Editing City Series:Volume8b Chapter16 (section)

===Aoe’s Sight Mode: In DT Castle===

'''<Aoe’s Over Reload>

Aoe’s view opened up within a large, stone passageway. He lowered Yuo on a step behind him with the green cloth still wrapped around her. The step led up to the audience chamber’s entrance.

When Yuo felt him release her, she looked to him with her Sight Mode expression.

<Be safe,> she said with unfocused eyes and a troubled smile, so he grunted an acknowledgment.

'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

A window opened in front of Daiktana.

'''<Daikatana: Uriel Word Race Conversion: Switching to C Word Race Traits: Limiter Off: Movement Stability>

“Now let us fight to our fullest. I am certain it will be…”

'''“Fun.

'''“Because the Plus and the Minus are destined to keep fighting forever.”

A metallic gray light appeared in the metal staff he swung.

'''<Pseudo Grandload: Running Pseudo Load Emblem: Moebius: Preparing>

The emblem at the tip of the staff gave a cry. The loud, low noise was like stone breaking.

Several windows opened in rapid succession and surrounded him in no time.

Text raced down from the emblem at the end of his staff. The text first drew out a spiral.

'''●Type-XX049: Imperial-class: Moebius●

The staff instantly became a nagamaki with a 1.5 yard shaft and a 1.5 yard text blade.

Aoe did not move forward or back as he lowered his hips and clenched his fists.

'''“Bring it on.”

A shattering glass sound echoed through the stonewalled passageway.

That acted as their cue to begin.



'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

The first to move was Daikatana.

He took a fighting stance.

He held the nagamaki in a loose two-handed grip and slowly raised it overhead.

He moved his right leg forward and put his weight on it from a somewhat diagonal angle.

He pulled the staff back like it was a fishing rod, ultimately holding it parallel to the floor.

He placed his right hand at the top of the staff, simply supporting its weight from below.

He placed his left hand on the bottom of the staff, simply holding its front side in place.

He was ready to lift with his right hand and pull with his left.

He was prepared for a rapid, bending attack similar to casting a fishing rod.

<Unlike before, this stance lets him throw his sword wherever he wants, not just swing it.>

“Prepare yourself. When I fought you before, I was only using my stage-fighting techniques.”

“So this is your real stance?”

Daikatana did not reply.

Aoe took that silence as confirmation and responded with his body.

He let out a single breath and raced forward without warning.

“––––!”

His aim was to rush right up to Daikatana before he could react.

He charged a few steps along the floor, using the kind of force usually reserved for running up a wall.

He easily pulled it off and leaned forward like he was about to crawl along the floor.

He was so low the sword’s path would have to nearly reach the floor to hit him.

Maintaining a stance with his chin nearly scraping at the stone floor required the leg strength to move at high speed and…

'''“Go.”

It also took the load Text that provided power to his feet.

As soon as the wind danced in his ears, Daikatana entered his view overhead.

His head was within range of Daikatana’s attacks.

In that moment, he saw the big toe within Daikatana’s tabi pressing hard against the floor.

Something was coming.

From overhead.

A high-speed attack was dropping from a blind spot.

With that realization, Aoe deduced where the attack was likely to land.

He removed both his feet from the floor while leaning so far forward and running.

As soon as he dove forward, he threw his fists straight down.

He punched the floor to lift himself and push himself backwards.

The double blow landed and his fists worked to stop his forward momentum. From there…

'''“Stop!”

His body seemed to be floating.

He bent his back with his fists against the floor, spinning his legs around to the sides, and placing his heels down in front of him.

'''“Now move back!”

The force definitely pushed him backwards. His forward momentum vanished and he got up as if bending backwards.

He could now see overhead where Daikatana’s downwards-swinging staff was getting awfully close.

Aoe felt something cold on the left side of his neck.

On instinct, he immediately let himself fall further backwards and twisted his head to the right.

That saved his life.

Daikatana’s text string had reached Aoe. It was only by about an inch, but the metal staff had moved out faster than Aoe had predicted.

The blade graced his top half of his left collarbone.

He saw the flash of light as the blade brushed its way down his tank top chest.

He felt the wind on his left side.

“Kh.”

But that was all. He hadn’t been cut. And now it was his turn to act.

'''“Mh!”

With a grunt to motivate him, he threw his backwards-leaning body forward and took a step.

He confirmed out of the corner of his eye that the metal staff’s tip was on its way to the floor and then he threw his right fist.

Immediately, Daikatana moved in front of him. He crouched low and gripped his lowered staff in both arms.

<Is he going to raise the staff!?>

The staff had been swung down right in front of Aoe, so it would jab him in the belly if it was lifted now. But…

“He can’t manage it after the momentum of that swing!”

The 3-yard metal staff had only just now hit the floor with a powerful swing.

It was too late to change its course now, concluded Aoe as he prepared to jump over the staff and keep going.

That was when he heard a Text.

'''“I am the bearer of attack.”



'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

A shattering stone sound came from both of Daikatana’s arms.

He gripped the staff with both hands. No, he practically embraced it.

He held the bottom of the staff under his left arm and wrapped the arm itself around it. He held the top of the staff tight in his right hand.

Then he leaned forward.

“Kh!”

He twisted his body to the side. He balanced on his heel like a top starting to tilt.

Aoe watched as Daikatana rapidly rotated his own body while holding onto the staff.

The sleeves of his Japanese clothing spread out and whipped at the wind. The dry sound was joined by the nagamaki rotating.

The blade should have struck the floor, but it instead easily sliced through the floor and kept rotating.

His rotation created a new attack with even greater acceleration.

And this slash had his full weight behind it.

As for Aoe…

“Is this how you really fight!?”

He lowered his right fist and took evasive action. He poured all his strength into his legs to fall back.

But it was too late. He saw a white trail of water vapor form behind the sword tip.

And he heard the cry of a rent in the air when the blade sliced through it.

It sounded almost like a whistle.

That sound was only created at speeds too fast to be seen.

The attack passed through Aoe’s lowered left chest to his right side.

<Oh, no!>

His vision predicted the injury he had taken: half an inch deep from the left collarbone to the gut.

He felt a chill down his spine when he saw the location of the wound.

Daikatana’s attack hit him in the same place as the slash from Algo in the mountains of North Kantou.

Back then, it had been a blast from Algo’s palm. Here, it was a slash through the center of his chest.

<…!>

The memory briefly resurrected in his mind and threatened to fill him with anxiety, but he forced it down.

'''“I won’t lose that way again now that I have Yuo by my side!”

The injury was a serious one, but he gathered strength in his body. He held his breath and kept his muscles from releasing their tension. He felt the chilly air on the flesh of his split left chest.

But he ignored that injury and faced forward.

'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

He saw Daikatana holding the staff below his left arm and lowering his hips after swinging it downwards.

He heard three sounds like breaking wood from below Daikatana’s left arm. That was the metal staff breaking his ribs.

He had paid that price and groaned in pain just once to keep the staff from swinging further downwards.

He had thrust it out before its downward momentum was fully gone.

Aoe tensed his left side while evading backwards. He sandals sounded coldly on the floor twice once and then twice.

Daikatana’s jab had not reached him. It had reached its full length with about 2 inches between its tip and Aoe’s gut.

Then Aoe saw a certain movement in Daikatana.

Daikatana let go of the metal staff that was his primary weapon.

“What the hell!?”

Daikatana ignored Aoe’s confusion and leaped forward. Toward Aoe. Over the staff.

He swung his leg up and stepped atop the airborne staff.

He used his second step to kick firmly off the staff near the front end, clearing its entire length.

Aoe had only taken half a step back, so this brought Daikatana right in front of him.



'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

“…!”

Aoe tried to put himself at the appropriate distance for throwing a punch. He tried to fall back in order to make a counterattack against Daikatana.

Before he could, Daikatana reached for his inner pocket and threw something.

<What!?>

Aoe first noticed it was red.

It was in fact a box cutter.

The blade Aoe had previously stabbed into Daikatana’s shoulder now flew toward him.

It was aimed at his face, so he swung his right hand on reflex. He tried to grab the red-handled blade.

He avoided getting stabbed in the face, but his evasive action was delayed.

Daikatana was already right in front of him.

“Every part of a battle is setup for what comes next! Isn’t that right!?”

'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

Behind Daikatana, the staff he had kicked downwards was beginning to spin in the air.

And Daikatana drew the wakizashi at his hip.

He flipped the wakizashi’s blade around and sent it in from the right.

Aoe did not hesitate. He acted on reflex, swinging his right arm outwards after grabbing the box cutter with it.

Before he saw the result, he heard a fibrous cutting sound.

A blade had grown from Aoe’s right upper arm.

Daikatana’s wakizashi had stabbed into it up to the hilt.

Aoe had been prepared for it – both for the pain and the force of the impact.

'''“Bear with it!”

The emblem on his right arm glowed bright as he endured the pain.

Daikatana responded by stopping his movement.

Aoe smiled at the hint of surprise on Daikatana’s face.

Then Aoe lowered his hips a bit and sent out his left fist.

His stance wasn’t great, but he definitely heard his opponent’s sternum break.

“Kh!”

Daikatana staggered back.

Aoe stretched both arms up and yanked the wakizashi out of his right arm.

He could ignore the pain. He could not ignore his opponent’s actions.

He saw something on Daikatana’s right shoulder. It was the bottom end of the metal staff.

The staff had rotated all the way around and was now swinging forward over his shoulder.

He placed both hands on the staff and turned his closed eyes toward Aoe.

Some blood was dripping from his lips after the blow to the chest, but those lips were definitely smiling.

His scarlet-dyed mouth moved.

“Prepare yourself!”



'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

“Bring it!” shouted Aoe, spreading his arms.

Daikatana’s arm muscles swelled as he pulled down on the staff. The staff drew out an arc as it rotated over his right shoulder.

The sound of a breaking bone came from his right shoulder, but his strength did not flag.

He let out a breath and lowered his hips like he was taking a seat in the empty air.

He lowered all of his body’s strength.

He achieved an instantaneous explosion of movement.

The blade seemed to shoot up from behind his back.

He raised his voice.

'''“If you cannot look with your eyes, then look with your ears!

'''“Behold my strongest blade, Master Yuo!”

Aoe heard a whistling sound.

It was much louder and carried farther than the previous attack.

I sounded like the cry of an attacking bird of prey.

That sound was everything.

The end of the metal staff left the emblem and the text string as it grew too fast for the eye to follow. This attack exceeded DT’s drawing speed. Only the hitbox could keep up with it.

At the base of that power, Daikatana’s expression relaxed.

“That is the sound I have sought!”

Aoe no longer tried to fall back.

He readied his left fist.

'''“I am watching carefully!”

He swung his right wrist.

Swung it upwards.

The first thing that accomplished was tossing the box cutter he held in that hand.

After launching the box cutter straight up with only a snap of his wrist, he shut his eyes.

He focused on his ears.

He could see the path of the blade from the whistling sound.

He noticed another sound mixed in: a light sound similar to breaking bone.

That was the sound of the thrown box cutter contacting the blade hitbox and being destroyed.

That sound marked the location of Daikatana’s blade.



'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

Aoe located the blade from the light, breaking sound.

He used the sound, not his eyes.

He worked out the trajectory and velocity from the sound of the box cutter’s destruction and threw his fist overhead.

He opened his eyes.

“There!”

His fist flew rapidly to the left, making a windy sound.

The tearing sound of the downwards swinging staff and the windy sound of the rightwards swinging fist collided.

Aoe punched the metal staff from the left as it swung down toward him.

But Daikatana lowered his stance further.

“That is not enough to stop it!”

The blade was pushed rightward, but it also continued downward. The whistling of the sliced air continued unabated.

The leading edge of the sound was about to slice through Aoe’s right shoulder.

But Aoe immediately sucked in a breath.

“I have more than one fist!”

His right fist was already swinging by the time the words were out of his mouth.

'''“Hear the sound of true power!”

He tried to get a counterattack on the staff from the right as well.

Daikatana’s expression changed, but not to surprise or anger. He wrinkled his brow in a look of focus.

'''“Ohhh!”

Both men roared and accelerated themselves.

Daikatana’s slash maintained its strength.

Aoe did not pull his punches.

Aoe poured strength into his extending right elbow and wrist.

'''“Stand strong.”

He poured further strength into his shoulder and planted his feet firmly on the floor.

A moment later, the fist collided with the metal.

The sound was that of a fist punching steel.

[[Image:DT02_277.jpg|thumb]]

“Kh!”

The struck staff lost some speed.

Its black angular shape was visible again. It was now bent from the punches it had taken from either side.

Aoe threw all of his strength into the point his fist had contacted.

He focused all his speed, grip strength, body weight, center of gravity, and will on the punch.

The force of the punch passed through the bent steel.

A tearing sound came from the point of impact and the wind split on the other side of the staff.

In an instant, the metal staff was torn to pieces.

The metallic gray text string surrounding the staff scattered.

In its place, a black light raced from Aoe’s fist.

It expanded until it enveloped Aoe and Daikatana and then it broke apart with a shattering glass sound.

'''<Aoe’s Sight Mode has ended>