Fighting (2)

One of the swords drifted closer to his hand, and when he grasped it, the weapon felt perfectly balanced, like it had been made specifically for him. Which, he supposed, it had been.

"Well," Kazuma said, his grin returning full force. "This just got a lot more interesting."

The heat around him intensified, and Haruto could see the air itself starting to warp and dance. The concrete under Kazuma's feet began to crack and bubble.

"Let's see what you can really do, Haruto."

Kazuma didn't waste any time with more talking. The moment the words left his mouth, he launched himself forward, his fist blazing with superheated air. The concrete where he'd been standing was left cracked and smoking.

Haruto barely had time to raise his light sword before Kazuma's burning fist collided with the sword. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, and sparks of white light scattered everywhere as the two powers clashed.

"Not bad!" Kazuma grunted, pushing harder against the sword. Where his skin touched the light blade, steam hissed and popped, but the weapon held firm. "But let's see how you handle this!"

He spun away and immediately launched into a flurry of punches, each one trailing flames and superheated air. Haruto found himself backing up rapidly, using his sword to deflect and parry the attacks. Every time Kazuma's fists met his blade, the sound was like metal striking an anvil.

But Haruto wasn't just defending. With a mental command, he sent one of his floating swords spinning toward Kazuma's left side while he engaged the front with his held weapon.

Kazuma's eyes widened as he noticed the approaching sword. He threw himself backward, but not quite fast enough. The light sword carved a shallow line across his ribs, cutting through his school uniform like it was tissue paper.

"Shit!" Kazuma hissed, looking down at the thin line of blood on his side. "Those things are sharper than they look."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Haruto replied.

All three swords moved at once – the one in his hand thrust forward in a direct attack, while the other two curved around from opposite sides. It was like fighting a one-man army, and Kazuma found himself hard-pressed to avoid all the slashing light.

He rolled to the side, slapped away one floating blade with a superheated palm, and barely ducked under the sword in Haruto's grip. But the third blade caught him across the shoulder, leaving another burning line of pain.

"Okay," Kazuma panted, backing away to reassess. "I get it now. You're not just swinging those things around randomly. You're controlling all of them at once."

"Pretty observant," Haruto said, advancing steadily. The swords moved with him like a pack of wolves, weaving through the air in complex patterns that made it impossible to predict where the next attack would come from.

Kazuma wiped blood from his shoulder and grinned. "My turn."

He pressed both palms against the concrete roof and channeled his power downward. The entire surface began to glow red-hot, and within seconds, the air above it was shimmering with waves of heat.

Haruto felt it immediately – the soles of his shoes starting to smoke, the air becoming thick and hard to breathe. It was like standing inside an oven that someone had cranked up to maximum.

"Can't fly, can you?" Kazuma taunted, standing easily on the superheated surface. "Let's see how well you fight when you're cooking from the ground up!"

The heat was becoming unbearable. Haruto could feel sweat pouring down his face, and his clothes were starting to stick to his skin. But he wasn't about to give up that easily.

Instead of trying to endure the heat, he did something unexpected. He grabbed onto one of his floating swords with his free hand and willed it to lift him off the ground.

It worked. The light sword, responding to his mental command, carried him several feet into the air, away from the superheated concrete. From his new vantage point, he could look down at Kazuma's surprised face.

"Two can play the aerial game," Haruto said, and sent his remaining free sword diving toward Kazuma from above.

Kazuma rolled away just in time, the light blade carving a glowing furrow in the concrete where he'd been standing. But now he was on the defensive again, having to dodge attacks from multiple angles while Haruto hovered above the battlefield.

"This is getting annoying," Kazuma muttered. He took a deep breath and suddenly launched himself upward, using his power to create a controlled explosion beneath his feet that sent him rocketing toward Haruto.

The collision was spectacular. Kazuma's burning fist connected with Haruto's light sword just as the floating blade tried to intercept him. The three forces – fire, light, and pure kinetic energy – met in a burst of power that lit up the entire rooftop.

Both fighters were thrown backward by the explosion. Haruto hit the chain-link fence hard, his light swords flickering for a moment before stabilizing. Kazuma landed in a crouch near the center of the roof, steam rising from his entire body.

"Okay," Haruto said, wiping blood from his lip. "I think I'm starting to understand why they call us the Awakened."

"You're tougher than I thought," Kazuma admitted, standing up slowly. "Most people would be unconscious by now."

The timer in Haruto's vision showed eight minutes remaining. He was getting the hang of this whole supernatural fighting thing, but Kazuma was no pushover. The guy's heat powers were incredibly versatile, and he knew how to use them.

"Round two?" Haruto asked, raising his sword.

"Bring it on," Kazuma replied, flames dancing around his fists.

This time, they both moved at the same instant, meeting in the center of the roof in a clash of light and fire that could probably be seen from the street below. The real fight was just getting started.