Pain was a familiar sensation for Haruo. From orphao the streets, he learo live with pain as his own panion. In a strange way, it felt like something that forted him. It let him know he was alive. It never lied and always came harshly. Pain was ho. Hoy recious.

  However, pain suddenly became a terrible friend. It wao do more tha him know he still lived. It seemed to want to take it away from him. Haruo never k to have such feelings. It hurt.

  It hurt.

  ‘…why tinue…’

  Chapter 187 – Sce of the Theory

  Ligeia watched at a safe distanbsp; She waited for the moment he surrendered or passed out. ‘I’ll win soon, he ’t escape…’ Her eyes panned over the blocks from the panels of her Field. They were something she always had in her Field, but never used them in any fight. ‘…this is the first time I’ve ever got to use everything…it feels strange…’

  Thoughts turned back to her normal days. Days of routine, one where nothing happened. ‘…was this what I was seeking?’ she wondered, it still felt mysterious. She didn’t know what to make of her feelings. ‘I thought I just wanted something different to do, but I never expected this…’

  Haruo ground his teeth still managing to hold back from the pain. It burned in his throat begging for his mouth to open. His voice wao escape, but he refused. He kept holding on with stubborn resolve.

  ‘…why do I still want to keep going…’

  It didn’t make any seo him. The fight didn’t matter to Haruo. Everything in Atntis dealt with Yuki. He was simply ara character, yet for some reason he didn’t want to just give up in the fight. ‘…I still don’t care, but still it just seems…pointless now…to give up…’ Haruo opened up his ched fist to ftten his palm over the smooth metal. Gng up at Ligeia, Haruo rose from his k position.

  Haruo narrowed his eyes to turn his focus on the electricity surrounding him. ‘…I need something…to not give up…’ Taking a step forward, he fought with the electricity’s desire to keep him down. Seari erupted through his arms. It tried to burn his entire body. It felt as though his body would not hold out. However, he kept pushing forward, g with the barrier created in arg electricity between the pilrs.

  Shocked by Haruo’s force of will, Ligeia floated back a little. ‘What’s he doing?! He ’t break through it! He’s just making it worse!’ Soured down her fabsp; Her chest pounded, her body giving her signals. ‘I won’t stop now! Not when I’m this close!’ She lifted her hand up, feeling it shaking in protest. Three more ptes broke free from the Field exposing simir ns to further surround Haruo. “Give up! You ’t win! You’re only prolonging your suffering!”

  “No.” Haruo pressed up his hand to the arg electricity causing it all to jump to him. A sudden surge of electricity drove through his muscles making him spasm and jump. Flickers of pain came out in his face, however it suddenly came to a stop. His hand pushed through, allowing him to step out. ‘Took lohan I thought…’ The remaining active arcs of electricity jumped around his body for a short time while trying to find a way down to a ground.

  Leaning back, Ligeia found her mouth uo close from her surprise. “Impossible! What did you do?!”

  “Escaped.”

  Grindieeth, frustration popped up for her. His short answers gave her nothing. However, it didn’t bother her for long. Ligeia hardened her stand pulled forward. “Fihen, escape this—“

  Cut off abruptly, a bright white light blihe entire area. It expanded out beyond their fight threatening the other battles. The light forced back Ligeia as though it had a physical presenbsp; Even with her eyes closed, she felt the light pierce through her eyelids to blind her. Amidst the fusion, a series of explosions echoed near Ligeia leaving her uneasy.

  Finally, the light cleared away. The first thing she saw once her eyes opened was Haruo. However, his body seemed to have a glow to it, but she quickly realized her mistake. Her eyes pulled up further to discover a creature far more massive than even his wolves. A lion standing a full three meters tall slowly returo his side.

  Behind them and to the sides, pilrs of bck smoke rose from the ground. Darting her eyes around, Ligeia reized them as her ns she brought up. All destroyed in mere moments. Letting aake over for her, wrinkles drew around her eyes. She smmed her hand to the s on her forearm, triggering a red light.

  All of the pulsiweees in the Field came to a stop suddenly. The ground rumbled. Ptes pushed up asynously revealing aire Field of ns. Ligeia panted heavily with sweat c her body. A sharp pain sprung through her head, but she snapped back to ig.

  Haruo gnced around at the impressive, but obviously dangerous dispy. He looked up at Ligeia. “Stop. Your body ’t—“

  “Don’t tell me what to do!” roared Ligeia, unleashing all of her emotions. “I won’t let you stop me! I’m doing this! I’m going to prht here that I have worth!”

  Feeling her words, Haruo withheld any more. He gave a quick signal to the lion, it into a. In blinding speed, it leapt around the metal Field destroying all of the ns leaving the entire se in smoke. When it pleted its cycle, it approached the right side of Haruo. He pced a hand on the soft coat of the lion, shining with a rge bright core. Suddenly, electricity jumped from his arm into the lion causing the creature to slightly ge to a pale blue while charged with electricity.

  Struggling to keep herself together, Ligeia summoned up the projectors around her. However, the lion opes mouth, suddenly releasing a beam charged with electricity straight feia. The impa her shield knocked her back as she lost her tration for a moment. F an explosion, Ligeia fell out of the cloud of smoke down to her Field.

  Pain struck her back from the impabsp; It was only a short fall, but she only had her personal shield to dampen the forbsp; ‘Damn…the headaches are getting worse and I lost focus at the worst possible time.’ She lifted her head up, hearing the lion approag her. Struggling with her arm, Ligeia ordered up her projectors to surround her arm. They quickly structed a lengthy bracelet-like structure around her wrist and over her hand. Faint energy built up in the dark recess of the structure preparing for the lion. ‘I’m not losing!’

  Sweat streamed down her face as veins popped along her fabsp; Ligeia gritted her teeth through the pain struggling to hold herself together. She never knew such pain, but she didn’t care about the limits of her body. The lion tis approaearly on top of her. “I won’t let it end…like this…” Ligeia gnced in worry over at her arm realizing it didn’t act when she ordered it. It still just charged. Her eyes widened seeing the lion standing over her.

  It was over.

  Haruo’s lion suddenly vanished before it delivered the final blow. Ligeia blinked in surprise and lifted her upper body up to look at Haruo. To her surprise, Haruo colpsed on the ground. An odd chuckle came to Ligeia. She didn’t believe it. Ligeia forced herself to stand, staggering over to him. Her head still pounded. Her arm raised towards him. “I win…” Suddenly, a pulse from her body stopped her movement. Ligeia’s eyes grew wide as her Field disappeared. All of her projectors particurized. Any life in her body left as her legs fell out from underh her. She colpsed in the grass a few meters away from Haruo.

  Ligeia awoke to a warm sensation surrounding her. She struggled to get her eyes in sight, disc Iole. “Did you include a transtion fun?”

  “…yes…”

  “…good…” Turning herself over on her back, Ligeia started to pant heavily. Everything in her body screamed. She knew what exhaustio like, however it went far beyond such a word. Nothing remained for her to give. It felt like her power no longer existed. She was alone. “…I lost…”

  “…same…” echoed Haruo. He remained face down, but his head turo the side to speak.

  Ligeia tried to look over at Haruo, but nothing in her body wao move. “You’re still scious. How did you escape?” She wanted an answer even in her situation.

  “Japanese hare.”

  “Huh? ’t you ever give me an answer without me asking a sed time?” Her outburst caused her body to move and respond in pain, even with Iole providing healing. She bit down f herself to calm her emotions. “Damn you…”

  “The hare was outside the Field during the attabsp; It slowly ate through the meisms weakening it to allow my escape.”

  “Tch,” Ligeia clicked her tongue, “Always got a pn.”

  “What is your answer?”

  Feeling a little more of her body responding to her, Ligeia moved to see Haruo. Her face twisted around into fusion. “Eh? Ao what?”

  Haruo stared at her for a while, not providing an answer. It seemed as though he wanted her to remember. After a minute of nothing, he decided to reply. “The beginning. Before the fight.”

  “Huh?” Unfortunately, Haruo remaioo cryptic feia. It only made her frustrated again. She hated dealing with him. ‘Beginning? Before the fight? What’s he talking about?’ Searg her memories, she went back to the beginning. Everything was hazy from her exhaustion, taking her loo recall, but it came to her. Her eyes opened fully. “You ’t be serious! You’re askihat?!”

  “Yes.”

  “Urgh…” Ligeia turned her head away from him. ‘I ’t believe he still cares about that!’ Even with her face poi Iole, she still felt his eyes b a hole in the back of her head. He wanted her answer. The pressure made her features narrow and ftten. “I only said that to get you to fight! I didn’t have an answer!”

  “I know.”

  Suddenly feelier, Ligeia jumped up and walked over to Haruo. She stood over him fuming. “You knew! And you still fought!” He tio annoy her even after they were supposed to be finished. Ligeia crossed her arms and turned away from him before she hit him.

  Unfazed, Haruo stared up at Ligeia. “I want your answer.”

  “What?!” At this point, Ligeia’s surprise had nowhere left to increase. Permaly wide-eyed it seemed, Ligeia tilted her head back around to Haruo. His eyes stared at her with a refusal to give up, despite his position. It annoyed her to no end. ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this.’ Ligeia folded up her legs to sit with her legs crossed, o Haruo. “Tell me again. I’ll give you my answer.”

  Another bout of silence filled between them. Haruo read into Ligeia’s expression. Lying on the ground uo move seemed a poor versation position, but Haruo didn’t have a choibsp; He accepted her ain. “I have no reason to fight any of you. I only came here because of him. But I don’t know why I agreed. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  Hearing him tell her again reminded her how annoying he was at the start. She only wanted a fight, who didn’t matter to her. However, what she found in the fight didn’t make a lot of seo her. “Seems we both found something we don’t know the ao. If you believe it, I’m normally unmotivated and bored. My life attern that I just followed. I was fih it, I thought, but fighting with you made me feel something I didn’t expect.”

  “What was it?” Haruo found himself curious with her story as much as the answer he waited to hear.

  Ligeia rubbed a finger against her cheek, being a little sheepish. “I’m not sure. I ’t really put it into words right now. I just know it is different from how I felt before. I thought this fight was a ce to do something different, just break my routine, even if only for a moment. I didn’t really think about what I’d find.”

  Thinking about herself and talking to him about it gave her another odd sensation. “I’ve old ahis. I don’t know why I’m telling you anyway.” She crossed her arms trying to recover from her series of selfishness. It allowed her to refocus and push away from her own problems. “I’m guessing he’s important to you somehow.”

  “Maybe, he reminds me of someone I know.” “Someone important?” She got silence from him, but it seemed to be a sign of agreement. “Then you’re probably here because you felt following him was important for you. I don’t really know the whole story, but it’s probably something along those lines. Or you want to thank him for something. I don’t know. These sorts of things aren’t really my forte.”

  “Miher.”

  “You’re a strange one.”

  “Probably.” The two stared at each other with no more need for words. An odd sense of acceptand radery formed between them. Even without their answers, they found a short moment of pea the chaos around them.