The next day, Hiroku woke up at around six in the morning. He sat up from the tatami, already in his white pullover and purple crop top. Unlike Key, Hiroku did have the habit of wearing pajamas, yet he had not been since entering Cho-san Island.
Loter's snoring vaguely went through the walls. Hiroku sighed as he thought of Loter and yesterday.
After the girls' school, they went to visit Kayama's farmlands, fishing harbors, etc. Hiroku also explained to Loter how the hierarchy within the main branch worked:
Inside the main branch, there were different sub-branches. These sub-branches were ranked by how close they were to the main sub-branch, the branch Kirane was in.
It explained why Tori was not in the girls' school. Her sub-branch was probably a lot closer to the main one than other sub-branches.
Seeing Loter not so enthusiastic about such subjects, Hiroku decided not to introduce Tribe Kayama's semi-feudalism system in their farmlands at all.
Lotor's dejection was reasonable to Hiroku. He just did not expect Loter to react so intensely. Hiroku walked to the wall that separated him and Loter. He leaned his back against it and slid down until his hips were on the ground.
The crush Loter had on Tori was too obvious for Hiroku not to spot after yesterday's interaction. From Loter's description, Hiroku also felt that Tori probably had feelings for Loter, too.
If that was the case, Hiroku actually had an idea of getting Tori out of Cho-san Island. It was just simply too infeasible for him to recommend it to Loter. He knew how Loter would react, so he had to be the responsible one and hide it from Loter.
Hiroku very clearly felt the irony in his action after he finally decided to open up to his teammates. Yet, it was his way of repaying Loter. He had been swallowing things for years. He did not mind to swallow one more.
However, this whole thing did not stop Hiroku from imagining how Loter and Tori would interact. He smiled and let out small titters as his fantasy ran wild. He even blushed during the snuggling scene of his mind theater.
Hiroku completely shied away when the play proceeded onto the bed. He shook off his imagination and rested his head against the wooden wall. This thing between his cousin and his teammate reminded him of him and Glacia. His smile lightened off.
I have to tell Glacia the truth. I have to tell her how I truly feel. I can't keep pushing the moment into the future. I need to get it done and face her and the consequences…
I will do it after I get back to the school.
Hiroku looked up at his cheap ceiling, letting out a breath of air. He got up to tie his hair into two ponytails and exited his room. Normally, he would use his lavender spheres to fly to the riverside for face washing, but he felt like walking today.
Hiroku closed his door and strolled down the stoop. Before he placed his foot onto the first step of the stoop, he heard a snoring sound.
It was Loter's snoring, yet it did not feel like it came from his room. Hiroku slowly turned his head around, hearing the sound again.
"Hm?"
Doubtful at his own hypothesis, Hiroku lowered his ear to around his waist height and reached toward the floor between his and Loter's doors.
His hand touched something fleshy and invisible.
Is Loter sleeping on the veranda with his invisibility on? Was he there the whole night?
"You must be kidding me," Hiroku smirked, rolled his eyes, and drew his hand back. He opened his mouth and then closed it since yelling loudly was not a good plan in Cho-san Island.
Crouching down, he carefully extended his arms and lay his hands on Loter, figuring out where his shoulders were.
Thankfully, Hiroku found Loter's face with the first touch. He precisely used it to locate Loter's shoulders and began shaking. All embarrassing places were thoroughly avoided. Hiroku recalled the day he first met Loter.
Hindsight, he found Glacia's reaction comical and the whole awkward self-introduction thing hilarious.
"Uh, what? Wait, what?" Loter woke up and sat up from the ground, invisibility deactivating. He turned around and saw Hiroku.
"Uh!" He started, getting on his feet.
Standing up, Hiroku asked, "Why were you sleeping outside your room with your invisibility on?"
"Oh, I see what happened." Loter giggled and scratched his head with an embarrassed grin. "Since today is your dueling day, I figured I should give you a surprise, so I got up very early and stood outside your door to wait for you to come out—"
"You decide to use invisibility so no one will see you. Then you fall asleep while waiting."
"Yeah, but the napping part is not an accident. I thought I could just take a five-minute nap and wake up to continue the surprise thing." Loter tittered again.
"It's better than my initial guess." Hiroku went down the stoop and strolled toward the river.
"Wait, what's your guess? Is it something bad?" Loter caught up immediately while rubbing off his eye boogers. "Come on, tell me. Please!"
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The building for the duel was a huge wooden hall deep in Cho-san Island. The hall was about a dozen meters tall and spacious enough to park several tanks inside.
By 10 a.m., all the invited audience, the participants, and the judges had arrived.
The center of the hall was a cubic sunken space. Surrounding it, the four walkways had balustrades built by the square edge.
Audiences, about twenty to thirty people, were standing or pacing on the walkways, waiting for the duel to begin. Most of them wore white kimonos. Only a few were in dorky blue.
The three judges with blue kimonos sat on their decorated seats, which had wooden reliefs of flowers carved onto the side of the seatbacks. A piece of golden silk was laid on both armrests. Middle sections of these silk pieces were sat beneath the judges' thighs.
Half past ten in the morning, Zayio Kayama, the one challenged by Hiroku, came in from the gate. Across the hall were the judges. They squinted their eyes, scrutinizing Zayio from his toes to his black bun. The posture of walking, ways of greeting, clothing, and much more were all under judgment. Every mistake may cause him to automatically lose the duel.
Zayio deftly vaulted over the balustrades and dropped into the sunken space. Following him was Hiroku Kayama, the initiator of the duel. Both of them were wearing a tight white robe and a long dark brown skirt.
They bowed nighty-degree for precisely three seconds before straightening up.
One of the judges loudly sang, "Holy duels cleanse our conflict. It brings peace to the eager souls and differences. We may all gather around the flame of violence to celebrate the undeniable equality it provided. After all, the strong survive, and the survive rule. Let the strength be the law of us, and let the match begin in this present moment."
Right when the last syllable was pronounced, Hiroku launched a lavender sphere upward and elevated to it, dodging the incoming fireball.
Hiroku could only reach around ten meters into the air since the invisible magical barrier only allowed him to go that high. The same barrier also prevented him, his opponent, and all their spells from leaving the sunken space.
From above, Hiroku returned the favor and threw three slashes of lightning at Zayio. While his right hand was attacking, he launched away three different spheres with his left hand.
Zayio raised his front arm above his head and lowered his body. A perfectly spherical shield wrapped around him. The lightning landed on the surface of the translucent teal shield, causing nothing more than a violet spark.
Zayio canceled the shield immediately and jabbed his other hand upward. Another fireball formed within half a second and flew out in the direction of the jab.
Hiroku, clenching both fists, pulled himself toward one of the other spheres to avoid the fireball. The previous sphere was destroyed, and the next attack came before Hiroku could arrive at the designated sphere.
Hiroku immediately swapped his direction toward another sphere while watching the fireball destroy his original destination. He opened his palms to create six more spheres, yet Zayio just seemed to be casting faster and faster.
One flew, turned, and rotated in the air while the other kept pumping out a barrage of waves of flame and fire.
It is Flame Throw, the spell that allows the user to launch a fireball with their every punch. It is hard to deal with when the opponent can just keep going and going. Oh, furnace. Does he never get tired?
The repeated attacks began to drive Hiroku to his limit. Several attacks grazed through his crop top, leaving burn marks and mental disturbance.
Distracted by his minor mistakes, Hiroku took an instant longer to react to the incoming flame. The fireball's heat was already pressing on his face, and the flare could reach his clothes. He pulled himself away with the maximum strength and flitted through the air.
Hiroku rapidly approached his designated sphere, unable to change his direction. The next fireball would not miss. Hiroku knew Zayio could tell exactly which sphere he was heading, and there was no hesitation in his moves.
I don't want to reveal it now, but I have to.
Hiroku opened both fists.
The Shield!
A rectangular barrier made of six reshaped lavender spheres was conjured before Hiroku. The fireball made merely a spark of flare upon landing on it.
Hiroku had his left hand grabbed inside the barrier and his right hand clenched into a fist. The problem with The Shield was its translucency. If Hiroku dared to remove the barrier, Zayio would see it before Hiroku could attack.
I can't use the strategy I used against the level ten manikin. Zayio is too much smarter than a robot.
While Hiroku was holding his shield, assuming the situation was a stalemate, Zayio stretched his elbows to his back and drew a circle with his hands before him.
Wait, what is he—Damn.
Zayio's open hands faced each other vertically and approached slowly before his midriff. A white spark emerged between the palms, and Hiroku took his action.
Hiroku pulled the barrier away with his left hand and spread his right fist. The five strands of lightning gushed out of his palm. Simultaneously, Hiroku tugged and hurled himself toward the farthest lavender sphere.
Yet, he was too late. His violet lightning was erased by three white swords. Two of them stuck in the ceiling of the magical barrier, and the other one penetrated Hiroku's left shoulder.
Judgment Beyond Clouds and Sky. Kirane had used its lesser version against Ramiron in the simulation.
Thoughts continued as Hiroku plummeted like a bird shot in the wing.
It has the ability to tear through time and exist at its summoned location, its supposed trajectory, and its destination concurrently. If it could be fully replicated in the simulation, Ramiron would not stand a chance against Kirane. However, this spell is only fully available inside Cho-san Island. Who knows why?
Hiroku lay on the ground with all his power ripped away from him. His blood seeped through his pullover and crop top, streaming on the ground and creating a puddle.
Judgment Beyond Clouds and Sky is one of the strongest spells of Tribe Kayama. It surprises me that Zayio can use it and decides to use it against me. I should've noticed it earlier.
Hiroku opened his mouth, yet not a sound was made.
Hm?
The shock had Hiroku's blurry mind all cleansed immediately. It was Bird Choke, the spell that prevented the target from any form of uttering.
I can't end the match without using my voice to call for surrender, and killing is allowed in duels as long as it happens before the match ends. Damn, Zayio is trying to kill me.
Hiroku glared at Zayio with his eyes wide open. Despite his rage, not a finger of him could be used to perform any magic. The second and strongest ability of Judgment Beyond Clouds and Sky was its power to cancel any magic beneath its level. Ramiron's Lumarion power might be enough to stand against this spell, yet none of Hiroku's abilities were.
Finally, Zayio talked for the first time in the match. He smirked, "If you chose to fight any of my brothers, they would be drained from casting three white swords at once, but you are facing me, Zayio Kayama! I still have my Flame Throw to finish you off." He pulled his right fist to his back and reached out his left hand. "Enjoy it, my dear, dear cousin."
As the right fist punched forward, the roaring fireball flitted through the hot air. Hiroku finally closed his eyes, unwilling to witness his own doom.
"No!"