Gladiator pt. III

As the fight was ready to commence, everyone watching the fight began to stare in anticipation. Watching. Waiting, for the next attack to be launched from either party.

Akira's hands began to sweat and his mind raced yet again.

'What did he just do? Did he just use the attacks that he was afflicted by? No, that can't be it... he didn't just use an attack, he used his ability? Did he copy-'

The sound of a small jet engine whistling tuned yet again.

"You should really keep your focus on the fight. Akira."

Kenta was standing right behind Akira. He felt Kentas's breath press against his neck, it made the hairs on his body stand up.

Akira sprung forward, turning his head to look behind him at the calamity that he was facing. Kenta's head was facing the ground he couldn't see anything aside from his newfound look and hair, his face hidden.

'What is he!?' Akira thought to himself.

Kenta slowly picked his head off of the ground to meet Akira with a smile that widened.

Akira's eyes twitched in fear.

That smile was nothing more than an intent to kill. He couldn't understand how these people could sit here and watch something like this.

Kenta slowly looked from Akira toward the now-unconscious Daichi.

'Why is he looking at Dai-'

Before Akiras could finish, Kenta was grabbing Daichi's shirt and pulling him from out of the wall.

'..What... is he-'

Just then a hollow cracking echoed through the air.

*SNAP*

Everyone watching looked with fear, shock, malice, and utter disgust.

A sinister symphony unfolded, controlled by bone against bone. The initial contact was a chilling whisper, a hollow whisk, and a quick break. Kenta snapped Daichi's arm while he was still unconscious.

Matsuda quickly jumped from the podium and rushed over to Daichi.

"Kenta... THAT WAS OUT OF LINE!"

Matsuda was seething with fury. She looked as if she was ready to kill Kenta herself.

"If that was out of line... Then tell Akira over there to not run and accept his loss, admit I'm the best there is, and finally I want Akira to leave Kin Corps Academy."

Kenta looked up from Daichi and Matsuda to see Akira standing in pure confusion and shock. Akira could only think,

'What did I do to this guy? He was nice before what changed?'

Matsuda wasn't paying attention to a word Kenta was saying she was ushering orders to have Daichi taken to the nurse immediately.

Matsuda looked up from the group of people carrying Daichi towards Kenta.

"This will not be swept under the rug. The accessive force on an unconscious fighter was unnecessary and you will not be able to commit an act such as that again."

"Shut.. your mouth girl."

Kenta wasn't even looking in Matsuda's direction anymore. He was looking at Akira.

"Either get out of the field or prepare to fight alongside that scum."

Matsuda was appalled at his words. Many questions floated in her head.

'Who is this kid? Does he really believe in his abilities to compare to someone of my ranking?'

Although she had questions she decided she would deal with Kenta her own way, and stepped out of the field while watching his every move before getting to the podium.

"I apologize for the inconvenience fighters. You may proceed."

Matsuda began to have the chairman contacted but to her surprise, she had just been informed that he was already watching the fight, to begin with and not just by himself, even Ms. Suzuki was watching.

'Why are they watching?'

Akira wasn't sitting idle the entire time he was figuring out a way to beat Kenta.

"Kenta what did I even do to-"

His words were violently shut down, Kenta was standing in front of him, with his fist crunching against Akira's ribs cracking three on impact.

'I hate this kid's voice. I'll permanently disable this kid. No amount of healing will help him.'

The muscles around Kenta's mouth flexed with a touch of something darker lurking beneath the surface. His eyes grew sharper, like a predator honing in on its prey.

'I'll break him.'

Kenta repeated these words over and over and over again. The words practically became a blur to him as he let off an absurdly high amount of flashes, punches, and grapples onto Akira.

'YES! I'LL TRY THIS AND THIS, CAN HE SURVIVE THIS ONE AS WELL?'

The words blended in Kenta's mind with his laugh echoing throughout the entire stadium, many who wanted to attempt to fight decided to withdraw from the fight. Everyone felt bad and even sick to their stomach as Akira was tanking these relentless attacks.

The cackle started as a low, unsettling rumble. Almost as if it were just a mere prelude to the storm that was about to be unleashed. As Kenta's onslaught of attacks gained momentum, the sound of his laugh evolved into a maddening bursting echo, resonating through the air like a malevolent note.

'Why- Why won't Matsuda call the match? I can't even move let alone speak. She won't let my body go limp would she? She would know when I can't fight anymore right?

Akira was stuck in the air almost in a stop-still motionless time zone getting pummeled. He only had two questions...

'What did I do to make him feel such hatred?'

and

'Am I going to die?'

Akira's thoughts were cut short as Kenta's laugh turned into a mumbling of words slurred in with his demonic cackles.

*HAHA* "YES" *HAAAAHAA* "SOMA HOW DO YOU FEEL?" *AAAHHHAA*

'SOMA? Who the hell is Soma, and am I losing consciousness now as well?'

Akira now on the brink of collapse heard the name Soma. He was in pain, couldn't talk, and couldn't even speak. How could he call it quits?

This onslaught went on for another few seconds until Kenta suddenly stopped.

"This doesn't need to go on any longer, Kenta."

Kentas slowly looked away from Akira who was falling towards the ground barely clinging onto his earth-grounding tether.

Kentas gaze met the eyes of Akira's last remaining teammate, Takumi.

"Oh yeah? Who are you? He hasn't given up yet nor has he gotten knocked unconscious either. So the fight is still on. Leave here or end up just like him."

Takumi pushed his glasses up and looked toward Akira on the floor.

"You are correct, he isn't unconscious, but this senseless beating won't amount to anything, in fact, I bet you didn't even realize you muttered the name of someone else."

Kenta's eyebrows shot up to his forehead in utter confusion.

'What is this freak talking about?'

"You seem confused. It appears you have more of a mental struggle than anything, but that has nothing to do with me. I advise you to keep your eyes on your fight. Now if you'll excus-"

The ground vibrated and Takumi froze almost as if someone had frozen time itself.

A husk yet unnatural sound was heard throughout everyone's very being.

"ssshhht" almost like the sound of something humming while being muffled.

The air grew heavy with an otherworldly presence that seemed to radiate within the Academy.

Takumi and Kenta slowly turned their heads to meet the battered and beaten Akira.

Akira was now standing up on one leg. His hair had fallen in front of his face. You could clearly see the blood dripping from almost every point of his body.

Takumi jumped back quickly and looked at Kenta who was smiling. Almost as if he wanted him to keep getting back up.

"Yes. YES! KEEP STANDING AKIRA! FIGHT ME UNTIL YOU PHYSICALLY CAN'T MOVE!"

Akira hadn't lifted his head once. He didn't move a muscle. Everyone watching was stunned,

'Something isn't right.'

Everyone's mind thought the same thing. Everyone except Kenta.

"Well, Akira? I think it's about time we finish this. I want someone to actually fight back against me."

Kenta was speaking, while also having his own inner thoughts,

'I can't keep this form up for much longer; it drains my energy, I can only access it through the KEC Type of those who came into contact with me before I activated it.'

That is the only downside that Kenta felt he faced with this form.

Takumi, who was on the same side as Akira, lunged at him with his hand extended.

'You, Akira Nakumura must be put down. I don't know what you are or what your KEC ability is, but you cannot be permitted to use whatever that is.'

*shing*

A husk whistle through the air was brought on from what seemed to be nothing.

As the blade made contact with flesh, a sickening "thud" resounded—an unforgiving reminder of the impact. The moment of impact was accompanied by a dissonant "crunch," the sound of bone yielding.

Takumi who was seconds away from touching Akira's body was met with nothing more than the wall Akira was standing in front of moments ago.

'What was that soun-'

His words were cut off as he turned around to look for Kenta his eyes shot open as he made eye contact with Kenta.

Kenta who was standing just inches away from Akira's previous location was also confused they both had done nothing more than blink and Akira had completely disappeared.

"Kenta... Hes-"

Kenta had already felt something behind him. He couldn't forget this feeling. It was that of a monster he had tried to forget so long ago.

"How did you get here..."

Kenta spun around quickly and looked in the direction of the feeling, but to his shock, there was nothing there but Akira. The feeling had disappeared.

Kenta's smile perked up, and he began to let out a little giggle. It wasn't a normal chuckle it had a hint of relief in it. Along-side ill-intent.

Kenta began to laugh hysterically.

He was laughing so hard he shut his eyes to stop tears from falling from pure comedy. He was pointing at Akira laughing.

He stopped laughing and turned around to glance at Takumi who looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"TAKUMI CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? ALL THAT ENERGY WE ALL FELT? IT WAS A FAKE. HE IS A MANIPULATOR WHO JUST USED AN ILLUSION TO SCARE US!" *AHAHAHA*

Kenta kept laughing, but Takumi's face hadn't changed.

'What's his deal?' he looked away from him and toward Matsuda who on the podium looked right back at him with terror written on her face, and not just her. Everyone watching was the same.

'What's the issue with these people?'

*drip, drip, drip*

The sound of rain hitting a puddle tuned to Kenta's ears. He looked up at the sky, but it was clear. There was no rain?

'What?'

The wind began to howl, and a chilling hush was carried through the wind. Almost as if what came next was silencing the air itself.

" Y҉o҉u҉ ҉s҉h҉o҉u҉l҉d҉ ҉f҉e҉e҉l҉ ҉i҉t҉ ҉n҉o҉w҉ " A grotesque sound mumbled through the air. Nobody understood what was just said.

Suddenly the entire watch party, even the chairman and nurse had understood it.

"Y-You S-should feel it any second now."

A distorted voice played in the heads of everyone watching. It sounded as if everyone was thinking for themself, but they hadn't. Nobody said or thought those words.

Where did they come from?

'Feel what?' Everyone's heart slowly began to accelerate as the pressure increased.

A sharp pain suddenly struck Kenta it only lasted for a few seconds, it was as if he got a paper cut on his finger, and a bit of air made contact with it. A minor burning sensation that lasted very short.

He glanced expecting to see a gash left from Akira.

'How bad did this scum cut me? How did he even pierce...my... my.. arm- my arm is-'

Kenta's heart raced. The sound of his heartbeat rang in his ears. He heard it every time it pattered in his chest.

"MY- MY- MY ARM!!!!!"

His arm was lying on the ground. In a puddle of blood.

He was so confused. How did he not feel something like that? Why does he feel no pain besides the sharp burn he felt for a few seconds?

He looked at his arm with tears streaming down his face. The severed limb was now beginning to leak something other than blood.

It was dark. It looked as if it were a never-ending black pit oozing from his limb that laid on the floor in a puddle of crimson red.

A laugh he was very familiar with rang in the stadium as everyone began to stand up and slowly back away from the fight.

*EEE-AHAHHAHA* *KEEEeeeeAHAHAH*

It was slowly but surely changing. The laugh was covered and masked with a distorted echo that tremored within the very souls of all who heard it.

'That laugh... No... It can't be.'

The laugh that echoed was his own. His own laugh played throughout the air. It was laughing hard, and it was directed towards him. The laughing rang from Akira who has yet to pick his face off of the ground as if he were looking at something.

" l҉ɘ҉ɘ҉ꟻ҉ ҉t҉i҉ ҉ꙅ҉ɘ҉o҉b҉ ҉w҉o҉H҉ ҉t҉ↄ҉ɘ҉ᴙ҉ᴙ҉o҉ↄ҉ ҉ɘ҉m҉ ҉t҉ꙅ҉ᴎ҉i҉a҉g҉a҉ ҉g҉ᴎ҉i҉ꙅ҉u҉ ҉ɘ҉ᴙ҉ɘ҉w҉ ҉u҉o҉y҉ ҉h҉g҉u҉a҉l҉ ҉ɘ҉h҉t҉ ҉ꙅ҉i҉ ҉ꙅ҉i҉h҉ ", again the distorted sound emerged from what is Akira's body.

"This is the laugh you were using against me correct? How does it feel?"

The same thing from before, the words rang in everyone's head as if they understood this unfamiliar language. or sound? None could tell what it was.

Kenta was practically losing his voice from screaming in terror. He felt no pain yet he knew that his limb was severed. He wanted to know how it was done but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

"SUBDUE THAT BOY NOW!"

Matsuda who was frozen in fear looked at the entrance where Ms. Suzuki and the Chairman had just entered from.

"WE MUST RESTRAIN HIM NOW!"