Skysin, Crim, Elaine, and Ai Mei stood from the revitalized martial artist, Greyvus, two hundred meters from him. The aura he released was powerful, dense, creeping along the resurfaced floor of cracks and holes like phantoms. Greyvus himself, now powered by the Tensions Rise technique is now not only a threat to the kids, but even the entire continent.
Fueled with sadness, grief and rage, Greyvus wouldn't stop until his mission was completed.
To end Ai Mei's life.
"Welp…" Skysin rubbed the back of his head, sighing as he stared at the enemy, "this ain't good."
"We need to take him down…fast!" Ai Mei said, holding her sisters' hand, "there's too many lives at stake now…"
Elaine pondered, "neighboring towns and cities could get strung into it. If that happens, people are gonna die…"
"So…what now?" Crim replied, "we gonna be heroes?"
Skysin shrugged, "it's our lives or his. Personally, I choose the latter."
Ai Mei drifted in her thoughts, remembering what her father explained about this technique. Tensions Rise, while giving the user a grand amount of power makes them deplete faster, depending on how worn they are. The kids did inflict a great amount of damage onto him as well. Which meant…
"We still have a chance." Ai Mei spoke in confidence, "the technique Greyvus is using has a limit. And we need to use that to our advantage."
Crim looked to her, arms crossed, "how so?"
"Think of a sink that's halfway filled," Ai Mei explained. "Greyvus' normal power level would be there. Now, if you add water, that's the Tensions Rise technique adding more power to him… But there's a catch."
Crim and Skysin pondered deeply, thinking of what Ai Mei explained.
Skysin flicked a finger out as he and Crim caught on, "then the sink begins to release the water!"
Elaine nodded, "exactly. Our father explained this to us when we were younger. But while giving the user a lot of power, the downside is they lose strength as time goes on."
"And when that happens," Ai Mei added, "we should have the upper hand from him being fatigued."
Crim rubbed his chin, "so essentially, it's a waiting game now. He's too strong right now; I doubt we'll even be able to put a scratch on him."
"So, we try to slow him down, attack but conserve our energy until the time is right," Ai Mei responded.
Skysin gazed over at the aura, how it oozed and seeped from Greyvus' body. Normally, that's not how aura is supposed to be held. Chaotic energy, while does escape from someone, is controlled, slow. But Greyvus' was rampant and excessive. All his power was escaping from him just as fast.
"If I had to guess…" Skysin spoke up, "we got at least three to five minutes until Greyvus poops himself out."
From a normal standpoint, that sounded easy. But these weren't average people. Who can destroy cities, continents, and worlds. Attacks traveling well beyond the speed of sound. Movement could transcend the speed of light. Three minutes looked more like three hours from someone who can move like that.
The kids, as of now, can't just rely on strength. Speed, agility, and patience were their key to breaking beyond this breaking point.
May Malerenz be on their side…
Greyvus pointed to them, "IT'S OVER NOW!!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!!"
Skysin clapped his hands, "NEW PLAN!! Don't die!"
Crim scoffed, fixing himself beside Skysin, "easier said than done."
Greyvus lunged; Skysin and Crim took off. Closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
The boys blurred forward, unleashing a cyclone of kicks and punches faster than a machine gun could shoot.
Greyvus held his own, perfectly fine. Hands acted like his own shields, parrying each attack that flew to his body. He caught Skysin's fist and ran his knuckles square onto the boy's stomach. Skysin gritted his teeth, a sharp gasp escaping his lips.
Crim slipped another fist forward, Greyvus raised an elbow.
Another block.
The old martial artist kicked Crim back, and threw Skysin into him, the two rolling across the floor.
The sisters came from an angle, aura bursting from their hands, punching Greyvus in the face. The ground shook, but Greyvus didn't even budge, grunt, nothing. He was completely fine. It was like the girls hit the hardest metal in the entire Omiverse.
Greyvus let a scoff run through his teeth, grabbing their fists.
The girls quickly tried to pull back, but the man was just too strong.
"That same trick won't work twice, fools," Greyvus glared, quickly latching his fingers around the back of Elaine's head. He yanked her forward, slapping her forehead against his.
Elaine's breath hitched violently, screaming, pulling herself back as Greyvus let her go. He turned his attention to Ai Mei and kicked her, sending the girl flipping into a large rock.
Elaine shook herself from the daze and pushed right back, "Tiger: Behemoth Paw!"
Her palm crashed against his chest. The wind had screamed from behind. But nothing was done. Greyvus stood with poise.
"Plausible technique, but lacking," Greyvus said, his hand blurring to sit an inch from Elaine's sternum.
There was no time to react as Elaine mindlessly gazed at Greyvus' open hand. No dramatic windup. No wide swing. Very minimal movement.
His fist clenched.
THOOM!
The air shrieked from impact.
Elaine's body folded inward before being launched backward, her feet ripping across the ground as cracks spiderwebbed beneath.
Elaine was sent rolling through the floor, crashing into a small hill. The girl coughed, clutching her chest, 'an inch-punch??' She thought to herself as blood slipped from his lips, 'he's…toying with us…! If he really tried to, I would've died…'
Elaine's body suddenly flickered, disappearing in a flash. The girl barely noticed she was moved until she saw the slight change of scenery. Sitting behind a wall of buildings not yet damaged.
"What…happened?" Elaine asked aloud, until she felt a pair of hands on her back and legs, holding her in a princess carry, feeling the warmth of someone. Elaine looked up, "Skysin?"
Skysin looked down, "looks like you're alive. Sorry, had to get outta there."
Elaine felt her face grow a bit hot, embarrassed; she's never been picked up by a man other than her father. Especially someone her age. "Th—Thank you, Sin."
"Yep—yep," Skysin gently sat her down.
Crim arrived with Ai Mei, landing beside them. Ai Mei groaned, "why's he gotta be so strong?! Jeez!"
Crim sighed, "we're getting our asses handed to us pretty bad…"
Elaine made a slight pout, looking to Skysin, "why'd you have to troll him, Sin?"
Ai Mei slapped him upside the head.
"Ow! Jeez guys, I'm sorry, alright? I mean… you can't lie… It was pretty funny…"
Elaine and Ai Mei merely gazed at him.
"A little…" Crim chuckled into his arm.
Seeing that Ai Mei was also about to slap him around, Crim coughed, "anyways…! We got like a minute left. And I'm sure he won't wait idly. We need to hold out for this."
Skysin raised his hand, "I'll be the scapegoat then."
"What?? You can't be serious Sin, you just saw what he's capable of!" Ai Mei quietly yelled, "you'll get yourself killed trying to take him on alone."
Elaine nodded in agreement, "yeah Sin, maybe we should devise another plan, y'know? I don't think this is the best idea…"
Skysin waved it off, "I'll be fine. He's gotta catch me first before anything. It's only a minute. I think I can last that long."
Crim crossed his arms, "are you sure dude?"
"Yeah," Skysin grinned, "just leave it to me. You guys build up your strength and wait 'til you notice his chaos go down."
Crim gave out his fist, "alright man. Just be careful, cool?"
"No problem," Skysin fist-pumped Crim's.
Elaine grabbed Skysin's arm, gently pulling him back, "can't we think of another plan then??"
"I've handled worse."
Ai Mei grumbled, "no you haven't, dummy."
"Wait till ya meet my mom," Skysin chuckled, looking back to them, "look guys, I'm the fastest here. And it won't be long until Greyvus finds us. We'll have more of a chance if I stall 'em. If things get too bad, then jump in. Alright?"
Elaine and Ai Mei looked to each other. The older sister groaned, "fine…"
Skysin smiled, "don't worry."
**
On the battlefield, Greyvus stood in silence, gazing to his rough, calloused hand, "I've wasted too much time. I need to end this, quickly." The man said to himself until he looked up, sensing someone's chaotic energy.
Greyvus' yellow eyes gazed at Skysin in the distance, walking from the line of the undamaged part of the city. "Another ploy…" Greyvus said to himself, "they're trying to stall. But times low…if I take him out, I'll have a huge advantage at least."
Greyvus smiled, "no time to sit idly…"
The instant Skysin took another step forward, Greyvus' foot slammed against the pavement.
The ground was detonated.
Debris erupted upward in violent waves as he raced to Skysin like an eldritch beast.
But Skysin was already gone.
A streak of blue whipped across the destruction, gales of wind tearing behind him in spiraling ribbons. Fast. Entirely too fast.
Greyvus' yellow eyes snapped to his left just as Skysin appeared beside him.
Skysin spun, the air whistled as his leg came speeding in.
WHAM!
A spinning kick clashed against Greyvus' jaw, hard enough to rip the air apart. The very impact launched rings of pressure through nearby buildings, windows exploding outwards for blocks.
Skysin wasn't stronger than Greyvus. Not by a long shot. However, speed can become strength. That was Skysin's plan. Use his extraordinary quickness as an advantage to create heavier attacks.
Greyvus' head turned slightly, but that was it.
Skysin landed on a tilted wall, his violet eyes kept cool, stoic, "yeah, figured."
Greyvus' arm swiped up.
Not quickly. Just once, and the air had ruptured.
Skysin's instincts blared in his mind like a nuclear alarm.
He vanished a fraction before Greyvus' attack tore through the entire building behind him. The structure split down the middle with a deafening roar, collapsing into rubble.
Skysin reappeared upside down, beneath as falling chunk of debris, planted one hand against it, and took off.
The speedster rocketed like a missile, straight toward Greyvus again. A barrage attack exploded from Skysin in an instant.
Punches. Elbows. Kicks. A chaotic, blinding storm of movement.
Every strike cracked like thunder against Greyvus' body as Skysin sped across the man, ricocheting around him faster and faster as the attosecond passed. Bouncing from walls, debris, streetlights, cars, and anything that was nearby.
Shockwaves overlapped violently, but Greyvus remained standing through all of it. However, his eyes tracked.
Learning.
Adapting.
Skysin noticed this immediately as Greyvus' eyes followed his movements.
Not good.
Greyvus inhaled deeply; the pressure changed at the flick of a light switch.
Skysin's expression dropped, "aw, shiii-"
Greyvus stomped, and the entire district lurched sideways!
The ground tilted upward as raw chaos exploded beneath the city streets. Asphalt folded like paper, racing toward Skysin in jagged spikes!
Skysin eluded them in a blur, body twisting impossibly as shards of concrete narrowly missed him by centimeters.
One spike grazed his cheek; blood scattered into the wind.
Greyvus appeared directly before him.
Skysin's violet eyes widened.
Greyvus swung.
Skysin crossed his arms just in time.
BOOOOM!!
The very power sent Skysin spinning through buildings in the blink of an eye! One. Two. Three.
A pole of steel snapped around Skysin.
Four. Five. Six!
Skysin crashed through the final building and burst out on the opposite side in a spiral of rubble before skidding across the street, upside down. Shoes carve molten trails through the cement.
Skysin caught himself with one hand, his breathing growing harder. His arms were red, swollen, and throbbing from blocking the hit.
"Okay…" Skysin coughed, standing upright, "that hurt like hell…"
In the distance, Greyvus walked forward, slowly through the smoke. Every step radiated force. Even if Greyvus was starting to lose power, the effects of the Tensions Rise technique were surging through his body, chaos bursting from his skin in unstable flares.
The broken master's voice rumbled through his throat, "you rely too heavily on speed, boy."
Skysin rolled his shoulder with a wince, "oh yeah? And you rely too heavily on being old and pissy."
Greyvus disappeared.
The road split apart.
Skysin barely ducked as Greyvus' fist obliterated the space above him, a vortex of force shredding down the entire roadway behind them.
Skysin twisted low, sweeping his leg.
Greyvus didn't budge.
Skysin feinted, planting both hands onto the ground. Aura bursts from his palms and shoots upward in a spinning corkscrew kick engulfed from pressure of the wind, striking Greyvus square in the chest!
Only a few inches, Greyvus slid back.
That was a sign.
Skysin grinned, "there we go!!"
Greyvus looked down to the faint mark on his chest. This wasn't good for him. Time was running thin like an icicle in the summer heat. He needs to lower any possible chance of being defeated. If he could, Greyvus would've hawked Ai Mei down right now. But those kids must've hid their aura to hide while Skysin kept him busy.
Silence blew in the wind.
Green aura exploded from Greyvus' body. The city shook; buildings collapsed in the distance from a mere produce of chaotic power.
Skysin's grin faded, "right…"