Knowledge led the way through the golden clouds toward the Sun God's realm, his robes flowing as he spoke.
"Hark, young Kanetaro! Seest thou the golden spires? 'Tis the stage where thy fate shall be forged in the fires of competition!"
Kanetaro looked at the grease vats back in the distance, then at the terrifying golden city ahead. "With all due respect, Lord Knowledge—which is to say, very little—I've decided that my 'fate' looks a lot like me being anywhere but here."
"Doth thou think to flee from a God?" Knowledge asked, amused.
"I don't have to outrun a God," Kanetaro muttered, eyeing a passing transport gear. "I just have to be faster than your patience."
With a sudden burst of speed that cracked the bronze floor, Kanetaro leaped. He didn't run like a coward; he moved like a blur, vanishing into the mechanical mist. Sorry, Mother Nature, he thought. The 'Hero' gig has a terrible retirement plan.
Kanetaro landed in a courtyard of metallic sunflowers. He thought he was alone until a sound like a thousand angry hornets filled the air. Swoosh-crack!
A silver ribbon of steel whipped past his nose, slicing a copper petal in half. Standing there was a girl with eyes like a desert storm, holding a weapon he had never seen—a whip of articulated blades.
Kanetaro's heart didn't just skip a beat; it did a full combat roll.
"By the spirits..." he whispered. "I think I've died and gone to a much better version of Heaven."
The girl, Riya, flicked her wrist, and the Urmi coiled around her arm like a loyal snake. "You move well for a stray dog," she said, her voice sharp. "But you're heading the wrong way. The Duel of Divinities is that way, 'Hero'."
"And you are...?" Kanetaro asked, trying to look cool despite the sweat.
"Your competition," she smirked. "And your ride back to Lord Knowledge. Try to keep up, or I'll use that ribbon to drag you there."
The golden gates of the Solar Coliseum ground open with the sound of a thousand gears. High above, on a throne of floating clockwork, sat Knowledge. He adjusted his monocle, his voice booming across the sands like thunder wrapped in velvet.
"Pray, silence thy tongues and open thy souls!" Knowledge cried, his arms spread wide. "The Duel of Divinities hath begun! Today, we separate the wheat from the chaff, the divine from the dust! Behold the combatants!"
Knowledge gestured to the four corners of the arena.
"From the scorched plains of the West, the Law-Bringer of the Golden Hand—Daniel! From the ancient temples of the East, the Serpent of the Whipping Steel—Riya! From the highest peaks of the Solar Throne, the Prince of Perfection—Kaito!"
He paused, looking down at Kanetaro with a smirk. "And lastly... the reluctant guest. The orphan of the forest who wouldst rather be elsewhere—Kanetaro!"
Kanetaro shielded his eyes from the sun. "Hey! I'm right here! And it's 'The Orphan of the Forest who is going to kick your clockwork butt,' thank you very much!"
Knowledge stood, a glowing scroll appearing in his hands. "The first bout! A clash of coils and lead! Riya of the Urmi shall face Daniel of the Golden Claw! May the smartest soul prevail!"
The fight was a blur of motion. Riya's Urmi whistled like a gale, her movements fluid as water. Every time Daniel tried to draw his "thunder-sticks," Riya's whip-sword snapped at his wrists, forcing him to dance back.
"Hark!" Knowledge shouted from the sidelines. "See how the maiden weaves a web of silver! Daniel, dost thou intend to dance all day, or dost thou intend to fight?"
Insulted, Daniel lunged. He took a stinging cut to his shoulder just to get close enough to catch the Urmi with his Golden Claw. The green acid hissed.
"A masterstroke of alchemy!" Knowledge roared as Riya's weapon dissolved. "The Serpent's fangs are pulled! Victory belongeth to Daniel"
"Rest not, Law-Bringer!" Knowledge proclaimed. "For the wheel of fate turneth quickly! Kanetaro, step forth and face the man who broke thy lady's steel!"
Kanetaro walked onto the sand, his hand on his wooden hilt. Daniel looked tired. "Kid, just stay down. I don't want to rot your sword too."
"You talk too much," Kanetaro said.
Knowledge leaned forward. "Let us see if the Orphan's strength is truly as 'unimaginable' as the scrolls foretell! Begin!"
Daniel fired, but Kanetaro was a ghost. He didn't just dodge; he flowed through the air. In a heartbeat, he was behind Daniel. He grabbed the Sheriff's golden gauntlet and squeezed. The sound of metal groaning filled the arena.
"Incredible!" Knowledge yelled, jumping to his feet. "He moveth like the wind and striketh like the mountain! Daniel is cast down! The Orphan advanceth!"
The air in the stadium grew cold, then white-hot. Kaito stepped down from the high dais, his double-sided spear spinning with a hum that made Kanetaro's teeth ache.
Knowledge's voice grew solemn and grand. "The Final Act! The sun meeteth its shadow! Kaito, the Solar Apprentice, versus Kanetaro, the Hero of Prophecy! Only one shall remain standing to claim the prize of the Gods!"
"I've waited for this," Kaito sneered, his spear tip glowing. "To show everyone that a peasant with a lucky sword is still just a peasant."
"And I've waited for you to shut up," Kanetaro replied, drawing his katana. "I've fought armies to bring peace to my home. You're just a spoiled brat with a long stick."
They collided in the center. The sound was like a mountain splitting in two. CLANG!
Kaito used his reach. He thrust the front blade at Kanetaro's throat, and as Kanetaro parried, Kaito spun the spear, aiming the back blade at Kanetaro's ankles. Kanetaro leaped, his katana catching the spear-shaft mid-air.
They hit the ground and rolled. Kanetaro swung a heavy overhead strike—a "Mountain Splitter." Kaito caught the blade in the notch of his spear and twisted, trying to disarm him. Kanetaro let go of his sword with one hand and punched Kaito square in the chest, the shockwave echoing through the stadium.
Kaito recovered instantly, his golden aura flaring. He began a "Solar Rain" attack, dozens of stabs per second. Kanetaro's katana moved so fast it looked like a shield of blue light.
"Behold!" Knowledge's voice was ecstatic. "The speed! The precision! They are two halves of the same soul, tearing the world asunder!"
Kanetaro was bleeding from a cut on his cheek. Kaito's armor was cracked. They were breathing in sync, eyes locked.
"Why won't you fall?" Kaito screamed, his arrogance turning into desperation.
"Because I've got a date with a girl whose sword you let get broken," Kanetaro joked, though his lungs were burning. "And I'm not becoming grease today!"
Knowledge stood, his eyes glowing with divine light. "The stalemate ends now! The Heavens demand a King! BEHOLD THE BLADE OF THE SUN!"
He cast a flaming object from the sky. It struck the sand between the two fighters, turning the floor into molten glass. It was a katana of pure, blinding white light—the Sun God's Katana.
"Whoever graspeth the hilt shall be the God of the New Age!" Knowledge screamed over the roar of the flames.
Kanetaro and Kaito didn't hesitate. They both sprinted into the fire, their hands outstretched.
As their fingers touch the burning hilt, a white explosion swallows the entire domain.