All the classes had passed very quickly and the only thing Yuki was looking forward to was the duel with Renjiro.
School hours were already over, Yuki was surprised when none of his classmates left. Everyone stayed hoping to watch the showdown between physical strength and special abilities.
Seri and Yuki walked to the training hall together, when other students saw both of them walking together they were shocked.
"That's Seri Kyorin, the student council president."
"What's she doing with that new comer who barely has anything to offer?"
"Her parents own this school. I heard she's one of the strongest in her family."
"Wow she's more beautiful than I thought."
Numerous comments could be heard from all sides.
"Yuki." Kira called out from inside the bag.
Yuki opened his bag, reached inside and brought out the black box. A small hatch opened at the top and an earpiece came out of it.
"Take this and put it in your ear." Kira instructed. "I'll give you tips while you fight, you can't carry me while fighting."
"Okay." Yuki put on the ear piece and stared at the black box.
"Give her to me." Seri instructed. "And don't just flash her around. If people found out you have your own personal AI that resides in this black box they'd try to steal her."
Yuki handed the black box over, before he knew it they were already at the training hall. The hall was packed with students.
Word of the "Power Pillar Incident" had spread like wildfire. By the time Yuki reached Training Hall #4, the observation balcony was packed with students from Class 2-A and even upperclassmen curious to see the "Acolyte Monster."
Sato-sensei stood in the center of the reinforced mat, his bamboo sword resting on his shoulder. He looked at the two boys. Renjiro was a picture of focused rage, his skin literally radiating a shimmering heat haze. Yuki stood opposite him, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his blue eyes bright with genuine excitement.
"The rules are simple!" Sato-sensei spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Knockout, surrender or if I decide one of you is about to die, no permanent maiming. Begin!"
Renjiro didn't waste a second. He knew Yuki had physical power, so he wouldn't let him get close. "Cinder Storm!" he roared, thrusting his palms forward. A cyclone of orange flames erupted, swirling toward Yuki with the intent to incinerate.
Yuki didn't have a shield or something significant he could use to counter. He just had his legs. He sprinted—not away, but around. He moved so fast his silhouette blurred, his 178 cm frame cutting through the air. The heat licked at his uniform, but he was too fast for the flames to catch.
So he has a fire based kizo, this isn't good. He's my natural opposite.
Yuki didn't think he would win if he fought Renjiro using kizo attacks, he would be on the losing side. So he decided that using his physical strength would be better.
Yuki lunged left just as a pillar of fire blasted the spot he had been a millisecond before. He was closing the gap.
Renjiro's eyes widened. "Stay back, trash!" He gathered all his Ki into his fist, turning it into a blinding red orb of fire.
As Renjiro swung, Yuki didn't dodge this time. He planted his lead foot, crushing the training mat beneath his shoe. He pulled his fist back, not for a "punch," but for a collision.
"I'm not trash." Yuki whispered, the wicked smile had once again returned to his face.
CRACK.
Yuki's fist met Renjiro's flaming strike mid-air. The physical pressure of Yuki's punch was so immense it created a vacuum that actually sucked the oxygen away from Renjiro's fire, extinguishing the flame for a split second before the impact.
The shockwave sent a cloud of dust and ozone through the hall. When it cleared, the students in the balcony gasped.
"Hahaha." Yuki laughed out of pure happiness. His laugh had confused everyone, even Seri and Kira were shocked. "This is soooo fun! My heart is racing!" Yuki exclaimed in joy why clutching his chest.
This was Yuki's first fight ever, and the exhilarating feeling of fighting gave him nothing but pleasure.
Renjiro was on one knee, his arm trembling, his aura flickering out. Yuki was standing perfectly still, his knuckles slightly red, looking at Renjiro with a mix of respect and disappointment.
"Huh?" Yuki looked at Renjiro who was trembling in confusion. "Don't tell me you're already done. I was just starting to grasp the pleasure of a fight." Yuki didn't say this to mock Renjiro, he sincerely hoped he would continue this fight.
"You think... you can just walk in here... and look down on us?" Renjiro's voice was distorted, like the sound of a forest fire.
His orange aura didn't just flare; it turned pure white. The temperature in the room climbed to 40°C in seconds. He slowly got back to his feet.
"I am a Paragon of the Kurosawa line! I will not be touched by a 'weakling'!" Renjiro yelled at the top of his lungs.
He didn't move towards Yuki, instead he forcefully pushed his palms towards Yuki. "Solar Flare!" Renjiro roared and a bright beam of fire shot out of his palms and headed directly at Yuki. It was a move that would end the fight and possibly Yuki's life.
Yuki had no time to comprehend the attack. His body moved on it's own. For the first time, Yuki felt a spark. Not just the "garbage cubes," but a deep, ancient chill responding to the life-threatening heat. He didn't just punch; he swung his arm in a wide arc, and as he did, the thin frost that formed on his knuckles didn't shatter. It expanded.
A wall of jagged, pitch-black ice slammed into the beam of fire. The steam explosion filled the entire hall, blinding the spectators.
When the mist cleared, Yuki was standing there, his sleeve slightly singed, but otherwise unharmed. Renjiro was staring at the black ice, his jaw dropped.
"Black ice?"
Renjiro along with all the spectators were stunned and their jaws were probably on the floor.