Flames Meet Shadows - Part 03

Kou smiled as he watched the battle between Tim and Niklas. "He's doing his signature pose!" he seemed fascinated by it, which was noticed by Koume. "Signature pose? What's that supposed to be?"

Kou's eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm. "I wasn't there to see it because I was unconscious, but I know that he releases his spiritual defense and forms them into speed and power. It's a risky position, but it could come in handy!" his explanation was somewhat bewildering to Koume. "But, isn't that bad? Niklas has the power of migration, inspection, and armory on his side, and you've seen how much he hurt Tim before. I feel like he's going to be vulnerable more."

Kou nodded but believed in Tim's potential. "I know it's risky, but the speed is doubled. If he pushes it further, I'm sure he can triple it. I'm sure he shifts the pressure off his whole body into his arms and legs." Kou explained, keeping his cool. "I tried that same technique, but it didn't work out much, but he's had more experience with it. He should be able to handle it. It's his only way to match the speed of someone, currently."

Koume looked back at Tim silently. "I hope you're right," she waited for the battle to continue. Niklas's mouth trembled from something. "So, how's that going to help? All you're doing is standing in a different position. It's embarrassing looking at it. If you wanted to look cool.., you're doing a terrible job." He spoke but noticed that Tim wasn't bothered by it.

"I guess that making a new pose makes you see it as a pose, and just that, a pose. But people never think about the reason why it happens. Because in this pose, there's something more than to look cool." Explained Tim. Niklas felt Tim's pressure increase, but he still didn't see it as a problem. "Oh? If that's the case, then what *is* that position about?"

Tim vanished, and before Niklas could even feel the wind circle his back, he felt a rounded object smashing into the back. Tim struck his body before he could do anything about it and his smash sent Niklas speeding through the air.

Niklas controlled his balance and found a good position to twist his feet and turn around, but where he expected Tim to stand, he was gone. "Did he punch me?" wondered Niklas, surprised, looking around the area to see Tim, but didn't find him.

The next moment, Tim came dropping from above him, and that time he couldn't see him either. Tim's fist struck the top of Niklas' head, nearly smashing his face into the ground, but then, Tim was gone again.

Niklas looked around, trying to find Tim's position, but couldn't until he was suddenly punched in the middle of his back, knocking him forward. "That's about enough!" Niklas' eyes glowed orange, and turned about, noticing a silhouette approaching him from that direction.

Niklas dragged his foot from behind his back and instantly whipped it diagonally. "You're forgetting that I have the power to use inspection!" he shouted.

His instep rammed into Tim's right arm. It squeezed his arm together, pushing it into Tim's body, and caused a problem. Tim's right, unproperly healed, suffered a major injury.

Niklas' kick delivered one of the most brutal accidents. The weakened arm, struck by Niklas' leg, was enveloped by the armory. It was dozens of times more forceful and heavier. It rammed deep into his skin. It was rougher and stronger than a wrecking ball. In terms of power, it could've tripled the force, even quadrupled.

Tim felt the intensity of his arm getting squished to bits, and the heavy attack that struck Tim shattered bones in that arm. From that horrible pain, Tim's eyes shivered and shrunk, and the next moment, he couldn't help to hold it back; his agonizing pain surged through the air, and that one scream that seemed as if Tim was getting brutally tortured made Kou and Koume's eyes tremble in fear.

Koume needed to cover her mouth from fear and sweat. She couldn't hide that fear and felt like breaking apart. Kou, who had never heard Tim scream so loud in his life, was frozen still. "His... His arm..." He reminded himself. "T-That's the arm that was wounded. It got burned, having its skin nearly melting. I-I thought Ayuka treated it." Kou was out of words, horrified. "Did her healing abilities not work? Or..." Kou reminded himself. He remembered that Tim was holding his arm and wrist multiple times. "He was holding it because of that? That must mean that Ayuka's treatment fixed the skin but didn't heal the arm completely. Damn it! Why didn't he tell us about that?! Why was he hiding it from us this entire time?! If he just told Ayuka that it didn't get healed, he wouldn't need to suffer such a horrible injury from that attack!"

Tim collapsed to his knees in front of Niklas, holding his arm, trembling with pain. The sweat was splashing on the ground nonstop and didn't stop. He couldn't move his right arm. His bent forward head and torso nearly made his hair touch the ground.

"And on top of that, he was using his signature pose that removes his spiritual defenses! That made it even more painful!" shouted Kou. He couldn't control his fear for Tim.

Niklas was looking down at Tim with a casual face. "Oh? I might have gone a bit overboard, but I didn't expect that kick to hurt you so bad. I guess that arm's been through something, huh? Well, that's not good, now is it?" Niklas raised his foot and then stomped on Tim's wounded arm. He squeezed it deep into the ground and continued twisting his foot. It forced Tim to scream out even louder. "Does it hurt?" he didn't stop, and Tim tried to escape it, but there was nothing he could do.

He was continuously suffering horrible pain. Niklas just continued to squish the arm in the rough terrain, making Tim helpless. "You at least managed to land a few strikes, I guess that's better than most people could, but now you're just like everyone else, hopeless." He continued pressing his sole on Tim's arm heavily. Tim's eyes were shivering from the pain, shrunk pupils as before. "Maybe we could tear that arm off? That way you wouldn't need to worry too much about such pain."

Black tentacles started growing out from Niklas' shadow and flapped around. "I warned you the first time. You had no chance of defeating me. Whatever you try, even if you figured out that my ability isn't of the elemental essence like yours, and even if you managed to outspeed the shifting of the shadow within me, I always have the forbidden technique of inspection to see and know where you're at all times. It's much more advanced than your special pose or whatever."

Tim tried to pull away his arm repeatedly, but the more he tried, the even more painful it became. He decided to stop. "I could continue doing this, but I still have some business to attend to, so how about I end it right here and now?" he asked.

Niklas pointed his left arm in front, aiming his palm at Tim's face. The purple shadow slowly surrounded his palms and fingers. It stretched its energy to the shoulder. It began flaring like fire, putting pressure on the limb, so Niklas supported his left arm with his right. "Next time, I recommend you not to enter the island without permission. Of course, there won't be the next time for you, but just in case you somehow get resurrected."

The next moment, mint energy sparked behind Niklas in the air. It was zapping out electricity, and Kou's face latched onto Niklas' body.

Kou's eyes were glowing green, and he had his right arm pulled far behind his back. "Get. Your. Hands. Off him!"

Niklas' eyes opened wide, and he was frozen solid. "Get. Your. Hands. Off of him!"

To be continued...