XXXI

The roar of the crowd was louder than Lycurgus had ever heard. It reminded him of the most vicious storm he experienced when he was twelve. The deafening roar of wind and rain blocked out the sound of Lysander's cries of fear. He thought of his father at that moment, the strength he gave everyone, the confidence he instilled everyone with.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He felt as though a wave of anxiety and fear left his body as he breathed out. The jeers of the crowd became nothing more than background noise as if he was walking along the shore. Nothing more than the waves of the ocean, waves of people, and just as the ocean was vast and could not be contained so too could the waves of people not be appeased.

When he walked out, he saw Kaji already standing there waiting for him.

The previous battles had stripped him of his clothing leaving him to wear a completely new outfit. A standard garb worn throughout the islands. Briefs that came just below the knee, light and breathable, and held up with a sash wrapped around his waist. He wore a sleeveless shirt that was slightly tattered, but he kept his Zaketa, a scarf that wrapped loosely around his neck and hung off his shoulders like a cape.

The two didn't say anything, for there was no need to. It wasn't only because the roar of the crowd would drown out any words spoken but also because they understood what each other was thinking. Kaji tugged at the neck of his Zaketa and pulled it down slightly. He accompanied the gesture with his trademark smile.

He could feel the fatigue weighing in on his body. He could replenish all he wanted to but even he had his limits. He felt as though he had finally been pushed to them with Azarios. Every breath was ragged, and every flex screamed with pain and soreness. At this point, he was moving purely on desire. Desire fueled solely upon one goal, but it felt hazy, ancient, and something long forgotten.

The first to move was Kaji dashing forward with palms ignited with flames. He sent a massive column of fire toward Lycurgus, surprising himself. Lycurgus stood stationary, countering by unstrapping Weaver Spindle from his back and swinging it toward the fire. The blade contacted the pillar of fire and split it in half. Creating two waves of fire that blasted past Lycurgus.

Lycurgus sweep his lance across the ground, spinning around and entering into a swing, but as he swung the lance the flames wrapped around it. When he swung the blade the flames from Kaji's attack redirected into a flaming slash aimed toward him.

Kaji tried to leap out of the way, but his legs felt like lead. He improvised quickly by blasting himself away. When he landed safely a smile crossed his face. He threw his arms back and unleashed a torrent of fire to propel himself forward with blinding speed.

Lycurgus swung to counter, but he missed and Kaji slammed into him. Lycurgus stood his ground as Kaji rocketed past him. Kaji stumbled forward after expelling his flames. He looked at his palms.

They shook, possibly from the fatigue his body was facing, or maybe from the repeated use of his fire,

'How long will my body hold up?' he thought to himself.

He suddenly noticed that the roar of the crowd was now silent, and a smile stretched across his face once. He turned back around to face Lycurgus as he faced his palms behind him.

"Finally, I can think in peace." He said low enough for only himself to hear.

He released a short blast from his right hand that propelled him forward, skating over the ground. Before he lost the moment he released a blast from his left, pushing to meet Lycurgus. Lycurgus met him with a slash to the stomach, Kaji quickly reacted throwing his hands forward, unleashing a blast that sent him backward.

Kaji landed with a flip and smirked as he was starting to get a hold of the movement. He was going to try again but Lycurgus had dashed forward to go on the offensive. A wide overhead slash came down and Kaji barely moved away in time.

Pain shot through his body, but he couldn't focus on that as Lycurgus quickly responded with a broad swing toward his side. Kaji tried to block with another fire blast, but the swing came faster this time and actually sent Kaji into an uncontrollable flight into the wall.

'I see, my body is at the edge. If I don't rely on this new technique, I won't be able to move fast enough.' Kaji thought as he pulled himself from the rumble.

How many times had he been thrown into the wall today? He didn't even know the answer at this point. He took a step forward and his vision blurred. He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled deeply. When he exhaled, he opened his eyes again clearing his vision. He could see it; he could see the goal right before him he simply had to push himself. Push himself past the limits of his body, and his mind, and lean fully on the strength of his spirit.

He thought back to his fight against Azarios, where he had pushed himself past his limits, and he wondered if he could do it again. He focused and dug deep and felt it. A fire resonated deep inside him, a tiny flame in need of kindling. He breathed in feeding it air and as he did, he could feel the flame strengthen, matching the strength of his will.

Flames began to dance around his body, a vibrant red that flickered with power licking the air around him. It was weaker than his fight against Azarios, but maybe he didn't need such power. He charged the flames within his hands as he rocketed toward Lycurgus.

The speed had increased, and he was on Lycurgus before he could react. He landed a flush punch squarely against his chin knocking him back. Following quickly with a powerful left hook to the gut. Lycurgus stumbled back dropping Weaver's Spindle. Kaji tried to add more to the combo, but Lycurgus blocked the knee he sent.

The two exchanged strikes, Lycurgus trying to push back Kaji had a renewed fire and power. Kaji began using the small burst to dance around Lycurgus making his attacks much more difficult to defend against. Every time he tried to counter Kaji would either rocket to the left or right.

Kaji's constant attack seemed to finally break through as he landed another gut strike, following up with a fierce uppercut. The hit was so hard it took Lycurgus off his feet. Lycurgus stumbled forward reaching for his lance, but Kaji unleashed an intense blast of fire that sparked blue and then died down to red.

When the blast receded, he saw a large black and red fan-like object where Lycurgus was. Kaji rocketed backward, while simultaneously scorching the fan.

The fire had scorched the ground surrounding Lycurgus, but Weaver's Spindle had held up in its newest form, Tamari. While it maintained the handle the entire blade section had become a fully spread-out fan. It resembled the spine of the Lancer-fish with the streaks of red that accented the blueish-black hue of the fan. He rose and swung the fan unleashing a powerful gust of wind that extinguished any stray flames dancing around the stadium.

Now the real fight started.