Clang! Clang!
“That’s all of them I think…” Comment Hao after gathering all the Tunes he located thus far in the vicinity.
Despite the onslaught of adversaries, his movements remained fluid and efficient, his sword danced from one enemy to the next. Moreover, he leapt over low slashes, twisted his body to avoid thrusts, and countered with devastating precision. Even as his foes began to tire, Hao's determination never waned, he was fuelled by the memory of the helpless puppy and the injustice he had suffered.
“That’s enough of you punk!”
Finally, from behind the puddle of fallen comrades, Scar stepped forward, confronting Hao with his large Scissor Cleaver scraping against the ground, shooting sparks of fireworks. He sneered while boasting, "This won't be as easy as the others."
“Oh really?” Hao zoomed in on Scar, moreover, scanned his weapon, his grip on his sword was tightening. He had a feeling that Scar would be a far more formidable opponent than the others he had faced. They circled each other warily with their weapons poised and ready, their bodies were locked in an unyielding synchronicity.
“Time to say goodnight!”
In a split second, the tension snapped as both fighters lunged forward with their blades colliding in a shower of sparks. They exchanged a flurry of blows, every swing was deadly as they sought to exploit any weakness in the other's defences.
“Shadowstep!” Hao activated his Night Tamer ability which caught Scar off guard. The sudden teleportation allowed Hao to land a grazing hit on Scar's arm, but the seasoned fighter quickly recovered and retaliated.
“You sneaky rodent! Bow before my might!” Scar revealed his own impressive sword abilities. He flipped his Blade Edge into a scissor then began unleashing a series of rapid snips at Hao’s head. All it would take was for one hit to connect and that would be the last moment Hao’s head sat on his shoulders.
Snip! Snip!
“Stay still you little rodent!”
“Only a fool would do that.” Hao narrowly parried each strike aimed to make him headless.
“Uproar!” With a powerful swipe, Scar diverted his weapon below and sliced through the ground, sending chunks of mud and debris hurtling toward Hao.
Seeing the incoming chunk of rocks, Hao quickly narrowed the range of Vibe Sense to lock onto the projectiles before evading them with incredible precision.
Boom! Boom!
The fight grew more intense with the passage of time, the environment was crackling with the energy of their fierce swordplay. Scar leapt into the air with his Scissor Cleaver held high above his head, and brought it down with devastating force. Hao barely managed to roll out of the way, feeling the ground shudder beneath him as the massive weapon cleaved through the earth once more.
Scar’s weapon was such that it enabled him easy access to earth upheaval. It only required minimal effort on his part to scoop up a massive chunk of the ground to hurl at his opponent.
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Hao and Scar continued their epic duel with their weapons clashing with the ferocity of a raging storm. Hao's abilities and honed instincts were matched by Scar's skill and cunning, creating a clean display of martial prowess and swordplay.
“Not bad for a brat. Let’s see how you handle this!” Scar uprooted larger chunks of the earth and flung them towards Hao. He was doing this stunt repeatedly until a portion of his Blade Edge chipped.
Meanwhile, Hao was flipping around, running alongside walls dodging what he could. It was during one of his flips that he lost his balance due to the wet environment, which caused Vibe Edge to slip from his fingers and fell onto the concrete rail of the stairway.
“Oh shoot!” The world around Hao began to grow increasingly dim the further he was away from Vibe Edge. He needed to reclaim it as soon as possible before his enemy realized that his sight was diminished.
“Hmm?” It was too late though, Scar noticed him fumbling around the stairway like a naturally blind person and thought it odd. “Could it be he’s actually blind? Then… that sword must be his eyes! I need to get to it before he does.” Realizing this, he stopped rooting up earth and dashed ahead with the force of a sprinter.
“You bastard, I know your secret. You’re finished now!”
“Huh!” Hao’s keen hearing picked up on the sound of Scar charging toward him, but something was different in the way his movement sounded. “He’s not coming at me directly, then he must be going after Vibe Edge.” Hao’s perception was spot on, he listened keenly to Scar’s movements and quickly discern the precise location of where his sword might be.
“There you are.” Hao reunited with his trusty Vibe Edge just as Scar launched an arching slash at his arm. To avoid getting dismembered, he adroitly flicked over the curving arc like an acrobatic agent. “Damn that was hardcore, now it’s my turn to bring the vibe.”
“What the heck is this? His movements are strange.” Scar began to notice Hao snapping his fingers repeatedly, shaking his head while dancing to incomprehensible rhythms. “Am I supposed to be intimidated or something? You idiot! Dancing won’t save you from getting cut to pieces by my Scissor Cleaver!” Scar dashed ahead unknowing of what waited for him in store.
Snap!
Hao’s fingers produced a seemingly innocuous beat that propelled him over his opponent like a cool morning breeze. Subsequently, he gracefully landed behind Scar, lowered himself then swept his feet from underneath him. Next, he flipped to the tip of his toes, spun around like a ballerina briefly while rippling the water then abruptly stopped with his fingers pointed at Scar as his hips moved back and forth like Michael Jackson.
“Get up and face me.” Another snap from his fingers coupled with his slick dance moves agitated Scar greatly. This caused him to lose his head in battle which quickly lowered him to the bottom of the spectrum for victory.
“We got to help him out.”
Just as it seemed that Scar was beginning to falter, several younger members of his gang, who had been waiting on standby, sprang into action. They charged at Hao with their rusted blades swinging wildly as they sought to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.
“Hmm? These fighters…?” Hao expertly evaded and parried their attacks, but he couldn't help but notice how young this batch of fighters was—10 years old at best. After he disarmed one of the attackers, he hesitated for a moment, struck by the realization that many of these gang members were just children who were probably forced into a life of crime.
Hao raised his sword, preparing to deliver a final blow to one of the young assailants, but his Blade Edge suddenly stopped, held back by the pang of guilt that seized him. His momentary pity left him vulnerable to what came next.
“You’re wide open!” Scar, seizing the opportunity, closed the distance and knocked Hao unconscious with a swift strike to the temple.
Bang!
"You softy," Scar sneered as Hao crumpled to the ground, defeated by his own compassion.
With their target incapacitated, Scar and the remainder of his gang regrouped. They had won, but the cost had been high. The battlefield was littered with the fallen, a sombre proof of the deadly skills of the blindfolded youth.
In the aftermath of the battle, the rain continued to pour down, washing away the blood that stained the ground as if trying to erase the memory of the violence that had unfolded. But for Hao and the young members of Scar's gang, the battle was far from over.