Chapter 35: You're Outclassed

Chapter 35:

AN: From now on I'll be using (...) for Adaloth, just I think the "{" is just an eyesore in general. So just keep that in mind, enjoy!

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BANG! 

The sound of Jin's metallic claws clashing with Bikou's staff sent tremors through the atmosphere as the two of them began their duel. 

Jin assaulted the Youkai with a flurry of barrages as the latter precisely met each and every one of his blows head on with the base of his weapon. Unlike Kuroka, Bikou was a head first close quarters specialist — making him a significantly better match for Jin's fighting style. 

"You're going to need more than a few punches to take me out!" The Monkey's grin continued to stretch as the fight went on, the sheer pressure that Jin's assault was letting off thrilled him to the very core. 

"Is that so?" Funnily enough, Jin fashioned almost the exact same look from within the confines of his armor. Just like when he last used his [Balance Breaker] during the Peace Conference, he suddenly felt immense joy as he and his opponent attempted to place on another 6 feet under.

Like some sort of a battle-junkie. 

Jin's fist gunned towards his face, Bikou simply continued to ready his staff, planning to parry the attack and provide an opening for him to begin an assault of his own. 

"Oh?" Bikou commented as he observed the spectacle occurring before him. 

In an instant, Jin's entire figure had shifted downwards. His fist now aiming towards Bikou's abdomen as the latter scurried to defend himself. 

But with Jin's ability to double his already vast strength, he was simply too fast. 

CRASH! 

A small chunk of saliva jetted out of the Monkey King's mouth as he was sent flying into the foliage behind him, followed by a dust cloud erupting around him. 

"That one's from the Bael." He smirked, confident that he had delivered a solid blow to Bikou. 

"Kya-hoo! Now that's what I call a punch!" Jin's expression tensed as the Youkai's voice excitedly roared from within the rubble. 

Footsteps pierced the silence as Bikou nonchalantly approached Jin whilst dusting himself off. Jin found himself in disbelief as Bikou's body seemed practically unphased. 

"Oh c'mon, you didn't seriously think that would be enough to take me out?" Jin quickly steeled himself for whatever he was about to be hit with, but to his further shock Bikou leisurely started to stretch as he let out a few groans of mild discomfort. 

"Don't look so grim, I was complimenting you! If you keep that up I might actually have to start taking you seriously, heh." Normally Jin would assume this was merely an attempt to provoke him, but for some reason the words coming from his mouth felt oddly genuine. 

Bikou finished up his brief routine, letting his staff rest horizontally on the back of shoulders as he shot a coy smile in Jin's way. "What's the holdup? Aren't you going to come at me again?" 

Jin clicked his tongue as he arched his hip towards the ground. 

WHOOSH! 

"That's more like it." Bikou continued. 

Strangely enough, even though Jin was blitzing towards him at terrifying speeds the Monkey made no attempt to block, let alone even hold his staff properly again. 

Instead, he had started to raise his leg off the ground. 

CRACK! 

The ground between the both of them had suddenly split apart, revealing a miniature valley between the two. Completely throwing off Jin's footing as he was forced to halt his advance.

And all it had taken was a single stomp! 

"Ka-ka-ka! I was kinda hoping you'd fall into it, would've been pretty funny don't ya think?" Bikou chuckled as he felt Jin's annoyance seething through the joints of his armor. 

His fists clenched together as he grit his teeth, evidently furious as the Youkai seemed intent on treating him like some sort of plaything for his entertainment. 

"Oya? Did I strike a nerve? You shouldn't be so stuck up dude, you'll get wrinkles." His constant taunting only made Jin clench harder, to the point where his palms would've bleed if his hands had not been encased in armor. 

"Sorry sorry, I'll be a little more serious from here on out — kay?" This time Bikou was the one to go on the offense, closing the distance instantly as he thrusted the tip of his staff towards Jin's ribcage. 

RUMBLE! 

Right as Bikou was only a foot or two in front of him, the soil between them started to churn as a wall of pure ice appeared in front of Jin, supposedly in an attempt to block his attack. 

"Huh? That ain't gonna work." 

Obviously with Jin's abysmal talent when it came to anything magic related, such a lofty barrier had no chance of defending against a head on attack from someone of Bikou's caliber. 

SHATTER! 

The construct was swiftly reduced to mere rubble as Bikou's staff tore through it like butter.

"I know." 

Then again, Jin had already figured that out when he had received the strike to head earlier. 

His true goal had been to reduce the momentum of Bikou's charge, allowing him to make use of his stellar reflexes and narrowly evade having his chest imploded. 

"Nice one." Bikou calmly remarked.

CRASH!

Not even in the slightest inkling of unease could be seen on his face as Jin delivered a thunderous kick to his spine, sending him tumbling back into the surrounding trees. 

"Man, can't remember the last time I was able to play around like this." With his back planted on the ground, Bikou jovially hummed to himself as he gingerly glanced at the night sky above. 

It was like he wasn't even fighting to begin with. 

"Oh right! I'm in the middle of a fight, can't afford to be dawdling like this." Accompanied by an audible "Hup!" Bikou propped himself upright as he sheepishly rubbed his back. 

"Yikes, I'm probably going to need a massage after this." 

(He's just going to continue to toy with you if you keep fighting him like this, his power extends far beyond that of a normal Youkai. By now you should have realized this much.) 

(I know, wait a minute — what do you mean "like this"?) 

(Just follow my lead.) 

Knowing that he didn't have time for deliberation, Jin simply agreed inwardly as he felt a strange sense of power surfacing around his feet. 

WHOOSH! 

Out of the blue, a small burst of ice erupted from his heels as his body catapulted itself towards Bikou as the latter was practically forced out of his jovial stupor. 

The Monkey quickly readed his staff as he watched Jin's fist rocket at him with almost three times its original speed. 

BANG! 

Even though he had successfully blocked the attack, Bikou's feet had still been dragged through the soil as the sheer force of Jin's blow sent him a few feet backwards. 

(What was that?) 

(Your bodies are inefficient beyond belief, but they do still retrain a certain sense of utility. Nothing I can't handle.)

(No idea what that means, but great.)

"You…" Bikou hesitated, staring at his opponent with increasing scrutiny. "Looks like I wasn't the only one holding back. Fair enough, I guess I haven't been giving you enough of a reason to prove yourself just yet." 

His stance shifted, becoming significantly more compact and focused. 

"Unfortunately, we're in a bit of a time crunch here so I won't be able to fully enjoy fighting you — however, I think I know how to make use of the limited time we have between us." 

"Do you always talk this much?" Surprisingly, his remark didn't provoke so much as a twitch from Bikou. 

"Ten strikes." 

"What?" 

"If you can survive ten of my strikes, we'll leave both you and the kitten alone. Sounds like a good deal, no?" 

"What are you talking about Biko—" Before Kuroka could finish her interjection, Bikou shot an admonishing glare her way sending a shudder down the black cat's spine. 

"Getting her has never been one of our objectives, the fact that you failed to retrieve her is not my fault." 

Kuroka clenched her teeth as she glared daggers towards Bikou, but he didn't seem to be paying her much heed — instead returning his focus to Jin. 

"Well? What'll it be?" 

"Deal." 

(Honestly I don't know whether he's playing me or not, but I'm all out of options. Might as well take a gamble.) 

Bikou offered a nod of approval as he prepared to begin the little "game" he had devised. 

"Good, do your best not to die." The calmness in a voice offered Jin a certain sense of eeriness as he prepared himself. 

The fact that Bikou decided against outright killing him was rather perplexing, it's almost like this game was just a test for the Monkey to confirm something to himself, or rather confirm something about Jin. 

Jin was confident that he'd be forced to use that against him, but the notion of not having to make use of such an unstable ability was an opportunity he simply couldn't afford to pass up.

Ten strikes, that was all he had to endure. How hard could it be? 

And then he felt it. 

BADUMP! 

BADUMP! 

His heart pounded though his chest as the pressure Bikou exuded exploded out of his being, cracks appearing in the ground around him as the wind violently howled through the atmosphere. 

The world around him seemed to darken as he tried to make sense of the sheer dread Bikou's was capable of inducing. 

He knew he had been holding back, that much was more than obvious. 

But to think it was to this extent?

And to make matters worse, he had no way of knowing whether this was truly the full extent of Bikou's prowess. Kuroka practically felt like an insect compared to him right now.

"Obviously, there'd be no point if I struck you with the same power I was using just now, would there?" 

BADUMP! 

Jin's skin began to palpitate as sweat ran down the sides of his head, his eyes narrowing further as the sheer gravity of what was about to come struck him like a freight train. 

"Here comes the first."