Arc II: “Universal Threat”
Chapter III: “Gang War”
Episode VII: “Raging Battles! Hikari vs. Ronin!”
“What a shame. I was meant to meet with the UFA’s Headmaster— now I’ll be late. I need to find a way to make it up to him… maybe I’ll bring him your head,” Hikari said, eyes narrowing.
“Don’t worry— you’ll meet him in the afterlife.”
“Those are some bold words for someone who’s been avoiding me.”
“Hmph. I’ve been avoiding you because fighting you was meaningless. We’re both equal in power, so the fight would just keep going on.”
And without the Headmaster’s artifacts…
“But now, I have something you can’t break.”
“What?”
“You’ll see.”
Ronin blurred forward— Hikari met him mid-rush; knuckles rang like struck iron as they collided.
Shockwaves shoveled the sea aside, gouging a vast bowl of naked seabed; a ring-wall of water reared, then crashed back in sheets.
They traded at breakneck tempo, but every clean line was parried into sparks.
They broke apart, chests heaving— dropping to the crater floor as spilled seawater hissed back against the rock.
“I knew it,” Ronin said. “This will never end.”
“Hmph. Don’t worry, I’ll outlast you and put an end to your misery.”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’ve found a way to end this myself!”
Ronin lowered his gaze; aether spooled into two rings around his wrists.
“I think it was something like this… Six Deep Valleys— wasn’t it? Let’s call this the Azra Variant.”
The runes snapped inward— spectral chains coiled into a grinding sphere, liquid blue flames running off them.
What is that…? Hikari flinched.
Ronin hurled the sphere— chains flowered outward, stapling Hikari to the seabed floor; links bit and hauled him into the earth.
I-I… can’t… break it! He thought, fighting the cold iron bite.
“Like it? I watched someone try this on one of my pets. Quite the clever art, isn’t it?”
Ronin slowly stepped toward Hikari.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Don’t struggle. The base design is beyond you— with my improvements, it’s impossible.”
Hikari grunted, thrashing his shoulders as he continued struggling despite Ronin’s advice.
Ronin sighed. They never learn, do they?
He placed a hand on Hikari’s shoulder, slowly running up towards his chin— his other hand reaching towards a metallic pin at his hip.
“This won’t go your way… bastard,” Hikari muttered.
“Now, now… You belong to me,” Ronin sneered— buckling a control collar around Hikari’s neck, the sigils bit skin. “That’s no way to talk to your new master!”
Red arcs of electricity snapped to life— strobing through Hikari’s frame for long seconds, nerves singing with white-hot pain.
The chains withdrew like a tide. Hikari collapsed to one knee, steam fuming from his shoulders.
“For your first order— stand.”
Hikari rose— face flat, eyes dark.
Ronin smiled… wolfish.
“Good boy. Now— follow me,” he said, spearing upward.
They arrowed toward Wave Island, contrails tearing the high air.
[Wave Island]
Frame’s eyes jolted open as he soared out of a green pool, splashing water all around.
“What the hell is going on!?” he rasped.
He hauled himself from a healing vat—gel trailing—and shook Sheets awake.
“Huh?” Sheets rubbed his drowsy eyes raw.
“Move your ass! Time to show those bastards what we’re made of.”
[Five minutes later]
“You steady, Leo?” Malek asked, pulling him upright.
“Yeah— most of my stamina’s back.”
A cold shiver uncoiled down Leo’s spine—
“Do you feel that!?” Leo barked.
“Y-yeah!”
“Yo. You two are Akira’s friends, right?” said a figure perched behind them.
They both slowly cranked their necks, the whites of their eyes growing.
“So what if we are? Who are you!” Leo snapped.
“Me? I’m Bed— the Matt brothers’ perfect bundle!”
“What…?” Malek breathed with a raised eyebrow.
This guy is weird, but his yield is no joke, Leo thought.
Bed took a single step forward.
Cold bloodlust scaled up Leo’s neck— his knees buzzing.
Shit— I’ve got to protect Leo!
Malek slid in front of him, fists raised.
“Back off!”
Bed stopped— head canting, eyes blank… Then his steps blurred, a silver smear ripping past. The air cracked like a fresh whip.
What… what just—? Leo thought.
Leo’s legs gave; Malek still stood in front— until the pool spreading under his boots told the truth.
“M-Malek?”
Malek turned— blood trickling from his mouth.
“Argh—”
A fist-wide hole tunneled through his chest; he toppled, the light guttering from his eyes.
Leo turned— pupils pin-pricked; a tremor ran through him.
Bed held Malek’s still-beating heart… the rhythm slowed—
Drip…
Drip…
—then it ceased…
Malek’s eyes dulled over, opaque.
“MALEEEK!” Leo roared— rage filled every channel. “YOU MONSTER— I’LL KILL YOU! SIXTH THRESHOLD: OBLIVION!”
Leo’s skin carboned to coal— his aura sheared outward in black-red plates.
“What… is that?”
“Gravity Burst!”
A cobalt orb tumbled toward Bed— space bowed around it; rock crumpled under its wake.
“Hmph,” Bed grunted as he caught the orb one-handed.
“You fell for it.”
The orb detonated— raw aetheric pressure blooming in all directions.
“Dominion of Gravitas…” Leo muttered. He aligned two fingers with Bed and dropped the weight. “Edict: Burden!”
Pressure collapsed onto Bed, his joints creaking.
“What is this?!”
Leo swallowed a compact orb of aether— his meridians surging like static.
“Edict: Mercy. Gravity Shift… Decrease.”
Steam rose around Leo as his aura exploded forth.
Strong kid… his technique’s dragging down my output too!
Leo Aether-Skipped into a blitz—speed spiked by low mass—driving Bed backward.
“Argh!”
Bed skidded back, the distance opening.
“Silk Sheets!” Bed powered up— his aura billowed creamy-white, draping him like fabric.
They stitched shock lines across the island. With his mass cut to a razor-thin profile, Leo held the edge in speed.
[The village]
Asuka and Sikira were still exchanging blows in the Negative Realm.
“Impact Fist!”
Asuka’s strike thundered into Sikira’s guard— but this time it held.
“I’m adapting—keep repeating it and I’ll make it useless.”
“Doesn’t matter. Your body won’t keep up; your arts will wind down. And as long as I’ve got enough aether for Ultimate Regenerations, you can’t hurt me!”
Verdant light welled under Asuka’s skin and haloed her frame.
“If I’m only using this technique, I’ll have enough flow to heal myself for a long time coming.”
Dammit… I’ll just use my negative arts. As long as my realm is up, my attacks will sap her aether, so she won’t be able to heal herself forever!
“Negative Destroyer!”
Asuka skirted around the beam, the air sizzling.
So that’s her plan…
“Impact Fist!”
She Aether-Skipped behind Sikira—another driving hit landed, shock popping the air.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Raging Battles II! Rikito vs. Kyte!”
[Yield Levels]:
Hikari: 1 nonillion
Ronin: 1 nonillion
- New Six Deep Valleys: x1000
Frame: 13qt
Sheets: 7qt
Bed: 20sx
- GSIII: (+): 20qt
- GSIII: (+) + SS: 20sx
Malek: 8b
- SGM: 8t
Leo: 10t
- T6 + R: 20qt
- T6 + R + GSIII: (-): 20sx
- Gravity Burst: x100
- Gravity Blast (Mini): x2
Asuka: 10t
- SR + DBF: 20t (2qd) (Physical)
- Impact Fist: x100
Sikira: 100b
- SR + NF: (SA) + RD: 200t (20qd) (Physical)
- Negative Realm (External): x10,000 (Counter / Domain / Buff)
- Negative Destroyer: x200 (Counter)