Chapter 63 - His Style

Tico stretched his arms as Shun placed his scythe over his shoulders. The referee walked between the two fighters, a smile on his face as he looked upon the two.

Referee: A match of the century, huh? You two sure have made your names known around here.

Tico: We sure did, but it looks like only one of us needed a weapon to do so.

Shun: You think I'm weaker because I have a weapon?

Tico: I'm not saying you're weak, but you're definitely weaker than me.

Shun: Let's see how true that holds up.

Referee: If that's enough of your trash-talking… FIGHTERS! ARE YOU READY?!

Tico moved both hands of his outward, Shun widening his stance as he aimed the top of the scythe at Tico.

Referee: BEGIIIIIN!!!

The referee swung down his arm, Shun immediately moving like a blur to the audience.

Tico smiled as his arm moved out, pushing Shun's scythe away.

Tico: Try coming at me with more conviction, alright?

Shun: I can't end the fight too early. That'd be a letdown of a match.

Shun's body turned into a blur once more, the distance between himself and Tico opening rapidly. How were his forward and backward charges so quick? It lies within another principle of the Raijin Style. Known as Flash, this principle allows the user to use footwork while being light to quickly move towards or away from an opponent, but it also allows them to…

Tico's cheek began to bleed as Shun spun his scythe, standing behind Tico.

Shun: If I was serious, I could've killed you there.

Tico chuckled to himself before turning to face Shun, placing his arms ahead of him once again.

Tico: You got lucky.

Shun grinned before charging in once again, Tico seeming slow to him. At that moment, Shun immediately noticed something was off: the ground was in the sky. Shun's head slammed into the ground as Tico crouched down to enter his line of sight.

Tico: I told ya. A weapon makes no difference. All these scars came from some sort of a weapon, so I've dealt with enough to have a weapon make no difference to me.

Shun chuckled before jumping up, quickly twisting his body to seem like a small tornado. Cuts appeared on Tico's forearms before a click was heard. Shun came to a stop, his scythe no longer looking the same. It had suddenly turned into a spear as he held it with a smile on his face. Tico placed his hands out again, Shun charging forward with Flash once more. Tico prepared to grab onto the spear, only for several stabs to appear on his arms.

Shun: Storm Kata, Steel Rain.

Shun ran back before immediately making a left. Tico tried to follow him with his eyes, only to notice that Shun had already left his initial spot.

Shun: Lightning Kata, Flashing River.

Through a change in his center of gravity and his increasing speed with Flash, Shun was able to quickly turn the speed of the battle to his advantage. He thrusts his spear forward once more, Tico whipping around before pushing the spear away, slamming his palm onto Shun's chin and pushing back. Shun's momentum forced his body forward, flying into the air before sliding across the ground and coming to a halt.

Tico: I will admit, your speed is going to be annoying to deal with. But don't think it's over yet.

Cero crossed his arms, Kammy wearing a smile on his face as his fists moved up and down.

Kammy: He hit Shun with a Hiki-Otoshi! That's gotta hurt!

Cero: Are you knowledgeable on Aikido?

Kammy: Somewhat. I mainly ask Tico how his techniques work, but seeing them in action is something else!

Cero: I agree. Tico truly shows his proficiency in it.

Shun looked up at Tico, noticing a fist moving towards his face. Shun rolled away before pushing himself back up to his feet. Tico winked at him before placing both hands back out.

Tico: Not so proud of your speed now, are ya?

Shun pointed the head of the spear at Tico, a smile returning to his face.

Shun's thoughts: I still got a lot more where that came from.

…

The Raijin Style has been a style that has existed for centuries, with its main origins being within the Ryuji Clan. The creator of the style was a man named Raitaro, the son of the thunder god, Raijin. Legends state that he married one of the granddaughters of the sea goddess, Ryujin. Through his connections to the two gods, he eventually created two styles, one known as the Raijin Style. The style is made especially for descendants of the Ryuji Clan with its main purpose being for assassination. It mainly focuses on speed, hand-to-hand combat, and weapon usage. The style has six major principles, Yokai Pace and Flash are already known, but it also has Flashpoint, the principle that has the user twist their body for added momentum. Dragon's Breath, the breathing technique for stamina stability and concentration. Sun Ray, which is a variety of different strikes. And Godspeed, where the user brings out the upper limits of their speed.

Those born into the Ryuji Clan are made to run from the moment they're born to the moment they die. They train their bodies endlessly and painfully to allow them to be capable of reaching speeds that would normally be beyond human. Their bodies are honed into increasing their levels of acceleration, with masters within the clan being as fast as lightning.

For the man known as Shun Ryuji, he has mastery over many of these forms. Making him a large threat…

...

Shun charged in, Tico moving inward to intercept with the spear. With another click, Tico watched as the scythe head appeared from the spear, Shun spinning it before holding it in both hands again. Tico saw a long gash move down his arm, blood trickling onto the ground.

Shun: Storm Kata, Swirling Blockage.

Magnus and Simon watched in surprise at Shun's move.

Magnus: I thought that move was only used for blocking!

Simon: He found a way to use the spinning motion as an attack as well.

Shizu's thoughts: His training is paying off.

Tico clenched his fists, Shun widening his stance before quickly moving around the ring once again.

Zachary: This battle has been full of back and forths, but Shun still holds the advantage in speed. We can't even keep a track of him!

Tico's thoughts: You might not, but…

Shun ran at Tico, Tico widening his stance as he prepared for another throw, but before his hand could make contact, Shun used a mixture of Yokai Pace and Flashpoint to move in a tornado-like fashion around Tico's grab. Tico looked in shock as he felt a large slash cut down his back. Shun jumped back, Tico reeling from the pain that filled his body.

Tico's thoughts: That bastard is starting to read me… And his style is pretty diverse. I need to think of a counter and fast.

Cero: Focus, Tico. You have what it takes to win this.

Tico stood back up, pain easily visible on his face. Shun smiled as he charged back in, his opponent's breathing being irregular. Shun moved the scythe in close, with it beginning to curve around Tico's neck. Tico let out a sigh before reaching out, grabbing onto Shun's wrist and spinning him around. Shun couldn't move away in time, being met with a kick to the head. Shun flew back, his scythe slightly scratching Tico's neck. Blood spurted from the cut, but it wasn't deep enough to be fatal.

Tico: We're… far from over, bastard.

Shun put a hand on his face, feeling the immense power behind the kick.

Shun's thoughts: Mason was similar to this too, wasn't he? These guys have some sort of extra strength behind them. Could it be because of him?

Shun opened his eyes slightly, looking past Tico and at his entrance. There stood Cero with his arms crossed, Kammy sweating next to him.

Shun's thoughts: His style…