Arc 3: Choosing Reality by Embracing Life
Road to a Hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 5: Rematch
Announcer: “NOW IS EVERYONE READY!”
The crown roars, awaiting the next match. Gray sits in anticipation awaiting the announcer to call him down.
Announcer: “OKAY! CAN CONNER GRAY KYOJIN AND EDWARD VAN HELSING PLEASE WALK DOWN TO THE ARENA!”
Arthur: “Your two prized pupils. Who you got money on.”
Musashi: “Edward is the more skilled fighter, but as fighters, they are the opposite.”
Elizabeth: “Please go into further detail.”
Musashi: “Edward stands still, playing defense. He also likes to make sure all his emotions are under perfect control, while Gray wants to lose himself in his feelings, and rushes into the fight wholeheartedly.”
Arthur: “I get what you mean, I mean look how they were fighting in their matches.”
Down below they were ready. With Gray a bit more on edge than usual.
Gray: “So ready for our rematch?”
Edward: “Don’t over-exert yourself.”
Gray: "I got more experience fighting than I did before. So it won’t end the same as last time.”
Edward: “I’ll hold you to your word then.”
Announcer: “OKAY AND WITH THAT, BEGIN THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND!”
Gray and Edward take out their swords, looking into eyes of each other like they were looking into each other's souls. If they were to be described, Grays would be cracked dolls, with a faint flame on the inside. While Edwards is like a small child, trying to hold down a monster wrapped in chains. Gray smirks at Edward, leaping toward him.
Gray: “CENIC!”
As the arena is filled with black smoke Edward blows the smoke away by swinging his sword. The last time he tried this on Edward, he ran behind him. This time he remained in front of Edward. Catching Edward off guard. In that time he tries to overwhelm Edward with strikes. Bjørn can easily withstand the blows, remaining still. Edward lifts Bjørn, pushing Gray back. Edward goes to hit Gray, trying to swing as fast as he can. The smirk on Gray's face drops, he dodges the swing, and then lets go of his sword, preparing to hit Edward's body.
Gray {Just boost a small part of your body's power, just like Rosemary! NOW, MANA OVERDRIVE!
A burst of power mana mana emerges out of Gray's arm, surprising the knights in the stands. At awe of his raw mana output. Edward blocks it with his hand before his punch can land. His arm was protected by the gauntlets, though the punch heavily dented the armor, with it stabbing into Edward's arm. After trying to push him back with a wild swing he pushes Gray to duck. Gray gets down, then props himself up on his hands, preparing to kick Edward in the chest.
Arthur: “WOAH! He’s quick, and that’s nice thinking, just overwhelm him to victory.”
Kioshi: "His pain tolerance is off the charts! And he's still able to pull of such pristine and unpredictable movements on a whim!"
Musashi: "But there are limits for a fighting style consisting at grabbing at straws."
Gray’s kick is about to land, though Edward swings Bjørn down about to crush Gray. Gray turns his legs, making himself turn completely upside down, kicking Bjørn with his legs. The kick lands pushing Bjørn back, so Edward lets go of Bjørn and grabs Gray’s legs, picking him up into the air and planning to slam him to the ground.
Gray: “SATIC!”
The spell overwhelms both their senses, causing Edward to lose his grip on Gray. Gray takes advantage of this, kicking Edward in the face, launching himself back, and landing on the ground away from Edward.
Gray: “That spell hurts doesn’t it? I've used it enough that I don’t care how much it hurts me anymore. Can’t say the same for you though!”
Arthur: “No way…I thought he had mastered those spells, or at least gotten his body used to them. He’s just powering through them! Sure this dudes not a Helsing?”
Elizabeth: “Well Satic is a powerful spell for a lesser-skilled spirit mage. He does seem to be able to use Cenic correctly though, at least to an acceptable degree. But how is he using both spells with such different classifications for both?”
Musashi: "Well I wouldn't say it's going well when he tries."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Arthur: “And Edward it's strong as shit, being able to lift that sword. It’s super dense, if the legends are a little exaggerated, then that sword might weigh more than the Gotsu’s, and he was a God of war.”
Musashi: “More or less.”
Musashi chuckled under his breath, knowing that Gotsu wasn't a God of War. It was a standard piece of history Arthur had either forgotten or tried to makeup, and Musashi didn't correct it to try and be polite, for Kioshi's sake, not his own.
Gray: “You gonna give me the silent treatment? Come on man, don't be like that.”
Gray and Edward's swords are across the Area from them. Edward removes the dented armor, dropping it to the ground. Gray puts the hood of his cloak over his head, covering the unease on his face. Edward just stands there, composed, and emotionless, lost in his mind.
Gray {I need to get my sword back. But if I go for mine he’s gonna go for his. My physical strength is worse than his, though if I overuse my mana to overwhelm his strength, I’ll break my body. If I want to make it to the next round I can’t do that.}
Edward takes a deep breath, then proceeds to start taking steps toward Gray. Gray goes into the pockets of his belt, reaching for something.
Gray {I wanted to save these for when I needed them…SO THIS SEEMS APPROPRIATE!}
Gray pulls out a throwing knife, and coats it in mana, so that when Gray throws it it'll easily push past any resistance in the air, moving in a straight shot toward Edward. Edward barely moves his head out of the way, being so close that the knife cuts Edward's cheek. Edward rushes towards Gray as fast as he can, causing Gray to freeze up. And to Gray, Edward closes the distance seemingly instantly.
Gray {He’s going for hand-to-hand combat!}
Edward sends out hard blow after blow, forcing Gray to either block or get hit. Gray can’t seem to get a clean hit on Edward, due to Edward dodging and weaving all his attempts.
Gray {SHIT, SHIT SHIT! MANA OVERDRiVE}
Gray's arm once again bursts with mana, delivering a clean and heavy blow to Edward's shoulder, pushing him back. The bones in Edward's arm shake under pressure. Somehow he doesn't even react to the pain, as if he’s somewhere else entirely. Edward picks up Gray's sword, tossing it to him, then picks up Bjørn.
Edward: “I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE WAITING TO WATCH A HELSING LET LOOSE!”
Edward starts speaking to the crowd, with an angry tone in his voice. And as it surprises everyone, he finally lets out the anger he's held in this entire time.
Edward: “I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE WANT TO FIGHT, OR WHY PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THE NEED TO! SO GRAY IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT ME RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW! DO YOU WISH TO SEE WHAT EVERYONE IS WAITING FOR!”
Gray {What…the hell why is he ranting? Maybe Al’s death affected him more than I thought. If he becomes sporadic then he'll mess up, and I can take advantage of that.}
Gray: “YEAH! WHAT’S THE POINT IN FIGHTING IF YOU AREN'T GONNA TRY!”
Edward plants Bjørn down on the ground. Gray stares into Edward's eyes as if the chains on the monster are coming undone.
Julius: “There it is. I hope he uses this on our match as well.”
Arthur: “Well what do we have here.”
Musashi {What are you doing?}
Gray leans down and stretches' his legs, taking a quick breath. Edward stands straight up while letting his sword rest within his hands, huffing in a fit of anger. In a flash Edward leaps towards Gray, preparing his strongest swing yet.
Gray {There’s no way I win this. And if I do I can’t win the next rounds. DO I HAVE TO USE ALL MY STRENGTH RIGHT HERE!? RIGHT NOW!?}
Rosemary {Gray…what are you gonna-}
Gray screams as his left arm explodes with mana before it quickly travels toward his blade. His muscles begin tearing, his bones cracking, and his blood boiling. Like two monsters about to clash, Gray swings his sword at Edward, with both swords heading right toward each other. Bjørn goes right through Gray's sword. As it breaks in half, with no effort at all, Gray truly realized the gap in strength there was between them.
Gray {DODGE! FOCUS AND DODGE!}
So just as Edwards sword continues to close in on Gray, Gray bursts mana to his legs so he can lean forward and leap past him. Using the last of it's power, he finds himself sliding around Edward before jumping away, turning his body around mid-air throwing three knives. Edward swings his sword before the knives can reach him, smashing his sword against them.
Gray {HE’S A MONSTER!}
Edward's face turns from angry to even angrier, like he’s letting out all his emotions at once. Looking more like a monster than the real monsters they fought earlier. Everything that’s coming from Edward is grunts and growls like he’s forgotten everything other than how to survive. Edward leaps across the arena, cracking the ground from his pure jumping strength. Gray pulls out all of the flame crystals in his pouch.
Arthur: “He took advantage of the weapons locker. Those are just fire crystals, but they don't do much.”
Rosemary {Is he gonna…Like he did to Jeremiah in Soku's old house!}
Gray "THERE'S A REASON I WASN'T USING MANA AROUND MY WHOLE BODY! SO THEY WOULDN'T ACTIVATE!"
Gray charges up the crystals, throwing them at Edward. Edward once again tries to just hit them away, but they explode on contact with his blade. The blast isn't too extreme but the dust from the blast covered the them.
Rosemary {That might give Gray some time to recuperate, but there’s no way he can beat Edward, especially with how Edward is acting now. Before, Edward was stronger than the average soldier, but now…he’s looking more and more like the Helsings from the legends. Monsters in the form of people.}
The crowd sees a faint black figure running around in the smoke like a ghost running around, while Edward's presence in the arena draws attention from the audience. Edward feels something banging at his psyche, his mind turns back to the raging inferno, swinging Bjørn all around him with no thought behind it, moving like a surrounded animal.
Gray {I'm about to reach my limit on my mana, so I need to use the rest in this last move! I need to pull out a shounen power up and surpass my limits…and I know just how to do it!}
With an idea stolen from a story he read back home as well as his own skill, he puts a makeshift plan into focus.
Gray: "I'M FROM - "
In a flash of power his OD explodes, cracking it on purpose. Edward feels the power, rushing towards it. Behind the rest of the dust, Gray's broken sword is flung at Edward. Edward swings Bjørn hitting the sword away, though it leaves him open. He sees Gray, like a demonic figure, completely covered in his blackish purple mana, with his black cloak flowing from the wind giving in from his mana. Gray has successfully cracked in his OD, blasting out mana and surpassing the limit that Gray's body would allow.
Rosemary: “GRAY WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
Her screams break past the rest of the crowed. However they're still to quiet to break past the vigor screaming in his mind.
Musashi {THAT IDIOT’S GONNA KILL HIMSELF!}
Arthur: “SO COOL! THESE GUYS ARE REALLY GETTING INTO IT!”
Gray uses this last-ditch effort, rushing toward Edward and delivers multiple blows to his body. Edward swings Bjørn to hit Gray back, but Gray uses this to his advantage, flipping and hitting the wall of the arena, jumping off it, and flying toward Edward. Gray focuses all the mana onto the palm of his hand. Everyone in the crowd is surprised and amazed at his ability to cultivate so much power. It's to the point even Julius chimes in.
Julius: {A grand use of mana on something like this? If he had any control it'd seem endless.}
It was something only a person like Gray would be able to due. With mana one hundred times the average person, his massive amount of mana allowed him to even weaponize it. Whilst he flies toward Edward, his mana starts building up on itself and turning a bright blue, making a flowing sphere-like shape.
Gray: “TITANS IMPACT!”
Edward {DAMNMIT!}
Gray had moved so quickly after Edwards swing that it left him wide open. So Gray hits Edward in the face, pushing him to the ground. The “Titans Impact” explodes forcing Edward further into the floor and cracking the ground. Gray stands still with a smirk on his face, with the crowd thinking he’s victorious.
Rosemary: “Did he..do it?”
Arthur: “Why is the announcer not calling the match?”
Elizabeth: “Was that all you had Edward Van Helsing? Are you finished here?”
Musashi: “Here it comes.”
Edward flings up from the ground, staying couscous. He drags his fist through the air, hitting Gray in the side of the face, and forcing Gray's head into the ground with his fist.
Edward: "One good punch, that's all I needed."
Announcer: “AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, THE MATCH IS OVER! EDWARD VAN HELSING IS VICTORIOUS!”
END OF CHAPTER
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