He yells, and the crowd roars louder than ever before. The final battle begins.

--- Chapter 129 ---

Leo: This is rather fitting don’t you think?

Red: What do you mean?

Leo: Well, ever since we met at the Royal Decree, we have been conflicting. Now, it’s all about to end in one big finale.

Red: Yeah, I guess your right.

Leo: I won’t go easy. Please, don’t disappoint me. You are a finalist after all.

Red: I was about to say the same thing.

They stare each other down. And without hesitation, both burst forward, Red forming his sword and Leo his scythe. The blades clash in succession, sending sparks flying. Leo’s skeleton fist forms out of his stomach, forcing Red into a backflip to dodge. As he lands, the tip of his blade glows red and grows to hit Leo. Leo jumps back into the air, and from his ribs, eight green blades form and grow toward Red. Red strafes, perfectly dodging them as they pierce the earth below. The two take a breath, as they look at one another.

Leo: Good, you able to fend off a simple assault.

Red: You pretty nimble yourself.

Leo makes his ooze disappear. From his back forms an ooze-made ribcage as a defense. Sprouting from the sides of the ribs are two skeleton arms. Reds dragon blade forms into a massive dragon head on his right hand, and sprouts exo-wings. Red rises into the air. Leo’s skeleton arms grab the ground and whip him toward Red. Red swiftly dodges to the right, causing Leo to fly past him. Red aims at Leos back.

Red: Dragon Fire: Meteor!

A fireball launches at Leo, but one of the skeleton fists raise, and block against it, causing the fireball to explode and disperse. Using both arms, Leo launches himself forward, swinging both fists inwards toward him. On the tips of Red’s wings, small flames ignite, and rocket him upward and out of danger, and as he looks down at Leo, he aims his dragon. The dragon grows exponentially, to almost the size of Red himself.

Red: Dragon Fire: Meteor Shower!

Multiple flames appear and begin to streak down into the back of the rib cage. It creates several cracks, throughout his defense. Ooze pours from his body and fills in the cracks, effectively repairing his defense. Leo swings one of his arms to swat Red out of the sky, and Red keeps dodging, like a fly escaping a human’s hand. Leo gets a look of determination, and points at Red.

Leo: Zeal bombardment!

From the ribcage sprouts and additional 8 arms, and they all arc toward Red, giving him no room for escape, he gets crushed within the assault. But as his body is crushed, it liquified into a red fluid that disappears.

Leo: A clone?!

Leo begins to turn his head to see Red behind him with a massive dragon head.

Red: Now! Dragon Fire: COMET!

A small white flame appears in the dragon’s maw. It fires at incredible speed, and upon seeing it, Leo disconnects his body from the cage and bails, falling to the ground. As the comet is about to make contact, the ribcage begins to freeze over as if exposed to dry ice. The comet smashes into it, causing it to shatter, and explode into an icy cold blue flame. Red pulls out another piece of paper and places it on the dragon, causing it to disperse. The talisman remains on his arm. Red floats down to the ground, to meet Leo’s eyes.

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Red: You’re not bad.

Leo: Neither are you.

They say with a slight smile and a slight pant of exhaustion. Leo retrieves a small ball with cat ears from his jacket.

Leo: I didn’t think I’d have to use him.

Red: Him?

Leo throws the ball, as it grows and swells with multiple colored oozes. It forms into a normal-sized cat that constantly shifted colors.

Leo: This is Chomuske, a cat created by my ooze.

Red: Despite the whole color-changing thing, it just looks like a normal cat to me.

Leo: Well in his current form, it is just a cat. However-

Ooze begins to swell from Leos’s right arm and makes the limb into a tendril. The tendril grows and attaches to Chomuskes back.

Leo: Chomuske, PLUS!

Ooze begins to travel through the tendril into Chomuske, causing it to grow into a supersized cat, with long claws. Its fur flows like an active flame. Leo, still attached through the tendril, begins to give Chomuske commands.

Leo: Now Chomuske, great fire!

Chomuske’s color shifts to red, and a massive fireball forms in his mouth. He releases it towards Red. Red creates his defense mode, adorned with two massive insignia shields. He places them together and blocks his fire.

Leo: Chomuske, Acid blast!

Chomuske, now a dark green, fires a ball of acid that hits into Red’s shield and begins to corrode it. Red abandons the shields and jumps back. Red forms his blade, the handle wrapping around his arm. His left iris turns red.

Red: Wrath Blade: Blazing Inferno!

The blade creates an inferno in front of it, causing all the grass and trees in the arena to be reduced to ash. Red’s blade and iris go back to normal after the move was used, leaving Red exhausted. As the smoke clears he makes out the shape of a large figure, and that is Chomuske, with Leo hiding behind it.

Leo: As Chomuske+ is an extension of myself, tethered to my near limitless supply of ooze, he is utterly impervious to attacks, making him the greatest shield.

Red: I see.

Red responds in a pant. Red gets in a ready position, small flares appear on his body. Red dashes in boosted by the flares. Red severs the tether and slashes Leo’s cheek in an instant. Red slides across the ground and turns around to run back. Leo breaks free from shock, and reconnects the tether, causing Chomuske to slash with its claws at Red, forcing him to abandon his attack. Leo Retrieve a vile of Yellow ooze from his jacket.

Leo: Mend.

The cork of the vile pops off and the yellow ooze goes into the wound on his cheek and forms a string-like substance that stickers it shut before glowing. As the glow dies, now the wound is seen.

Leo: despite being exhausted, you have a lot in you. Chomuske+ isn’t going to cut it. My final move, my ace in the hole. Chomuske, UNISON!

The massive chomuske begins to shrink as the ooze is retracted around Leo. Chomuske Is completely absorbed into this armor as it condenses, becoming a refined set.

Leo: I need to keep a balance of my emotions and Chomuske’s. As long as I do, victory is assured.

Red lifts his sword, bracing for the coming battle. But his attempts at being prepared were all for not. Leos arms grow and extend, grabbing Red before he could dodge. The armored hands crack as ooze pours out of them, creating a crushing grip, that grows and hardens like cement. Red struggles but to no avail. Red closes his eyes. A fire grows hot in his chest. He screams, and opens his eyes, with both iris glowing red. All the green ooze starts to turn red, causing it to lose its sturdiness.

Leo: What the hell?! This kid’s rage, his wrath, is influencing my ooze?!

With the ooze turning into its anger form, Leo and Chomuske’s mental balance is thrown off, allowing Red to escape. Red swings his arms out, sending ooze flying. An aura emanates from around him, it takes the shape of a giant incorporeal dragon head. Red’s body is doused in flame, the talisman on his right arm burns to a crisp.

Red: This power, this strength. Where is it coming from? No matter, I’ll take it as a will to win!

Red bursts forward, leaving flames growing behind him. He punches at Leo, who lifts up his arms to block. The armor cracks and flows into a liquid. Red releases a barrage of punches, pushing Leo back. Leo leaps back and takes a breath.

Leo: How are you so powerful all of a sudden?!

Red looks down at his fists.

Red: I’m not sure myself. But, maybe it’s because I’m not just fighting for myself. Yeah, I want A-rank. But the reason I must win. Cari, Hiro, and for the name of Elune. I must defeat you!

The flames around him turn into a pyre of flame. The flames reach the sky like a beacon for all to see. The dragon head aura glows red and retracts behind him, forming a smaller but more physical dragon head. It opens its mouth and fazes into Red’s body, and bites down around his head. It forms insignias glow down his body, forming into a suit of red dragon scale armor. The mouth opens up like a visor. Leo’s armor fixes itself and grows to be much thicker. The two stare each other down one last time. They both run in and begin to barrage the other, fists clash into fists. The speed and power behind the punches send shockwaves that ripple through the air. This final confrontation goes on for three minutes. Both of their fists land a direct hit on the other head. They stand there with their fists outstretched. Before Leo drops his armor, and a ball for Chomuske is ejected. Leo falls on one knee.

Announcer: The-

Leo: This fight is over.

He says panting.

Announcer: What?

Leo: The bastard kept throwing punches, even after falling unconscious.

Announcer: WHAT?!

The crowd looks at Red who is still standing, with his hand outstretched. His armor retracts into its original form, and he falls back unconscious.

Announcer: And the winner… is LEO!!!

The crowd begins to cheer in excitement for this year’s A-Rank champion. But Leo just sits there, not entirely satisfied with his victory.

Leo: Fight for someone else huh? heh.

He mumbles to himself before both Leo and Red are escorted off the field for medical treatment.