-Break-
Φ Using snowboost I lunge at the old man and try to slash him, but when I get close, I am grabbed and thrown into a wall. Getting up I move as fast as I can from wall to wall and try again, but almost as if he has rhythmically synched with my body he parries my arm then swings into my body and hits me in the stomach with his elbow, which blows me back.
He keeps using my own momentum against me, and then he translates that force into rotational energy and blows it back at me.
Trying to get up I fall back down to my knees and spit up some blood.
“Are you done?”
“Not a chance baldly,” I say getting up. All I can do is keep at him.
As I constantly press my attack the old man says, “You’re eyes are always watching my every move, and your focus as you strike your target is unmatched, not to mention the unnatural senses that allow you to react to my every move, I am guessing those are from your legacy.”
Striking me in the hip I slide backwards, then I immediately increase my speed and zip around the room.
“You make effective use of blind spots and with your speed which instantaneously increases you can catch most opponents off guard, and even with all that innate physical ability you still constantly set traps. You fight like a predator meticulously hunting its prey. I am sure no beast could deal with you.
Lunging towards him, I turn a pile of snow behind him into an ice spike and try to pincer him. But with a delicate touch, he manages to guide my entire body to the left while ever so slightly rotating his body to dodge my ice spike.
Stepping on my chest the old man says, “Though humans have a lot more up their shelves than mere beasts.”
Φ Creating ice underneath my foot, Orb says, “Humans are beasts as well.”
It seems this child still has lots of fights left in him, how wonderful. Lunging towards Orb, I say. “Then Orb, Let’s see how you hunt me.”
As Orb stands still, I prepare to punch him in the stomach, and the moment my fist lands in his stomach I am hit with a sweeping kick to my head. Falling to the ground, I feel a tingle move through my body, so I say, “That was rotational energy, you sent my own rotational back to me!2
“Did you really think after hitting me with the same attack so many times I wouldn’t figure it out.”
“You truly are a predator!” I say lunging at him again.
Φ Using snowboost to close the distance I immediately attack the old man, but he parries my blow and hits me in the stomach, then I instantly take that energy and send it back towards him with a knee. But the moment the knee connects the old man backflips away and hits me with his foot in my chin as he does so.
Recoiling I say, “You redirected, my redirection.”
Landing he says, “Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to send the energy back towards you again Orb?”
“Of course, I knew that was a factor, but still I feel like I got an even better idea of how this works old man.”
“Well, then I would suggest you stop holding back and come at me with your full force, use your spirit energy.”
Snowboosting at him, I say, “Sorry but I can’t do that.”
Dodging my attack he says, “Why would that be?”
“Simple, I can’t use spirit energy.”
“What!!!” The old man says, jumping backwards.
Letting out a sigh in front of me the old man says, “I see, how disappointing.” The smile he has had since we began has disappeared and then immediately, he lunges at me and attacks with even greater speed than before.
Barely dodging out of the way, I say, “You were holding back this much.”
Hitting me in my leg, he says, “Listen boy, spirit energy is simply an unknown energy derived from the soul. Every sentient being can use it.”
Attack him I say, “I already know this.”
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“The only difference between a user and a non-user is perspective. Is your mind open enough to allow it to exist in your world, and this condition can be easily achieved by simply being struck by spirit energy constantly or simply being around users of it.”
Dodging my attacks, he strikes me again and says, “Of course, formal training is necessary to control effectively but to put it simply anyone can use it. All people innately have the same amount but the individual strength of a person's spirit energy is derived by faith.”
Attacking him I say, “Faith?”
“The strength of the intangible energy known as spirit energy is power by your faith in the intangible. Faith in your bonds, faith in your country, faith in your gods, and faith in yourself, one could even describe it as ego or pride, but your belief and faith in that which you cannot physically grasp is the source of spirit energies strength.”
“So, what are you getting at old man,” is what I say, s I prepare to send back his rotational energy. The moment he hits me I am immediately struck in two other places and am sent straight into a wall.
Walking up to me the old man squats and says, “To put it simply the only way a person who has been so obviously struck by spirit energy, wouldn’t be able to use it, is due to a disgusting lack of faith, or in other words a soul-crushing amount of self-doubt.”
Annoyed, I create a huge amount of ice in front of me. “You know nothing about me!”
Blowing past my ice the old man attacks me and says, “You can lie all you want but you can’t hide your weakness from me, you coward.”
As we continue our exchange, he says, “Do you know the reason why I am so strong, it is because my faith in my calling of protecting my king is unbreakable and a man like you who lacks such faith will never be able to fight me.”
Dodging backwards, I say, “You call that faith, to me that is nothing but blind arrogance.”
With a look of superiority, the old man says, “The words of a pitiful man who is so scared of his own actions that he would be unable to even feel his soul are hollow!!”
Furious I attack him, and say, “So what if I am scared, that’s only because I understand the weight of actions. I don’t want to do anything that will be horrible for people in the long run, so blind faith like you will never help anything!”
Blocking all my sloppy attacks he hits me again in the stomach and says, “Explain to me how someone who doesn’t even trust in his own beliefs can actually affect anything. You’re nothing but trash impersonating a human being.”
Full of wrath, I stare at the man with eyes full of hate. “Shut the hell up old man, I am fully aware of the type of person I am and I don’t need you to tell me anything.”
Continuing my clash, I push all my senses to the limit and attack him relentlessly. “When you were talking with my king, I was listening to you the entire time and the words you said to him were powerful but I wasn’t moved in the slightest. Do you want to know why?”
“Just stop talking and fight!”
Taking my momentum, he strikes me in the side and says, “It is because you didn’t believe in those words, no soul was inscribed in those words. They were very clearly passed down to you.”
Getting up I say, “Did all that lack of height make your brain grow to compensate.”
Sighing, the old man says, “Petty comebacks is all you have to defend yourself, hallow words from a soulless man. To think someone would pass on such an idea to a pointless human, it must have been some sort of comical joke. I guess those ideals must be just as pointless.”
Instantly, I dash towards him and scream, “TAKE THAT BACK, Captivant lived that ideal every day and died with nothing but a smile on his face. SO DON’T YOU DARE MOCK THEM!”
Dodging he says, “You have such rage over their disparagement, yet have no faith in them.”
Continuing my attack, I say, “Of course, I have faith in them, but I am not an idiot. I know they might not apply to everyone, I know that just because something worked for Capti doesn’t mean it will work for everyone else. I want to make all the stars who exist in the world happy, so I need to keep thinking and fighting.
But still, I can’t find an answer, so what am I supposed to do just hold on to beliefs that only have value to me!!!”
Blocking my attack, he hits me in the stomach and screams, “EXACTLY!”
“No matter what you do you will never know what’s right and wrong, so all you can do is hold onto the things that you have faith in and push them forward. Clash head-to-head against others' beliefs to truly understand and refine yours.”
On my knees holding my stomach I say in a weak voice, “But what if I am wrong, what if I pass on something imperfect?”
“Understanding is perfection. I have faith in the fact that I must protect the king, but what does that mean protect the king from those he deems his enemies, or from anything that will hinder his own glory, or even himself, and the moment I truly grasp what that means the belief will become perfect.
All beliefs have value, yet some are right, and some are wrong, and it is only through clashing those with others that can we refine each of them to perfection, and bring out their true value. That want to blindly perfect an intangible belief is what empowers the soul!”
Getting up Capti’s dying face flashes through my mind, so I say, “I truly believe that face is worth it.” After I say this, I start to hop on one foot in the same spot.
Φ “You finally look like you have some soul, now don’t hold back.”
Focusing on Orb, I prepare to move but then I see the hoping Orb in front of me disappear and I feel something pass by me. Feeling a liquid on my cheek, I touch it and say, “Blood?”
Turning around I see that Orb is standing behind me with blood on his hand. Did Orb just cut me? But how did his speed increase so suddenly? With a smile is ay, “It can’t be!”
“I thought this spirit energy thing would feel a bit more supernatural, but it sort of feels like being dowsed with water.”
Immediately I lunge at Orb as he stands there. With blister speed, I am kicked in the face, but then upon landing, I start to rotate my body and go for a second attack.
In response to this Orb makes a wave of ice in front of me; I will just break it like I did with the rest. Though the moment my fist hits, it doesn’t go through, and I jump backwards.
“So, I can even infuse my ice with spirit energy, what utility.” Swinging his arms in a circle Orb says, “Now old man all that is left is for me to steal that technique you’re so proud of, and trust me when I say it won’t take long.”
Letting out a hefty laugh, I say, “I was planning on going easy on you, but now I think I might want to crush you!”
“Try me, old man!”
With haste, we both lunge at each other and clash.