Chapter Thirteen: Kane v Almighty

It would be humiliating if this guy did not turn out to be a Shard. Kane thought. To have to be put in this position by a regular Ability user.

"Y-You stood up?" His opponent said out of surprise. Kane stood taller than him, but not by much. This guy was over six feet also. He also preferred to fight bare chested, his rippling muscles contrasting with Kane's slimmer build. His battle scars were very evident.

"Hey! You are using an Ability right?" Kane asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes. I am." The other replied.

Okay then. He needed to survive this and find out if this guy was a Shard. How many of us are there though?

When he set out on this mission, he was told by his master that those like him had a sign manifest either at their backs or above their heads. A different sign for each Shard. Although, his master did not know which sign for which Shard.

That made it a hell of a lot harder.

Kane landed an attack with his blade and drew blood from his opponent.

"You are strong. The strongest I have met ever." The opponent praised through bloodied teeth.

Kane ignored the praise. He was a Shard after all. He was, however, more wounded than his opponent, just because he had underestimated him in the beginning.

Their fight was brutal. It whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The number and average size of the bets tripled. The boss smiled wickedly. He was going to get Kane to work for him forever. The amount of money he could make nearly made him cry with joy.

#Feast your eyes on this legendary match!

# Two undefeated going at it! Who will lose his title the Slayer or Almighty?

# Immovable object meets unstoppable force

The soul energy used to power their attacks was off the charts. Just the shockwave of their attacks meeting was threaten to destroy the building. Still, the crowd watched, their satisfaction heightening with each attack.

Bare hands versus a sword.

Kane landed an attack again. And then got hit. Got hit again. And landed another attack.

Kane went for the next attack. The force of both attacks meeting in the air shattered Kane's sword.

The crowd shouted. It looked like it was over for Kane. However, he just smiled.

"Now it is hand to hand!"

Almighty prepared to attack with his fists. Kane countered and landed a hit of his own surprising his opponent. He knows body martial arts too?!

It was only natural that to train with the sword, the body must first be trained to near perfection. But for someone to force him to use this! Kane just continued his prayer that Almighty should be a Shard. For my pride.

An hour? No, it had been an hour and a half. The fight still raged on, not allowing any one in the spectator's seat to move their eyes for even a second. Those who needed to go use the toilet refused and eased themselves right where they were.

The fight was evoking a sense of ecstasy in both fighters. Their blows were more violent now. The match was approaching its peak, the two opponent covered in both their and the other's blood. The shockwaves forced those at seats closer to the ring to evacuate further back. Glasses were shattering. The building resonating with each blow. The whole place seem like it would come apart any second now.

They separated panting. Kane began to charge his fist with soul energy. Purple-black energy surrounding him, especially at his fist.

 He'll die if he takes this and he is not a Shard

"Walk away now, if you want to live!" Kane said

"I could tell you the same."

Almighty had also charged up his fist. It was attracting small objects, pulling them like gravity towards it.

They ran toward each other.

It could probably be because of the soul energy amount they would just used, but their soul signs decided to show up at that moment. They both saw each other's own.

So he is... Almighty thought.

So he is a Shard! Kane thought.

They could not, however, kill their momentum and stop themselves from fighting.

Their fists hit.

*******

So he is like me. Almighty thought. That explained things.

The first reaction that Kane had when he saw the soul sign was one of relief.

At least, it wasn't a nobody that made me go all out.

Their fists hit.

Whatever was left of the ring crumbled to dust. The spectators were wise to leave the front chairs and retreat. So they were spared from the direct action of the shockwave that lifted the front benches up. They weren't spared from the benches raining down on them at the back. The announcement system also received its death blow.

An earthquake originated and moved through the earth, causing traffic jams and people screaming.

Kane and Almighty lay sprawled on the carcass of the ring for about five minutes.

They then stood.

"You are like me." Almighty said.

"Yeah. A Shard. That's why you are crazy strong." Kane replied.

"A Shard? What's that?"

"We are trying to figure that out. The other Shards and I."

"Your friends?"

Friends? Kane wouldn't put it like that. Colleagues, Acquaintances even.

"Would you like to meet them?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Just give me a few minutes. I have something important to do. I'll be back."

*******

Kane headed inside the building. He went to the boss's office.

"Great fight out there! That fight kept me on the edge of my seat. It was wonderful. Ahem." He coughed when he saw Kane's blood stained imposing figure. "The boys were asking what type of Ability you use? It doesn't seem to fit into the known types of–"

"What was the agreement?"

"Huh? You'll work for me till–"

Kane punched his head so hard it burst.

"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to myself". Last one down.

While he was 'working' at the fighting ring, he investigated and memorized a list of fighters that had continued to commit heinous crimes or were unrepentant of the ones they had done in the past. The agreement he had within himself was that once he was through, they would all die.

That was nearly all the fighters by the way. Kane tore them apart with his bare hands. They had to pay the price. He especially enjoyed killing the adult that had molested Edram. He still screamed till he died.

Kane then met up with Almighty when he was done. Of course, Almighty could guess what he did from the blood on him.

"That took some time."

"Sorry about that. I was tired. Let's go."