Chapter 16

“Ace!! Help me! Save me! Help!” Lee desperately cried out as he struggled to crawl through the dirt.

“You’d sink low enough to beg desperately for help. I was wrong about you. You’re a worm.” Evan said through gritted teeth as he neared Lee.

Lee’s blue jacket was tattered with blood and dirt. The fight had taken its toll on him. There was no hope of a victory for him. He had been in this same position before. It used to be a regular occurrence for him.

Lee was used to losing. He was used to being saved. That was how the majority of his battles while he worked under Diran went. Lee would lose, be on the brink of death, and Diran would swoop in to save him.

It had almost become routine. Lee despised it, but he was used to it. But, out of all those times, he never asked for help. On the brink of defeat at Evan’s hand, this was the first time Lee had asked for help.

“You’re no warrior. A true warrior would accept his defeat valiantly. But you’re no warrior. You’re a child pretending. You went along with what your brother did without knowing a thing about what being a hero means. Only a belligerent child would go out screaming for help.” Evan reached down and picked up Lee’s sword. He would finish him off with his own blade.

“I was hoping you’d live up to your brother. But you don’t. You are not Diran. You will never be him.” Evan stood over Lee as he pointed the blade at him.

“……...This isn’t the end.” Lee’s voice was shaky, his death was seeming inevitable, but he still held on to hope.

“I’m not Diran. I’ll never be Diran. But I don’t need to be Diran to win. You’re nowhere near his level. You could prepare for a thousand years, and still come up short.” Lee rolled over onto his back and looked Evan in the eyes.

“Has your fighting spirit returned? Good. You fought well. You deserve a warrior’s death. But you’re mistaken. I will dethrone Diran.” Evan smiled as he held the blade inches from Lee’s throat.

“A warrior’s death? I wouldn’t know anything about that.” A smirk grew on Lee’s face.

Evan tensed up for a moment. Did Lee have something up his sleeve? Was this fight not over after all? Lee’s sudden change in demeanor made Evan uneasy for a moment.

“Heh……Help! Ace! Help me!!” Lee began screaming for help once again.

“You little!” Evan thrust the sword towards Lee’s throat. It was over. He would die.

“No!” A thin green blast of energy shot through the forest, hitting Evan in the hand and blasting the sword away. Lee was saved.

“Gah!” Evan recoiled back in pain as the laser had cut through his hand.

“Lee! Are you okay?” Ise called out as he ran towards Lee. They made it in the nick of time.

“No! You’re supposed to die!” Evan stepped towards Lee, attempting to get to him before Ise could.

The ground trembled, the trees shook, and Lee was gone. Wind pushed both Evan and Ise back. There was no earthquake, there was no storm. There was only Ace.

“You okay, Lee?” Ace asked as she held Lee in her arms at the edge of the forest clearing.

“So fast!” Evan was shocked. She had run in, grabbed Lee, and gotten a fair distance away in an instant.

“I’m peachy keen, jellybean.” Lee slurred the words out with a strange laugh as Ace held him.

“He’s hurt pretty bad, Ise. I’ll take care of Evan.” Ace calmly walked towards Ise, carrying Lee as if he weighed nothing.

“I’ll fix him up. Get him back for this.” Ise said as Ace set Lee down softly on the ground.

“Dammit……...I spent too much time toying with him.” Evan said to himself as Ace approached him. They had both used a great deal of energy in their previous fights, but Ace was clearly still stronger than Evan.

“How did you get past K.W.? Even with your power you shouldn’t have been able to defeat him.” Evan said as Ace slowly approached.

“Shut it. I’m not here to humor you. I’m here to kick your ass.” Ace walked towards Evan with her fists clenched.

“Thanks for saving me, guys. I depreciate you.” Lee struggled to stay conscious as Ise healed him.

“He’s taken more than just physical damage. Be careful Ace, Evan has something strange about him.” Ise said as he healed Lee’s wounds.

“You may be physically stronger, but your minds have no defense. I’ll crush you in the same way I crushed him.” Evan put his hands together, making the same signs he did against Lee.

“Stay back Ace! There’s no way to defend against it.” Lee said. Ise’s healing was bringing coherency back to his thoughts.

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever trick you try, I’ll strike it down.” Ace took her pose and charged up her attack.

What neither fighter knew was that they both were bluffing. Ace’s energy had been drained drastically in her previous fights. She barely had enough for one more big attack.

Evan was even worse off. His ‘culmination of self-obsession’ is a technique that uses most of his energy. It would be impossible to use it more than once a day.

If Ace threw the first punch, she would win. But she was cautious. She didn’t know how drained Evan was, and she had to protect Lee and Ise at all costs.

“He’s bluffing. He doesn’t have enough power for that attack. The fight is already over. We’ve won.” Lee said as he got to his feet. Ise had healed him, but he was still practically out of energy.

“That attack he’s supposedly readying is his ultimate move. There’s no way he can do it again so soon.” Lee said as he walked up to Ace, stopping to pick up one of his swords on the way.

Stolen story; please report.

“So, you’re saying I should just blast him and end it?” Ace asked.

“Sounds good to me. Any objections? Ise? Evan?” Lee asked with a smirk.

“Shit…..you saw through my bluff.” Evan lamented.

“Oh, good he was bluffing.” Lee said with relief.

“You mean you weren’t sure?” Ise asked after he saw Lee’s reaction.

“So, do I shoot him? I should shoot him now, right?” Ace asked, still in her pose.

“Dammit! Shut up! This isn’t over! I am not going to be defeated by a bunch of idiots! I planned this all out, I knew all your weaknesses, all of your flaws. I constructed this whole event in such a way that I would profit no matter what. You are not even my goal. I am aiming so far beyond you. This will not be my end!” Evan yelled out in frustration.

“……Cool. Ace, I think you should shoot him.” Lee said.

“I wouldn’t waste my energy if I was you. This is over. The end of this fight has arrived.” Evan said vaguely.

“……He is giving up now?” Ise looked at Ace & Lee confused.

“So now I don’t shoot him? Since he’s giving up?” Ace was still in her stance waiting for her cue.

“Why do things get so unserious when we are together?” Lee asked himself aloud.

“No! I’m not giving up, I’m not throwing in the towel, and you shouldn’t shoot me! Not for my own safety, but for yours. Lee was right that I’ve exhausted my own energy…...But I have not exhausted my options. I still have tricks up my sleeve. This fight is over because I saved my most powerful trump card for last.” Evan grimaced.

“Care to explain what it is?” Lee asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

“To reach the heights of power that I have…. you need help. I’m okay with admitting that. It takes planning and preparation to take down the foes I have. It takes even more to defeat who I plan on defeating. I didn’t want to use this on you. I had bigger prey in mind. But I’ll do what I must. My hunt will not end here.” Evan reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.

“Wow. The trump card is a literal card. That’s surprising.” Ace said as she maintained her stance.

“No. Somethings off. He’s not bluffing this time.” Lee’s voice was serious.

“Your instincts are right. It’s because you’ve felt this power before many times. This is the ability of a friend of mine. It can replicate and store an ability for later use. It can only be used once, which is why I didn’t want to use it against you. This single card cost me a fortune. I’ll just have to buy another.” Evan squeezed the card in his hand as his energy began to spike.

“No……it can’t be…..This is-“ Lee’s eyes bulged as he felt an all too familiar energy.

“You’re correct. This is Diran’s power. You know how destructive this is. I won’t hold it back like he would. This is the end of all you are and all you would be.” Fire began to swirl around Evan as his energy continued to grow.

“Lee? What’s he talking about? Whose power, is it?” Ace looked to Lee and was surprised by the look on his face.

“It’s hopeless. We can’t stop him.” Lee fell to his knees.

“We can’t give up, whose power is it!?” Ace yelled as she prepared to fire a blast at Evan.

“Don’t waste your energy! Use it to save yourself! That power…that ability…. It’s Diran’s. It’s my brothers. We can’t overpower it. We’re not strong enough.” Lee was beginning to lose hope.

“Good. Accept it. Die a good death.” Evan’s energy rose and rose.

“What are you saying we should do? Just accept our deaths!?” Ise grabbed Lee by the shoulders.

“You can run. He already said he can only use it once. I’ll be his target; you guys get out of here. He’ll be vulnerable after he uses it.” Lee said.

“No! We’re not gonna leave you here to die! No way in hell!” Ace refused.

“Then what do you suggest we do? I can’t stop it, you can’t stop it, Ise can’t stop it. This attack is unstoppable. I’ve seen Diran defeat countless people stronger than me with it. Just get out of here. I’m the only one who needs to die. It’s my fault, it’s my brother’s attack. I don’t want you to die because of me.” Lee looked at Ace and Ise with sadness in his eyes.

They were silent for a moment. The flames surrounding Evan as he charged up the attack were too intense. They couldn’t get close to him. They could only wait.

“There is something we can do. You’re not gonna die alone, Lee.” Ace broke the silence with a smile.

“What’s your idea? You better not say some sappy shit like ‘we can die together’.” Lee tried to smile back.

“We can try ‘Combo C’” Ace chuckled as she said it.

“No…. No way. I was just messing around when I thought of that. There’s no guarantee it’ll work. We haven’t even practiced it.” Lee laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion.

“let’s do it. It’ll work. What better time than now?” Ise agreed with Ace’s suggestion.

“Whatever you’re suggesting. It won’t work. Lee knows firsthand how inferior you all are.” Evan cackled as his energy reached its peak.

Lee knew he was inferior to Diran. He knew it better than anyone. But in this instance, against Diran’s power in the hands of someone else, Lee no longer accepted his inferiority.

“Oh, screw it. I’m not gonna let him get the last laugh. I’m not gonna let him & Diran get the best of me this time! I’m not Diran, but you sure as hell aren’t him either!” Lee pulled his sword out and thrust it towards the sky.

“I won’t lose to an imitation! I will reach my brother’s level. It doesn’t have to be on my own, I’ll use whatever cheats and shortcuts are necessary. I will win! I will beat you no matter what!” Sparks shot off from the sword as Lee activated his ability.

“I have died before; I do not plan on dying again.” Ise put his hand on Lee’s back, transferring his energy to him.

“A valiant effort, anything but a final stand would be unfitting of this battle. You are not your brother, but I will acknowledge you for pushing me this far!” Evan’s energy reached its peak.

“We only have one shot at this, Lee. Don’t waste it.” Ace readied her shot.

“Farewell. You were good prey. INCINERATE!” Evan yelled out as he unleashed a wall of fire towards them.

“Now, Lee!” Ace fired her energy at Lee’s sword.

The blast for green energy swirled around the sword, it was drawn to it like a lightning rod. Lee’s energy, Ise’s energy, Ace’s energy. All of it was brought together into Lee’s sword.

“We will not lose!” Lee screamed out as he swung his sword down, unleashing all of their combined power in a flash of blue light.

Lee had seen this flame attack hundreds of thousands of times. He knew its power. He knew what could be done with it. It was a very visible display of the gap between Diran and everyone else.

Diran used it all the time. Not because it was his strongest attack, but because it was easy. It was convenient. A blast of fire was enough to defeat most. Some gave up just from the sight of it. It was Diran’s go to attack, and it was stronger than anything Lee could do. It defeated almost anyone, so Diran hardly needed to use a more powerful attack. It was what separated the fodder from those who were truly strong.

To those unfamiliar, it was Diran’s most powerful attack. It was what cemented him as the strongest. Lee was one of the cursed few to know the truth. ‘Incinerate’ is Diran holding back.

Lee had lived in Diran’s shadow long enough. He had accepted that he was weaker. He didn’t even entertain the thought of getting stronger than Diran. He hadn’t even sparred against Diran in years because of the gap in their power. No matter how strong Lee had gotten, he would still lose to Diran’s basic attacks. He wouldn’t even make it to the big leagues. If ‘incinerate’ was enough to defeat Lee, then that meant Lee was fodder.

All of his pent-up frustration, all of his insecurity, all of his inferiority, Lee put it all into this attack. Lee knew he was weaker. Lee knew he couldn’t measure up to Diran. But he stood confident anyways. As he swung the sword down, Lee surpassed himself. He would be fodder no longer.

The pillar of flame split as the powerful slash swung down. The trees came up in flames as Evan’s borrowed attack burned ferociously. Its destructive power was on full display. But its targets were unharmed.

The blue slash cut the flame in two, changing its trajectory to the side. A deep line was cut in the dirt from the swing of the sword. It extended far past the range of a normal sword. Its target was not unharmed.

Evan lay on the forest floor. His arm disconnected from the rest of his body. Even a borrowed attack from the strongest was not enough. Despite the odds being stacked in his favor, he lost.

“We….won?” Lee could barely believe his eyes. His opponent was bleeding out on the ground, and he was still standing.

“We won…..” Ise slowly walked towards Evan, he would make sure he doesn’t die.

“We won.” Ace fell back on the ground in relief.

“We won!” Tears streamed down Lee’s face. He had finally won. As Lee clenched the hilt of his sword, the blade destroyed by the sheer energy of their combined attack, he clutched victory.