by Aaron Oster
Roy could clearly sense this creature’s power, but even if he couldn’t, he’d have known its level of advancement. This monster was at the peak of Orange-Belt, a 4th Dan on the verge of advancing to Green. Under normal circumstances, he didn’t think he’d stand a chance, but his previous victories had shown him just how strong he really was. Roy was confident he could win. What he wasn’t as sure about was how much pain and damage he’d have to endure in order to beat this thing.
He could see the mixture of Essence building out on the lake, the green Wind whipping and swirling, the blue Water leaping as it was thrown skyward, the small ripples on the lake, growing to five-foot waves. Golden Power Essence coated the sky and hung above the water, interspersed with the silver of Weakness. White Light Essence and black Darkness fought against one another with each flash of lightning, and Fire Essence burned brightly before it was extinguished.
The only Essence type that was absent in this storm was Earth, but Roy already knew that it was the only type that was not generated by a thunderstorm. Waves began pulling higher onto the small island, now washing up around the ankles of the monstrous creature. And still, it did not move, standing and watching, its arms held to the sides.
“Geon, what is that thing waiting for?” Roy asked, his muscles tense as he prepared to call upon his Armorer technique at any second.
“Probably a signal of some sort,” Geon replied.
Before Roy could ask what that meant, there was a massive boom of thunder. It was so loud that it shook the entire island. This was immediately followed by a jagged streak of lightning, which flashed down from the sky, slammed into the tree behind him and reduced it to ash. At the same time, the creature on the beach acted, throwing back its massive head and letting out an earth-shaking roar.
Blue light coated its arms and legs. It was right in front of him then, its tree-trunk arm swinging to remove his head. There was a massive boom as Roy’s Shockwave activated, taking him to the side. Golden light flashed around him, small triangles tracing in the air above his body as the Armorer technique was activated. His foot lashed out, the Exploding Fist channeling through him as he threw the kick right at the creature’s exposed side.
The attack landed, and the bubble of force blew outward, knocking the monster back a couple of steps. Roy followed, hammering a series of punches into its ribs using the Unaru Kuma. He braced his feet with each strike, throwing as much power as he could into them, and with a loud cracking sound, one of its ribs caved in.
The monster hissed, swinging an oversized fist at his head in retaliation, but Roy danced away. The creature was large and fast, but not as fast as him. Its defenses were impressive, even without an Armorer technique, but if he kept hammering at it for long enough, he should be able to win. Roy dashed to one side, then leaped in. The creature swung, claws extending a full foot into shimmering blue blades, but Roy had already anticipated a counter and sharply changed direction, slamming a fist into the creature’s other side, aiming just below the ribcage.
A crack of thunder drowned out the creature’s roar as Roy slammed another fist into the same spot. Before he could throw another, he was forced to back off as a massive fist tried to close around his head. Roy skidded to a stop, still breathing evenly as he examined the monster.
There was a small indent in its left side where he’d broken the rib, and a splotchy bruise was spreading on the right. Still, it was hardly more than a flesh wound for a creature of this size, and Roy knew that it would take more to bring it down. Lightning flashed as he ran in once more, the wind picking up to a literal howl, just as he swung for the monster’s abdomen.
His fist stopped halfway to the creature, a tendril of water circling his wrist and snaring him in place. Roy tried to twist out of the Containment technique, but only partially succeeded. His left leg was snagged by another ring of water, but he managed to keep his left arm and right leg free, not that it really helped him all that much.
The monster barreled in, slamming a massive fist right into his head. A streak of blue trailed in the air behind it, and Roy’s head rocked back with a loud snap. For just a second, he was afraid that the creature had broken his neck. Then he noticed the massive loss of Essence, along with the sudden disappearance of his Armorer technique.
Another fist flashed forward, but Roy had already been preparing a counter and met the fist with a strike of his own. His left elbow drove in, Power Essence coating his arm in a makeshift Armorer technique, and met the massive fist mid-swing. The smarter move would have been to block the strike at the wrist and redirect it, and had Roy been a Water cultivator, that was exactly what he would have done.
However, both his Path and the Unaru Kuma favored meeting force with even greater force, so it came down to a contest of strength. It was now the monster’s punch against his fist. While some might think that the creature, being some nine feet tall and weighing roughly six-hundred pounds, would have a clear advantage in strength, their Advancement Paths were more indicative of their chances of success.
The creature, while huge, was on the Path of Water, a Path that favored flexibility and evasion. Roy, on the other hand, was on the Path of Power, one that favored overwhelming might and destruction.
The explosion that rocked the small island threw both contestants back. Roy’s Containment Technique shattered, right along with his left arm. He cried out in pain as he sprawled onto his back, his arm screaming in protest and falling limply to his side. The massive monster didn’t get away clearly, though. It roared, rising back to its feet and clutching at the ruined remains of its hand, which was shattered, blackened, and smoking.
Roy stumbled to his feet as well, swiping at the tears that had come unbidden to his eyes. His left arm was completely useless now, just as the creature’s right was to it. That didn’t exactly even out the fight, as the monster was still a full Dan ahead and had the clear advantage of the terrain.
Thunder rumbled overhead once more, and Roy felt a small drop hit the back of his head, trickling down his neck and into his robes. He shivered involuntarily as the unpleasant feeling faded and the creature used that distraction to attack. Lightning flashed, nearly blinding Roy as the creature closed and he barely managed a defense before the wall of muscle slammed into him, bearing him to the ground.
Roy bucked, expelling Essence from his body in a massive wave and hurling the creature off himself. Springing to his feet, he used his Shockwave, chasing after it and tracing a Constellation around its body. There was so much ambient Power Essence now that it only took a second before the small spheres contracted and expanded.
Just before the attack went off, the creature’s body was cloaked in shiny blue light —light that absorbed every explosion and forced Roy to back off. The creature had finally used its Armorer technique but had somehow managed to weaponize it at the same time. Had Roy not been fighting for his life, he might have been impressed. Now, though, he held his hand up and summoned his second stage Void Sphere.
The creature swung its arm forward and tendrils of water whipped out. Roy danced to one side, then the other, all while using the Shockwave in small bursts. One attack seared across his already damaged left arm as it swung outward, leaving a deep gash in its place, and letting him know that the water was far sharper than it appeared. Still, he’d been around Water artists enough to know their strengths and weaknesses, and Roy was about to capitalize on one of their biggest ones.
It was going to hurt him big time, but at this point, Roy knew that he had very little time left. Rain was starting to fall, cloaking the air with Water Essence, and beginning to dissipate all others. If lightning struck now, chances were that he’d feel it, especially as exposed as he was. This fight had to end, and it had to end now.
Dashing in using his Shockwave, Roy pulled back for a powerful strike. The tendrils of water whipped all around him, slicing at his arms, legs, chest, and face. Roy tried calling up his Armorer technique, but seeing as it had been dismissed so forcefull
y the last time, there was still a bit of a block there. It would take several minutes for his Essence to calm enough for him to call on it, so he did what he’d done last time.
Roy blasted Essence from his Core, expanding it in a sphere around him and countering any incoming attack. At the same time, he began feeding his Void Sphere power. It was already as large as he could make it, but the longer he poured Essence in, the more destructive it would be. The fact that this was a Projected technique didn’t mean he couldn’t miss, so Roy was closing with the creature to assure he didn’t.
He was forced to rein in his Essence as he neared and barely avoided taking another attack. Dodging to one side to avoid the rings of water that would have ensnared him, he hurled the whirling ball of destruction right into the creature’s chest. The flash of light that illuminated the sky was nearly blinding.
The Void Sphere-Tear expanded rapidly until it covered all but the creature’s legs. He braced himself, spreading his legs out into a wide stance and reaching for the Power Essence remaining in the air and preparing to trace a Constellation the second the technique ran its course. However, when the Void Sphere vanished, it revealed something that he did not expect.
All that remained of the creature was a pair of disembodied legs, the upper half of the monster clearly obliterated by his massive attack. Roy stared, blinking through the falling rain as the pair of legs toppled sideways, falling to the ground with a light thump and remaining there. For several long seconds, Roy continued to stare, expecting the creature to reform or for the legs to rise and charge at him to continue their fight.
However, as they stayed down and the rain began to peter off, he realized that it was over. He’d won. Roy’s legs buckled then, but he didn’t fall, maintaining his balance as he stared at the pair of fallen legs. The fight was over, and he’d won.
“So,” Geon said, breaking into the odd stillness as the storm vanished unnaturally fast. “What now?”
28
“Drive that thing back! It’s getting too close to the town!”
Hermit hid his annoyance as one of the younger Martial Artists —a man who appeared to be barely in his forties, but in all likelihood was near two-hundred— called out. Despite the fact that he’d been doing most of the work in distracting this Beast, the idiot still acted like he didn’t know how to fight.
In fact, none of them acted like Hermit knew what he was doing. Geki was less than happy to see him, despite the fact that they clearly needed his help. He could hardly blame his brother for feeling that way, though. He’d left hundreds of years ago, abandoning his duty to his family, and now just showed up out of the blue to steal his glory. Beating a Cavern Beast would immediately give the one who defeated it a massive reputation boost. Not to mention, the prized Core of such a monstrosity was worth more than all the money and assets their clan had combined, and the Itachi weren’t poor by any means.
A Core like that could immediately boost Geki several Dan, even though he was stuck at Base Brown. Some things defied the laws of the Martial Arts, and the Core of a Cavern Beast was foremost among them. The only reason people didn’t seek them out was because of the massive threat they posed.
Though they’d only been fighting it for half a day, it had advanced several hundred miles and grown to 2nd Dan Brown. The Beast was almost impossible to pin down, and any time they inflicted any significant damage, it would just advance and heal. The Beast’s abilities were also extremely troubling, as it continually teleported them away, giving it time to feed on more Essence and draw closer to Light City.
Its attacks were nothing to be sneezed at, either. Two of their number, both Gold-Belts, had been devoured, their Cores feeding this monstrosity and giving it ever-greater strength. At this point, it seemed that only a miracle would stop it from reaching Light City. Even now, they were approaching one of the larger towns, one that held over a quarter million within its walls.
There’d been no time to evacuate, as the creature’s advancement had been too quick, its movements speeding up as it sensed the massive gathering of Essence. Its hunger seemed never-ending, and despite Hermit’s best efforts, the Cavern Beast continued to grow.
Reiki burned through his veins as Hermit summoned a sphere of burning orange light and blasted it into the Beast’s hide. The creature screamed, deafening all those who’d dropped their Armorer techniques and teleporting half their number away. A massive scorch mark was left in its place, and the Beast turned, blasting a beam of rainbow-colored light from its massive maw.
Hermit whirled mid-air, throwing up his fifth stage Chakra Armorer technique to absorb the blow. It was a true testament to the Beast’s power when cracks appeared across the solid red armor, and his Chakra started to deplete at an astonishing rate as he absorbed the blow.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” yelled the same Martial Artist as before. “I told you to stop it, not allow it to teleport half of our fighters!”
Had this man been yelling at the Sage of Ruin, his life would have ended right then and there. Seeing as he was yelling at Hermit, he only caught the tail end of the blast that had been aimed at the Beast, but landed just a little too close to him.
“Watch your aim!” the man yelled, patting at his robes. “I could have…”
The air around the Beast distorted, and the man vanished, appearing roughly six miles to the east. Despite the dire situation, Hermit couldn’t help but smile. The moron wasn’t gone for good, but at least he’d have a few minutes of peace before he came barreling back. Hermit honestly didn’t even know the man, so he had no idea why he was being such an ass. Despite the man’s rude behavior, they were part of the same clan and fighting to keep this Cavern Beast from wiping them all from existence. When this was all over, Hermit would only break one of his arms for disrespecting someone of a higher rank.
His personal feelings aside, behaving in this way was hardly becoming of a Martial Artist, especially someone of his lofty rank. This clan had clearly lost its way, the younger generation acting more like spoiled children than the respectable leaders they should be. Ikari had really not been paying attention, letting them do as they wished, and now, they were paying for their arrogance and weakness with their lives.
Another sphere of burning destruction was summoned, slamming into the Beast’s head as it opened its mouth to attack again. A ripple flowed out from the Beast then, as the sphere impacted, and though he tried to resist, Hermit suddenly found himself some seven miles from the creature. It was nearly upon the town by now, and if people hadn’t already started running, they were about to receive a rude awakening.
So many had died already, and if the creature continued on its destructive path, many more would perish before it was brought down.
If it can even be brought down, a small voice in the back of his mind said.
Hermit shook off his doubts and began running back towards the Cavern Beast. This fight was far from over, and he had yet to pull out his most powerful techniques. The problem he was currently facing was that he couldn’t unleash them within a hundred miles of any city. If he did, nothing would survive. The only question now was whether he sacrificed the lives of all those who’d be caught in the blast, so save the lives of the millions in Light City and beyond.
It was a hard decision to bear, but one that Hermit knew he’d have to make soon. Otherwise, everyone would perish, and those who’d already died would have done so in vain.
***
Roy fell into a cycling position as the storm completely abated, pulling in as much of the lingering Power Essence as he could. The fight had cost him greatly and he was covered in injuries, the worst of which was his shattered left arm, but if he could recover enough Essence, some of the wounds could be closed. His arm would need to be splinted, but that could wait, as the trees on the island would still be here in an hour, while the Power Essence would not.
Past experience also told him that the corpse of the creature wouldn’t give him his prize for
some thirty minutes after its demise, so he had some time to recover. Even as he cycled, he ran the fight over in his mind, running scenarios in which he could have avoided injury altogether. Running these simulations in his mind helped him understand where he’d gone wrong, and how he could avoid these sorts of injuries in the future. The pain in his arm didn’t help, throbbing and burning with the feeling of thousands of prickling needles.
He’d had broken bones before, so semi-ignoring the pain was something he’d grown used to. That didn’t mean he could completely ignore it, so the cycling wasn’t exactly pleasant, especially when the refined Essence began leaking into the broken appendage to try and bring down some of the swelling. He gathered all he could manage, and rose about an hour later to find that the monster’s lower half had vanished, leaving a very large chest in its place.
This was extremely odd, as the last few chests had been pretty small. Still, Roy figured he could examine it after he splinted his arm. It was still throbbing, though not nearly as badly as before, the cycling having alleviated the pain somewhat. Heading up to one of the trees, Roy broke one of the larger branches off, snapping it in half and placing them to either side of his arm. Then, removing the strips of fabric that had once bound his chest, Roy wrapped the branches firmly around the broken appendage.
He winced as the binding tightened, pulling the bone into its correct alignment. The pain that had been slowly fading came back with a vengeance, but Roy had other things to concentrate on— mainly, the large chest sitting in the middle of the beach. Heading back down, he crouched, looking for a latch. Strangely enough, he couldn’t find so much as a single seam.
“Any idea of what I should be looking for?” Roy asked, leaning in and running his fingers along the top to see if he might have missed something.
“You did collect all those shells and keys. Why don’t you try those?” Geon suggested.
