The Blessing Of Talent

POV: Selene Korisuki

I was presumptuous. 

I can't even fathom the precision one must require in order to demonstrate the technique Rai is currently utilizing, but by absorbing his own lightning and manipulating it within his body, he's able to tremendously enhance his physical strength as his senses are sharpened to a terrifying degree.

Breaking the silence was none other than Arthur, who climbed out from being buried within the cliff as he looked down at Rai, who waited for Arthur's recovery as he flexed his hand, inspiring a burst of laughter from Arthur.

"You're actually crazier than I thought!" Arthur remarked, jumping down from the manmade cavity within the cliff as he landed onto the ground, matching Rai's gaze as the only thing separating them was the serene ribbon of water flowing from the waterfall.

"I would have never expected you to discard your own Aspect for more strength, but don't you think you're underestimating me?" Arthur asked as his smile quickly faded away, his once playful demeanor replaced with one of resoluteness as he pointed two fingers towards Rai, who remained unfazed until Arthur flicked his hand in a rapid motion, alarming Rai as he immediately raised a cross guard, blocking Arthur's near-imperceptible slashes of air as several cuts and gashes appeared across Rai's forearms.

I was aware that Arthur was a genius when it came to swordsmanship, but being able to use his father's infamous technique at the age of sixteen is startling.

As Rai winced in pain, Arthur's aura surged until he dashed towards Rai, who raised his guard once more in anticipation of Arthur's attack, but amidst his approach, Arthur used his Aspect, revealing a few slashes across Rai's chest as his guard faltered from the sudden sensation of pain.

Seizing the moment of vulnerability from Rai, Arthur struck Rai's face cleanly, but to Rai's surprise, Arthur nullified his attack and as Rai's body tensed with hesitation, creating an opportunity for Arthur to slash Rai's chest as he followed up with a bemusing spree of attacks before ending their exchange with a back kick into Rai's abdomen, sending him sliding backwards across the grass as visible annoyance began to grow on Rai's face, rousing an exulting grin from Arthur.

Arthur's Aspect along with his father's technique is giving him the advantage over Rai, who is struggling to even comprehend Arthur's next move, but this adroit style of fighting is what allowed Arthur to reign as one of the strongest among our generation.

I'm sure even Avery would have a hard time against him.

Aiming to dominate the fight, Arthur continued his aggression as he rushed towards Rai, who was in the midst of recovering as Rai tried to avoid Arthur's approach by retreating away, but Arthur was well aware of Rai's intentions as Arthur's previously delayed strike sent Rai stumbling backwards until he fell onto a knee.

Taking advantage of Rai's adverse position, Arthur rushed towards Rai and grappled him onto the ground as he tried to thrash Rai's head into the earth, but what I witnessed next was nothing less than an unfathomable display of dexterity.

The moment Arthur grappled Rai onto the ground marked the beginning of his downfall as Arthur's fleeting success clouded his judgement.

As Arthur tried to pummel Rai's face, every strike struck the ground cleanly as Rai nimbly weaved through the onslaught of punches with a deft motion, arising an unsettling sensation within Arthur as Rai suddenly twisted his lower body with force, flipping the positions to his favor as Rai stood over Arthur, who was in dismay from Rai's agile maneuver.

Unable to react in time, Rai struck Arthur's face with tremendous force, nearly knocking Arthur unconscious until he sunk his teeth into his bottom lip with the sole purpose of staying conscious as his resilience surprised Rai, allowing Arthur to free his trapped leg as he kicked Rai away, separating the two of them as Rai slid backwards across the river bed while Arthur struggled to come to his senses from Rai previous attack.

Noticing Arthur's current state, Rai didn't waste a second as he flashed towards Arthur and initiated an exchange of hand-to-hand combat, forcing Arthur on the defensive until Rai broke through his guard with crescent kick as Arthur staggered backwards, unable to correct his stance in time as Rai followed up with a sharp spinning roundhouse kick into Arthur's jaw, but despite the force of Rai's attack, it was nullified by Arthur as he stepped forward and aimed a lethal overhand punch towards Rai, who should have been unable to move, nonetheless, react as he was in an awkward position with his foot resting against Arthur's jaw and yet, Rai defied my imagination once again.

Using Arthur's head as leverage, Rai locked the bridge of his foot around Arthur's neck and pulled himself upwards, twisting himself amidst the motion as he kicked off of Arthur's back, who was flummoxed by Rai's masterly escape as he turned around to face him, but to his displeasure, Rai was nowhere to be found as he vanished from our sight, rousing a nervous grin from Arthur as his eyes began scouring the area.

Within a span of several seconds, breaking the daunting silence was none other than Rai, who suddenly appeared beside Arthur as he smashed his knee into Arthur's temple, disorienting him as Arthur stumbled sideways while Rai vanished once more, reappearing behind Arthur within a split-second as he smashed his clasped fist into the back of Arthur's head, sending him crashing face-first into the earth below as his body bounced upwards from the recoil, seizing his breath in the midst.

As Arthur's body descended towards the ground, Rai flashed under him and landed a gut-wrenching uppercut into Arthur's abdomen, causing him to vomit saliva as the impact launched him towards the seemingly fragile glass ceiling of the facility, but before Arthur could reach the apex of his ascent, Rai was already waiting for his arrival as he suddenly released his Aspectual Force, arising an unnerving sensation within me as the splendent blue lightning surging around his body oddly resonated with the ethereal glow of the moon.

Flexing his hand, Rai effortlessly manipulated his lightning into his palm as he placed his hand onto the chest of Arthur, whose consciousness seemed to be on the verge of slipping away from him.

"Rend." Rai uttered as he released a destructive mass of lightning through Arthur's chest, rupturing his internal organs as he spewed out a concerning amount of blood while the impact sent him flying through several trees until he crashed into the crest of the waterfall, destroying the structure in the midst as water began ravaging the lower grounds of the facility, spreading in a brisk manner as Rai landed gracefully onto the ground while Arthur's unconscious body flowed gently along the river bed.

Noticing Arthur, whose body was laced with faint traces of lightning that dispersed among the flooding river, Rai began walking towards him as I was left astounded by the results of what I assumed was the ending of their commendable fight.

Is it over-

As Rai approached him, Arthur miraculously regained consciousness within the minute as he slowly picked himself up from the water, enervated with a variety of injuries marred across his body and yet, the everlasting light within his eyes continued to grow as he was enraptured by their fight.

His resilience is praiseworthy, but I believe Rai may be the absolute worst matchup for Arthur.

Unlike Arthur, who is mainly a close combat fighter with the exception of his sword techniques, Rai's precise control in manipulating lightning allows his range to exceed Arthur's own, not to mention his aptitude for hand-to-hand combat, which would theoretically render Arthur useless if Rai actually decided to use his Aspect, but the most frightening thing about Rai isn't his Aspect or his combat prowess.

It's his inhuman reflexes.

With seemingly omnipotent reflexes along with extraordinary hand-to-hand combat skills, I can't imagine Arthur winning against Rai without using a sword.

As of now, one thing is certain.

Rai will be the victor of this fight.