“Celestial Strikes – The 101 Blows of Fate”

Semifinals: Kyro vs. Liebe – The Battle for the Future

BAM!

The arena trembled as Kyro and Liebe clashed.

The first impact of their swords sent sparks flying through the air. Eclipse, soaked in blazing resonance energy, collided against Excalibur, both weapons grinding against each other in a storm of raw power.

Every strike was precise.

Every movement—merciless.

Kyro pressed Liebe back.

He was faster than ever before.

His steps silent, his sword cutting through the air like a predator hunting its prey.

Liebe dodged, blocked, analyzed.

But Kyro didn't let him breathe.

He attacked relentlessly, striking with surgical precision, feinting only to follow up with an explosive blow.

Liebe (calm, but focused):

"You really have gotten faster."

Kyro (gritting his teeth, tension rising):

"And this time, you won't win!"

Eclipse flared—

A searing plasma shockwave blasted through the arena.

Liebe dodged at the last second—

But Kyro was already there.

BAM!

A brutal kick slammed Liebe against a metal wall.

A gasp.

At the edge of the arena, the tension was palpable.

Neo (watching intently):

"Did Kyro just land a hit?!"

Rex (arms crossed, but with genuine surprise):

"Not yet… but he's pushing him."

Then—

The arena itself began to shift.

The floor moved, platforms sank into the ground while new obstacles emerged from the walls.

Metal pillars shot upward, rotating bridges narrowed the battlefield.

Liebe landed smoothly on an elevated platform.

His eyes scanned the changing terrain.

Liebe (thinking calmly):

"Adaptation is key."

But Kyro didn't wait.

He moved between the rotating platforms, his resonance perfectly synchronized with his speed.

Then, he launched himself off a pillar— Eclipse pulsing with destructive force.

Kyro (furious, relentless):

"NOW I'VE GOT YOU!"

BAM!

His blade sliced through the platform Liebe had been standing on—

But Liebe was already gone.

Kyro (rage boiling over):

"WHY… WHY CAN'T I HIT YOU?!"

His frustration mounted.

His next attack was pure instinct.

And this time—

BAM!

His knee smashed into Liebe's chest.

A second strike followed— Eclipse slashed down with brutal force.

Blood sprayed into the air.

Liebe staggered back, his expression flickering—

Not calm. Not in control.

For the first time—surprised.

Rex (serious):

"HE'S BLEEDING. KYRO HIT HIM!"

Ezryel (steady, but respectful):

"He found an opening. But… that alone won't be enough."

Neo (sharp, analytical):

"Tsk… That wasn't luck. Kyro mastered his speed. That's exactly how I'd do it."

Stella (calm, strategic thinking):

"Kyro finally found a weakness… but is it enough?"

Then—

Liebe smiled.

Kyro froze.

Why… WHY isn't he afraid?!

Liebe lifted Excalibur—

And let it disappear.

The entire arena fell silent.

Neo (blinking, as if he'd imagined it):

"What the…?"

Rex (tense, eyes narrowing):

"Now… the real fight begins."

Liebe (calm, but serious):

"I didn't want to use this technique… but you're stronger than I thought. I have to."

A sharp chill ran down Kyro's spine.

Not… now.

Kyro (shouting, desperate to keep control):

"YOU WON'T WIN!"

He lunged forward, Eclipse burning bright.

But Liebe didn't move.

And then—

He was gone.

A strike— direct to Kyro's chest.

A second— to his shoulder.

A third— breaking through his defense.

Kyro gasped for air.

His movements slowed.

Liebe was everywhere.

Liebe (whispering, unstoppable):

"Celestial Hundred and One."

101 strikes.

Kirah (respects Kyro, but understands Liebe better):

"So this is what it's like… to fight someone who surpasses your thinking."

Neo (slightly impressed, but calculating):

"Liebe is ending this… perfectly."

Leto (shaken, because he's never seen this before):

"101 strikes… that's inhuman."

Kyro fought.

But his body—

was no longer his.

Kyro (screaming, voice cracking):

"NO, NO, NO, NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

Rex (respectful, but blunt):

"This is what's breaking him, Kyro… you're fighting something you can't defeat."

Kyro (eyes wild, almost pleading):

"I CAN'T LOSE!"

He refused.

He couldn't.

His entire being rebelled against what was happening.

Kyro (roaring):

"I WILL BEAT YOU! I WILL—!"

Liebe was already there.

And then came the final strike.

BAM!

Rex (resigned, but acknowledging):

"That's it. Kyro… has lost."

Kyro crashed into the cold ground.

His fingers twitched.

His breathing was ragged.

His body… empty.

He had lost.

But why?

Liebe stepped forward.

Liebe (calm, but firm):

"A warrior who fights only to win remains a prisoner of his own victory.

A warrior who fights to surpass himself will never know chains."

Kyro stared at him.

The words burned into his mind.

Kyro (thinking, realization dawning):

"I fight to win… he fights to become better…"

And then, he knew—

He had lost.

Rioji stepped into the arena.

Rioji:

"The winner of the semifinals is: Liebe!"

Silence.

Kyro couldn't hear it.

His entire world was nothing but silence.

But deep inside, he knew—

He would rise again.

And next time— he wouldn't lose.