An Assassin's Respite

Let the Tournament Begin, Kazuna vs. Kagura!

The final day of the competition is upon the students and everyone is in the main arena preparing to hear a special speech from the strongest special agent in Japan. His name was Yuu Makoto and he was also the one that spoke during the opening ceremony. The 16 students that were going to be in the tournament were on the field.

He walks up to the microphone and begins his speech. “The students standing before me are the ones that have been the most impressive today. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t and aren’t other impressive students here. All of you did great today and did your best. However, I do expect some outstanding fights from all of you that have made it to this tournament. Fight with strength, courage, pride, and most importantly, your brain. I’m eager to see what you can do.” He finished his speech and cheering and applause rang through the stadium. He waved at the crowd and looked out at the students before, once again, fixing his gaze on Kazuna. Kazuna looks at him with a nasty look in his eyes before Kagura places a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ok Kazuna?" She asks.

Kazuna softens his expression. "Mhm, just a little nervous." He lied.

"I guess even you get nervous at times." Kagura says in surprise. 

Kazuna looks back at where Yuu was but sees that he's gone so he turns his attention to the holographic tournament bracket on the side of the arena. 

Kazuna would be fighting Kagura for the first match and he would meet Usagi in the finale as long as they both kept winning. Kazuna turns his attention towards Kagura who quickly turns her gaze away from him with an extremely troubled look on her face. The students were then dismissed and Kagura left immediately for her waiting room. There was a short intermission before the tournament began so the students could prepare. Kazuna closes his eyes and calmly walks towards his waiting room.

Kagura is sitting in her waiting room with her head in her hands. 

“Really? Kazuna in the first round? Just my luck that I would get someone I can’t hope to beat.” Kagura states to herself. She racks her brain thinking of some type of strategy. After a couple of minutes, she slams her hands on the table. 

“It’s hopeless. I can’t find a weakness. His power is strong, he has great combat sense, great combat ability, he's brilliant and he’s an extraordinary swordsman. What can I hope to do?” Kagura looks at her sword with tears in her eyes. She’s never felt like such a failure in her life. 

Suddenly a voice can be heard over the intercom. “Both fighters for the first round are to head for the stage now. I repeat both fighters for the first round are to head for the stage now.” The intercom shuts off. Kagura gets up slowly and heads towards the arena with her head down.

She walks out of the hall out to the open stadium field. The stands are completely filled and the cheering from the crowd fills the area. Kagura walks shakily onto the stage and sees Kazuna standing on the other side calmly with his hands in his pockets. 

“I already knew I had no chance, but seeing him standing there so relaxed makes me feel like I have even less of a chance.” She says to herself. 

The announcer begins speaking. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Students and agents. Let’s get the tournament you all have been waiting for underway!” The crowd erupts with cheering. 

“Now for the first match, on the left side is the lovely swordsman Kagura from GA. She made it all the way to the finals last year before being defeated by Usagi. Will she be able to repeat her success this year? And on the right side is the mysterious transfer student Kazuna, who is also from GA. He dazzled us with his extreme speed and endurance during the obstacle course and did well enough in the 100-meter dash to make it into the tournament. Will he show off some equally impressive strength? You'll have to watch closely for the answers to these questions. Now without further ado, let the match begin!!” An alarm sounds and the cheering of the crowd shakes the stadium.

Kagura tightens her fist still looking at the ground. “Kagura.” Kazuna calls to her. She looks up and meets his gaze. “I can tell that you don’t think that you stand a chance. But-” 

“ I know I don’t stand a chance.” Kagura interrupts in a defeated voice. 

“But.” Kazuna continues, completely ignoring her interruption. “You’re stronger than you think.” Kagura’s face is painted with confusion. 

“What do you mean? In all the sparring sessions we’ve had, I haven’t even come close to beating you once.” Kagura states. 

“That is true.” He acknowledges. “But that's only because you don’t know your biggest weakness.” 

“My biggest weakness? Wasn't it that I think too much.” Kagura questions. 

“Yes, but that wasn't what I was trying to fix.” Kazuna states. 

“Then what were we doing during that training?” Kagura replies now even more confused. 

“You lack confidence or at least have lost it. Maybe due to the improvement of everyone else, or from witnessing your defeat against Usagi last year. Either way, your lack of confidence in yourself is your biggest weakness.” Kazuna answers. 

“I don’t get what you mean.” Kagura replies. 

“When we were sparring I noticed that you would hesitate a lot. I concluded that your hesitation was due to a lack of confidence. You weren’t confident in your ability to land a decisive attack against me, so you just defended thinking that it was the only thing you could do. I thought that you would figure that out yourself once you pushed all of your unnecessary thoughts out of your head. Am I wrong?” Kazuna says.

Kagura’s eyes widen as she finally sees what Kazuna was saying. “You’re right.” She replies. 

“Well then.” Kazuna says while drawing his sword. “Come at me with everything you've got. Ignore everything but the fight before you.” He says as he gets into his stance. 

“B-But.” She replies. 

"Don't think just fight. Fight for victory, fight to prove yourself, and fight to prove that you are in fact strong." Kazuna says. 

"I-I'll try." She says while drawing her sword. She closes her eyes and takes a long deep breath before opening her eyes again.

The two charge at each other, letting out a loud clang as their swords clash when they meet at center stage. 

“Finally they begin!” The announcer states. 

Lightning and wind explode from both of them. Kagura’s face has a newfound determination as she fights wanting to win. Their expert swordplay left the onlookers in awe. Every swing had a purpose and no movement was wasted. 

“What a start to the battle. Both fighters are attacking each other furiously!” The announcer notes. They both were using their powers to increase the power and speed of their swings. They back away after a strong clash. 

“I’m actually keeping up.” Kagura says to herself surprised. She blocks one of Kazuna's attacks and kicks him away. 

She tightens her grip on her sword and charges Kazuna once more. Kazuna changes his stance and sheaths his sword. Kagura analyzes his unique decision, unsure what Kazuna could be planning.

“Katsuchi style: sheathed slash.” Kagura is struck with an attack that she barely blocks. She backs away and lays her hand on a small cut on her arm. 

“WOW! Kazuna manages to somehow hit Kagura with a blow so fast that I wasn’t even able to see it.” The announcer exclaims.

The crowd looks on in confusion trying to figure out what happened. 

“How could I forget about that technique. I’ve seen him use it before.” Kagura says to herself. Kagura stares intensely at Kazuna trying to figure out what her next move should be and how to counter that technique. Suddenly Kazuna appears in front of her. She’s able to weakly defend against the sudden attack and backs away once again. “

What was that?” She asks in a panic.

“Why did she just stand there?” Matt asks. He was watching the fight along with the other students from his class in an area dedicated to GA students. 

“That was a martial arts technique known as saccade.” Akeno notes. “It’s a technique that takes advantage of moments when the brain decides to selectively block certain images. It can give the impression that someone or something has just appeared in front of you. It’s hard to master because you have to be able to stand perfectly still so the brain will deem you as an unnecessary image and block you for a short time for it to work. You also have to know when you're opponent is open for your attack.” Akeno explains. 

Kazuna continues his onslaught as Kagura struggles to figure out what was happening as she defends herself. “Kazuna attacks Kagura with a fury of blows. If this keeps up she’ll be done for.” The announcer states. 

“He’s right. At this rate, I’ll lose. I have to do something.” Kagura states. She takes another attack before releasing a hurricane of wind. The wind throws Kazuna back giving Kagura some room. 

She starts to launch razor winds at Kazuna. He dodges these attacks gracefully. "Hmm, not a bad attack plan, slicing your wind slashes won't stop them from cutting me so these type of attacks force me to dodge." He notes. He dodges a few more slashes before he launches a lightning bolt at Kagura She begins to whip up a tornado, forcing her to stop attacking, so she can block his attack. 

“I see, stop my attacks and keep me away. Not bad.” Kazuna says, praising Kagura’s decision. He places his hand on his sword and explodes with lightning. He charges Kagura at the center of her tornado, using his speed to rush through the powerful winds. Kagura readies her sword preparing for the clash. 

“Itsuki style: severing slash.” Kagura screams. “Katsuchi style secret technique: Raikiri.” Kazuna says as lighting flows towards his sword. The two quickly clash creating an explosion of wind and lighting that floods the stadium causing the audience to have to cover their eyes. The wind and lighting finally calm down.

All eyes focus on the stage. There, Kagura lies unconscious. The crowd erupts with cheering. “Kazuna is the winner and will be moving on to the next round!!” The announcer exclaims. The medical team lifts Kagura onto a stretcher and carry her away. Kazuna sheaths his sword and places his hands into his pocket and walks off stage with a smile on his face.

"It seems you're finally able to unleash your full strength." He says to himself.

“And now a short intermission as we prepare the stage for the next match.” The announcer states.