Sakolomé and Salomé had spent the whole day training.
It was now three o'clock in the afternoon. The time to go home was approaching.
— All right, Salomé… I think you've learned enough for today. Now, I'm going to ask you to train often if you want to master all these skills to perfection.
Salomé replied immediately, chin raised:
— But I already master all these skills, big brother. The only thing I have left to do is improve them… in my own way.
Sakolomé was surprised by this confidence. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.
— You really think you've mastered everything you've learned… in just one day?
Salomé nodded with conviction.
A smile appeared on Sakolomé's lips.
— Very well. You'll have to prove it to me. We're going to have a fight. I'll only use one hand: my left hand. If you manage to force me to use another limb… you'll have won.
Salomé jumped up with excitement.
— Hooray! Okay, big brother. Be ready!!!
She took her stance, a slight smile on her lips, while Sakolomé adopted the same posture. He slipped his right hand behind his back and watched his sister with the gaze of a martial arts expert.
— Let's go!!!
Salomé charged.
She concentrated energy into her right fist.
— Killer Rafale!!! Hyaaaahhhhhh!!!
A rain of punches and kicks rained down on Sakolomé, each one as powerful as the last.
He was surprised. Salomé was moving with astonishing speed.
Yet, with just one hand, he managed to deflect every attack.
— Not bad.
— That's only the beginning, big brother!
Mana escaped from her body.
Sakolomé leaped backward.
— What is she preparing…?
— Look at this technique I just invented, Sakolomé!
Mana swirled around her.
She leaned slightly forward, and the purple aura concentrated on her right fist.
— Killer Punch Flames!!!!
She struck.
A wave of intense heat spread out, mixed with shockwaves. It was a long-range attack, a projection of flames and pure power.
Sakolomé barely had time to dodge. The attack missed him by a hair and devastated the trees behind him.
He froze for a moment, impressed by the damage.
Then Salomé suddenly appeared in front of him.
— Hey, big brother… Stay focused!!!
— Damn…!
An exchange of blows began.
Sakolomé was managing remarkably well with just one arm against his younger sister.
Yet Salomé's hand-to-hand combat ability was astonishing. It was her very first fight… and yet it looked as though she trained like this every day.
She leaped into the air.
— The Strike of Satsujin Otoko… Killer Quick!!!!
She struck toward Sakolomé, who was still on the ground.
He blocked the blow with his left hand and felt a sharp pain.
The force of the impact cracked the ground and opened huge fissures all around them.
Sakolomé tried to grab her.
He succeeded.
— I've finally got you!!!
Then, against all expectations, Salomé exploded.
A colossal shockwave propelled Sakolomé backward.
— What the hell is this?!!!
He crashed violently into a hill, got up immediately, and stared at the immense cloud of smoke.
— I don't understand anything anymore…
He looked at his left hand. It was covered in small burns.
The smoke dissipated.
Salomé, already standing, was concentrating another attack.
Sakolomé remained stunned.
— Very impressive…
— Big brother… I present to you my ultimate attack for now. Killer Man Death!!!!
She was overloading her hand with both mana and energy.
— Damn… Careful, you might…
Sakolomé stopped himself.
Salomé suddenly collapsed onto the ground, unable to move.
— What is… what's happening to me…? she murmured, trembling.
He rushed toward her.
— You didn't take my explanations into account. During your series of attacks, you not only consumed too much energy and mana… but you also wanted to combine them to create your ultimate attack. Your body is exhausted. It needs to recover all that aura you wasted.
Salomé smiled anyway.
— Ah… okay, I see… But it was so much fun. Hahahaha! I had way too much fun… Didn't you, big brother?
Sakolomé nodded and lifted her up.
He placed her on his back.
— Big brother… What are you doing?
— We're going home. We'll come back another time. For you to fully recover, it'll take you at least two weeks.
Salomé opened her eyes wide.
— What? Two weeks? That's way too long!!!
— You should have thought before consuming that much aura.
— It's not fair…! she protested, pouting.
They set off.
After such training, rest was necessary.
— Hey, Salomé?
She answered in a voice already drowsy.
— Yes, big brother…?
— What was that technique you used earlier? The one where you exploded when I grabbed you?
— Haha… Did you like it?
— Oh yes. A lot. It surprised me. How did you do it?
— I used a large amount of mana to create a double of myself… right after the Killer Punch Flames. While you were distracted, wondering about things… I sent it to attack you. It was hard to control, but I managed. Then, when you grabbed it, I ordered the mana contained in that fake body to explode. And… booooom. I didn't hurt you too much, did I? If I did… I'm sorry, big brother.
— Don't worry. On the contrary… it made me happy to see you so powerful. But in the future, don't use that much energy and mana at the same time. If you want to consume that much, you'd need to have an infinite amount… so you could use it without ever getting exhausted. In any case, for your first fight, it was a…
A noise interrupted him.
Sakolomé stopped.
— What is that…?
He glanced at Salomé, asleep on his back. Little snores escaped from her lips.
He smiled.
— Rest well, little one. You need it… and above all, you've earned it.
He resumed walking.
The house was no longer very far away.
On the way, he ran into Bakuran.
— Hey, Sakolomé. What happened to Salomé?
— She trained with me. She's exhausted. Here.
He handed his sister to him.
Bakuran took her in his arms, puzzled.
— Uh… Why are you giving her to me?
— I haven't finished training. Go home with her and ask Mother to give her a potion to restore her energy.
— Uh… Okay.
Bakuran placed Salomé on his back and walked away.
Sakolomé rose into the air and flew off.
He was pensive, as if something was troubling him.
He quickly returned to his training spot and took off his top.
— I still have a lot of progress to make…
He bent slightly forward.
— The fact that I can't use mana slows me down enormously… But I'm not going to complain. Even with pure energy, I'll manage to beat Bakuzan…
He closed his eyes.
A red energy vapor escaped from his body.
*(Energy can sharpen physical skills. With it, I can increase the power of all my senses. People who use mana easily gain access to extrasensory perception…)*
He smiled.
*(But who said that those who possess only purely physical abilities couldn't do the same?)*
He released even more energy.
*(With absolute concentration and a will that transcends the physical body… I can use an energy capable of surpassing the limits of the possible. They wonder how someone without mana like me manages to fly?)*
*(With my extrasensory senses, I can see for miles… possess much greater, faster, more precise intuition… not to mention high clairvoyance…)*
Suddenly, he snapped out of his concentration.
— Hmm…
He had sensed something.
— There's someone watching me.
He straightened up and walked toward a tree.
He placed his hand on the trunk.
— You, behind that tree… I saw you. Come out now. Don't make me repeat myself.
The foliage rustled.
Sakolomé remained on guard.
To his great surprise, a young girl emerged from it.
She was about his age. Long white hair, blue eyes… and a disheveled appearance that suggested she had been abandoned.
— Huh…? But who are you?
The girl didn't answer. She seemed afraid of him.
Sakolomé looked her over from head to toe.
— Uh… Hi. Can you answer me, please? You're not a mutant, I hope…?
She remained silent. Mute.
Her clothes were old, dirty, and torn. She clutched a teddy bear that was just as filthy.
— You can't speak…?
Still not a word.
She looked away, too shy to meet Sakolomé's gaze.
He sighed.
— You don't seem to be a threat. I'm sorry I disturbed you. You can continue what you were doing.
He turned around to resume his training.
— W… Wait!!!
The voice surprised him.
He turned around.
— So you can speak after all. So… who are you?
She approached timidly.
— I don't have a name… And you… who are you?
— Me, I'm Sakolomé Satsujin Otoko. Yes… I'm a Satsujin Otoko.
She frowned, intrigued.
— A Satsujin Otoko? What's that?
Sakolomé was even more surprised.
— It doesn't matter. Where do you come from?
— I don't know… I've just been walking for ages.
— What…? Where are your parents?
— I don't have any. My only family… is him.
She held out the teddy bear.
Sakolomé looked at the sky, then at the young girl.
— It's getting late. I'll have to go home.
— Okay, Sakolomé. Goodbye.
He hesitated.
— I have a question… If I understand correctly… you're an abandoned girl?
She nodded.
— You can come to my house. My mother will welcome you properly.
— No, thank you. I'm going.
He hurried to stop her.
— Wait. I have an idea. Can you stay here? Tomorrow, I'll bring you a few surprises.
She looked at him, uncertain.
— Are you really going to come back here tomorrow?
— Yes. If you promise to wait for me here, so will I.
She nodded.
— Okay. You seem nice, Sakolomé Satsujin Otoko.
He smiled shyly.
— Then… see you tomorrow, my friend.
— See you tomorrow, Sakolomé.
He picked up his tracksuit and walked away.