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Issue #37: X, Clash. 

(General P.O.V)

The tension was palpable.

The standoff almost cinematic.

The only thing missing was a tumbleweed rolling across the practice mat in between them.

"I have questions."

Kane spoke up, twirling the Kendo stick in hand.

"Mmph."

The judge snorted.

"Earn your right to ask them by defeating me."

Defeating him. Kane liked that arrangement. He liked it a lot.

On some unforeseen signal, the Assassin rushed at the Judge, his Kendo stick held low, the tip facing downward. 

Upon close proximity, the assassin wound his hand up, slashing out with the shinai.

Thwack!

The Kendo stick was easily blocked by Rhadamanthus, who failed to move a single centimeter, raising his eyebrow as if to ask, 'Is that all you got?'

Kane leaned in, pushing his entire weight onto the weapon.

There was a brief loss of balance as the Judge smoothly sidestepped the assassin.

Kane tumbled forward, but went with the momentum, rolling across the floor before coming up with his weapon held to his front in a defensive move.

His Spider Sense had warned him of a retaliatory strike headed his way.

Thwack!!

The kendo stick in his hands splintered into wooden shards that rained down around his form.

Rhadamanthus stared down at him, a smug smile on his face.

"My win."

Teeth gritted, Kane jumped to his feet, refusing the hand the Judge had offered him.

"You chose to spar using Kendo, which is more of a sporting event."

The Assassin groused in a bad mood.

"This time, I'm choosing the weapons."

Rhadamanthus stared at him for a few seconds before smiling knowingly. With his hand, he motioned at the racks upon racks of deadly tools on the walls.

"Be my guest."

Kane kept silent, instead walking over to the left wall before grabbing the pair of daggers he'd noticed earlier.

They had a dark green handle and the metal that made up the blade was an obsidian black.

The broad side of the blade seemed to suck in all light, before converging it at the sharp edge of the blade. 

Hefting them in his grip, he was happy to find that the weight felt evenly balanced. Just the way he liked it.

He spun around to face his opponent who had a similar pair of daggers in his hands. 

'They fit him well.' The Judge couldn't help but note to himself. 

"These won't break quite as easily."

Now it was Kane's time to act smug. "You ready to lose?"

"Less talking. More doing."

Rhadamanthus said back, his palm doing the come hither motion.

Their second clash happened in the middle of the sparring mat, both having ran forward at the same time.

Sparks were produced from the impact of blade on blade.

Their bodies were suspended in the air for a second or two, before a pressure wave was produced as a result of their clash, throwing them away from each other.

Landing smoothly, Kane pirouetted from a stab, slashing out with his right hand, only for the dagger to get blocked by the Judge crossing his weapons before him.

Kane lashed out with the other hand, prompting Rhadamanthus to kick out and create distance or risk getting his neck sliced open. 

The bottom of his heel landed on a well timed knee block.

The strength behind the kick rattled Kane but he didn't show it, choosing to instead stream right through Rhadamanthus' guard, like water, before going on the offense again.

'He's a natural.' Rhadamanthus couldn't help but think.

Arcs of black flashed out with Kane entering into a storm of blade slashes, while Rhadamanthus was forced to step back, focusing more on the defensive aspect.

Any slash that fell on his body bounced off, leaving deep welts. 

It was undeniable the skill both men displayed but even with that, it was clear Kane was better with daggers.

While Rhadamanthus had dedicated his life and even death into mastering all forms of combat, and as much as his prowess spoke for him, he found himself in awe of the sheer skill the younger man possessed.

This was something that trumped time and effort. Kane's skills were just pure talent.

"And so," the Judge remarked, unsurprised as the edge of the blade pressed against his neck.

"I win," Kane stated simply, devoid of the arrogance Rhadamanthus had anticipated.

A brief silence filled the air.

"What was your question?" the Judge inquired, unperturbed by the blade against his neck.

Kane kept the dagger in place for a few more seconds before lowering it.

"What happened after I fell into the lake?"

Rhadamanthus looked at him weirdly. 

"I thought you were going to ask about your little girlfriend first."

"First of all, she's not my girlfriend."

He hissed, a little too fast. 

"And secondly, I can already guess that's she's back in the world of the living."

A slight shudder racked Kane's form and unknowingly, he tightened his hand on the knives. 

"It only makes rational sense she'd want to be as far away from this place as she can get. Especially with what...we saw that day."

The Judge hummed in thought. 

"I take it then, the two of you witnessed the Master's battle with Lord Zeus."

"Hard to ignore literal white lightning raining down."

The Assassin gave a sarcastic reply. Then his face seemed to flash with something akin to fear, before the fear was replaced with something else. 

Rhadamanthus hesitated to call it resolve. 

"In any case, we had a deal."

Kane pointed the dagger at him, the glare back on his face. 

"Start talking."

(Kane's P.O.V)

Turns out, a lot had happened.

For starters, just like I'd suspected, Ares was on a rampage across the world of the Living.

In addition, he had sent his two sons, Deimos the God of fear and Phobos the God of terror to attack the Underworld Palace as a distraction. 

In the same time as the attack, he'd instigated a mass break out of the Underworld, something that Rhadamanthus said was supposed to be really really impossible. 

Not hard. Not hellish. Just really really impossible. 

And while I knew the Gods were selfish and predictably cruel, 

"So you mean to tell me, Ares risked his kid's lives just so he could slip in and steal the souls of the dead? Not exactly father of the year contendor."

My words made the Judge frown.

"There is precious few a God like Ares would not sacrifice for his agenda." Rhadamanthus remarked with a shake of his head.

"He is a slave to power."

"Still," I shook my head.

"How was he able to enter the Underworld with Cerberus around?"

But even as I asked, I realized the answer was staring at me on the face.

"Persephone's banquet."

I muttered.

During that time, the banquet Hall had been full of various Gods.

It made sense that security would be lax. Or at least lenient during a night of celebration. 

Not to mention, who in their right mind would attack Hades at his own palace during one of the most important events of the year?

"That's Queen Persephone to you, boy."

The Judge derisively pointed out, lobbying a lance at me.

"And if you want more out of me, you will have to defeat me. Again."

Fuming, I promised myself that this was the last time he was ever calling me that.

The shaft of the lance spun around ny dexterous fingers.

Rhadamanthus and I circled one another, assessing each other's movements for openings to attack.

I'll be the first to admit I wasn't as proficient with a lance like other weapons. But I was still trained in the discipline of spear combat.

Specifically, the Japanese Jukendo/Sojutsu and a light dabble in Wushu and Taiji which were Chinese martial arts.

The most important lesson? Footing.

A grounded stance to be precise.

Steady like a mountain but coiled like a snake, ready to pounce.

"Ready when you are."

I gave him the go ahead, waiting for him to attack.

Spinning the spear with an ease that left me gaping, the Judge narrowed his eyes my way.

"Are you sure about that?"

His voice had taken on an edge.

Out of nowhere my body locked up. Spider Sense went crazy.

An ominous aura had enveloped the judge, freezing me in place.

Every potential move I could make, felt like a death sentence, as if the air itself had sharpened around Rhadamanthus.

I tightened my grip on the spear, uncertainty assailing me as I failed to discern a safe opening.

"I'm getting impatient."

This time, the Judge was the first to attack. And from his first step as he sped toward me, I could tell, this fight was not mine.

(General P.O.V)

The spear. Or lance. Whatever you want to call it, was Rhadamanthus most intimate weapon.

He'd killed more enemies than he could count using a simple spear.

It wouldn't be out of place to call him the God of the Lance.

"I concede."

Kane bit out, lying on the ground, his spear on the floor beside him.

The tip of the Judge's weapon was placed under his chin. 

A very similar but opposite outcome to when they had been fighting with daggers. 

(Kane's P.O.V) 

6 weapons. 1 win and 5 losses.

That's...the score.

Damn. This old man is tough.

He had me beat at Kendo, the spear, the sword and shield, the bo staff, (even spider sense couldn't warn me fast enough and I was whacked on the head once) and his skill with the Katana was unmatched, almost at the same level as his Spear mastery. 

And that wasn't even it. There were numerous kinds of weapons stacked on the walls. 

On the other hand, I only managed to snag a win over him with the daggers. 

It was infuriating. Especially after the promised I made to myself. 

In addition, every lose was a loss of opportunities to ask questions.

Is this how Thanatos felt when I beat him at chest. 

(Death Realm) 

"Achooo!!"

Thanatos sneezed, looking up from his Chess game. 

"Is someone talking about me? I should hope it's a friend."

He mused.

(Tartarus) 

"Curse YOU THANATOS!!!!"

-0-

Rhadamanthus stretched his limber form sideways, the old man's long grey beard falling and covering his face.

He then wound his hand over his shoulder, almost touching the ground with his fingers.

He alternated, switching to the other hand. I'm not jealous of his flexibility even if I shouldn't be. I'm not. 

"Are you done?"

I seethed, hands crossed over my chest. 

There was one more area I was determined to beat him at. 

Unarmed combat. Call it confidence, call it arrogance but I was ready to throw down. 

And this time I was definitely going to win. 

A light sheen of sweat covered my bare skin- I had decided to forego my shirt after a slash from Rhadamanthus came close to turning it into strips of fabric.

I bet Spyra would love that. Speaking of, where did she disaappear off to? 

-0-

(Spyra)

If Kane was okay wasting his time by getting his ass kicked...that was his business.

She on the other hand was not.

The training room while bare, had some tasty looking stuff. 

The soft and bouncy food lining the hard floor, 

The red sheets that lay beneath the sharpy and pointy weapons in the racks. 

Thenb there was this wooden case closer to the door that had some tough leather- she had briefly chewed on a few while watching Kane get humbled.

But all of it paled in comparison to the long banner, hanging on the furthest wall at end of the obstacle course, flapping with the wind from the outside. 

The banner had the head of a wolf covered in flames. 

Oh hello there.

She looked back at the bodies moving across the training mat, exchanging blows at fast speeds.

Not the fastest she had ever seen Kane- he could go even faster if he wanted. 

And punch harder too. Huh? Is he holding back? 

Oh well, as long as she doesn't get dragged in, they could do what they wanted.

Now, about that banner...

-0-

(General P.O.V) 

Kane's jab is blocked by Rhadamanthus' forearm. 

The former winds up with a left hook but pulls it back before it can land, instead choosing to create a cross guard with his hands that blocks the fast moving elbow heading for his face.

Kane deflects it to the left and throws out his own punch that lands on the Judge's bare chest. 

The Assassin blinks. It felt like his force was perfectly negated. What an iron clad defense. 

To retaliate, Rhadamanthus brings his knee up, which ends up missing Kane as he leans back, before bringing his head forward in a vicious headbutt. 

The Judge does the same, grinning like a loon before cracking his forehead against Kane's. 

The two of them get pushed back. 

However almost immediately they jumped back in, unleashing a flurry of attacks. 

In one occasion, Rhadamanthus' feet collided against Kane's arm. 

The impact was neglible and Kane's block held. With his right palm he intercepted a punch that slipped his guard, absorbing the force with ease. 

The two stared at each other. One in surprise, while the other smirked. 

Kane then tightened his fingers around Rhadamanthus' fist and heaved, throwing him to the ceiling with his enhanced strength.

Mid-air, the judge spun around, slipping his legs around the Assassin's neck. 

Then he flipped, intending to smash the top of Kane's head on the mat.

Kane slammed his hands on the floor, stopping his descent only for his Spider Sense to warn him of a foot about to sweep his arms out from under him.

The Assassin vaulted up by pushing the ground with his palms, flipping away and dodging a round kick from the judge that made the air scream.

The second Kane was on his feet, a barrage of fists fell upon him at crazy speeds.

Like a leaf floating in the wind, Kane was able to easily dodge every strike. 

Even the Judge himself was shocked. 

He was using a forgotten South Eastern martial arts that focused on powerful elbows, claws and punches. 

It was an aggressive wild barrage of attacks with no rhyme meant to copy a tiger's savage claws.

With this you could smash apart rocks and tear off entire chunks of a tree trunk. 

And yet the boy dodged, parried, blocked and deflected easily. 

And when he could- he would try to grapple(on that he was a beginner at best, Rhadamanthus was able to break the holds) or attack with his own fists.

The fight had transitioned into a full out brawl. 

Kane was naturally stronger. The two knew it. And just marginally faster too. But Rhadamanthus' body was like an immovable mountain. 

While Kane could absorb impact from the Judge's punches due to his training and superstrength, Rhadamanthus simply negated any kinetic force applied on his body. 

Think of it like wood being a bad conductor of heat. 

He might not have matched Kane in strength but his sheer durability was on an entirely different level. 

Kane held the advantage in offense, but Rhadamanthus held the advantage in defense. 

Bam!! 

Their feet made contact in midair. 

A small shockwave spread out into the room, causing the weapons in the racks to gently quiver. 

They detached. 

"We've entered a stalemate. I can't hurt you and you can't hurt me."

Kane informed the Judge. 

"A draw is out of the question."

Rhadamanthus responded. 

"Why not?"

Kane rubbed his chin, in irritation. 

"I can't go all out with my full strength because I might accidentally break you. A draw is perfectly reasonable."

Besides, they had been fighting for so long and while it sucked it wouldn't be a complete win, Kane was not in the mood for a battle with no point. 

A battle of attrition was never a go to for an Assassin. 

It was better if they could move on to something else he could win and get a question, rather than waste time. 

The Judge narrowed his eyes at the Assassin. 

"You calling me weak? Boy?"

Rhadamanthus gruffly and very lowly asked. 

It was apparent he was angry at the implication. 

But Kane did not care. His own anger had risen at the word he hated more than anything else. 

That...was the fifth time. 

He flexed both his wrists and web fluid begun to flow out of the spinneret, encasing both his fists in a bundle of web. 

Good. That would negate the force behind his blows so that he wouldn't break the Judge's bones. 

But he was going to absolutely teach him a lesson.