Back at the place where this all started, Yoko goes flying back as they quickly catch themself with their hands and flip over, sliding back on their feet. The much more muscular Keigo then dashes their way and swings a heavy but fast punch at Yoko's face.
Yoko narrowly leans back as a volley of following punches flies their way but Yoko swiftly and sharply dodges each one, focus and intensity on their face, before leaning far back in their tail and swinging their leg around at Keigo.
He blocks with his arm as Yoko swings their other leg around and kicks him from the other side. He quickly blocks again before Yoko jumps back just a bit and twists then launches both their legs right at Keigo, blasting him back.
His arms are up as he falls back across the courtyard but he catches himself. His arms steam from the impact as he smirks. His eyes widen instantly as Yoko flies at him with killer speed and swinging her leg down at him upside down.
Keigo blocks as the ground beneath him crumbles. Dust bursts out as Keigo lifts his head only to be met by a devastating punch across his face. He falls back a bit as Yoko follows up with another punch across his face but Keigo quickly focuses up after the second punch and dodges the coming third.
In that moment, Keigo backhands Yoko who blocks the attack but is sent tumbling across the ground with tremendous force. Yoko quickly gets to their feet only to narrowly dodge a coming punch, cutting their cheek by the sheer force and narrow dodge.
Yoko takes advantage and grabs Keigo's arm, throwing him over their shoulder and head first into the ground. Keigo grunts as Yoko lifts their leg up and shouts, stomping their leg into the ground. Keigo quickly rolls out of the way and drives his fist right at Yoko.
They block with their wing and arm but the sound of cracking and pressure of the force makes Yoko gasp in pain and allow themself to be thrown back. They roll but quickly regain their footing only for Keigo to rush them again and like before, Yoko dodges extremely fast with little room for error, focusing hard on the attacks.
"What's wrong, Yoko?! I thought this was a contest of strength! Why dodge so much?! Does that mean you can't take it?!"
Keigo shouts as his attacks don't let up. Yoko's eyes sharpen, their pride getting hurt by his words but this lack of focus allows a punch to land across their face, stunning them for a moment. Keigo then slams his fist into their face, sending Yoko tumbling across the ground.
Keigo huffs as he smirks, blood dripping from his mouth and bruises across his body. Yoko struggles to get up as their cheek is swollen and blood drips from their mouth too.
"ow… ow…" Yoko whimpers under their breath.
"I knew you didn't have what it takes. To think, for a second I actually got excited that a 1st Tier would be able to keep up with me. Guess not." Keigo smirks. Yoko looks up at him with an angry and frustrated look as they stand up.
"Shut up! I don't care what you have to say, feeble human! Just show me what you can do!"
Yoko shouts while pulling back their beastly arm and charging Keigo. He smirks aggressively back as he does the same. They shout as they charge each other before throwing their fists right at each others face, barely missing the others fist.
Their punches land directly where they aimed as they both get sent flying back, blood flying from their noses. Keigo catches himself as he charges again, absolute thrill on his face. Yoko stumbles back as they hold their face for a second but shouts as they do the same.
The two stomp their feet down, pulled back ready to strike the other down and prove their strength when suddenly everything stops. The shouting turns into weak gasps and the sound of striking is not made by their punches then everything goes black.
In the gymnasium, Dante and Marionette flash by, trying to hit the other over and over until Marionette quickly swings her arm back and right as Dante warps in, she grabs his collar and slams him against the ground holding tightly.
"Just give up. You can't beat me. It doesn't matter how fast you move, whether you're warping or moving or whatever it is you're doing, I'll always be faster." Marionette says firmly. Dante chuckles a bit from under her grasp.
"If you say so.. but I can always try. I have all the time in the world."
Dante says with a smirk before his eyes flash the blue color as Marionette puts up her arms to block the power cancellation. The wave still hits her as Dante hits her on the chin, causing her head the throw back. He then kicks her up with both his legs, slamming her into the roof.
She collides with the metal beams above before falling back down. As she does, Dante flips to kick her to the side but his leg phases right through her. As soon as she touches the ground, she slams her palm into Dante's stomach, causing him to keel over when she grabs the back of his collar and throws him against the wall.
There, she continues her assault landing palm strikes over and over against his body. Dante tries to warp away but Marionette grabs his collar again and slams him back against the wall, continuing her assault.
As if on instinct, Dante swings his hand at her with one of the energy balls in his palm when Marionette's hand collides with it causing a burst of energy, causing her to stumble back her hand now burnt a bit. She winces in pain as she looks at her hand, stunned by the sudden attack.
"That's impossible… not even light can touch me." Marionette says. Dante smirks.
"I call that little trick, Bullet Time."
Dante says when Marionette then slams her palm against his face back into the wall. She tries to strike him again but he hand just stabs into the wall when Dante warps across the gym, giving him a bit of space. He turns only for Marionette to strike at him but he leans back, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Marionette looks shocked as Dante shares her same expression before she backhands at him but again he leans back, barely avoiding it. Marionette stares at him in shock as Dante looks at him hands for a moment before smiling wide.
"Oh, right!"
Marionette then dashes at him but he leans and avoids her, keeping track of her with bright green turquoise eyes. She slides across the ground and darts back at him but he dodges again. She dashes over and over from all directions but Dante manages to somehow keep up with her and dodge repeatedly.
"What's going on? Did you slow down or what?" Dante asks with a smirk. Marionette grits her teeth as she charges him again. Dante turns and looks at her with intense eyes and leans to dodge but she doesn't dash past him.
His eyes widen as Marionette intentionally slows down before slamming her elbow against his face. Dante then focuses up and swings a Bullet Time attack at her but she phases through the ground before appearing out of it behind him and striking him across the face.
"Don't underestimate me!" Marionette shouts as Dante stumbles back, holding his face a bit.
"I'm not! I just get the feeling you're more of a glass cannon so if you lose your one advantage, you kinda don't have anything-" Dante speaks when suddenly Marionette is behind him with her head next to his.
"You sure about that?"
His eyes are wide and intense as she punches him across the face, smashing him into the wall. Before he can even collapse, she rushes him and slams her fist into his face back up so he stays standing then doing the same again but shoving him back onto the ground.
Dante reels from the attack as he bleeds from his nose. Marionette picks him back up and holds him off the ground.
"Do not mistake my kindness for weakness! I am not weak! And you will submit." Marionette says with intense eyes. Dante looks at her, pain across his face, but answers firmly.
"I won't."
Marionette glares at him intensely before her eyes widen. She yelps as she lets go of Dante and collapses on the ground. Dante hits the ground too with a cough as he looks up at the figure before him.
"Oh, right." He says before everything goes black.
In a hallway, the air is still but intense. Cole stands, panting and a bit beaten up, as he stares, focused on Samuel.
'Think. How am I going to win? He's stronger, faster, smarter. I can't bring destruction to the area around me but I can't yield. What should I do?' Cole thinks.
"You better act soon. I've given you more time than any enemy will." Samuel says as his Soul Shell begins to grow. Cole looks around quickly, trying to think his way out of this. "I'll give you 3 seconds." Samuel says as he starts counting down.
"3…"
'Maybe I can get him to go somewhere more open.'
"2…"
'Maybe he's testing me. Maybe the best option right now would be to submit.' Cole thinks looking more and more stressed.
"1…" Samuel says when Cole suddenly shoots out his Soul Shell at him. The tentacles blast Samuel's way but he just quickly deflects the two with his own before two others shoot at Cole and slam into his stomach.
Cole goes sliding back getting the wind knocked out of him but stops when the tentacles wrap around his waist. They then yank him back with great speed as Samuel slams his Spirit Shield covered fist into Cole's face.
Blood flies from Cole's face as his glasses hit the ground but the tentacles don't let him go. Samuel then swings him up and around before throwing him to the ground. Cole slams into the ground on his back and tumbles across the floor until he's on his face.
Samuel then lifts his hand up again, making the same pose as before with the finger circle and the other three fingers straight up, and speaks.
"Echo."
Samuel says before blasting a Kozen Echo into Cole again. He shoots him repeatedly as Cole falls back until he's laying on his back bleeding and panting. Samuel stops as he stands above him.
"It would be smartest to give up. Although I can assure you, your career as a hero will be over." Samuel says.
"I know…" Cole coughs out, still on his back. "I am just thinking." Cole says weakly. Samuel sighs.
"I'm sure you are."
Suddenly, Cole's Soul Shell tentacles come bursting out of the ground and form a cage around Samuel.
"A cage? Really?" Samuel says, unimpressed by the technique as he reaches out for the bars. "Though I must admit, forming such a construct so young is fairly-"
As he speaks, the cage suddenly tightens and wraps around Samuel's body, surprising him a little.
"Oh? I can still-"
Samuel says when two mini tentacles form out of the main ones by his face and begin slapping him back and forth a bit. Cole stands up with a smirk.
"I just needed a moment. And a distraction!"
Cole then shoots Samuel back and up with great speed before swinging him around and slamming him into the ground headfirst. The ground crumbles as Samuel coughs up some blood from the impact.
"I think I get it now. It is not about protecting everything around you." Cole says when Samuel uses his Frequency and shoots electricity into Cole through the Soul Shell. Cole shouts in pain and lets him go as Samuel gets up with a glare. "W-we are not gods. We make mistakes. Sometimes things get broken. But we must always try our best."
Cole says as he stands holding his arm in pain. Samuel glares at him for a moment before his look softens and he chuckles a bit.
"Exac-"
Samuel begins when suddenly he is stuck on the back of the neck faster than Cole can even keep track of. Cole is shocked but without a chance to react, he too is struck down as he passes out, everything fading to black.