Chapter 43: The Freedom of Sakolomé

Sakolomé and Grafay stared at each other again, the silent echo of their initial exchanges resonating between them. A new determination burned in Sakolomé's eyes, the steel forged from necessity. He would inflict damage on Grafay that would mark far more than just the beginning of their clash.

Without a word, Sakolomé leaped forward, a human arrow launched into attack. Grafay, unperturbed, responded without moving, his arm stretching out, elastic and menacing, from his position.

Sakolomé seized the outstretched limb. "You think I'm going to keep taking your hits without saying anything?" His voice, rough, carried the weight of the assaults he'd endured. "It's my turn."

With a brutal yank, he pulled Grafay towards him. Surprise contorted his opponent's features. Sakolomé then became a tornado. He whirled around, trapping Grafay in his infernal dance. The elastic man became a toy, tossed into the air at a speed that defied reason.

"This is just the beginning!" Sakolomé roared.

Stopping abruptly, he hurled Grafay to the ground with incredible violence. His enemy's body bounced, a disjointed puppet struck relentlessly.

Sensing the shift in dominance, Grafay reacted with sudden control. A blow, precise and powerful, struck Sakolomé in the stomach. Letting go, the latter was propelled skyward.

On the ground, Grafay again extended his elastic hand, snaking through the air to seize his prey.

Sakolomé regained his senses, grabbed the rubbery arm, and pulled once more. Grafay, off balance, watched Sakolomé execute an aerial somersault. The rotation, calculated to the millisecond, aligned him perfectly. An acrobatic kick of surgical precision struck Grafay squarely in the face. Sakolomé released his grip, letting his opponent crash onto the desert floor.

Grafay got back to his feet, just in time to see Sakolomé plummeting towards him from the sky. He narrowly dodged the impending impact.

An exchange of blows, rapid and brutal, ensued. Neither managed to gain the upper hand, each taking their share of suffering.

Grafay, aware of the need to change strategy, opted for space. He inflated his body, a monstrous balloon that swallowed the air. His volume grew, exceeding ten thousand cubic meters, forcing Sakolomé to retreat.

But the latter didn't flinch. Seizing the inflated envelope, he lifted Grafay, now as light as a tethered balloon.

Surprise was etched on the faces of Grafay and Yuki, uniting their thoughts into a single question: Could Sakolomé fly?

Moving away from the prison, Sakolomé reached dizzying heights before swinging Grafay towards the ground like a common tennis ball, albeit a gigantic one.

The impact was cataclysmic. Grafay crashed, carving a gaping crater and unleashing a shockwave that shook the desert. Returning to his normal size, he saw Sakolomé rushing towards him.

Face to face once more, they clashed with renewed fury. Their movements merged into a whirlwind, their speed defying the limits of sound. The power of their blows, amplified by the vastness of the desert, reached unbearable levels.

Inside the Monor City prison, the guards, forced to don protective helmets, found themselves relieved of combat duty. Taking advantage of the absence of the two colossi, they launched a call for help.

Yuki, meanwhile, had followed the fight into the desert, a silent witness to the outpouring of energy.

The battle continued, a macabre dance in the heart of the desert.

Grafay, seeking an advantage, imbued his energy with mana. Sakolomé, however, did not seem intimidated.

"You refuse to use your mana? Are you underestimating me? Regional Displacement!"

Grafay's mana warped the desert, shaping two gigantic mountains, each the size of ten football fields. The masses of sand, rising over five kilometers high, closed in on Sakolomé, seeking to annihilate him.

"You're going to die!" Grafay roared.

Sakolomé, wreathed in his energy, stretched out his arms, halting the inexorable advance of the mountains. His raw, immeasurable strength pushed back the sand titans.

"Not bad…" Grafay conceded.

A red energy then erupted from Sakolomé, pulverizing the mountains, which collapsed in a deluge of sand and earth. Using the debris as leverage, Sakolomé leaped towards Grafay, a series of acrobatic jumps propelling him towards his enemy.

"It's not over!" Grafay shouted. Joining his hands, he summoned countless giant fists from the ground, a stone army launched to attack Sakolomé.

"Killer Punch!"

The blow, delivered into the void, unleashed a shockwave that reduced the army of fists to dust. Sakolomé landed, fixing Grafay straight in the eyes. The debris from the mountains and fists crumbled in slow motion.

"You like ranged attacks," Sakolomé commented. "I'm impressed with your ability to manipulate nature, to transform matter."

Grafay, breathless, replied, "After all these years… finally a worthy opponent!"

He launched into attack. Sakolomé responded, his own body becoming a weapon. Their elbows collided, lightning flashed across the sky, and a shockwave shook the desert.

The exchanges multiplied, the sun beginning its descent. Yet the battle did not wane. Strangely, Sakolomé seemed to gain strength with each passing moment.

"Barrage Killer Punch!"

"Dragon Rain Barrage!"

The two attacks collided, a colossal explosion tearing through the desert, generating a titanic shockwave.

In the distance, Yuki felt his hair whip his face. A voice interrupted his observation.

"Hey, kid!"

He turned around. A police officer was staring at him.

"Are those your friends fighting over there?"

Yuki nodded.

The police officer smiled. "Who are they?"

"Grafay and Sakolomé!"

The officer's smile widened, like an expected confirmation. He pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"It's okay. Little Sakolomé is alive and well. He's the one fighting with subject Grafay!"

Yuki frowned. "Why are you talking about Sakolomé like that? Do you want to hurt him? I won't let you!"

The officer laughed. "Calm down. Sakolomé is free. We negotiated his release. Too bad he destroyed the prison a bit and freed some prisoners, but we'll catch them."

"Sakolomé is free?"

The officer nodded. "I'm Édouard. I warned Sakolomé that we would fight for his cause… and it's done."

"I don't understand. Fight for his cause? Sakolomé didn't do anything wrong?"

"Exactly!"

"That's quite possible. Sakolomé isn't mean. He's even kind and friendly!"

*BOOOMM*

An explosion reminded Yuki and Édouard of the violence of the fight.

Édouard sighed. "We have to stop this. Do you have any idea?"

"It's impossible. Grafay is stubborn, but we can hope that Sakolomé wins. I hope he doesn't kill him…"

"Whatever. I'm calling for backup!"

In the arena of sand, blows continued to rain down. Grafay was on the verge of exhaustion, covered in wounds, his clothes in tatters.

Sakolomé struck Grafay on the head, knocking him down. Seizing his opponent by the collar, he slammed him into the ground, again and again.

Grafay struggled, but Sakolomé's resistance seemed unwavering.

"*This Sakolomé still isn't exhausted? We've been fighting for thirteen hours! It's like he's gaining power during the fight!*"

Finding an opening, Grafay moved away using his elastic arm.

Joining his hands, he murmured: "Soul Crushing!"

Sakolomé froze, an agonizing pain coursing through him. He knelt, spitting blood.

Grafay smiled. "You're finished. I crushed your soul."

A violent blow silenced him. The power of the strike made him bounce on the ground.

Getting up with difficulty, Grafay saw Sakolomé. "How is that possible? I crushed your soul!"

Sakolomé replied confidently, "The soul of a Doppelganger!"

Grafay's eyes widened. He saw the Sakolomé with the shattered soul disintegrate, turning into sand.

"It was a fake Sakolomé!"

"I learned from you," Sakolomé explained. "Do you remember when I was deflecting your attacks? You sent a fake you, who had transformed his hand into a sword!"

Grafay sighed. "Enough playing around. You're going to taste my ultimate technique!"

Stretching out his arms, he shouted: "Dragon Rain Barrage Duplication!"

A swarm of elastic punches, morphed into metallic dragons, descended on Sakolomé.

The latter, increasing the intensity of his glowing red energy, dodged and deflected the attacks with surprising agility.

Grafay was disconcerted. "How is he doing it?"

"Woodpecker Barrage!" Sakolomé released a considerable amount of energy, deflecting thousands of blows in an instant.

"It's not over! Continental Anvil!"

Grafay's right fist grew in the blink of an eye. The Dragon Rain Barrage had stopped, giving way to a massive attack. The fist, colossal, blocked the sunlight, plunging part of the desert into shadow. Clouds were pushed away, the phenomenon visible from space.

"What is this technique?" Sakolomé thought. "If it hits the ground, I can't even imagine the damage. I have to stop it!"

Helicopters swarmed the area. "Stop the fight!" amplified voices shouted. "Don't hurt yourselves any more!"

Sakolomé looked at Grafay, tiny in front of his giant fist.

"He won't listen to the military!"

He brought his right arm close to his face, clenching his fist.

"If I fully exploited the soul energy on my fist, to create a killer man punch coming from a transcendent abstract state…"

He lowered himself, concentrating the energy. "Ultimate… killer…"

Grafay saw Sakolomé preparing. "You dare? It's all over! Goodbye!"

He brought down his fist, creating a violent wind and the evaporation of sand.

The military gained altitude, anticipating the violence of the impact.

Sakolomé, seeing the colossal fist approaching, continued to concentrate his energy.

Then…

"Puuunnncchhh!"

He sent his punch into the void, advancing frantically. A shockwave struck Grafay's giant fist.

The latter forced the issue, seeking to strike Sakolomé.

Their fists approached, then collided.

Grafay's fist split in two. Sakolomé's fist, for its part, cleaved the air, dividing the clouds across the entire planet.

"No… it's not possible!"

Grafay was overwhelmed. Sakolomé had finally dominated him.

"Aaaahhhhhhhhh!"

A brutal energy flooded the atmosphere. The region trembled, cities and deserts alike.

Sakolomé's power was immeasurable.

A flash of light blinded everyone… then, suddenly, silence.

The light disappeared. Grafay's fist was gone.

A gaping crater marked the ground, Sakolomé and Grafay at the bottom.

Sakolomé's arm was injured, the bones piercing his flesh, but he was barely bleeding. He had released too much energy.

Grafay, defeated, lay on the ground, his right arm split and burned. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth.

Sakolomé, standing, moved towards him.

"You… are you going to kill me? Ha… haha… after all, you're the winner!"

Sakolomé looked at him. "Grafay… you lost!"

"Go on… what are you waiting for to kill me? I'm weak, I can't even get up… I gave it everything!"

Sakolomé, exhausted, said, "Are you sick? Who talked about killing? I never wanted to kill you. I fought because I had no choice. I couldn't kill you… you're my friend. You are a good person!"

Grafay smiled. "Are you trying to moralize me?"

"Moralizing you is the last thing I'd want to do…"

Sakolomé collapsed.

Grafay, lying down, smiled. "In the end, who won? We're both on the ground… haha… It's you, Sakolomé, because we're alive. If I had won, you would be dead. The killer men are strong indeed. Thank you for this fight. I respect your choice to leave me alive and… yes, you're right, we are friends. I'm proud to be your friend, killer man. If you have a sister, I hope to marry her one day!"

Someone landed.

"Yuki, did you see?" Grafay said. "He's tough, the little killer man!"

Yuki looked at Grafay, then Sakolomé. "Is he dead? No, he's still breathing!"

"Obviously!"

"We have to get you out of here!"

The military joined them.

Édouard approached Sakolomé. "He's banged up. I hope his parents won't talk about it too much!"

Grafay reacted. "His parents? Sakolomé is a prisoner of the clan quarters. He's not about to get out!"

"Think again. Sakolomé is free. He got his freedom after a long negotiation."

"What? Sakolomé is going to leave us?"

"Yes. He joined the prison by mistake. I promised him that we would fight for him. You, Grafay, and Yuki, will be transferred to another prison."

Grafay sighed. "I hope to see Sakolomé again one day!"

"I wonder if he even wants to see you again…"

Thus ended the fight.

Grafay was an extremely powerful opponent. For now, the most powerful Sakolomé had encountered outside his clan.

Would he be confronted with even stronger opponents? The future would tell.