A short time after the orientation, Marty waited at the entrance to the facilities for Thomas to show up.

"Sorry to make you wait,"  An out of breath Thomas said from behind him.

"It's fine; I asked a favor of you after all."

"On that note, here you go.  The best tablet money can buy with all of your requested information."

"Impressive, considering I imagine some of the information was classified,"  Marty replied as we begin to walk in.

"Connections can sometimes be worth more than money."

"So is time, seeing as you can't buy it."  

"That depends on your outlook," Thomas replied as we enter a room full of computers.  "Are the samples prepared?" He asked an assistant.

"I will get them."  The assistant answered.

"Are you The Thinker?"  One of the scientists asked.

"Yes,"  Marty answered with a sigh.

"So nice to meet you!  I read all of your theories.  I especially enjoyed reading your theories about time flow discrepancies.  You theorized that they could have come into existence spontaneously with their history could have occurred within an instant of our time piqued my interest.  It truly is an honor to meet someone with such interesting theories who has also been to another world."

"Thank you," Marty replied with a slightly awkward smile.  "They're nothing but possibilities, so I don't think they're worth praise."

"You are so modest.  They were very well thought out."

"I brought them."  This assistant said as he brought a tray.

"Thank you,"  Thomas said as he accepted it.  "These are a couple of things I thought you would find interesting.  The first thing I would like to introduce you to is the Energy Crystal."  He said as he handed Marty a clear crystal.

"I assume this isn’t from Earth and has unique properties."

"You are correct.  You have Ki, right?  Give it a second."

After a couple of seconds, the crystal began to take upon a blue color.

"A certain amount of this crystal was brought back by an Abductee, with reports of it from others.  Hold in your palm and face it towards me for a second." 

In one swift motion, he struck it with his palm.

"Thoughts?"

"I didn't feel anything,"  Marty replied as the crystal began to glow.

"Hey, don't break the sample!" One of the scientists yelled out.

"So this thing somehow stores kinetic energy?"  Marty asked Thomas.

"It does, but that is not all.  As you should have already noticed, it is also absorbing your Ki.  So long as a source is considered energy, it can store it up to a certain amount. We can extract energy in different forms, but we are struggling in this regard. It will take on different colors depending upon the energy stored in it.  On top of this, we have seen it grow when supplied with energy. However, this is extremely slow and impractical."

"I see.  This could have different practical uses."  Marty replied as he handed it back to Thomas.

"Next we have this,"  Thomas said as he picked up and handed Marty a small object shaped like a rectangle.

"A CPU?"

"Close,"  He replied as Marty reached out to touch it.

As he did so, a jolt like electricity snaked through his arm into his head. Marty’s body shook in shock and pain as he started to fall forward before he caught himself. He placed his hand on his pounding forehead as vision fluctuated between clear, blurry, and black.  After a couple more seconds, he finally noticed a hand on his shoulder that supported him.

"Are you okay, Marty?"  Thomas asked with an expression that showed honest concern.

"Give me a sec,"  Marty replied as he began to concentrate in an attempt to figure out what had happened.

It seemed as though the way his brain functioned was completely different than just a moment ago. Only a single thought brought about a lot of information in a simplified form.  It was almost as if his mind had become that of a computer without a visual interface. Coupled with his photographic memory, the amount of information was immense but did not overwhelm him.  Strangely, it was almost like the information was more detailed or could be accessed more efficiently. As he began to wonder what had happened, his mind couldn’t help but wander to the place, or rather, the person it usually did.  He saw the scene of a setting sun on a balcony joined by a woman with golden hair whose beauty could not be defined in words that would do her credit. The realism made him believe as if he was there again. Then, he heard his voice as it played like a video.

["Freyja, do you love me?"

Tears slowly started to form in her eyes. "I do." She softly whispered. "I love you."

He slowly brought her close and...]

Then the scene flashed and changed.  Marty found himself in a bedroom illuminated by the white fire.  She was there, in his arms. Blood flowed from the massive wound in her chest and began to spill from her mouth as she coughed weakly. 

["I love you."

"I love you too, My Hero."  She replied with a painful and beautiful smile.”]

"Marty?" Thomas said as he began to shake Marty violently which snapped him out of it.

"I'm okay, I'm okay,"  Marty replied as he righted himself and held back his tears.

"You're bleeding."

Marty’s fingers became sticky from his blood when he checked his nose. As he cleaned the blood, he subtly used Emotion Magic to stop the bleeding.

"Did the genius’s mind overheat?"  A new voice asked from behind.

Marty turned around and saw a man who appeared to be in his late 50s with gray hair and wore a business suit.

"Mr. Smith," Thomas said.  "What are you doing here?"

"I find it prudent to keep a close eye on my investments."  He said with a smile that seemed honest, yet hid an air of shrewdness.

"Complaints?"  Marty asked in a tone which expressed his disapproval at being called an investment.

"None at all, none at all,"  He replied with a small chuckle.  "I have been reading all of your theories;  I particularly enjoyed your theories involving the sudden appearance of other worlds.  The line that got me was: 'the creation of these worlds could be due to the veil between reality, and the imaginary is crumbling.’ Using the evidence of the world you went to, being the legends of Siegfried and King Arthur, makes a convincing argument."

"And if that theory is true, then that makes it terrifying."

"How so?" Thomas asked.

"If it is true and the imagination of humanity is causing this, then let me ask you.  When it comes to stories and legends told, the imagination of humanity in all of its history, what stands out the strongest?"

"The gods,"  Mr. Smith replied matter-of-factly.

"That is correct.  The terrifying thing is that in most of the stories, they come down to earth."

"So you're saying one day we may end up with gods walking among us?"  Thomas asked.

"Along with all the doomsday devices, mankind has dreamed up in fiction and the like, sure."

"That is troubling,"  Thomas said as he had grasped the implication.

"At any rate, what was that thing you're about to hand me?  It just gave me a splitting headache."

"Strange, I have not heard of anyone suffering adverse effects.  At any rate, you were very close. It's not called the CPU but MPU which stands for Magic Processing Unit.  It is an essential component of Computational Magic.

We regularly use and will be using, one of its Magical functions for the Ability Rankings called Rewrite.  The Magic creates a field that monitors any living thing that enters for changes that during their time within it.  That's where the MPU comes in. It does all the necessary calculations. Then, when critical damage is detected, it will automatically restore the parts of the body to the last instant when the problem was not present."

"Sounds handy.  It must possess ridiculous processing power."

"Indeed, it does.  At this point, we have yet to understand its full processing capabilities."

"But if it rewrites everything, then what the subject's memories disappear?"

"That does not happen.  It only rewrites the affected part.  If the affected part were the brain, most of the time, the result would be death.  While it is true the memory would be rewritten; you would still remember up to the point before the incurred damage."

"… It sounds you had someone experience that."  Marty said as he looked at Mr. Smith with an accusatory expression.

"It was completely successful,"  Mr. Smith said with a smile. "Even if it wasn't, his family was going to be well compensated regardless."

"I'm sure.  I must say, this is quite a dangerous combination you have.  A unit which has processing power still not fully understood and the ability to convert and store energy from any form to any form.  You aren't, by any chance, using your assets to build an Army, are you?" Marty asked with a glare.

"Of course not,"  He replied with a laugh and a smile that was not believable.  "If we were, they would only be to protect humanity against the threats you have just previously mentioned."

"And I'm sure they will never be abused,"  Marty said with a sarcastic tone as he rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of abusing Offworld Tech," Thomas interjected, "We've recently been running into an organization that seems to be doing just that."

"Really?  Who and how?"

"How is not known.  We've only recently established an easy means of contact with another world, aside from yours, of course."

"I’d like to hear about that too, but first, who?"

"Once again, this is unknown.  They appear to be a global crime syndicate, but this is conjecture based on their symbol which has appeared in various places.  Here look," Thomas said as he showed a picture from his tablet. On it were 24 snakelike necks in a circle faced in the same direction.  They surrounded an eagle which was perched upon the letters SPQR.

"What is known?"  Marty asked.

"They appear to go by the name Hydra,"  He responded.

"That does make sense as each of the snakes could represent the heads of a Hydra.  Given their formation, a circle, it also implies infinity. Perhaps the 24 heads are also a reference to this.  The Hydra is also known for growing up two heads when one is destroyed. It also shows up in the 12 labors of Hercules.  Dividing 24 divided by 2 gives us 12, which could imply each head was cut once already, but I might be reading too far into this.  What's somewhat interesting is the combination of the Hydra and the Eagle. However, the relationship may be nothing more than a coincidence as SPQR with the Eagle is generally considered to be the mark of the Roman legion, which is more likely to be the intended correlation.  The Legion, at the time, was known for being numerous and is even referenced biblically. This coincides with the Hydra and infinity themes."

"Analyzed splendidly,"  Mr. Smith said.

"You are a wealth of information."  Thomas nodded in apparent awe.

"I'm starting to think I'm something like a living computer.  What was this about establishing communication with another world?”

"The same world where we obtained the MPU,"  Mr. Smith answered. "They are an extremely technologically advanced society who harness magic through their technology.  It seems they were able to replicate the portal that Abductee went through and use it to establish a portal which could freely be passed through."

"Please tell me you guys have it in a quarantine zone that can be completely sealed off in the case of chemical or biological warfare."

"Of course.  We also meticulously check what we import."

"What on earth are we getting?  And what could they possibly want from us?"

"MPUs for one.  Information is also valuable, but we also obtain extremely advanced technologies to both use and study.  On a side note, they are also selling us fully integrated virtual reality, which we plan to make commercial within the year."

"Seriously?  What on earth are we giving them is worth that?"

"Food.  It seems that they had many genetically modified mass-produced foods.  Several fell victim to errors in their DNA; others couldn’t handle changes to the climate; others from a lack of immunity to disease or bugs and others still from biological warfare.  The representative I spoke to was quite thankful. It seems that the population was starting to recover from the physical and mental damages brought about by poor immunization practices."

"… Please tell me the government is aware of this and is taking notes.  Are you sure this isn't earth in 50 years?"

"Quite sure, they have a completely different history."

"I'd like to see more of this technology."

"At a later time then.  Thomas, see that it gets done."

"Understood,"  He said as he wrote something on his tablet.

“This world wouldn’t happen to have something like a personal android, would it?” Marty asked.

“Yes, they do,” Thomas replied.  “May I ask why?”

“It would be convenient to have a permanent caretaker for the house.  How intelligent is it?”

“The one we have is knowledgeable.”

“Would it be capable of tutoring?”

“Possibly, I am not too familiar with it.  I assume you want one.”

“If possible.”

“Go ahead and give him the new model they are going to deliver soon,”  Mr. Smith said.

“Sir? That wasn’t a cheap acquisition.” Thomas replied, surprised.

“I don’t want to keep raising my debts unnecessarily,” Marty said with a sigh.

“That’s okay,” Mr. Smith replied with a laugh.  “That ring you gave us is already splendidly helping where there is a language barrier.  Consider it on-the-house.”

“Thank you, though that doesn’t seem like a fair trade.”

“Expect it the next couple of days.  Your facilities should be done by around then as well.”

“Very well.”

"Pardon me for interrupting, but the tester is here."  One of the men behind a desk of computers said.

"Perfect," Thomas said as the three of them went to the window to observe.  "To establish the Ability Ranking, have you participants fight in a mock battle against someone with an Ability Rank of B.  All fights are done within a Rewrite Field so permanent physical damage is nonexistent."

"Just the mental trauma remains,"  Marty said under his breath as he looked down to the field below.

The man Marty saw looked very familiar.  He had black hair and a broad face which was proportional to the rest of his body.  He was a couple of inches taller than Marty and was very muscular. An apt description would be a human tank.

"At any rate, the testers name is-"

"Carl?"  Marty asked.

"Yes, his name is Carl.  Do you know him?"

"Yeah, we were acquainted a while back.  I heard he got Abducted a while ago. He came back in my absence then?"

"Around two weeks after.  He came back a fighter proficient with Reinforcer Ki."  Thomas said as he looked through his tablet.

"I imagine his martial arts background also helped him there."

"Probably.  At any rate, the young ladies are here, so why don’t we watch?" Thomas said as they all looked down at the stadium.

The field was a simple dirt field surrounded by bleachers with a very thick plastic which separated the two.

“I’m going to put several filters on the monitors and let the audio through.”  One of the people behind the long row of computers said before she grabbed a microphone.  “Will Shiro please head into the arena.”

After a couple of seconds, Shiro entered the ring.  She had changed her clothes to a white t-shirt and green shorts. 

“What a cute young lady,” Mr. Smith observed.

"I'm sure you have already been briefed on all of them,"  Marty replied with a hint of hostility.

"Now now then, let's watch."  

"So you're the first of five?  And a catgirl?" Carl asked as Shiro drew close.  "Don't worry about a thing and come at me with everything you've got."

Shiro tilted her head with a cute expression.  "I was told I’m not supposed to go all out until I can measure my opponent’s strength and exploit their weaknesses."

[It defeats the purpose if you tell them, though.]  Marty thought to himself.

Surprise covered Carl's face before he began to laugh.  "Your instructor must be quite a terrifying person."

"Only when he's angry,"  She replied with a small smile.

"I see.  Well, let's go."  He said as he took a stance and raised his Ki.

Shiro did the same and matched his Ki Rank.

"They are both at Ki Rank 6." One of the scientists behind the computer said.

"Impressive,"  Carl said to Shiro while he gathered his Ki around him.

While not as much, Shiro put Ki around herself as well.  However, she focused most of the Ki within her body to her hands, feet, and legs.

"Here I come,"  She said with a serious expression as her eyes narrowed like a cat's.

The moment before she sprints forward, Carl visibly flinch.  Marty wasn’t surprised at all. The first time he faced Shiro under similar circumstances, he felt the same thing.  Her natural fighting instinct transferred through Ki Pressure.

Carl’s face changed from shock to neutral as Shiro closed in.  The speed she moved was faster than her stature and Ki would suggest.  In a flash, she gave him an uppercut toward the chest which he blocked with his hands.  The next instant, Carl kicked with his left. In response, Shiro jumped up, jumped off his leg, grabbed his left arm, and kicked at the side of his face as her Ki rose considerably.  However, he managed to raise his own Ki and blocked with his right arm to protect his face.

"What a splendid fighter,"  Mr. Smith said.

"What's wrong?"  One of the researchers asked another.

"It wasn’t for very long, but the little girl's Ki was at Rank 7,"  He said in a small state of shock.

"To think that little girl could fight on par with a Rank B,"  Thomas said in awe.

"She just took the upper hand,"  Marty bluntly said which caused some confusion in the observation room.

"What did you do to my arm?"  Carl asked Shiro as his left arm hung limp.

"Don't worry, I'll fix it when we're done,"  She said as they slowly separated from each other.

"We're not done yet,"  Carl said with a smile that Marty had only seen him give worthy opponents while he also took a stance to diminish the loss of his arm.

"What did she do?"  One of the scientists mumbled to himself while he looked at the monitor.  "His Ki isn't flowing through his arm, but the system isn't finding anything wrong with him."

"Probably because she didn't technically damage it,"  Marty answered which gained everyone's interest. "It was a surprisingly smart and deceptive move.  Humans are more likely to protect their face automatically. She attacked that while simultaneously raising her Ki to increase the threat causing him to focus both his attention and Ki to it.  However, instead of putting most the Ki into her leg, she put it into her hand, allowing her to break through his Ki defenses and seal off what is known as a Ki Point. Unless you have the knowledge and proficient Manipulator Ki skills, it cannot be fixed, outside of the passage of time.  The system probably doesn't recognize it as damaged as nothing is harmed or it’s simply outside of its parameters."

[She also used what little magic she could and destroyed some of the Ki, but I probably shouldn't mention that.]  Marty thought as everyone focused back to the match.

"Sorry, I'm going to go all out now," Shiro said with a serious expression as she gathered most of it into her right hand.

"Seriously?"  Carl muttered under his breath as he also gathered his Ki.

For a brief moment, they both stood still.  Then, Shiro launched herself toward him. In a move that seemed to be one of desperation, Carl focused all the Ki he could into his working hand and took the punch.  The impact caused his arm to collapse into his chest as he slid on the ground several feet. His hand showed signs of damage from the blow, but he still stood firm. Everyone who observed is deathly quiet.

"No good,"  Shiro said with a disappointed look.  "I'm not strong yet."

A look of shock comes over Carl's face at her statement.  "Scary, this girl is scary. What's with your standard of strength?"  He asked as he looked up toward the observation deck. "Please tell me you got enough data.  I can keep fighting, but I really don't want to. I'd never live it down if I end up hurting such a little girl because I had to go all out."

"Understood, we'll stop here."  One of the scientists said. "Any thoughts or input?"

"I've never heard of a technique to seal someone's Ki before.  And the sheer amount of Ki she has... I don't think anyone in the world I went to that had as much Ki around her age.  In short, this little girl is going to be a monster.” Carl answered with a smile.

“Understood.  We just used Rewrite.  Any problems?”

“Did you only do the damage reset and not general? There is no change in my left arm.”

“I’ll fix that,”  Shiro said as she pressed the point again.

“When did you-” Carl said as he flinched at her sudden presence.  “Oh, my arm feels fine now,” He said as he clenched his fist.

"So how exactly are the Ability Ranking's decided?"  Marty asked one of the scientists.

"We have the computer compare the battle to other people with an Ability Ranking.  After that, the information goes to a panel who analyze it for whatever the computer simulation might've missed.  For example, the computer did not recognize when she sealed his arm even though it was quite the technique."

"With the information you have, what do you think her Ability Ranking will be?"

"Given the amount of Ki she appears to have based on that final punch, I'd say her Power Ranking is B.  Because that technique appears dependent upon the amount of Ki she has, her Technique Ranking will most likely be ranked just below.  She doesn't have enough to get into the upper ranks, but she's going to be in the high side of the lower ranks."

"I see,"  Marty replied as he pondered the information before he turned to Mr. Smith.  "It would be convenient if we could all stay together."

"I understand.  That shouldn't be an issue so long as there is no… Display of abilities clearly above hers."

Marty nodded as one of the scientists once again went to the mic.  "Thank you, Shiro. That is all we require of you. You may go back now.  If Caelia could please come to the arena."

Shiro waved to Carl cutely as she left while Caelia entered with the same clothing.  She gave Shiro a passing high-five. The angle of the observation deck revealed the black staff she carried perpendicular to the ground, and she held onto the end instead of the center.  As she approached Carl, she swayed it back and forth in her grip.

"Say, Marty," Thomas began.  "Is that black staff?…"

"It's fine so long as she doesn't assist right?"  

"I suppose…" Thomas said as they focused their attention at the stadium.

"First a cute little girl, now a Crimson-haired beauty is it?"  Carl said at Caelia's approach.

Caelia flinched at his words.  "Are all men from this world so direct?"  She asked him.

Carl laughed.  "You've got a lot to get used to, young lady.  If you're ready, let's begin." He answered as he took his stance and raised his Ki.

"Carl seems to be taking this more seriously from the beginning,"  Mr. Smith observed.

"That's good.  If she's planning what I think she's planning, she could finish it with the first strike."  

"Here I come,"  Carl said as he dashed forward.

Suddenly, Caelia strangely moved her body faster than the average human eye could catch.  Carl's head bent back, and he came to a stop and jumped back. Most of the people who watched were in shock at the turn of events.

"His reflexes sure are good for him to react to that even though he could not dodge it completely,"  Marty said with a look of slight surprise.

Blood trickled down Carl's forehead as he continued to maintain his distance from her.

"A projectile that can go through Ki?" he asked, but she does not answer.

Taking the initiative, Caelia attacked.  Unlike the initial attack, Carl was now on the defensive.  She did the same attack three more times at his chest which he managed to deflect before he threw a punch at her.  Unable to back away in time, she moved the black staff infused with her Ki to block, which gave her the time to put distance between them.

"Where did you pull that staff out of?"  Carl asked with an expression of shock.

"I've always been holding it,"  She replied with a sly and enchanting smile as she took a stance with it.

"Why is he talking like he couldn't see it until now?"  Thomas asked.

"Because he couldn't.  The way she was holding the staff hid it behind her hand and arm from his eyes.  With some basic understanding of angles and using her natural charm to draw their attention, she hides her staff from view.  Then she very quickly thrusts and returns it. If done correctly, even if they can see it, all they see is the end of the staff without realizing that it is a staff.  It's the reason why he thought it was a projectile."

"Then why did he ask if it could go through Ki?"  One of the scientists asked.

"She utilized her world's Magic to destroy his Ki,"  Marty replied.

"There's a magic that can do that?" the scientist asked with a look of surprise.

"I can't say I understand all the intricacies of it, though,"  Marty replied with a half-truth and a poker face as he focused his attention back to the arena.

Caelia raised her Ki before she charged at Carl.  She held her staff in the middle as she switched to close-range combat.  With a flurry, she attacked his sides. Carl winced in pain as the blows managed to get through his Ki and strike his body directly, though they were weakened.  Perhaps because she had gotten confident, Caelia began to wind up a more significant swing than usual. Seizing the opportunity, Carl made a quick kick toward her midsection.  Unable to get her staff in front of the blow in time, she moved her hand in the path of the kick, but not enough to stop it before it struck her. Instead, she raised her Ki even more and took the blow.  For a couple of seconds, neither of them moved as Caelia's fingers bled where they touched his leg.

After she removed her hand substantially from his leg, Carl quickly retreated and kept pressure off of his leg as it continued to bleed from both sides as if it was pierced.

"A Ki Blade is it?  And something else that makes my Ki disappear."  Carl said as he retook his stance.

"So Shiro didn't use it then,"  Caelia replied.

Carl's eyes widened when he heard her.  "Are you telling me that little girl could do it too?”

"That's enough."  A scientist said to end the match.  "Any thoughts, Carl?"

"Any longer and I would've had to go all out.  I doubt I could win unless I went all out from the beginning."  He answered as his wounds reverted.

"Understood."  The scientist replied before he cut off the mic.  "In case you were wondering, her Power Ranking is at least C. However, her technique is most definitely B if not quite S.  The ability to bypass or destroy Ki is scarce, and being able to do it effectively against an Ability Rank B makes it quite effective."

"I see."

"Thank you, Caelia. We are done so you can return.  Can Cali please come to the arena."

[Oh, this ought to be good.]  Marty thought with a small smirk.

"I'm already here."  A disembodied voice rings through the speakers from the arena.

The staff Caelia held turned to black dust before it became Cali's humanoid form.  Everyone in the observation deck aside from Thomas and Marty had their mouths hang loosely, and their eyes were wide.

"What did I just see?" One of the scientists asked.

"Hey, if she was the staff, then did Caelia technically cheat?"  Another also chipped in.

"I didn't help her.  She did it on her own."  Cali said as she looked up at the observation deck, which caused all of them to flinch.

"Is the mic still on?"  The scientist in charge of the mic asked while she confirmed that it was off.

"No,"  Marty responded.  "We’re just quite close, and we can sense basic information from each other from a distance."

"Mind-reading?"

"No.  Not a single part of her is organic, so she doesn't have a mind to read."

"True, the system isn't registering her as a living being.  This is phenomenal! Here we have a sentient life form not based on life as we know it!"

"She's not allowed to be a test subject,"  Mr. Smith added as if he read Marty’s mind, much to the disappointment of many of the scientists.

"Are you ready?"  Carl asked her to which she nodded.  "Then come," He said as he raised his Ki and kept his guard up as well as his distance.

Cali charged forward and in a strange way as she appeared to hover just above the ground after she pushed forward.  While her speed wasn’t quite that of Caelia's or Shiro's, it was still quite respectable. Desensitized due to the previous two matches, Carl lowered his stance to meet her height better and threw an uppercut towards her.  As his fist made contact, the lower half of her body broke apart into dust as her upper half shot toward his face and caught him off guard. The part of her arms below her elbow became twin blades which she crossed at his throat destroyed his Ki there.  For a couple of seconds, they stared at each other. His expression of surprise and shock compared to her expressionless face. Blood dripped from where her blade touched his throat. After a couple, he made a couple of quick dashes back.

"What's with the scary little girls?"  Carl muttered to himself. "No, wait. She could be older than her appearance as she doesn't have a body.  Cali, how old are you?" 

She tilted her head cutely with her expressionless face and lowered her arms, which were still transformed into blades.  "Six months."

An expression of shock appeared on everyone's faces, more so than when she revealed herself. After seconds of stillness and silence, Carl's laugh filled the air.  "This is my fifth time as a tester, and I must say so far you girls take the cake. I'm getting worried about the next two fights. Thank you for not taking my head, but now we should continue."  He said as he took his stance

Cali's face remained expressionless as she charged forward again.  Her arms ceased to be blades before her right hand became a short spear.  When she got in range, she began to stab at him quickly while she extended and retracted the length of the spear seamlessly.  However, Carl was able to deflect all of these, which negated her ability to destroy his Ki on impact. After the second deflection, he began to advance toward her while he continued to deflect.  Once he got close enough to attack, he threw a punch toward her again. In response, Cali's hair unnaturally moved before it turned into spikes to protect her. Carl backed off, but Cali changed her hair into blades which she slashed at him repeatedly.  Suddenly, Carl tripped on a piece of earth that Cali had raised without his notice as he traveled backward. The surprise of him being thrown off balance slowed him down enough so that Cali could catch up to him. With two swift movements, her hair blades cut into his arms as blood began to flow.  Carl managed to do a backward roll and regain his balance some distance from her as he grimaced in.

"That's enough."  The scientist said.  "Thoughts, Carl?"  

"I wouldn't call her the strongest so far, but I would say she's potentially the most dangerous.  Especially if she could still function while in weapon form being wielded by someone else." He replied as Cali nodded to affirm his statement.  "That's quite the terrifying thought."

"Understood.  Since she didn't have Ki and didn’t display anything we recognize as Power, it's a little harder to determine her Power Ranking.  However, her Technique Ranking should be quite high."

"I expected as much," Marty replied.

"Thank you, Cali.  Can Morgan please come to the arena."

Expressionlessly, Cali waved to Carl as she left, which he returned as Morgan entered the arena to take her place.

"Another young lady?"  Carl muttered to himself at her approach.

"Is that not obvious?"  Morgan responded with an upset tone and expression.

"I apologize, I meant no offense,"  He said with a respectful nod.

"I suppose I shall accept that apology,"  She replied with an upturned face.

"If you are both ready, please begin."  The scientist said.

They both nodded, and Carl raised his Ki and took a stance.  Morgan did the same, but her Ki barely reached Rank 4 as she had hardly spent any time to train it.

"It appears the other matches have left Carl feeling a need to be cautious,"  Mr. Smith observed as Carl had made no move to approach.

"While it will be a good way to see her abilities, I don't think giving her time is a good idea,"  Marty replied.

Just after he spoke, a jet of steam erupted from her hand and enveloped Carl quickly along with a wide area around him.  What appeared to be a flame forms in her hands, which she fired toward the edge of the steam. With impeccable timing, Carl burst out of the steam with watery eyes and ran right into the flame.  In that instant, an explosion occurred. The ground shook, and the steam dissipated as Carl went flying backward. After he struck the ground, he rolled back on his feet. His torn clothes fell to the ground as he covered the burns on his chest.

"So you can destroy my Ki too,"  He said with heavy breath before he coughed up a little blood.

"Sorry,"  Morgan replied.  "They said they could heal you and I don't have the leisure of being able only to inflict minor wounds.  Catch your breath and let me know when you're ready to keep going."

"Don't stop on my account,"  He replied with a smile before he charged at her.

"Too bad,"  Morgan said she closed her eyes.

In the next instant, three flames fell from above in his blind spot and struck him from behind.  The explosion that resulted sent dust and debris in the air, which blocked everyone's’ vision.

"The Auto-Rewrite function just triggered."  One of the scientists said.

"What does that mean?" Marty asked him.

"After a certain amount of damage has been done to an individual, Rewrite is automatically activated.  In this case, we have it set on a relatively low setting so that it occurs before severe damage. However… I think that was achieved."

In the arena, Carl lay face down.  While there was blood on the ground, there were no signs of wounds on his body.  On top of this, his clothes appeared to be completely restored, which was revealed when he stood up.

"I thought you said the system detects living beings?  What restored his clothes?"

"It did that too."  The scientist replied.  "It can also recognize items belong to the person.  It's instrumental if items used are valuable, and one wouldn't use them outside of a life or death situation."

"I see,"  Marty responded as he looked back at the arena and Carl, who now sat on the ground.

"Please tell me you got enough,"  Carl said. "That really hurt."

"Yes," the scientist replied.  "Morgan, that is all required of you.  Carl, your fifth opponent will be there shortly.  Please take this time to gather yourself."

"Thanks,"  Carl said with an exhale as he fell onto his back.  "I'm not sure I'm up for any more surprises today, though."

"Everything looks to be in order."  The scientist said. "Still, I would like to know how such a large explosion came from that little flame,"  He added as he eyed Marty. Everyone else in the room did the same.  

"Fine,"  Marty said with a sigh.  "She started by creating superheated water.  Ki is not a perfect defender. Things that flow, like water, can go through it depending on its density.  Electricity, water, and air are three elemental examples of what has an easier time going through Ki. Steam is perfect against users with Ki defenses because the water, the air used to move the steam, and the heat all have a comparative advantage when dealing with Ki.  As to those flames, they are unique. Inside each flame is a large amount of compressed flammable gas surrounded by a pocket of air. Because of the nature of magic, it is not possible to accidentally ignite the gasses. The explosions are caused simply by their conscious ignition."

"Such complex magic exists without any incantation or noticeable requirement in its use?"

"I suppose.  I am unfamiliar with other types of magic, after all."

"Still, that's basically like having multiple remote bombs."

"By utilizing her Ki, she can increase her control and destructive power though she still has a way to go."

"I see.  Carl, any thoughts?" One of the scientists asked.

"Aside from the fact that I almost died?  While the technique is strong and has quite a bit of power, I don't think it will be as effective against those who don't rely on Ki.  I also have the feeling that she was the only one so far who didn't hold back."

"Understood."  The scientist replied before she turned to Marty.  "Technique-wise it is also very high. Most likely she will receive a lower Power Ranking, but Magic is harder to categorize.  You should make your way down there to him now."

"Understood,"  Marty replied as he turned around.  "Don't expect much, though. Oh, by the way, fix my clothes if they get messed up, will you?"

...

After a short walk, Marty made his way toward the entrance of the arena.  It appeared as though the girls all decided to stay in the stands to watch.  As he entered the arena, he saw Carl, who was still on the ground.

"You look terrible for a guy that just got hit on by four girls, Carl,"  Marty said with a slight smirk as he halted his approach.

"That voice,"  Carl said before he stood up and turned to face him.  A smile appeared on his lips as he let out a small chuckle.  "I said I wasn't in the mood for any more surprises, and this is the biggest one of all.  Didn’t think we would meet again here, Senpai."

"Don't call me that.  I'm four years your junior, and this isn't karate lessons."

"I suppose not.  Sensei was disappointed after you left, though. I heard after you left that he made you his assistant after only one month.  You just took your black belt and ran."

"I meant no offense; I couldn't advance any further there.  I must say I gained more by imitating fighting videos than I did there."

"So what did you do after that?"

"I spent the summer at a place where multiple high-ranking black belts were.  I advanced so quickly and was so young that they decided to make me an eighth dan."

"Doesn’t that make you a monster?"  Carl asked with a chuckle.

"Look who's talking, I don't think any normal human could beat you with your Ki."

"And what did you do after that?"

"I studied abroad in Japan for a time reaching Tenth Dan in both karate and judo there."

"Seriously?  Weren't you 15?"

"Yes, that was my 15th year."

"Then did you come back and invent a martial art or something?"

"No, I spent my time learning Jeet Kune Do until I turned 16.  Then I started playing video games and stopped fighting."

A look of surprise came across Carl's face before he laughed again.  "Such a waste."  

"I had a lot of anger and frustration to vent.  By that time, most of it had gone away."

"Still, I get the feeling you haven’t forgotten any of it,"  He replied with a smile as he was vaguely aware of Marty’s superior memory.  "So you got Abducted too, sometime after me?"

"Yes, I went and visited Sensei little while ago, and he said you disappeared though that was nearly a year ago.  I was abducted three months ago."

"You weren't gone for that long then.  Did you learn any new fighting techniques?"

"... A few."

"I see you have Ki."

"That's what everyone tells me.  I'd like to think I got by on my intellect."

"Yes, that does suit you better."

"We probably should get started.  You can't tell from here, but we have some significant people watching, and I would hate to waste their time."

"Fine by me,"  He replied as he took a stance and raised his Ki.

"You aren't going to go easy on me?"  Marty asked as he took a soft fighting stance.

"Not a chance,"  He replied with a smile.  "I never had a chance before, and I would like to beat you this time."

"I figured as much,"  Marty said with a sigh.  "Then let's go."

Carl charged at him before he threw a punch in his face.  Marty stepped into it as the wind of Carl’s fist scraped past his cheek, and he sent a right-hook.  Marty’s hand stopped just as he touched his face as Carl’s Ki intercepted, but some damage got through.  In the next moment, Carl kicked Marty in the chest which Marty caught. To keep the pretense that he didn’t know how to use Ki, he did not nullify the blow.  With a quick movement, Marty hooked his leg around Carl’s other leg as he forced him on the ground. However, Carl also managed to grab and throw Marty behind him.  Marty was sent a short distance before he landed on his feet. They locked eyes for a second and had a staredown before Carl charged. Carl punched, but this time, Marty leaned back and slid on his feet.  Given his position, extremely close and below Carl, Marty grabbed his leg and shoulder and quickly threw him into the air. An expiration of surprise came over him as he found himself upside down in midair.  In the next instant, Marty leaped backward, coiled his body, and threw a mid-air elbow which struck Carl in the chest. Once again, Carl’s Ki did not allow for a direct impact, but it did not prevent him from being sent flying.  The speed surprised even Marty as his strength had exceeded his expectations. Carl hit the ground and rolled twice before he got on his feet. He slid for a second before he unleashed more Ki than he had ever done to this point.  With a speed that Marty could not adequately react to, he sent a punch with his left which Marty blocked with crossed arms and jumped backward to lessen the blow. Before Marty could get away, Carl sent his right fist into his gut. Marty exhaled in pain as Carl twisted his fist into his gut. He strained his muscles as much as possible and jumped back to prevent some of the damage, but was still sent flying.  After he struck the ground once, he slammed into the side of the arena hard and ended up in a familiar posture.

"That's enough."  The scientist said through the microphone.  "Any thoughts, Carl?"

"His fighting ability is not to be trifled with, but it still falls into the realm of what any human can achieve… Theoretically.  While it does appear as though he came back with Ki, I can't say it was a factor in that fight."

"Understood, thank you.  Marty, you're free to go."

"I shall take my leave then,"  Marty said as he stood up.

"We will be in the same Interaction, and Combat Class so don't be a stranger,"  Carl said as he extended his arm.

"Don't expect too much of me.  I'm not a social butterfly." Marty replied as he shook his hand.

"Next time we fight, let's continue until there is a clear victor."

"Perhaps," Marty said with a small smile.  "When I've increased my abilities."

End of Day -137