Chapter 11: Tournament of Snakes
The roar of the crowd echoed through the massive arena, a deafening sound of excitement pulsed through stone pillars which held up the colosseum. Sohjin stood at the entrance tunnel, his heart pounding in rhythm with the chanting.
“You ready, Sohjin?” Hamza said, smacking his back.
“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for this.” He said, his voice mixed with confidence and nervousness.
Hamza laughed and guided him through the archway which led into a large lobby. Inside, there was a large map with signs that pointed in different directions. They both walked to the sign and got a closer look.
On the first sign pointing forward it read, “Gift Shop” On the signs pointing left and right it read, “Spectators.” And on the final sign pointing to a set of stairs it read “Contenders.”
“Sohjin, follow the direction the “Contender” sign is pointing too. I’ll be up there soon, I need to check the team real quick.” Hamza said.
Sohjin nodded, waving him goodbye and ventured up the large set of marble stairs. At the top, his eyes opened with awe as he looked at all the contenders. They all came in various different sizes and they radiated with different levels of Soul Force.
A voice crackled over an intercom. “Division 4 up next. The schedule for today is Division 4 at 11:15 and Division 3 at 2:30.”
“I’m division 3, I have a few hours to prepare. I kind of wish I was Division 4 but Vance talked me into it” He said, remembering how Vance instigated him into signing up for division 3.
“Hamza and Jack both said that my opponents should be around the same level of The Rogues at 5% or lower of their power. Whatever the hell that means.” He strolled down a long corridor that stretched to a dorm section.
“The others mentioned The Rogues were holding back with suppression chips which only allowed them to use 15% of their power if not less!” Sohjin thought, memories flooded in with his battles with Volcon and Crimson and his close death encounters.
Sohjin tightened his grip on the straps of his gray backpack as he came closer to the dorms. “If they were only using 15% of their power, then how the hell are we supposed to stop them at 100! We were all struggling at 15%! And according to Cj, Volcon’s soul force was climbing rapidly and was reaching a level beyond what he has seen. Thankfully before he could do any real damage they were called away.”
Sohjin frowned, racing his mind “But why? Is it even safe to have a stupid tournament!?”
Sohjin took a deep breath, and let it all out slowly. “Calm down Sohjin, worrying did no one any good. Besides I’m sure when we meet again we’ll kick ass. But for now I need to focus on the tournament.”
He entered the dorm area and made his way to the reception counter.
“Hello and welcome to Flores Colosseum. Would you like to book a fight, a room, or do you have an existing reservation?” A young lady asked.
“Yeah, I have a fight and a room. My fight is at 2:30 and I booked a room.” Sohjin responded.
“Wonderful, what's your name?”
“Spectre.”
She typed his name into her computer and pulled out a drawer with different keycards.
“Here you go, you're in room 206, to the left. We hope to see you again.” She said, handing the keycard to Sohjin.
He took the keycard and made it to 206.
“Why did they book me a room?” Sohjin questioned. “Well atleast I can store all my stuff without worrying about it.”
He entered the hotel room, where the bed sat on the far left side of the room. In the front of the room was a large window which oversaw the long entrance line. There was a small bathroom that could be accessed as soon as you walked.
Sohjin set his things on the bed and pulled out his suit from his bag.
“Cj should have my sword.” Sohjin thought, as he undressed himself and put on his suit.
Before he could put on his mask he heard a knock at the door. He walked over and opened it and was greeted with his friends.
Before Sohjin could greet any of them, Vance and Hailey immediately burst into the room, practically knocking him down. They terrorize his room and jump on his bed.
“Woah, this view is nice!” Vance said, peeking down on the line below.
“This bed is very bouncy!!” Hailey yelled, bouncing on the bed as if it was a trampoline.
“Oh god.” Daisy said, face palming herself. “I’m so sorry about this, I’ll deal with them.” She said, letting herself and portaled the two outside the room. Vance and Hailey land on each and clashed heads. They both hold their heads in pain.
Sohjin laughed and greeted Hamza, Jack and Marina. Vance and Hailey waddled in and as Sohjin went to close the door a hand stopped the door from closing.
“Huh?” Sohjin asked.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce them.” Hamza said.
Sohjin opened the door and saw two people. On the right was a very short Filipino girl. She had an oval shaped face with dark brown eyes and a playful smile that contrasted from her serious demeanor. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail. She wore a black tank top that had red stripes with cargo shorts.
On the left stood a tall boy with a lean build and a long wolf cut. His posture had confidence. His small brown eyes surveyed the room and a slight smirk appeared on his lips. He wore a red t-shirt and baggy jeans.
“Hey, Sohjin!” The girl exclaimed, stepping forward with an enthusiastic bounce. “I’m Maliyah, Jack's girlfriend. And this is Reagan.”
“Hi” Reagan said, he had a casual yet familiar tone. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I hope you live up to the hype.”
Sohjin responded with a smile, he couldn’t shake this familiar feeling that stood in the air. He thought nothing of it and pushed down the feeling.
Marina turned to Sohjin and asked, “Are you ready?”
“Hell yeah, I’m so ready. All day my body has been conducting electricity.”
“Well let’s put this excitement into something useful like tactics.” Cj said, throwing Sohjin his sword.
“Yeah he’s right, especially now that Jack and Hailey are joining you in the tournament.” Hamza said.
Sohjin’s eyes brightened up as he turned to Jack and Hailey. “WHAT!” He yelled.
“Calm down, don’t worry. He’s only there to guide you and stuff.” Hamza said. “Just in case The Rogues sent someone after you.”
“WHAT!?” Sohjin yelled again.
“Relax, it's just a precaution.” Hamza raising his hands to calm him down. “We don’t know who we're up against, for all we know they could be here as we speak. Better to be safe than sorry.”
“Even if they were here, they would be here as spectators not as opponents, too many witnesses and way too close to Flores grounds. And also there is no way they could possibly lower they’re power enough to compete as 3rd divisions, unless they sent someone in.” Cj chimed in.
“Why would they be targeting me?” Sohjin worriedly asked.
“That’s where we start guessing. Our top theory is they want to control your potential.” Marina said.
“But no worries Sohjin we’re here to protect you.” Vance said, while pointing at him and jumping on his bed.
Sohjin laughed, he could feel a sense of protection from them. He started to feel like he belonged to something. Sohjin placed his sword on his back, “So what's the plan?”
The door swings open to reveal a large training ground with hundreds of people training or sparring with each other. The air is filled with the sound of different powers going off.
“Alright Sohjin, it’s your time to shine. So first things first, you need to know the rules. The first rule is there is no killing under any circumstances. The punishments for that are harsh, so hold back a little. Remember speed is your greatest asset and with your sword you can become a formidable foe. Trust me when I say this, use your speed to your advantage. But remember speed alone isn't how you win. Study your opponent and their moves and learn how to counter them. And most importantly stay calm. Don’t overthink this.” Cj emphasized.
Sohjin shadow boxes and fights a group of holograms at a low level.
“The second rule is no transformations, this probably won’t apply to you so don’t worry too much about it.”
“Uhh…what about Ms Magic?” He asked.
Cj looked at Hamza who shrugged back. “Lets stay on the safe side and avoid using her.”
Sohjin and Jack get into a ring and begin sparring with each other.
“Rule number 3 teaming is allowed but once 5 people remain no teaming. We can use this to our advantage. Speaking of it, take this earpiece, this will allow us to communicate during battle.” Cj said.
Sohjin and Jack finish sparring and they head towards the entrance to the battle room.
“Lastly, don’t bite off too much you can’t chew, if you're getting jumped or the guys stronger than you get outta there.” Cj finished.
The man on the intercom yelled, “Division 3 is up next.”
“Well that’s our Que, guys.” Sohjin said, walking to the battle entrance with Jack and Hailey.
“Good luck!” His friends said.
“Thank you gu-“ Sohjin turned around, immediately his face turned red as he tried not to laugh.
Maliyah stood there with her arms crossed and her left foot tapping the ground. “The hell is so funny?” She asked.
“I never noticed…how short you are!” He pointed and began to burst out laughing with tears streaming down his face. From his perspective, she barely reached his chest.
Maliyah leaped in the air and round-house kicked him while saying, “Oh, you're going to regret that!”
Sohjin attempted to block her leg but underestimated her strength and instantly fell to the ground.
Vance chuckled, “I’m surprised you could even reach him. It’s more impressive than you not needing a booster seat to sit in Jack’s car.” She turned around with vengeance in her eyes.
“AHH! Ohh crap!” He whimpered, leaping back and running away.
“GET BACK HERE!” She yelled, chasing after him.
“Jack, do something! Don’t just stand there man…she’s got that crazy look in her eyes!” Vance pleaded.
Jack just smiled and said, “Nope not again.” And then proceeded to step out of the way.
“COWARD!” Vance yelled over his shoulder, he tried to dodge Maliyah attempts to grab him, but she grabbed his collar and they both fell to the ground. “HELP ME!! CJ USE TENSHIDO..SOMEBODY HELPP ME!!” He cried out.
As the commotion died down, Sohjin stood up and got ready to open the door and turned back to look at everyone. As he turned the door handle he heard a loud voice call out his name.
“Sohjin Teca!” The voice was sharp, commanding, and rang across the room.
Sohjin turned around and saw 2 men strolling across the hall with enthusiastic smiles. Immediately, he recognized them to be David King and Asher Vale, the owners of Flores. Everyone knew them from the media as the fierce yet friendly competitors to the Super Foundation. They were much older than everyone else.
David, the one who called out, appeared to be in his early 30s. His eyes, sharp and calculating, locked onto Sohjin with a kind of intensity which made the room become smaller. He was tall and had long wavy hair and a lean build.
Asher stood behind him. He was younger and looked to be in his mid 20s. Although younger he carried the same authority. He was big like he had been bulking for a while. He had a short brown mullet and dark hazel eyes which gazed at the room finally locking eyes with Sohjin.
Sohjin’s friends all turned and whispered to each other. Numerous rumors have risen about how Flores went from nothing to something practically overnight. But nothing concrete ever stuck. And yet here they are, standing in front of Sohjin.
“We’ve been hearing a lot about you.” David smiled and reached out his hand to greet him.
“It’s a pleasure to mee-” Sohjin’s eyes widened in pain as he felt a sudden jolt of energy pierce his hand. It wasn’t enough to hurt him but it made him flinch.
“No, the pleasure’s all mine,” David’s smile faded momentarily as he felt a similar shock ripple through his own hand.
Sohjin looked at his hand, “Sorry about that,my body has been overcharged like crazy today.”
“No worries.” David said, with a look of interest.
“I should get going.” Sohjin said, making his way to the door and messaging at his hand.
As Sohjin left the room, Hamza walked up to David and Asher and said, “The hell was that all about?” He questioned.
“I’m not sure to be honest, I think his body is excited for what’s to come.” David said.
“He mentioned earlier that his body has been conducting energy.” Reagan said.
On the other side, Sohjin was in a large room with 14 different people all dressed in different outfits. Some were talking to each other while others stood away from the crowd and examined everyone.
His earpiece started to crackle, “Hello? Can you hear me?” A voice said.
Sohjin placed his index and middle finger on his ear, “I can hear you loud and clear.”
“Ok good, now take your damn fingers off your ear, you are not Jason Bond, you look stupid.” Cj said.
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Sohjin reluctantly did it and made his way deeper into the room. The room was big and had two large tables that were in the front of the room with 5 chairs, the two tables sat next to each other. On the right side of the room were two vending machines with small snacks and drinks. Sohjin walked to the far left side of the room where a row of couches were.
“Tell me what do you see? Examine your opponents, who stands out, who is nervous or seems powerful” Cj asked.
Sohjin looked around the room and immediately two people caught his eye. Standing tall, a man with metal bird-like wings on his back which could retract onto his arm. He had a brown bomber jacket with a fur collar, his jacket revealed his beige skin. On his chest a large scar that stretched from his right peck down to the left side of his stomach was visible. He had that scar slightly covered with the strap of a leather shoulder guard. He wore black combat pants that matched with his black boots.
Next to him, was a man with a spandex bodysuit that fully covered his body. His costume was a glacier blue color. His torso features jagged, snowflake-like patterns in white that extend across his chest shoulders. The arms and legs had a shard of ice like pattern in white and his mask fully covered his face, also in white. Small ice particles floated around his arms.
“I see a guy with metal wings on his back and a guy that looks like he has ice powers or something. These two look like the real deal.” Sohjin commented.
“Do you think they’re working together?” Cj said.
“I’m not sure, it looks like they are but at the same time it isn't. They kind of look awkward and out of place.”
“What about their soul force? Can you sense it?”
Sohjin closed his eyes and could sense a powerful yet present soul force coming off them. They’re soul force felt weak, almost unnatural like it was suppressed.
“I think they’re suppressing it, they feel powerful nonetheless.”
“Does anyone else catch your eye?”
Sohjin sees three people that were scattered across the room, one person was a girl who was covered in a hard sand like material. Another person had clones of himself around him, and the last person who sat by the exit had nothing going for him. He reported his findings to Cj and sat down getting ready for what's to come.
The two people in the corner looked at each other. The man with the wings said, “Frostbite,
have you found the target yet?”
“Not yet, I’m disappointed by the lack of description. His name was Sohjin Teca, right Talon?” Frostbite said.
“Yeah, not even his alias name, just Sohjin Teca. How are we gonna get him out of this?”
“That guy said his wristwatch is rigged to teleport him away when one of us captures him.” Frostbite said.
Frostbite stepped in front of and had a serious look on his face, “And let me make myself clear. We’re not friends, I won’t hesitate to lay you out. As soon as the tournament starts, he’s mine and if you get in my way..”
Talon knocked away his pointing hand, “You're over confident, that’s your biggest weakness.”
“We’ll see if my overconfidence stops me from killing you.”
“Sohjin!” Jack yelled, his voice catching the attention of the two mercenaries.
Sohjin stopped shaking his leg and stood up to shake his hand.
“3 minutes left, you ready?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, I’m so ready. I’ve never been more nervous and excited at the same time. It’s almost overwhelming.” Sohjin laughed.
“No worries, I’ll protect you when you need it. We also have coms with each other.” Jack paused for a moment and continued with, “Have you spotted anyone suspicious?”
“No, besides those two in the corner.” He pointed his eyes to Talon and Frostbite.
“I’ll keep my eyes on them.” Jack said.
Sohjin looked around for a moment. “Isn’t Hailey supposed to be joining us? Where is she?”
“She’s on her way.” Jack replied, looking at the door. “She said she’ll meet us before the match starts”
Sohjin nodded and looked at the ground. “What did David mean when he said ‘We’ve heard alot about you’?” Sohjin questioned.
“Not sure, we’re trying to keep you a secret but it seems we’re failing miserably. Reagan probably told them. To be fair they did raise him.”
Before Sohjin could say anything a door slowly opened up and the voice over an intercom said, “Division 3 your fight is starting soon please go through the door and enter the individual tram.”
“Looks like we’ll see her when the match starts.” Jack said, glancing at a clock.
Everyone left the room and went down the dark corridor. Multiple lights lit up the area and 15 different trams were visible.
Sohjin and Jack went to the left side and stood side by side waiting for the tram doors to open. “Remember Sohjin even if you don’t get top 5 or top 3, it’s about having fun.” Jack said, holding out his fist for a fist bump.
The tram gates slowly open. Sohjin smiled, “Yeah, you’re right. I’m going to push myself and give it my all,” Sohin replied, fist bumping him. “I’m going to show everyone what I can do.”
“That’s the Spirit, Good luck.” Jack said and disappeared into the tram.
Sohjin took a deep breath, his heart beating faster and faster. He put on his mask and finally steps into the tram and holds onto the pole that stood in the middle of the tram. The tram began to move and a voice above him started talking.
“Good afternoon, contenders and welcome to the Tournament of Snake. My name is David King. Many of you know me as the Flores Owner or the better looking owner. But some of you know me as something more, something greater.”
Sohjin looked at the window, all he could see was darkness, emptiness. He could hear a small whisper from Ms Magic but it became overpowered by the cheering above.
“I stand before you not just as a businessman, but as your guide in this tournament. I will briefly go over the game's rules and objectives.” He said.
A screen beside Sohjin flickered with a vivid graphic detailing the rules and objectives. “This tournament is a big free for all with a point system. Eliminations are worth 2 points each. Speaking of eliminations in order to not be disqualified when we score you. You must eliminate at least 1 person by the end of the match. If you are unable to, you will be disqualified.”
Sohjin tightened his grip on the pole, his hand was sweating.
"If you are eliminated meaning break a rule or are knocked into the out of bounds. You will be immediately teleported to a waiting room. If your vitals drop below a certain point you will be teleported to a medical center.”
“Now that I have covered the basics, I’ll briefly cover the rules. Much like our competitors Super Foundation. We have a strict No Kill Rule.”
The screen highlighted the first rule. David went through the next few rules which were,
“1. No Kill Rule/Don’t harm the audience. Will result in disqualification and a fine.
“ 2. No major transformations or manifests/manifestations”
Sohjin looked at the screen confused. “manifest? I wonder what that means?” He thought.
- Teaming is allowed but once 5 people remain you must break your team.
- You must eliminate someone by the end of the match or you will be disqualified.”
The tram finally exited the dark tunnel and into the bright light where the crowd and battle field was visible. The battle field was big and had destroyed buildings in all sizes. The trams took the contenders around the arena, spreading them out. Sohjin took a moment and looked around the big crowd.
On the stands, the team looks at the trams and spots Sohjin and Jack in their own teams.
“Look there they are! I see them.” Vance pointed excitedly.
Cj narrowed his eyes, studying Sohjin, examining his body language and facial expressions.
“You think he’s ready? Was all that training enough for him?” Cj asked Hamza.
Hamza hesitated for a moment, “To be honest I’m not sure. His training was a little rough. You mentioned he couldn’t summon his keeper during training right?” Hamza said.
“Yeah, he kept trying but nothing happened. it felt strange I could sense his keeper’s presence.” Cj said. “I wish we worked on his fighting skills a little more. He still can’t vanish step and when we spared he kept trying to use tenshido; he claimed it was an accident.” Cj said
Hamza nodded with concern on his face. “Using tenshido is risky even for someone as experienced as you. If he miscalculates it, it could backfire on him. How does he even know how to use it in the first place?” He asked.
Cj shrugged, while shaking his head.
To Hamza’s left side, Alex leaned in, overhearing the conversation. “Believe me, this is Sohjin we’re talking about. If there’s a way he’ll figure it out. I know he can.”
“I hope so.” Hamza said.
Back on the tram, David’s voice continued with, “Before you start please grab the wristband that is in the compartment under the tv screen.” David said. Sohjin found a small compartment underneath the tv and pressed it firmly. The compartment shot up and a red and blue wristband was waiting for him. He picked it up and put it on his left wrist. He then felt a small pinch when he looked down at his watch, the screen lit up with his vitals, score, and how many players were left.
“Once you exit you will hear a loud countdown from 5. Once that countdown is up the tournament will begin. Remember that the greatest battles are fought not just with power, but with the mind.” David said, his voice seemingly disappeared and the tram came to a halting stop and opened up.
Sohjin stepped out, getting a breath of fresh air. He looked around his surroundings and noticed he was in the corner of the arena and was surrounded by destroyed buildings.
“SOHJINN!” A voice yelled in his ear. “Oh whoops my bad, It's me Alex.”
“Alex!” Sohjin responded.
“I’ve come to watch you get your ass kicked.” Alex joked.
“No but seriously you better make it to at least top 5 it was a pain trying to get in this as a spectator. I wish it was public like Super Foundation.” He said.
“Wait, if you're talking to me that means you know about..” Sohjin started.
“Oh Hamza, yup I figured it out. After the battle at the school, he came by and told me everything.” Alex said. “Isn’t that right Hamza.”
Hamza’s voice became more dominant, “Yeah, I told him everything. He took great pride in making your costume.”
They both laughed. “Where are you Sohjin?”
Sohjin created a small energy orb and threw it into the air. Talon immediately turned to the direction of the energy orb. The energy orb was close to him.
“Well, looks like you’ve given yourself away big time kid.” He said, watching the orb disappear.
A voice over a large intercom crackled.
“CONTENDERS ARE YOU READY!” He yelled.
The crowd chanted.
“ON GO THE MATCH WILL BEGIN.
5”
The crowd chanted with the countdown.
“4”
“3”
Lighting was conducted around Sohjin as the crowd grew louder and louder.
“2”
“1”
“GOOOOO!” Everyone yelled.
Before Sohjin could move a muscle, a shadow loomed in the air.
“PRETTY DUMB MOVE TO REVEAL YOUR LOCATION, KID!” Talon yelled.
Sohjin had a perplexed look, “The hell, CUT ME SOME SLACK THE MATCH JUST STARTED!” He yelled.
Talon’s wings moved to his arms and he dove down crashing into Sohjin. From the smoke Sohjin is seen in the air barely dodging it in time.
“It’s that guy from earlier. Damn he’s fast.” Sohjin noted.
Talon flew from the smoke and thrusted his arm his arm forward and fired his feathers at him.
Sohjin quickly pulled out his sword and deflected the incoming projectiles. Talon closed the distance and pulled back his arm and thrusted his wings towards him.
Sohjin imbued his energy into his sword and sliced in a downward direction but to his surprise Talon vanished.
!!BEHIND YOU!!
Sohjin spun around just in time to see Talon reappearing behind him, his wings fully extended and ready to strike.
“I’VE GOT YOU!” He yelled, thrusting into him.
Sohjin raised his sword and clashed with him. The crowd below erupted into cheers.
“It seems Spectre and Talon have kicked off the first fight of the tournament!” The announcer yelled.
Sohjin and Talon exchanged attacks, each parrying off each other.
Marina made a serious look and said, “I don’t like this, it looks like this Talon guy is playing with his food. Sohjin hasn't made that cocky grin he does through his mask yet.” She said,
Talon swooped down and started spinning rapidly while firing his sharp feathers at him. Sohjin becomes overwhelmed with the amount of feathers firing at him and in a blink of an eye Talon barreled into him. Sending Sohjin flying through the air.
Sohjin felt the rush of wind as he glided through the air uncontrollably. His body twisted midair before crashing onto a nearby roof. The impact caused him to slide across the rough surface. He desperately stabs his sword into the ground trying to break his monument.
Finally he came to a halting stop. He threw his right hand against his face. His palm lit up with purple and hints of fiery red energy. Before he could say anything, he felt a cold breeze from behind.
He turns around and locks eyes with Frostbite who has his hands to his side. His hands were glowing an icey color. He cocked his arms back and fired two large ice beams at Sohjin.
Sohjin instantly flipped out of the way dodging the large beams. Before he could make a quip, Talon flew up behind Sohjin.
“Talon, I thought I told you. Stay out of MY WAY.” Frostbite shouted, firing a barrage of ice at him.
Talon smirked and blocked the projectile with his wings.
“Like I told YOU Frostbite, you're overconfident.” Talon said.
“I’m overconfident because I’m better and stronger than everyone here. You can’t match what I am.” Frostbite said.
“A strong man doesn’t doesn’t brag that he’s strong.” Talon said.
“Sohjin…” Cj’s voice whispered, through his earpiece. “Get outta there.”
Sohjin kept looking back and forth. Looking at Frostbite and Talon bickering with each other. His mind suddenly flashed to when Volcon was arguing with Crimson and Viper over him. He shook his head repressing the memory, and started to creep away.
Talon and Frostbite noticed his movements almost instantly. “Hey!” Talon yelled, and they both fired projectiles in front of him, stopping him.
“Going somewhere?” Frostbite said, ice formed around his hands and fired a large ice beam.
Before Sohjin could react the ice beam slammed into the ground near his fear and created large ice spikes that exploded and caused Sohjin to fall off of the building.
“Great, just great. Cj was right, these guys must work for the Rogues!” Sohjin thought, before he could save himself from falling, Talon charged from the right ready to slash him.
Sohjin’s eyes widen but quickly parries him away and flips onto the side of the building. Talon flies around him, patrolling him like his prey. On the edge of the roof, icey like smoke overflows and Frostbite steps down onto the side of the building.
Sohjin glares at Frostbite and occasionally glances at Talon as he circles around them. The wind gradually picks up as Sohjin grips his sword tightly.
Talon makes the first move and rushes into Sohjin, but he parries him away and dashes towards Frostbite who begins to fire icicles at him. He dodges them and throws his sword by his side. His sword begins to lightly glow black and white.
In front of him with his sword in a backhanded stance, he leaps in the air.
“Idiot!” Cj yelled. “He’s gonna use it, isn’t he?”
Alex looked at Hamza who was smiling proudly. “What are you smiling at?”
“It appears that he’s going to use Tenshido—”
“But he won't, it's going to backfire on him.” Cj quickly butted in.
“Have some fai-” Hamza said, but was quickly interrupted by Cj who says, “I have little to no faith. This technique is hard to master, even I screw it up. It’s not a move you can just pull out of your ass and master on the first try.”
“Why did you teach it to him anyway?” Daisy asked, playfully smacking him.
“Like I said before I didn't, he kept doing it on ‘Accident’.” Cj said.
“What is a tenshido?” Alex asked.
“It’s a gamble is what it is. Tenshido is seishin energy in its purest form, it uses both positive and negative energy at the same exact time.” Cj said.
“Huh? Sohjin never mentioned anything about positive or negative energy.” Alex said.
Cj chuckled, “Of course not, his keeper told him correct?”
Alex nodded and Cj responded with, “The Seishin we use is neutral, nothing is tied with it. You can split apart that neutral energy into two different forms Positive and Negative Seishin. I believe they have nothing to do with our emotions but rather positive and negative forces which can be used for all sorts of things.”
“Ohh I get it, but what does this have to do with tenshido?”
“Tenshido is a combination of Positive and Negative energy being attracted to each other. Look at Sohjin’s blade.” Cj pointed.
They both look at Sohjin’s blade as it becomes overflowed with an unstable black and white energy. The energy crackled and roared as it took over his sword.
“That is Positive and Negative Seishin being slammed into each other. He has about 5 seconds to get that off his sword or it will combust on his sword. But I doubt he’ll have enough time to get it off his sword. He has more positive energy than negative energy, he needs to balance it.” Cj said.
“Wait which one is positive and negative.” Alex asked.
“Think positive and negative space.” Cj said.
“Like art? Wait which is whic-” Alex began, but is shushed by Hamza. “Sshh, enough talking and watch the fight.”
“TENNN—” Sohjin started, his sword in a back-handed stance. His energy became overflowed with mainly the black energy taking over his sword.
Frostbite threw a left jab but Sohjin weaved it and swung his sword, while yelling “---SHID–” But he stopped midshout.
His sword became overcharged and his blade vibrated violently. The positive seishin took over his blade entirely, drowning out any negative seishin. Then---
BOOM!!
“SOHJIN!” Alex yelled, standing up from his seat.
Cj slumped into his chair and tilted his head down, “humph”
Sohjin fell from the building, wind crashing into him as he reached out for his sword and saw his mangled right hand. The explosion caused his hand to be missing and deep cuts going up his arm.
“DAMMIT! I ALMOST HAD HIM!” Sohjin thought, frustration burned within him. Before he could recover Talon flew in getting ready to attack him.
Sohjin frowned intensely, “He’s too close! I don’t have enough to heal…and my sword is too high to catch.” The ground rushed on him and he realized he only had seconds to act.
Talon smirk widened as he prepared to strike. Sohjin’s mind raced, he only had one chance to attack, but with the ground rushing up on him would he have enough time to act or will Talon reach him first?
To be continued,
Next time on Spirit Of Hope,
Chapter 12: Tournament of Snakes: Frozen Fury
TOURNAMENT OF SNAKES ARC :)