen. But hold on…"

Chiko hesitated, unsure of the outcome.

'This can't be it,' he thought. ‘This was too easy.’

The dust settled, revealing Akuma standing in the exact position he was when he was struck.

"What the?" Chiko struggled to comprehend what had just occurred.

"That was quite a punch, Chiko," Akuma complimented.

"Impossible!" Chiko exclaimed.

"Nothing is truly impossible, my fellow Daemon," he corrected. "The concepts of possibility and impossibility should never be separate…"

"Enough talking."

Chiko attempted to launch another sound wave at Akuma, but the attack dissipated before making contact with him.

"Weren't you taught not to interrupt your elders when they're speaking?" Akuma asked with a friendly smile.

"We're not here to chat. We're here to fight," Chiko reminded.

In the blink of an eye, Akuma vanished from sight. Chiko was taken aback. The crowd buzzed with excitement. Suddenly, Akuma reappeared by Chiko's side.

"Oh my," he exclaimed, moving closer. "You say such disheartening words."

Chiko intuitively generated a massive burst of energy waves that covered a total radius of 200 meters. This resultant effect, however, had no effect on Akuma whatsoever.

'What the hell is going on?' he wondered. 'Could he be really regenerating too fast for me to see? No… it's something else. He's using his technique. But what exactly is it?’

“Otto! Otto!” Akuma’s sinister smirk surfaced. "You seem uncomfortable with me being near you. You should have mentioned that earlier. Aren't we in the friend zone yet, Chiko?"

"Shut up!" Chiko commanded, his annoyance apparent. 'For someone who can make my techniques seem useless, you certainly talk a lot,’ he thought.

"Hmm…"

"Akuma takes the energy burst without flinching," Satoru announced, astonished. "What will it take for Chiko to even scratch this enigmatic Aeon?"

Chiko clenched his left hand and unleashed a powerful blow toward the back of Akuma's neck. Yet, to his surprise, his hand froze mid-swing. A grin spread across Akuma’s face.

"Why can't I move? What is he doing?"

Chiko swiftly launched a right-handed punch, only to have it abruptly halted just before connecting with Akuma. With an almost tender touch, Akuma took hold of both of Chiko’s hands.

"Why are you so aggressive towards me, Chiko? You’re making me sad” Akuma expressed. “Perhaps, you need to cool… down, dear friend,” his voice echoing in the brain matter of his opponent.

To his shock, Chiko found himself immobilized. His body relaxed against his will.

“What’s this? Did Chiko just obey his command?” Satoru pointed out.

‘What's happening to me?’ Chiko wondered.

"His technique is taking effect," Shujin pointed out. ‘You can figure this out, Chiko. I know you can.’

'Why do I suddenly feel… Wait a minute…' Chiko's realization dawned.

"You've figured it out, haven't you, Chiko?" Akuma grinned. "But I won't let you capitalize on it. Blast… away!"

In a heartbeat, Chiko's body convulsed from an internal explosion, propelling him violently five hundred meters into the distance.

The crowd and commentators were left stunned. Chiko coughed up blood, but he attempted to take advantage of the momentum to prepare to counterattack.

"Not a chance… Fracture," Akuma commanded, halting Chiko in his tracks.

In a split second, Chiko's arm fractured at his command.

'I can't react in time,' Chiko realized, wincing. 'He's not giving me any breathing space. I gotta do something fast.’

Chiko began regenerating his wounds.

"You think I'll just stand here and let you ruin my masterpiece?" Akuma asked, grinning. "Stop," he commanded, halting Chiko's regeneration.

Chiko's healing came to a halt, leaving his arm half healed and bleeding profusely.

He collapsed to the ground, unable to move and barely conscious.

"Now, I know I can't kill you as it is against the rules, but at least I can have some fun with you," he said, casually walking up close to him. "I see your right arm is damaged, shall we have matching arms?"

Gripping his left arm, he willed it to twist unnaturally. Blood spurted from his arm, mingling with his pained groans. out of his arm as he groaned in agony.

"Amazing! Such an incredible piece of art," he commended himself, marveling at his self proclaimed art.

'This guy’s insane,' he thought. 'His decision making skills are incredibly fast too. He stopped my regeneration technique. What's this immaculate display of power? Is he really a student?'

"It seems that the fan favorite is on a tightrope. What will do against this formidable foe?" Satoru announced, witnessing a dominating bout.

"What's the matter, dear Chiko? Are you in pain?" he sarcastically asked, gazing sinisterly.

Chiko ignored his fake concerns, desperately trying to get away from him, but he kept coming closer.

"Oh, that's so sad. Where does it hurt? Where? Tell me, buddy…" Akuma taunted, pressurizing the wounds even more.

"Get a-away from me, you freak!" Chiko yelled, visibly frightened by his presence.

With a powerful burst, he unleashed a Sonic Boom, distorting the surroundings in a bid to stall, but it proved futile against Akuma.

Chiko was left frustrated as his techniques were proven to be useless towards his opponent.

"Don't you get it, dearest friend?" he questioned, laughing at his failed efforts. "You can't defeat me. No matter how hard you try, you just can't do it. Give up, Chiko.”

"How do you expect to defeat an enemy you know nothing about?" he rightfully questioned, squatting and holding his jaw. "Do you love pain? No right? Then give up, will you?"

"You’re sick," he confirmed, groaning. ’He can't be immune to my attacks. That's not his technique. Then how is he tanking my attacks? Is he a hybrid? Does he have two techniques? I've gotta figure this out fast. Until I do…’

As a final gambit, Chiko solidified the sound waves enveloping him, triggering another round of rapid regeneration. Akuma’s response was a casual, almost amused chuckle.

"Are you all healed up now? I don't want you dying on me, you know? What else do you have to show me? Do you still wanna play?"

'He's allowing me to regenerate?' he realized.

"How about a real life version of minesweeper? Yeah? Okay now, let's see."

Akuma proceeded to create a virtual minesweeper by manipulating his core energy. He pointed towards Chiko, who is at the center of the game.

"You lose!" the game sound announced.

"Oh, would you look at that? I lost. I guess you have to… ex...plode!"

In the blink of an eye, Chiko's insides exploded and his blood was splattered everywhere.

He avoided death by coating himself with vast amounts of energy and applying his regeneration technique at a constant speed before he could complete his command.

Even with his regeneration, it wasn't enough to stop his blood from bleeding profusely.

He crumpled onto the ground, utterly helpless, immobile, and teetering on the edge of consciousness.

"I can't believe it! Is Chiko down for the count?" Satoru yelled.

Shujin observed with concern etched on his face.

Kai and Kota ground their teeth, engulfed by suspense, unaware of the impending outcome.