[A/N: Hey guys. So I tried putting a lot into this fight scene. Real difficult but fun. So I was contemplating if to have the characters call out some of their moves, so I'd like to hear your opinion on that. Thanks.] 

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Part 3

Up above the arena four translucent screens float. The boxed magical screens showed the battle fought inside the arena to the spectators.

From above you could see smoke from the simulated environment at two ends, the positions of battles taking place, settling.

A one end, from where the smoke came, Rinji had such thoughts:

[Oh God of boobs, I have violated my ideals of aesthetics. Forgive me. I didn't mean to. I was only in the moment. I love boobs of all sizes. Even if the small ones are, well, too small to hold~]

...

Meanwhile.

Somewhere in the forest.

Ozaki and Nori strolled through the forest, the sounds of battle came in from the distance.

Even though a simulation, realistic at that, it was eerily quiet. As if knowing predators lurked...

Walking on for a while Ozaki stopped, a step behind Nori did as well.

"I know you're out here Kaede. You know you can't hide from me. So let's not play this hide and seek game and face each other head on. See who is superior, who is worthy of whom."

He spoke loudly into the forest. As he spoke he took both hands to the side grabbing air. He drew out his right, a trail of flame, he twirled it around settling it to his other side, a flame sword.

A pyromancer. One with the ability to control and create fire. That included shaping and constructs.

Trained to the absolute limit, in theory, on could see the heat emanating from all bodies. And with extreme precision and concentration, one could control the temperature in the bodies, raising it up to the point of combustion, or taking it away leaving it without warm to survive, freezing it.

As he was still young and in training he hand only grasped the basics, much less how to differentiate them, of such theory, even though his aptitude of handling of the flames were quite high.

He could barely feel the wisps of warmth around. The warm footprints not too far and the warm palmprints on the trunks of the trees.

"Still going on with that, Ozaki." She came out from cover of a tree to their side. A sleepy Inyx by her side. Ozaki and Nori turn to them.

"Kaede... Of course. I made a promise."

"I told you, time and again, let go of the past. We're not kids anymore. Why let our families dictate our lives, what we must be?"

"This is not about family, Kaede. It's about us."

"You know very well there has never been or will be an us." Saying so she glanced over at Nori and could only sigh. "Still the same, I see."

Nori stared for a moment before lowing her gaze.

Ignoring this Ozaki spoke again. "That is why we are here now Kaede. A chance to make it so. A chance for us. Even though it was--is a wish of our families, it is also mine. I 'will' win and you will be part of our squad once again. And then a chance for us to start what we never had. I will prove to you I am stronger to be by your side."

"'There will never be an us'" She looks at Nori. "... What about you, Nori? Are you happy with things as they are"

"..." Nori looked away.

Kaede once again gave an exasperated sigh. "... In any case, what now?"

"... This is your fight. I have no plans of interfering nor fighting. There is no sense in having the girl at your side waste precious lifeforce for such pointless thing as an evaluation. So rest assured." She said as she walked off to the side, towards where what was left of what was probably a wall, and sat.

Kaede looked to Inyx and with a nod confirmed, "Go on."

Inyx slowly walked over and sat beside Nori. A moment later lowered herself resting her head to her lap. A little surprised a moment later Nori regained her nonchalant expression.

"Well, shall we? Ozaki said, putting his left hand behind his back solidifying his stance. "I won't hold back."

"Let's see how far you've come then." She lowered to a stance, one hand on the scabbard just above the hand guard and the other on the hilt.

The air tensed up...

... They dashed at each other.

Before her opponent Yasagawa quickly drew her sword for a slash. Ozaki brought down his flame sword and parried. When the two weapons met they repelled each other. But they brought their swords back, clashing again and again. Their fluid moveset, and slight flashy evasion like choreographed dance.

After being repelled once more, instantly the flame sword in Ozaki's hand elongated into a spear, the tip from below, he spun it--

Quick to react Yasagawa leap back, flipped over, to create some distance. Landing, without hesitation she rushed in again, slashing her Katana.

Having a longer reach he performed quick thrusts at her, she dodged, deflected, and rolled around to also avoid the flames that occasionally spewed out. When she deflected or dodged he brought the spear around using it's momentum to attack again.

The grounds, now scorched and dugout, and the trees set aflame yet still the fought unhinged.

The other two, Inyx and Nori, were seated not minding the flames and debris from the destruction. If any came close they were put out by an invisible for, like a shield created around them by Nori, an effect achieved by her Telekinesis.

Spectating the bouts in the arena, the spectators roared and cheered as the groups clashed.

"Check it out. The unnamed are putting up a fight."

"Shocking... but pointless."

"Just give it up already."

"It's obvious who's going to be the winner."

"It's a pointless endeavor."

Such were mixed with the roars of the spectators.

Ozaki spun the spear around his neck stretching it out even longer to create some space, she managed to block but the force carried her a few inches in the air, before returning to its previous height.

Yasagawa skid backwards to a halt. She returned the sword back to its scabbard holding on to hilt and scabbard. She run an arc around him ahead of the small fire lances Ozaki shot at her as it missed blasting wholes into the ground.

She tighten her grips, "Yasagawa sword technique, Fourth form, Phantom Slash."

So quick, the sword came out from the scabbard and returned once again as if nothing had happened. Eight barely visible slashes whizzed towards Ozaki, she following behind it.

This sword technique was one she had created on her own, through years if hard training, observation and assimilation of other sword styles. To be a set of Seven, one was still in testing phase and the last two, abstracts in theory.

Seeing the faintly visible slashes heading for him he spun the spear before him. With control assist it spun even quicker creating a flame shield.

The slashes hit the spear-spun-shield only breaking small gaps in the flame shield but not penetrating and immediately closing up.

When he stopped spinning she was already close, a step outside his spear's reach. If he had delayed in taking down the she'd she would have been on top of him ready to deliver the final blow.

"... Second for--"

Before she could finish, using the second form of her technique to shorten up and bypass Ozaki thrusted the full length of the spear at her.

Quickly catching herself mid-technique prep in the path of spear Yasagawa flipped herself over, a light step on the spear's tip, pulled out her sword and leaped.

It was a close call. With the closed gap it would be difficult to maneuver with the spear so instead... the spear morphed in his hand--

When her sword came down it was met with a whip in his hands, blocking.

The whip was long and coil around him, like it was alive, slithering like snake. Immediately its stinger-like end came at her shoulder. Catching it at the corner of her eyes she shifted her upper body and it graze her, clean through that part of her dress, cauterizing the scratch before it could bleed.

It didn't stop. One of the coils lashed out with great force. She tumbled a few times before she managed correct herself mid tumble and stopping her momentum by sticking her sword into the ground.

Bruised and battered all over from tumbling she felt more pain on her stomach and held it with her right. Where she held, the dress was burnt off and her skin scalded.

"You almost had me there. But as you can see, kaede. You're not the only one who trained endlessly. Just a little more and even you would be no match for me. So let's stop with this pitiful performance and accept defeat."

"... Really? Just a couple of hits and you get complacent." She said standing herself up.

Just as she ended. Ozaki felt something trickle down his cheek.

Reaching to touch it he look at his red stained hand, blood.

"When did you?"

He also felt a stinging pains, to his shoulder on one arm and on the other just above the elbow, and a prick to his neck.

When had she done it. The very moment she took out her sword, when she landed on the tip of the spear, drawing the sword, an ever subtle shake of the sword she sent out little phantom slashes. But because of how sharp the cut was he only just felt it, along with it cuts of his shirt.

At that point her realized she could have ended right there and then...