17 - Eagle and Watchman

[SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2024. TOKYO, EDOGAWA DISTRICT; 1:00PM. 22C TEMPERATURE; 35% AIR HUMIDITY]

Overflowing with determination and guilt, Otto marched on in the empty street. His soul presence was soaring. He wanted his opponent to know that he was right there, waiting for him. The challenger, Otto Richter, the soulful capable of replicating other people’s powers and using them for himself, sought to grab what he considered was essential to achieve his goal.

On the other hand, Hayk Nakama, currently known as Hayk Nakama, the soulful who can stop time itself and more, caught the signal. The morphine that he decided to inject himself with had already taken effect. Instead of a guilty feeling of anxiety, he started to feel exhilarated, almost euphoric. The idea of finally doing what he intended to do for so long, the concept of paying for his mistake...

In Berlin, everyone waited in anticipation for the outcome of the battle. In Harajuku, Hayk’s disciples and comrades were praying for his safety. Kaito Kamiki himself could sense the upcoming confrontation and was greatly invested in the battle. He needed Hayk to win to essentially guarantee Sheller’s failure. The agents in America, that being Sakuto and Oskar, had their hands busy with more security operations, but subconsciously were worried for Hayk. Mukawa, thanks to his sharp senses, could sense Otto’s presence all the way from America himself. He hoped that Otto would get the job done. The Heisei’s elite soldiers had just arrived in America, but they too were interested in the outcome of the battle.

The entire soulful world was frozen still. They all awaited for the result of the battle between two of the strongest soulfuls in existence. A battle that could decide the outcome and future of the soulful realm...

“Time; Stop.”

The first to attack in the decisive war was Hayk! He played it dirty, but in order to stay true to his promise to return, he had to resort to such a tactic. Concealing his presence and getting close to Otto, Hayk caught him within stopped time!

“It’s just like I thought...you’re frozen still.”

“You have no reply for this.”

Hayk wasted zero time. His ability to stop time only allowed him to do so for a limited range and a total of five seconds. Within these five seconds, all Hayk had to do was to land his finishing blow.

He charged in with his sword, swinging it with all his might, but something stopped it. An invisible barrier, perhaps? Or a repulsive force field trying to disarm him? Hayk was confused, unable to strike at his target. He unsummoned his sword and chose to attack with his fist.

Three seconds had already passed. In the fourth second, Hayk’s enraged fist threw itself at Otto. In the fifth, his fist became heavily scarred with burn marks, almost dismembered completely. Hayk was shocked, he jumped back. The grayscale effect caused by the stoppage of time in the area faded away. It took Otto a few moments to acknowledge the start of the battle.

“It has been a while indeed, Hayk Nakama.” Otto said, raising his sword.

Hayk stepped back in surprise, quickly trying to rejuvenate his injury. He looked confused.

“You can see when time is stopped.” Otto explained. He charged in and swung his sword, to which Hayk replied with a swing of his own. Their blades clashed, the immense release of power knocking them both back.

“Since you can see, that means light can move.” Otto continued. His soul presence increased dramatically. “A laser that is thin enough to be invisible to your rotting eyesight, and powerful enough to protect me.”

“Who would’ve thought you’d run after elemental boys to steal their gimmicks?” Hayk said, smirking. “If this is your only way to stop my power, you don’t have a chance.”

“He told me about it before. I know his weaknesses.”

“He can only use one replicated ability at a time-”

“Then let us waste no time.” Otto said. He raised his sword. All five gemstones decorating it shone brightly, and a black and white ring of raw soul prowess with five small stars surrounding it appeared above his head. His presence skyrocketed.

“ ✦ Divine Acclamation ✦ ”

“This early?!” Hayk thought, instantly closing the distance. He needed just a few more seconds to concentrate and recover his time stopping ability. He swung his sword at Otto, but the strike was blocked. Otto’s blade attained a strange explosive force that threw Hayk back.

“ ✦ Unwavering Soul of Justice! ✦ ” Otto exclaimed. But before he could conjure anything...

“Time; Stop.” Hayk said. Immediately, his surroundings, including Otto, were frozen still. He quickly regained his footing.

“Within his acclamation, he can use all of them simultaneously, with increased potency.”

“But it doesn’t matter, soul prowess release will bypass this barrier with ease!”

Hayk spun in place, and swung his sword with all of his might - releasing a gust of raw energy powerful enough to obliterate a row of buildings by itself. His calculation was right, the attack struck the target. But Otto, contrary to Hayk’s expectations, still stood.

“How the hell did he...”

“Ice?!”

“Right...I forgot you copied Ichika’s soul expression. You have Ausra’s soul expression too, don’t you?” Hayk smirked, sending another similar slash. “Not only did you reinforce your pitiful self, you also covered yourself with ice.”

“You don’t feel ashamed?” Hayk asked when stopped time ended. “Using their powers to save yourself.”

Otto didn’t say anything. A smirk, however, did appear on his face. The same could be said for a spark on his chest...

Otto rushed in and closed the distance. The two exchanged sword blows like madmen. They moved around, evaded one another's hits, and took every chance to decapitate their opponent with one go. Amidst these exchanges, Otto struck the ground with his blade, creating a massive ice formation.

It knocked Hayk back, but he remained calm. Otto used the moment to throw a series of small icicles at him - all of them imbued with potent explosive power. But they never reached their destination, instead obliterating the buildings behind him. As Hayk landed, Otto flanked him and struck the ground, rupturing it with tremendous explosive force. In the air...

“Time; Stop.”

“I need a few seconds of rest every time I stop time. My head starts hurting like crazy when I use it too much...but that’s what the morphine was for.”

“I feel alive and kicking!”

Hayk closed the distance and swung his blade at Otto. He expected the trick with light beams to be rendered void, and he was right. The first slashing attack, which was meant to test the waters, connected. The second attack, which was aimed directly at his heart, was...countered?

Despite time being stopped, Otto swung his own blade, inflicting a heavy wound that spread across Hayk’s torso. Hayk stepped back in fear. Two seconds remained. He quickly got back, watching as Otto froze once more. Time resumed.

A second spark appeared on Otto’s chest. At this point, Hayk realized exactly what he was up against.

“Sakuto’s adaptation?!”

“No way. He told me that your name wasn’t even mentioned anywhere. And I’d doubt he’d lie to me either, if he was a liar like that, Ichika would’ve sniffed out his nature long ago.”

“Was his ability copied from him without him even realizing it?”

He took a deep breath.

“Out of every ability there is... this turns the fight from a battle against an enemy to a battle against time. It’s an absolute pain in the ass.”

Otto took advantage of Hayk’s distracted state and attacked. He pushed forward with all his might, swinging his blade and throwing kicks as hard as he could, and he succeeded in landing quite a few strikes. Hayk dodged one of the sword swings and stepped to the side, preparing a counter attack. But Otto’s quick wits allowed him to lock Hayk in place. A strengthening gravitational force held his opponent in place!

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“Gravity...control?!”

“You killed Kouta, didn’t you?!” Hayk yelled, trying to move. The entire area was crumbling down, the gravity ripping buildings down and creating small ravines on the ground. Otto rushed at Hayk, aiming for a clean execution.

“Time; Stop.”

The stoppage couldn’t halt Otto’s assault, but it halted the gravitational force that locked him down. It was something that Hayk was aware of from hours and hours of practicing with Kouta. Time Stop had the ability to nullify gravity manipulation.

Otto swung a few more times, trying his hardest to make use of his limited mobility. The more his adaptation was put to work, the more he could slowly increase his resistance to stopped time. If this continued for longer, Hayk would be out of options. His raw strength wouldn’t cut it against a dangerously versatile opponent.

As two seconds passed, Otto froze once more. Hayk had three seconds to work with. He approached the tip of his blade to Otto’s torso, revealing that the ice armor was very much still there.

“I didn’t feel it too much during our exchanges.” Hayk thought. “You only have it up when you know you’re about to receive damage. Did you realize it’s difficult to maintain?”

“And did you assume I would aim for your neck?!”

Hayk swung his blade, except this attack was targeting his left arm. And he was correct! His assumption that the arms weren’t defended proved to be extremely fruitful. One second left. Zero seconds left. Time continued, and blood gushed out of the missing limb.

The third spark appeared on Otto’s chest, and so did an expression of confusion and pain. He jumped back, and Hayk used the moment to change the tide of the battle. He rushed at Otto, grabbing him by his uniform and dragging him across the asphalt. He jumped high up and slammed him back down on the ground, before throwing him into the 10th floor of a nearby building. Hayk then released a pair of slashes to follow up, and sure enough, they landed perfectly, destroying a large portion of it.

But despite his poor eyesight, he saw a spark of light from the crater that Otto’s body created. He dodged just in time before the powerful light laser was activated. Otto, who had already healed his severed arm, assumed that Hayk would retreat, but the opposite happened. Without even seeing it, Hayk appeared right in front of him, and struck him with a powerful haymaker!

“Does he assume I can only stop time offensively too?”

Otto flew back, and another slash sent him out of the building. Otto, now outside, deployed gravity to completely obliterate the building and break it down. At the same time, sent out yet another barrage of explosive icicles to bomb the collapsing building down. Hayk somehow escaped, and falling from the 10th floor, he aimed to deliver a devastatingly powerful attack. Hayk dropped down, but the gravity strengthened even more - now, Hayk would probably break a few bones upon landing.

Unless...

“Time; Stop.”

Hayk saved himself just before the impact. He spent the first second quickly getting back up. Second number two was utilized by Hayk to land a few more blows with his fists, before switching over to his sword. Once the third second struck, their swords clashed and forced themselves against one another. Otto jumped back and swung his sword, releasing a slash which Hayk did not expect. The fourth second was spent by Hayk sending one back and closing the distance once more. And during the fifth second, Otto was immobilized.

“Three out of five.”

“The more he adapts, the more he gains leeway within stopped time.”

Hayk swung the sword from the side and sliced a few centimetres deep into his torso.

“Which means the next time, he’ll have four seconds. And the time after that, he would have effectively adapted to time stop.”

“I pity anyone fighting Sakuto...this is such a pain in the ass to deal with.”

“It makes you feel utterly hopeless.”

Time resumed. The fourth spark commenced. The battle, despite Hayk’s impressive strength showings, was starting to favor Otto. Adaptation was an ability that rewarded strategy and determination, both of which were boiling Otto’s blood and keeping it running.

“Hayk, you’re still naive.” Otto thought to himself, sending a slash and following it up with a massive ice formation pushing him back.

“You’re ignorant of so much.”

The two clashed once more, this time, choosing to use their fists. Otto landed a jab and a hook, but failed to land a finishing uppercut. Hayk sprung back and to the side, landing a heavy gut punch and a haymaker to seal the deal. Seeing Otto stumble back, he rushed in, and the two exchanged strikes once more. Unexpectedly, Hayk summoned his sword back and landed a heavy slash on Otto’s leg. Had that slash been more properly placed, Otto would’ve lost a limb.

“What is your plan, Otto? Did you replicate my time stop?”

“Are you gonna use it against me, unaware that it will have no effect?!”

Hayk evaded the shard of ice flying his way, and landed a massively powerful gut strike. His soul prowess itself could be seen from the impact, it flowed out of his fist. Otto summoned his blade and struck the ground, causing a massive explosion that acted both as a way to knock Hayk back and to knock himself further away from him. He needed a breather. Hayk chased him down.

He kicked Otto up into the roof of a small shop that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire. Landing in between one of the aisles, Otto looked around, before strengthening the gravity around him as much as he could. The shop was obliterated, but by that time, Hayk was already waiting for him outside. The two stared at one another for a few seconds.

“You can’t fight my gravity, can you?”

“You despise it. The same way you despise the fact that I killed one of your comrades. And the same way you despise his sacrifice.”

Otto rushed in, his gravity decimating everything close to him. At this point, explosions and ice were only supportive abilities for him. And light was one that he planned to utilize in a special way.

“Time; Stop.”

“What a pain in the ass...” Hayk thought, continuing to exchange blows and sword strikes with Otto. “I have to stop time so I don’t get crushed by the gravity...but this just lets him adapt more and more...”

He slipped.

He slipped and fell down, courtesy of the ice Otto spread on the ground. Once he fell, Otto’s one second of immobility passed. During the rest of stopped time, Otto swung his fists manically at the ground, trying to hit Hayk. The strikes missed, and Hayk awkwardly tumbled away. But that was his mistake.

Time continued to flow. The fifth and final spark appeared on Otto’s chest. Time stop would no longer immobilize his body.

“Not choosing to attack me here was your biggest mistake.”

“In between every time you used your ability, there was a window of time.”

Otto quickly flashed a bright light into Hayk’s eyes. Using the moment to get closer, he locked him in place, throwing a pair of punches that were imbued with explosive power. The massive impact knocked him away and wounded him heavily. He sent a slash his way but Hayk thankfully dodged it, regaining his posture.

“Shit...it’s over. He’s adapted to it.” Hayk thought, wiping some blood off of his mouth and taking a stance. “I’ll have to change my strategy.”

“Within soul replication, there is a technique that you are unaware of.” Otto thought, stepping forward.

“One that can only be activated whilst I utilize my divine acclamation.”

“It involves sacrifice.”

“By sacrificing one of my replicated techniques, I am able to release a blast of soul prowess that is equivalent to the technique’s potency.”

“How ironic is it, Hayk? You, the man who hates sacrifices, will be incapacitated by one, and become one.”

Otto threw a slash at the ground, the resulting explosion causing dust and debris temporarily blocking Hayk’s line of sight. Hayk braced for impact, but he failed to notice something icy spreading across the ground. The small veins of ice transformed into sharp spikes when they emerged from the ground - deeply piercing Hayk’s feet and legs and momentarily imprisoning him.

He felt Otto’s presence spark up, and he felt something coming his way. A slash that appeared much more unnaturally powerful than anything thrown at him so far.

“Now that I’ve adapted, I have no reason to retain this expression. It served its purpose.”

“ ✦ Soul Sacrifice - Light Manipulation! ✦ ”

What Hayk saw next was a gust of soul prowess, unusually strong. It struck him in his torso. Before he could even utter a single word, or think of even one regret to ponder over, he was unable to fight back.

And such is death unfortunately. It can be so sudden, one would think it felt unnatural. So unexpected, one would assume it was just a fluke of life. But in a war, even the smallest mistake can cost a life. Hayk’s life, unfortunately, was no exception.

He was a man full of regrets. He was a difficult man, and a man that would be mourned without being understood. In the end, he became what he loathed the most, and ultimately, another person would end up despising the idea of sacrifices just as much as him. Who would’ve thought, just one fluke, just one burst of energy that struck his head, would be enough to kill him - turn his past into a story, his present into a moment, and his future into nothing.

But all of this was what he saw.

“I knew something was up, I made the right call to use this now. And I’m lucky I practiced using this thing. I’m truly glad I stole that syringe too.”

“And I’m glad that you only suspected that I had more to myself than stopping time. I’m glad I never showed you this skill myself.”

“Soul Interpretation.”

“Foresight.”

Otto was shocked. Hayk leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly vertical slash.

“Impossible! He had no knowledge about this technique!” Otto thought in panic. “Just what in the world-”

Hayk closed the distance with ease. Otto attempted to counter the advance, but Hayk foresaw even that and adjusted his movements accordingly. With incredible power and speed, he landed a nasty uppercut right on Otto’s chin. Otto’s body crashed into a bridge that was behind him.

Despite the tides of battle turning, Hayk’s voltage began to increase. Now with both sides having revealed their ultimate cards, it was a battle of who would be able to execute their plan more perfectly.

Their presences were at an all-time high...