A calm breeze sweeps across the entire fighting stage as the contestants: Serena, Maka, Kris, Dayve, Damian, Teru, Tesla and Kevine, stand gazing at each other. Tesla's beautiful silver hair flows elegantly with the wind as she takes a deep breath and Serena's lustrous golden eyes shine brilliantly. Echelone raises his sword and from his seat, shouts, "Begin!!!"
For a brief moment, no one makes a move and suddenly, Damian quickly jumps back and slams his hand on the ground, prompting Serena to make a move for him.
"Manifest: Earth Style: Dynamic Labyrinth."
Instantly, the ground erupts like an earthquake and huge walls thicker than the initial time he used the ability during the Glory games, spring up from the ground, separating the participants and grouping them in twos, changing the entire landscape of the fighting stage which can be compared to the size of three football fields.
While Serena is in motion, a huge wall appears before her; she reacts quickly and tries to go over it but to her surprise as her eyes open wide, a leg immediately appears in front of her and lands a kick on her. She, however, puts up a guard, using her two hands in a cross-like manner to block the attack. Still, it does send her flying backwards a bit.
She groans a bit while screeching to get her balance.
"You!!!" Serena yells, glaring at the culprit who kicked her.
"Didn't I tell you princess? You. Are. My. Prey, Serena Falcon," Maka says, with a wide grin, standing some distance in front of Serena.
The commentators, excited from their seats, comment, "Amazing!!! In an instance, the Earth Prince, Damian Ignition, changed the entire landscape of the fighting area and this has caused the contestants to be in pairs within large compartments of the labyrinth. A splendid performance from the astounding prodigy. Now we have Serena and Maka in one space, Dayve and Kris in another, Tesla and Kevin in another and Damian and Teru in another. This will be interesting to see how this ends!!!"
At the location of Damian, Teru stretches his body, bending his neck and cracking his knuckles to get himself ready to attack Damian.
Damian looks at him like a lion about to squash a bug. "How you managed to defeat Jin is still a surprise to me. I'm sorry but I'm not here to waste any time," he says but while still talking, Teru appears really close to him with his fist and attempts to land a hit on Damian's face. Immediately, a large boulder forms from under Damian and springs him up however, Teru's assault shatters the boulder but as Damian flips in the air, he says,
"Manifest: Earth style: Earth binding."
The shattered earth fragments twirl around Teru's arm and create a connection to the ground, trapping him. As Damian lands, he adds, "Manifest: Ignition style: Ignite."
BOOM!!!
"Argghh!!!" Teru groans as the earth fragments trapping him all explode. Hastily, Teru turns to launch another attack at Damian but he suddenly feels an upsurge of energy bursting forth from Damian who is standing like a shadowy figure with scary white eyes.
Damian grins and says, "I told you. I'm not wasting any time. Manifest: Earth style: Earth Golem." A gigantic sturdy rocky figure about fifteen feet (15ft) in height with thick builds, rises from the ground behind Damian.
"What?!" Teru is shocked by this.
"First hit," Damian utters and the mighty golem swiftly swings its right fist at the already weakened Teru, pounding him into the ground. As it raises its right fist, it swings the left one at Teru, crushing him further. It then joins its two fists together and slams them both at Teru, creating an eight feet (8ft) deep crater of about twenty five meters (25m) in diameter. Damian has already turned and started walking away even before the last attack of the golem.
Everyone is amazed at the display of power from Damian.
"Whoa!!! The unfair gap between a prodigy and others has been adequately shown by none other than the Earth Prince, Damian Ignition!!!" the commentators shout.
As Phoenix watches, he says to Gray, commenting on Damian, "Your son really does have amazing talent."
Kiiara watches intensely, thinking to herself, "Amazing. To think he's already on such a level. How am I supposed to surpass that?"
She becomes dismayed and bows her head, covering her face with her hands. Suddenly, she feels a hand pull her cheeks. She raises her head to see who it is, ready to yell at the person but sees it is her mother and quickly switches to a smile.
"Hey! Are you trying to force a smile at me?!" Diana says, glaring at her while pulling her cheeks.
"Of course not, mum, ha ha," Kiiara replies, trying to force a smile. Diana glares a bit more then gives off a warm smile.
"Stop worrying," Diana says, patting Kiiara on the head. "Instead of worrying, use that energy and time to become stronger and that goes for you too May," she adds. Kiiara and May smile and return their gaze to the match.
Back at the match,
Teru is lying down on the ground unable to move, with his arms spread wide and his eyes closed. Inside Teru's 'mind', he sees a blurry figure made of light grey aura, sitting on a thin staff, glaring with fiery red eyes, sharp like that of a ferocious beast.
The figure speaks with an echoing deep voice, "Kid, what brings you here?"
Teru, standing in the empty space of his 'mind', looks at the figure in the eye and says, "Back at this place again. Master Bakuxan said not to make use of this power however, I want to win this so badly. Whatever the consequences are, I'll take my chances so you, whatever you are, lend me your power."
The figure laughs, "Whatever I am? You don't even know me yet you want my power? How amusing. Very well kid, I accept. However, your wrecked body can only handle a max of five percent (5%) of such power at the moment but the more of the power you use, the more your body will become accustomed to it."
"Fine then," Teru replies as the vision in his mind fades away.
Meanwhile, Echelone is already counting down and is at two when a sudden blast of light grey aura bursts forth from Teru, reaching into the sky, and causing violent rumbles across the entire school.
Everyone is more than shocked. All the royals, nobles and judges have their eyes wide open.
"What is this strange yet overwhelming energy?" Damian thinks to himself, astonished by the amount of energy bursting forth and the nature of it. "It's so powerful yet with a mysterious feel," he adds.
The other contestants pause in their battle as their attention turns towards the pillar of energy towering up to the sky.
"Who in the world has such power?" Tesla thinks to herself.
"Hoo, to think that there's someone else here with such ability," Maka says within herself as she gazes at the strange energy.
At the royal viewing center, the Kings and Queens are surprised as well, not because the energy is strange rather because of its familiarity and the history they have with such energy.
"That is… Celestial aura," Luxxi Hertz, Queen of Stormville, utters.
"I thought they had gone extinct except for a very few?" Draem, King of Psyville, inquires.
"Not exactly. They've just been in hiding or rather they're just living in their own separate kingdom or world if I may say," Farads Hertz, King of Stormville, replies.
"Well, not all. After all, Goryu is a Celestial. All true giants are Celestials," Hahydroh, King of Aquaville says. "Still, it's rather shocking that the kid is of Celestial origin," he adds.
Goryu just sits touching his beard, gazing at Teru and pondering, "I had no idea that kid was a Celestial or is he a half breed? He seems like a very powerful one too and this particular aura, it's quite familiar."
May is shocked at the power level and asks, "Celestials? Are they really this powerful?"
Kiiara responds, "That's right. Celestials have a special aura which puts them at a natural unfair advantage. They're unique ancient beings just like Ghost element manifesters and the demonkind to mention a few. Nonetheless, most of them were thought to have become extinct."
"Well said, Kiiara," Phoenix comments, with his hand on his chin. "We call them Celestials because of their peculiar aura, however it doesn't mean that there aren't humans who cannot surpass them. To be precise, the top brass among the Celestials are immensely powerful and the energy this kid is emitting is no ordinary Celestial aura," he further explains.
May is surprised at the information she is receiving, and asks Kiiara, "But how did you know all these?"
"I read some primeval books I found in my dad's library," Kiiara whispers in May's ears.
Diana flicks her index finger at Kiiara, hitting her slightly on the head and says, "I heard that!! So that's where you've been snooping around during the holidays."
Marcus, who has been staring at the battleground with a straight face, chuckles and utters, "Ha ha, let her snoop. It'll probably come in handy one day, my Queen."
"Humph!!" Diana sighs.
Back at the match,
At the top of the normal viewing area, Bakuxan, with his long hair swaying with the wind and Kyzen, with his long jacket flowing with the breeze, watch as the battle unfolds.
"Are you kidding me? Don't tell me your student possesses the power of a…" Kyzen says and before he can complete his sentence, Bakuxan completes it.
"Yes. The power of a Celestial. Apparently, he seems to be the direct descendant of a formidable Celestial. However, I didn't think he'd use such power here as I told him not to," Bakuxan states.
"Why?" Kyzen inquires.
"Because… it will attract unwanted attention," Bakuxan answers.
"Oh. The Celestials," Kyzen replies.
"That's right. And they won't be here for a warm welcome. In the meantime, let's see how this match unfolds," Bakuxan responds.
At the judges' room…
Saphix smiles as she sees what unfolds and says within herself, "So you still live… within that boy."
Campione just looks, keeping a straight face while Deva is staring with a concerned gaze; Hachi and Dinah are quite surprised as they never expected Teru to turn out to be a Celestial.
Back at the match…
Teru slowly stands and swipes the dust off his shoulder as he directs his gaze at Damian who has now turned to face him, still astounded by the energy flowing out. Gradually, the pillar of energy discharging from Teru begins to fade out until it is fully gone.
"What's the problem, great prodigy?" Teru taunts, looking with his now sharp fiery red eyes. "Must have thought this battle was over right? Sorry to burst your bubble Prince, but we're just getting started," he adds and winds his right shoulder a bit to stretch it.
"Here I come," Teru states and zooms off in Damian's direction. His movement alone causes the ground to rumble. The mighty Golem created by Damian, standing in front of Damian, moves to stop Teru with its fist but Teru immediately stops right in front of it and does a spinning kick with his right leg. The kick divides the Golem into the two and the force accompanied by it completely shatters both parts of the divided Golem and even the huge walls surrounding them created by the labyrinth. This force is so powerful that even Damian is pushed back.
Damian quickly creates an earth boulder beneath himself and launches into the air.
"In just one hit he completely destroyed the earth Golem. Impressive," Damian comments but as he finishes his statement, the tip of Teru's right foot lands on his back as Teru appears behind him.
"What?!" Damian exclaims with shock on his face and before he can react, Teru unleashes a heavy kick slamming Damian into the ground with a mighty force, creating a large crater with a depth of about eight feet (8ft).
"Arrgghhh!!!!" Damian groans.
"Woww!!! What power!!! Can the Earth Prince survive that?!" the commentators announce.
Jin and Dia, along with other knocked out participants in the battle royale who decided to wait, are watching from another room, made especially for them.
"Can he actually survive that?" Dia asks.
"Damian's body is already stronger than that of a normal human due to his training with his father and brother. Both King Gray and Prince Drey (Damian's elder brother) possess gravity ability to an outrageous extent. So, by training under strong gravitational pressure, Damian's body has become more durable than that of other humans," Jin explains.
"I see," Dia responds.
At the royals' viewing room, a portal appears at the large space outside the room and two young men walk into the room. One with a cool but fearsome countenance, has silky medium length full hair, black in color, flowing backwards and with spiky edges. He is clad in a long black coat with arrow designs at the tip of the sleeves, buttoned from the neck down to the waist with silver buttons, a pair of black trousers and a pair of long black boots with silver ring designs on them. The second guy has a more muscular build than the first man and has short black hair with a full beard. He is wearing a sleeveless short jacket, a pair of black trousers and a pair of long black boots with a dagger strapped to each pair. Also two short swords are strapped to his back.
They step into the room and head straight to the King of Earthville, Gray Ignition's seat.
"You're finally here," Gray Ignition, in his calm and deep voice, says.
"That's right, father," Drey Ignition, the one with the cool but fearsome countenance, responds.
"Your Majesty," the other male greets the King and Queen of Earthville.
"Commander Karbine, how was the mission?" Gray asks.
"Operations were smooth, the mission was a success. Nothing less, as expected from Lord Drey of course," Karbine, the other man with a full beard, replies.
"Fine then," Gray utters.
"Glad you're safe, Drey," Derene, Queen of Earthville, says in her gentle voice.
"Thank you mother," Drey replies with a smile. He does not even turn to look at May, his half-sister but directs his gaze at the match.
"Is Damian struggling?" Drey inquires.
"Why do I feel the mysterious aura of a Celestial? A powerful one at that," Karbine asks.
"You're not mistaken, Commander Karbine. That is the aura of a Celestial. The kid that Damian is fighting seems to have the power of a Celestial," Derene explains.
"I see. Well, the young master should be able to get through this," Karbine replies.
Drey smiles and chuckles, saying to himself, "What's wrong little brother? So what if he's a Celestial? Does that really matter now? Do not disgrace the house of Ignition."
Back at the fighting area…
Damian lies down facing the ground, thinking to himself. "This… guy… is… strong. I have to let loose then seeing as he has far exceeded my expectations," he says while standing up and dusting himself.
Teru stands some distance from the edge of the crater, waiting for Damian to get out. Damian begins emerging out of the crater, standing on a large rocky pillar that gradually brings him up. When he is a few meters above the ground level of Teru, the pillar stops rising. He bends and places his hand on the surface of the pillar and says, "Manifestation: Ignition Style: Burst mode!!!"
Immediately, he takes off like a rocket, zooming off and appearing swiftly at Teru's position to land a punch on him. But Teru dodges the hit and proceeds with an attack of his, landing a heavy punch on Damian's solar plexus (part of the body). This should have gotten Damian but another Damian bursts out from behind as the one that was punched changes to an earthen vessel. The earthen vessel is however shattered to pieces by Teru's punch. Like a jet, Damian begins to fly around the fighting arena at high speed in random directions to confuse Teru. Teru just stands using his eyes to track Damian.
"For Damian to be using burst mode, it means that his opponent is quite strong and fast," May, Damian's half-sister and Kiiara's friend, says while watching the fight.
"Hmmm? I see," Kiiara responds. "The power of a Celestial huh," she adds.
"However, now that he's on burst mode, I don't see him losing," May adds.
The crowd is amazed at the speed at which Damian is moving.
Suddenly, shock appears on all their faces as Teru appears close to Damian, mid-air, with the tip of his right foot on Damian's chest.
"You must have thought no one could match your speed in that mode. What a pity, let me show you what speed is," Teru says, launching a strong kick on Damian that sends him flying all the way to the large curved wall of the fighting arena. While in motion, Damian stretches his palm at Teru and creates large rocky spikes, sending them against Teru who is still in the air trying to land.
Teru quickly kicks against the air and swiftly appears above Damian who is still in motion. Teru lands a powerful punch on Damian which sends him down. In a dash, before Damian slams into the ground, Teru appears at the ground level and lands a palm hit on Damian's back sending him flying towards the fighting platform. Instantly, Teru arrives on the fighting platform before Damian reaches that location and proceeds to land another hit on Damian. He gets close to Damian, extends his four fingers and touches Damian's chest with the fingertips. Focusing all his energy on a point slightly beyond the center of Damian's chest, he retracts his fingers, forming a loose fist and executes the punch by simultaneously thrusting, somewhat skipping forward with a minor twist of the hip and slightly extending the upper part of his arm. While tensing his whole arm, he clenches his fist tight which is enshrouded with light grey aura.
"Close Combat Style: One Inch Punch."
"UGH!!!" Damian screams as the punch lands on his chest and his eyes go blank for a brief moment. The punch instantly slams him into the large curved wall of the fighting arena making him cough out a substantial amount of blood.
Everyone is literally astounded by such a display of speed and power by Teru. The contestants all pause in amazement of Teru's ability.
"Impossible!!! To think that someone our age could beat Damian to such levels with just martial arts," Maka, one of the contestants, says.
"Your fight is here," Serena utters, trying to land a hit on Maka with her fists cloaked in lightning. Maka, however, avoids the attack and jumps backwards but the punch slightly grazes her nose causing a small bleeding there.
"You!!! I'm going to make you pay!!" Maka angrily yells and takes a step forward but they all pause again as they feel a powerful trembling force putting pressure on them.
"What… the?" Tesla stutters.
Out of the hole, Damian majestically walks out, and is enraged. As he steps towards the fighting platform, small stony particles around him begin to float while the force exerted on Teru is more than the others and it keeps increasing. This force is only felt in the fighting arena.
"Gravity?" Dayve thinks to himself.
"Interesting, so you've not given up yet. The spirit of a prodigy I see," Teru comments, stuttering as he talks, with the heavy pressure applied on him and finding it difficult to move.
"Humph!!" Damian sighs and adds, "Quite the handy ability, don't you think? I usually don't use it and was saving it for my battle against Dayve. Though this is child's play compared to my father and brother seeing as this is not my specialty. However, I must admit you are strong and fast, definitely more powerful than a regular prodigy but I will not allow you to trample on me as you wish. This is the end of the line for you."
"Manifest: Gravity Dome," Damian says as he steps on the fighting platform with blood dripping from his head and mouth.
The Battle Royale continues… who will emerge victorious?