This fight between Kunai and Arai is definitely one of, if not the, most epic fights in the entire series. You’ll see why when all hell begins to break loose next chapter.
Episode 92 Legacy of Kindness
A kind of frost begins to fall upon the battlefield, as the ground freezes and massive stalagmites built of ice erupt from the marble floor. Dodging a blast of electricity, Kunai dashes quickly out of the way as Arai aims yet another attack at him.
Unfortunately, Kunai fails to dodge the second attack. The round of electricity shoots through him like a bullet, tossing him backwards and causing him to slam into one of the icy stalagmites.
The chunk of ice explodes upon impact, shattering into a million frozen pieces. The shards rain down upon Kunai from above, as he shakes them out of his hair and eyes. Kunai again draws Myou, narrowing his eyes and bracing himself for another attack.
Kunai’s eyes shift to his right. “I see you!” he shouts, swinging his sword to meet Arai’s staff. The two weapons collide with a flash of electricity. Kunai bounces back, firing attacks off relentlessly at his pursuer.
“Soul Combustion!” he roars, sending a furious blast of white energy at Arai. As Arai teleports out of the way, flitting left and right through the chaotic field of outcroppings of ice, Kunai raises his weapon again. “Soul Synthesis!”
The second blast of energy shaves off the top halves of a number of stalagmites in front of him, but the attack still does not accurately make its mark against Arai.
Breathing heavily with frustration, Kunai lowers his sword again, searching for Arai. “Damn it…he’s too fast!”
Watching from the sidelines, Fayvard cranes his eyes, looking left and right across the wild field of ice. “Damn, he’s so fast even I can’t keep up with my eyes. If only I could do something to help Kunai…” He leans weakly on his sword for support, barely able to stand on his own.
With a rush of noise and wind, Arai reappears behind Kunai. Using his sharp ears, Kunai detects Arai’s movement. He turns to look over his shoulder, but still does not react quickly enough. Arai rushes straight at him, barreling a blade of lightning into Kunai’s shoulder.
Blood leaps high into the air, before landing in a pool upon the icy ground. Kunai drops to his knees, grimacing badly as he clutches his torn shoulder. Myou falls to the ground with a clatter.
Arai lowers his guard as well as Kunai falls, his own breathing strained. Standing behind Kunai, Arai watches the former struggle weakly on the ground. “Ready to give up, Kunai?”
Kunai does not reply. For several seconds, he remains on the ground, his breathing ragged as blood continues to pour out of his wound. Then suddenly, a magnificent haze of white light erupts around him.
Arai quickly teleports backwards, using his arm to shield his eyes from the blinding rays of light now surrounding Kunai. A massive pair of feathery angel wings appears over Kunai and envelops him. They hover briefly over him, before disappearing with a rush of feathers.
As the light finally fades away, the wound around Kunai’s shoulder has disappeared. Arai’s eyes widen with disbelief as he grits his teeth. “Impossible…!”
Rising methodically to his feet, Kunai slowly pivots towards Arai. He retrieves his sword, holding it loftily in his right hand. He flexes his fingers around the handle. Kunai gazes at Arai sternly, before leaping into a full-speed dash straight at him.
Kunai’s black eyes narrow as they lock onto Arai. ‘It’s been becoming clearer and clearer the more I use my powers. Her face…!’
Roaring, Kunai leaps into the air just before he reaches Arai. He raises his sword arching high over his head and comes down upon Arai, a brilliant plume of white flames rocketing forth from his blade.
Arai forms a cube of ice around him, which absorbs the blow from the attack. As the ice breaks, pieces of ice go flying into the air like broken glass. Arai teleports away as the cube gives way completely. He comes to a stop several feet away, his breathing heavy as he watches Kunai warily.
“I’ll make you pay, Arai!” Kunai growls viciously under his breath. “For killing Ryuu, for making him go through all that pain just so you could take back the Anti-Paradox…”
Arai’s eyes suddenly widen with realization upon Kunai’s words. At once, he smirks. “I see. I believe I understand now. You’ve been holding the Anti-Paradox all along, haven’t you? Yes…being near it would explain everything. That Anti-Paradox is having an undue influence on you!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Kunai replies, dashing forward and swinging his blade into Arai.
Arai blocks the attack with his staff, just barely holding back its angry force. “Azuma would be pleased! Your Fatalist powers have already grown tremendously in the short time that you have been in possession of the Anti-Paradox. I should have taken it back from you sooner!”
“What?!” Kunai gasps, confused.
“Surely you have noticed!” answers Arai. “The Anti-Paradox has been causing your Fatalist powers to grow at an abnormal rate!”
Kunai bares his teeth. “What are you talk—” He suddenly freezes, as a stabbing pain shoots across his forehead. Stopping entirely, Kunai is forced to place a hand on his forehead as the headache paralyzes him.
“So you have noticed!” Arai says, constructing a blade of lightning and ice in his hands. Taking advantage of the opening caused by Kunai’s headache, Arai thrusts forward and stabs Kunai right in the chest, piercing him through the left side near his heart. The blade goes straight through Kunai, appearing on his other side with a sizzling crackle of blue and yellow sparks.
Propped up by Arai’s elemental blade, Kunai hangs weakly in the air, blood running down from his mouth. He gazes at Arai, with dark bags under his eyes, barely able to see due to the throbbing pain in his forehead. Arai’s face swims in and out of view in an ocean of darkness.
Fayvard steps forward, but nearly collapses onto the floor himself from the effort. “Damn it…” he curses. “Kunai!”
Yet before Arai has a chance to do anything else, another furious blast of energy erupts around Kunai, engulfing both he and Arai. The wind from the energy envelops Arai, forming a dangerous vacuum around him. Arai attempts to withdraw his blade from Kunai’s chest and escape, but the energy holds him in place. Wide-eyed, Arai can only watch as the whirlwind of energy around him gathers momentum.
Suddenly the cloud of energy solidifies and shoots out a searing flamethrower of fire. The cloud swirls angrily, consuming Arai’s entire elemental blade with its vicious flames. The blade no more, Arai teleports out of range of the flamethrower, his robes slightly charred from the attack.
The haze of fire and energy slowly dissipates, to be replaced once again by the low, cold mist from Arai’s ice. Kunai emerges from the cloud of energy unscathed, a number of angel feathers falling to the ground at his feet. He dusts a few feathers off his shoulders and raises Myou again.
“This ability…” Arai mutters wrathfully, but filled with respect and admiration. “To have such a Fatalist power is…!”
“Shut up,” Kunai hisses, raising his hand. A flash of searing flames explode from his hand, finding their way towards Arai.
Reacting quickly, Arai tosses a blast of ice into the air to intercept the flames. The two elements collide in midair, forming a massive reaction of fire and ice as they interact.
“The hell…” growls Fayvard. “That kid never ceases to amaze me. It looks like he can now summon his powers at will! Those powers are growing way too fast…”
“Indeed,” Arai frowns, staring down Kunai from afar. “Your powers have always developed extraordinarily quickly, Kunai, even in comparison to the other Fatalists. What quality is it about you that allows that to happen? Is it anger? Desperation? Duty?”
“None of those!” Kunai hisses, drawing his sword once more. “I’m starting to get what Ayame meant inside that special space… Love! I can feel the powers of my friends and family flowing through me! That’s the reason I will defeat the Fatalists, in order to protect the people I love!”
“Hmph,” snorts Arai derisively, “what a foolish reason. It seems I was mistaken to think there was something special about you. Love takes you nowhere. I will show you what misery your foolishness will lead you to!”
“Enough talking!” roars Kunai. “It’s time to finish this!” With a flash, Kunai disappears.
Arai leaves his feet, turning in midair as Kunai strikes him from behind. Kunai’s sword barely misses as Arai dodges. He sends a devastating blast of ice straight at Kunai.
In return, Kunai cuts the air vertically with his sword, as a powerful eruption of fire leaves his sword again. The searing flames easily consume the ice, paving the way for Kunai forward. He double jumps through the mess of fire and ice, his sword singing furiously through the air.
Kunai swings his sword down wrathfully, but Arai teleports out of the way at the last moment. Turning, Kunai spots Arai floating in the air just behind him. Arai throws back his staff to cast a spell, spitting forth a crackling wire of lightning at Kunai.
Without breaking his stride, Kunai recovers. He points his sword at Arai and pours all of his mana into it. A blinding white light leaves his sword. “Soul Combustion!”
Caught off guard, Arai can only watch as the ferocious blast decimates his own attack, overwhelming it as it heads right at him. Unable to block the attack, Arai is pushed back furiously by the explosion until he slams into a marble wall with a resounding crash.
Arai slides down onto the ground weakly, grimacing as blood rushes down his mouth. He wipes the blood away with his sleeve, as he rises to his feet again shakily. Behind him, pieces of marble and wall litter the ground like shattered porcelain. A rather ugly snarl covers Arai’s face.
However, Arai does not have much time to frown. He hops into the air immediately and is forced to teleport away as Kunai comes rushing at him. Kunai’s sword tears into the remnants of the wall behind, causing it to collapse completely.
Turning rapidly, Kunai darts straight at Arai yet again, his sword shrieking angrily in the wind. This time, Arai fails to dodge in time. Kunai’s sword pierces him deeply across the shoulder, pinning him in place. Arai falls to the ground with a thud, skidding against the icy floor.
Kunai follows, his sword still connected to Arai’s shoulder as blood splashes out of his opponent’s wound. “Soul Synthesis!” whispers Kunai, his lips barely moving.
Arai suffers a direct hit from the attack. Robes tattered, Arai hangs weakly in Kunai’s grasp, blood dripping forth from every crevice in his body. Blood covers his once boyish face. Arai stares weakly into Kunai’s eyes, the light in his usually bright yellow eyes diminished somewhat.
Kunai looks without pity at Arai, holding him firmly in his grasp. He breathes a sigh of relief. “It’s over at last—” For a split second, a bubble of golden light rises from the ground. Kunai’s eyes widen, as he searches for the source of the light.
But within the next second, several hundred more bubbles begin floating into the air. Kunai looks down, and sees that the light is coming directly from Arai. His feet slowly disappear, evaporating into thin air.
“Wait a minute,” Kunai cries, his voice rising slightly in surprise, “don’t tell me…you’re a clo—”
As the Arai in Kunai’s hands disappears, Kunai feels a tap on his shoulder. He spins around, but not nearly quickly enough. A flash of golden light completely fills his line of vision. Sneering, Arai appears behind Kunai, completely unscathed. The mage grasps a thundering bolt of lightning in his hands. “Have you already forgotten my Fatalist ability, Kunai?”
Without hesitating, Arai thrusts the bolt directly through Kunai’s stomach.
—END NINETY-TWO—