It's been a few days since Kiya's confession to Iruna and the assassination attempt on her life. This left Iruna to ponder on the situation whilst escorting her home, which left him in the awkward situation he was in now. He did not know what to say or how to even reply, thus he sighed and slipped his hands into his pockets with an impassive expression.
"I'm sorry. I cannot return your feelings."
Iruna stated simply which left Kiya on the verge of tears, though she steeled herself and continued walking without a break in her step. Her head slightly tilted down to mask her sadden eyes, embarrassed to even look at him.
"Can I ask why?"
Kiya asked in a low tone, a subtle hint of sadness which added to her adorable factor. Iruna suddenly stopped walking and gently grabbed Kiya hand who looked up in surprise at the sudden gesture.
"For just a brief moment when I saw you, I saw the world in a completely new view. It was a fleeting moment, but I remembered how joyous my life used to be and...I didn't think I deserved it. Nor do I think I deserve you."
Iruna proclaimed with an impassive expression, staring deep into Kiya's hot pink eyes which made her cheeks flush a crimson color.
"B-but-"
Kiya tried to stammer out but Iruna already anticipated what her next question was going to be.
"Even if you did choose me yourself, I want to be the best version of me once again and I cannot do that unless I conquer these systems."
Iruna proclaimed stoically but his words carried the weight of truth and Kiya knew, though she couldn't help but be upset at his rejection.
"Be my first friend, yeah?"
Iruna asked much to the shock of Kiya who had tears threatening to fall from the corner of her eyes. In a leap of joy, she jumped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Iruna neck to practically hang on since he was taller.
Then Iruna eyes noticed something a few ways behind them. Upon further inspection, Iruna realized it was Aniyah watching them from a distance, but when she saw Iruna's eyes dart over to them she had glared and walked away with a subtle huff.
'I shouldn't have got my hopes up for somebody I didn't know'
Iruna proclaimed within his mind, glancing at Aniyah who still had teary eyes, wiping them away with the sleeves of her uniform.
Now...
"You're quite skilled. Maybe I'll take this just a little bit more serious"
The god of war proclaimed with a tone of confidence, his body continuing to stand despite the severed arm and the rubble beneath him after being tossed away. On the other hand, Iruna watched with interest this time until the man was now in front of him.
'fast...'
Iruna proclaimed within his mind, his body doubling over from a gut strike delivered by the god of war. The wind whipped around them violently from the sheer pressure of the strike, leaving Iruna breathless for a few seconds before being sent into the air.
'Just from a single punch...'
Iruna exclaimed within his mind, witnessing the ground reduce to dust from the pressure of the strike as if it was sand. The man blurred from physical view at a pace faster than Iruna's body could keep up with, resulting in the man delivering a bone crushing kick to the airborne Iruna's left ribcage.
"Kane Morningstar. Nice to meet you kid"
The now proclaimed Kane had spoken, watching as Iruna slammed across multiple rooftops before skidding to a stop, lying motionless.
"Oh? I thought he would've splattered into bits. Maybe he actually has potential."
Kane proclaimed with a slight chuckle. Soon enough, the dust gathered from the violent attack had cleared, though Iruna wasn't nowhere to be seen.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
Kane exclaimed with a hint of satisfaction as his legs automatically moving him to the side, just in time to narrowly avoid a lethal roundhouse kick. Kane took advantage of Iruna's open guard and blitzed forward like an elite warrior ready to slay down his enemy.
[Skill Activated: Divine Piercing]
[Skill Activated: The Wings of Calamity]
In the blink of an eye, red and blue light flashed across the streets of the city. Shockwaves rippled through cars and homes resulting in shattering glass and dangerous seismic activity. Some stared in awe at the fierce display while many ran away from the immediate danger.
Eventually, Iruna had managed to gain some distance on a large rooftop while Kane had occupied a rooftop a few streets away.
[Duality Activated: Cataclysmic Ripple]
With a steady exhale Iruna held his right arm out and in seconds, his sheathed sword appeared within his grasp. Then the space around Iruna distorted, a series of overlapping runic circles manifesting into reality in a display of crackling hot electricity and pressure.
BOOOM!
Seconds after Iruna activated his duality skill, rays of multicolored light swarmed the sky in a blitzing high pitched screech. This dazzling display was the last thing Kane saw before the building he was standing on had turned to dust in a fierce explosion.
Despite this, Iruna remained wary and waited in anticipation. Iruna arms were steady, and his legs were perfect width apart.
"That almost had me. A consecutive layered skill. While not impossible, it is extremely difficult to combine two skills. Show me more!"
Kane proclaimed with an obvious tone of excitement, his voice suddenly being heard from behind Iruna. In a flash, Iruna was forced to lift his sheathed sword up in a horizontal manner, clashing against the heavy great sword wielded by Kane.'
"Sure, but I'll warn you that most of them are pretty strong. I hope you can withstand that"
Iruna proclaimed with a slight grin, a subtle drip of sweat running down the side of his forehead as he struggled against the dominating opponent.
[Duality Activated: Non-Euclidean Space]
Iruna knew that he could not overpower Kane, so instead he narrowly released the clash and rolled to the side just in time to avoid the great sword that slammed into the spot Iruna previously stood.
Then as Iruna stood up, the world that was still slowly spiraling into a chaotic descent had begun to reshape itself. Iruna stepped forward and was no longer visible to Kane.