ABANDONED OLD PORT, MIDNIGHT — THE CONFRONTATION IS ABOUT TO BEGIN
Akuon responded to Nox loudly yet calmly, "ALRIGHT THEN, LET'S BEGIN… BRO!" and activated his Shinyubi as well. But Akuon stood still, waiting peacefully, doing absolutely nothing—almost as if he was expecting Nox to attack first. And yes, that warm, quiet night instantly turned tense the moment Nox made his first move, at least for that old dock.
Nox dashed toward Akuon with the long sword in his hand. Since Akuon didn't know what type of Shinyubi Nox possessed, he avoided making any risky move. After Nox got extremely close, he yelled and swung his sword at him—yet at that exact moment, Akuon simply raised his right index finger to the path of the blade and blocked it…
Yes… with just his index finger.
Just like what happened at school, except this time, his finger had turned into solid steel.
After his failed attack, Nox instantly jumped back in shock, sweating… He swallowed in fear and froze, because now he knew exactly what type of Shinyubi Akuon had.
Spade.
According to the book, it only activated through a protective instinct—basically, a power that could be used solely for defense.
While Nox desperately tried to think, Akuon suddenly charged at him with a faint smile on his face. His body wasn't transformed anywhere this time—he was simply running. Comfortably.
When Akuon reached Nox, he threw a normal punch, though clearly one with his full strength behind it. Nox tried to block it with the long sword, but because of his fear, he held the sword only in a defensive posture. He couldn't hurt Akuon, but he managed to protect himself. He retreated again.
Akuon spoke,
"Are you going to keep running like that? Weren't you going to kill me?"
Hearing this, Nox looked at the sword in his right hand, then wiped the sweat off his face with his left and swallowed hard as he thought:
"To beat this damn Akuon, I need to use my power too… But mine isn't like his. I can't win this without getting close… Should I have… sacrificed more of my humanity?"
Just as Nox was in the middle of this thought, Akuon suddenly started running toward him again—calm, yet strangely joyful.
"If you're not coming to me, then I'll come to you!" he said in a calm but unmistakably bloodthirsty tone.
This time Nox pulled himself together, realizing he didn't have the luxury to think anymore. He had to do his best and deal with Akuon's incoming attack. Akuon approached, Nox swung his blade—
But Akuon dodged it.
Right afterward, Akuon attempted to punch him.
"Yes… I just need to touch him," Nox was thinking, trying not to lose his composure, trying not to feel fear or panic. At the exact moment Akuon threw his punch, Nox found an opening! He caught Akuon's fist with the palm of his left hand, then swung his sword again with his right. Akuon dodged once more—
But this time, Nox was smiling.
When Akuon saw that smile, he knew something was off. No matter how you looked at it, he clearly held the advantage…
Had he made a mistake by not using his Shinyubi for attacking—by not transforming any part of his body?
Well… he was still new to his power.
Akuon charged again. This time, he let Nox's blade touch him—and the entire part of Akuon's left arm that made contact transformed into a cold, icy substance that began turning anything it touched into ice. Then Akuon calmly laughed and threw a perfect, fast, brutally strong punch—
But…
But the punch never landed.
Why? How? By what right did that punch NOT hit Nox?!
Nox smiled again and simply kept staring at Akuon. Akuon calmly reset his fist and tried punching again, but this time, his fingers suddenly opened on their own—his punch slowed down—and in that instant, Nox grabbed Akuon's defenseless fingers with his left hand and twisted them—then snapped them.
Akuon screamed,
"AAAAGGHHHH!!!"
It was clear he was furious… yet another thing was also clear—
Zero excitement. Zero panic on his face.
Nox, now relaxed, began speaking,
"You thought I was… WEAK OR SOMETHING, HUH!? YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
But Nox's sword had frozen, so he had to drop both the blade and Akuon's broken fingers before retreating again. Akuon struggled not to writhe in pain—his willpower was definitely strong. When Akuon's left arm returned to normal, the sword Nox had dropped lay on the ground, ownerless. Akuon picked it up with his left hand and thought:
"Damn Nox… now he only has his fists. But what the hell was that absurd thing he just did? And… and this damn, unnecessary calmness I'm feeling is starting to bother me."
Suddenly, Nox sprinted toward Akuon again. Because of Akuon's broken fingers, Nox knew he was an easier target now. And Akuon was slower due to the pain—an easier prey. Before Akuon could even swing the sword, Nox slipped behind him and touched the back of Akuon's left leg.
"This game ends now," he said quietly but clearly.
Akuon immediately collapsed. He couldn't control his leg anymore…
And he thought,
"Damn it… I can't move my leg. Is this it for me?"
Nox kicked Akuon directly in the face—Akuon, fallen and defenseless. Akuon dropped the sword, and Nox picked it up from the ground.
Nox slowly pointed the blade at Akuon—who was frightened, yet disturbingly calm. He raised the blade into a position where he could thrust it quickly…
But right before he could drive the sword into him—
He stopped.
7 MONTHS EARLIER, AT SCHOOL
"Yes, this is your new classmate, Akuon Maximus. Make sure to get along with him!"