CSHH, DMM, BOOM, CRSHH! Explosions shot out from the forest. Dozens of craters littered the ground. Strong winds surrounded the entire region, as Nazeem and Lupin darter around, exchanging blows. Lupin would swing his sword, trying to cut through Nazeem. Each time, he would dashed backwards, avoiding a full-on confrontation. Nazeem dashed forwards, but Lupin would always take advantage of his longer reach, forcing the boy to back off. "This guy's good…" Nazeem thought to himself, "...It took him no time at all to realize the only weakness to my spell. Once I activate it… all my physical attributes shoot through the roof. But, I'm unable to cast any spells. He's keeping his distance because he knows I can't use any long-ranged attacks." The two of them went back and forth. Nazeem would jump in, trying to land a solid punch. But Lupin would block his fist with his sword, and counter. They dashed around the area. Flying past dozens of trees while keeping an eye on the other's position. Nazeem began to grow impatient. He clenched his teeth, and tightened his fists even more, "Alright that's it, you're getting a bit too annoying!" Nazeem bent his knees, leaned towards Lupin, and pounced. In an instant, he had closed the gap between them. Lupin tried to jerk his body back, but it was too late. Nazeem already had his fist implanted onto the platoon leader's stomach. DOOF! Lupin hurled through the trees, CRSH CRSH CSHH! Nazeem dashed behind Lupin, who was still sent flying. Nazeem planted his right foot, and sent his left leg straight into Lupin's back, kicking him into the air. In less than a second, Lupin flew nearly a dozen meters high. Nazeem caught him short, slamming both of his fists into the platoon leader's back, changing his trajectory and hurling him back into the ground. Lupin skidded across the ground for a few seconds before planting his hand into dirt, stopping his momentum. He got back up and took a look around. Nazeem was walking over to him, lightning shooting off his body violently. His eyes were a piercing white color, and his aura was excluding pressure. Lupin's blue aura was calmly emanating off his body. The two of them started walking over to each other, maintaining eye contact. Nazeem planted his left foot into the ground behind him, and dashed forward. Lupin widened his eyes, and the two of them clashed. DMM! Nazeem's right fist was planted into Lupin's face. But the platoon leader plunged his sword into Nazeem's stomach. Lupin staggered backwards, pulling out his sword. Nazeem grabbed his stomach. Blood began to roll down from his mouth, "Cough cough." He grunted. Nazeem clenched his teeth and walked forward towards Lupin, who had already regained his composure and was staring the boy down.
DMM, DOOM, CRSH, DONGG! Dozens of trees fell. The crushing of rocks rang through the region. Suddenly, Nazeem jumped above the treetops, nearly twenty meters into the sky. Blood was trickling down from his face and stomach. His expression was filled with intensity while his eyes were fixated on something below him. Below the treetops, almost directly below Nazeem, was Lupin. His left cheek was swollen and bruised. His sword dripped of blood, and his clothes were ripped and torn. He was staring up at Nazeem, as if waiting for the boy to come back down. Just then, Nazeem descended from the sky. After a few moments, he landed back onto the ground, maintaining eye contact with Lupin. The two of them leaned towards each other. Their bodies grew blurry, and they disappeared. The sounds of impacts rang through the forest. Strong winds shot out from multiple different areas, pushing the trees back so fast that some of them broke off from their roots.
Suddenly, the two of them reappeared. Nazeem sent dozens of punches hurling towards Lupin. But each one was skillfully blocked and countered. The platoon leader sent jabs and slashes aimed towards Nazeem's neck. After a few moments of back-and-forth, Nazeem's neck was nicked by Lupin's blade. This triggered the boy to take a step back. Lupin smirked, and pushed forward. He ducked below Nazeem's right fist, pulled his sword to his right and swung. SHNGG! Blood shot out from Nazeem's gut. His eyes grew weaker as he leaned back. His body went limp, and Lupin noticed this. The platoon leader lifted his left leg and kicked Nazeem down. THUD! Lupin planted his foot onto Nazeem's chest. The boy grunted in pain, looking back up at him with weakening eyes, "Y-you're not half bad." "Yeah, I know" He pulled his sword to Nazeem's chest, pointing the tip of his blade down. Lupin held his sword there for a moment, staring Nazeem in the eyes, "I'm sorry kid… but this is war." His sword plunged downwards.
But suddenly, the loud crackling of lightning and thunder rang through the region. Lupin's sword was dug into the ground in front of him. The platoon leader looked forward. In front of him, roughly five meters away, was Nazeem. His body was emanating a bright blue glow. The crackling of lightning shimmered through his body, "Sigh… That was a close call… but now I've got the hang of this new spell. It's over, Lupin." Suddenly, the sound of striking lightning rang through the air, and Nazeem disappeared. Lupin's eyes widened and he jerked his body back. But it was too late, Nazeem's fist was already planted deep within Lupin's gut, "Belch!" He spat out blood. Nazeem pulled his fist back, and grabbed the platoon leader by the neck, planting his right foot, twisting his torso, and sending Lupin flying through the air. CRSH! He slammed into a large boulder, falling to the ground. Lupin quickly got up, but before he could fully stand, Nazeem grabbed his face with an open palm, and slammed it back into the boulder, crushing it completely. Lupin swung his sword, aiming to cut off his arm, but Nazeem grabbed his wrist with his left hand just before making contact, "Not fast enough." He tightened his grip on Lupin's wrist, forcing the platoon leader to drop his sword.
Nazeem pulled his face closer to Lupin and smiled. Nothing was said, but it was clear that his overwhelming strength was too much for him to handle. Nazeem let go of his face, and sent his left knee into it. Lupin rolled along the ground for a few dozen meters, until his momentum finally stopped. Nazeem leaned forward, and dashed towards him. Lupin tried to get up, but suddenly, a sharp pain filled his backside. Nazeem was crushing his back with his foot. Pushing down harder and harder every second. "Gyaah!" Lupin cried out. But the force of Nazeem's foot only strengthened. CRSH! The ground around them couldn't handle the force of his foot, and collapsed, creating a crater. By now, Lupin's screams of pain had died down to weakened grunts. Blood poured from his hairline. Dirt and rocks covered his limp body.
Nazeem took his foot off Lupin and took a step back. Lupin's breathing was weak, but still there. The crackling of lightning began to fade away, as the blue glow emanating off Nazeem disappeared, "Sigh… I win pal…" He walked out of the crater, and then turned to face Lupin, who was staring up at him with one eye, as his face was still planted into the ground. "...I'm sorry we had to do this, but it's just as you said. This is war." He turned away, and began to walk off. "Wait..." Lupin's weak voice called out. He slowly lifted his body off the ground, sitting up with a slouched back, "...Do you… have any idea, what I've got through? Do you know what things I've seen...?" He clenched his fists weakly, "...My name is Lupin Corroposcine… and I am known as the Wolf Of The Thirteen Kingdoms…" He tilted his face up to look at Nazeem, "...My life has been filled with tragedy. I've watched as people die… as my friends die… But no matter what, I've pushed on! On my back rests the hopes and dreams of countless fallen comrades! And I will not let them down. Do you have any idea of what I've been through!? Of what I've seen!? Of course not… You've had it easy. You got to train with the most powerful God in the Thirteen Kingdoms… And because of that, your power was practically handed to you..." Nazeem's eyebrows twitched. "...I;ve had to fight to survive all my life! Nothing was given to me… I was forced to survive under harsh conditions. Every day was a gamble, as I tried to scavenge for food… But, King Piule saved me. He took me in, made me into a true warrior. And for that, I will give him my undying respect and loyalty. You northerners have no idea what some of us have been through." Nazeem scowled, "I don't wanna hear it! You automatically assume that our lives have been so easy just because I was lucky enough to train with master Paarl. But our lives have been hard too. We lost our homes… more than once! Our parents died… and we weren't even given the time to grieve. So don't talk to me about having a hard life. We've had a hard life too! It isn't my fault your skills don't match up to mine." "Sigh… It doesn't matter…" Lupin smirked, "...I've held on long enough, but now I'm bored…" Suddenly, his body began to glow white. Nazeem's eyes widened. He leaned towards Lupin, and dashed forwards. But before he could reach the platoon leader, Lupin said, "...I'll see you again, kiddo." VMM! In an instant, he vanished completely, leaving Nazeem standing inside the crater, completely alone.
Nazeem walked out of the crater, breathing rather heavily. He turned to the south, and began walking, "Damn… I let him slip by me…" He scratched his head, "...I'm a real idiot, man." He walked past a tree slip in two with burn marks covering it from Nazeem's lightning. The area around him was scorched in burns and marks from their fight. Rocks were turned into rumble, trees were split into stumps, and the ground was scattered with large craters. But now, Nazeem started heading towards the more central part of the battlefield, with the intention of helping Kiliano.
Much farther down south, in a clearing just beyond the northerner's campsite, was Kiliano and Shyzen. The two of them were staring down at each other, neither one moving any more than an inch. Shyzen's aura covered the battlefield in a purple array, making the air seen heavier. Kiliano tightened his grip on his sword and planted his feet. At the same time, Solomon and Sarik emerged from the forest thicket roughly a hundred meters down the clearing. Sarik glanced at Shyzen and began walking towards him. But Solomon stuck his arm out, stopping the general short. Sarik turned to look at Solomon, who was shaking his head, "Don't… this is Kiliano's fight." Sarik looked nervous, "A-are you sure, master? We should take this opportunity to defeat Shyzen. If he gets away, I fear the opportunity to kill him won't come again." "While that may be true… I don't think this fight will be so one-sided." Solomon and Sarik looked down the clearing, towards Kiliano and Shyzen, both of whom hadn't moved a muscle.
Shyzen loosened his body and chuckled, "Heh… You're pretty nervous, aren't you?" Kiliano's face had a sweat drop roll down it, but he held a smile with a small sense of nervousness hidden in his expression, "I gotta admit, facing you is a lot more nerve wracking than I thought it'd be. But don't worry…" Suddenly, his aura began emanating outwards with more intensity, "...I'm warmed up… and ready to go!" The two of them smiled wider, and Kiliano took a step forward, preparing himself for the battle at hand.