Beyond The Absolute
Chapter 2 The Start Of Something Greater
"Wait, what?!" I exclaim, my voice tinged with disbelief as I plummet through the endless expanse of sky, the wind rushing past me like a torrent. This day has spiraled completely out of control, and I cant help but vocalize the frustration that wells up inside me. "This is just not my day," I mutter under my breath, punctuated by a deep, exasperated sigh that drifts away like wisps of clouds.
As I continue to speed downward, gravity pulls me in a relentless embrace, and I brace myself for an inevitable impact. When I finally crash into the ground, my face collides violently with the unforgiving surface of concrete. "Ouch!" I think to myself, bracing for the agony to wash over me. But oddly, I find that I am not met with pain, and a ripple of confusion courses through my thoughts. Could this bizarre sensation be linked to what she mentioned when she referred to 'absolute'?
Shaking my head in an effort to clear the disorientation, I remind myself that dwelling on those thoughts won't help me find answers. I need to assess my surroundings first. With a shrug that speaks to my current state of bewilderment, I begin to scan the area, taking note of my surroundings. To my surprise, the land around me seems overwhelmingly dominated by a vast expanse of lush grass underfoot. "Why does it appear that I'm surrounded only by this endless greenery?" I contemplate, a sense of unease creeping in.
As I venture forward through the verdant blades, I come across what at first glance appears to be a typical city, but something feels decidedly off about the whole atmosphere. "What is this place?" I question calmly, the curiosity building with every step. As I begin to explore my curious new environment, I barely have time to gather my thoughts before disaster strikes. Out of nowhere, an unexpected kick crashes against my face, and I feel myself sent spiraling through the air, landing violently amid a range of formidable mountains.
Through blurred vision, I see the figure of a boy standing confidently, a grin spreading across his face, as if he has just found a target far easier than he anticipated. He has strikingly bright yellow hair styled in a peculiar fashion, topped with headphones resting on his head. His yellow eyes narrow with mischief, and he wears a blue jacket that contrasts sharply with his black pants.
"I just got here! Why did you attack me?" I demand, struggling to pull myself up from the ground, blood trickling down my forehead. My internal dialogue is a mix of shock and irritation, "I'm bleeding? This is new and concerning."
"Well, it seems I derive pleasure from the thrill of combat," he responds with a sinister grin that sends chills up my spine, his expression wildly manic, as if he relished the thought of the chaos yet to unfold.
"Great, so you're just a jerk," I fire back, the anger bubbling inside me as I clench my fists in determination, recognizing that I need to stand my ground.
His laughter rings out, mocking, "Oh, don't you worry. Once I'm through with you, I'll ensure you're truly dead." The words hang in the air ominously, heightening the tension between us.
"Enough! I've had it up to here!" I yell, rushing forward with what strength remains in me. I swing a series of punches aimed straight at his midsection, fueled by sheer determination.
He merely smirks, "You fight like a total amateur," and with that, he catches each of my punches effortlessly, yanking my arm and delivering a brutal blow that sends shockwaves through my body.
"So strong!" I gasp, my vision flickering as I'm hurled through the air once again, blood spilling from my mouth as I struggle to comprehend how someone could possess such overwhelming power.
"Really, you're proving to be quite weak," he taunts, appearing almost as if by magic behind me, bombarding me with an unrelenting flurry of punches. Each strike sends me careening through mountains as my resolve begins to fizzle out.
"This guy is far too strong!" I realize, a surge of despair rising within me. "I can't afford to lose this fight!" I push myself to rise, my body protesting, but the fire of not giving up burns fiercely.
Before I can even catch my breath, he grins mischievously, "Any last words before I finish you off?" With a chaotic mix of punches and kicks that send shockwaves bursting through the air, I feel my ribs fracture from the sheer brutality of the hits. I am flung back, soaring across the continent like a rag doll, crashing and tumbling through the skies until I return earthward. Just as my body rebounds from the ground, I feel a vice grip around my neck, and the next thing I know, I am slammed back down again, my hair gripped tightly as he pulls me up for another round of taunts.
Suddenly, I find myself confronted by a new figurea man with long black hair and glowing eyes that shimmer like moonlight. He's clad in a black hoodie and pants. "I found you," he says casually, with a slight tilt of his head. "So, you're the one who's been picking on the newbies." Almost as if summoned by fate, a shadowy figure emerges from the background, landing with a heavy thump that sends dust flying into the air.
The boy shoots back, "And who are you?" A cough escapes his lips as he struggles to see through the dust cloud.
The newcomer merely grins, "Me? Im Uzekai," he announces confidently.
As the boy's eyes widen in recognition, his expression shifts. "Who would have guessed they'd send a member of the Decided all the way over here? How did you even get here?"
Uzekai's grin widens, radiating casual confidence, "Oh, on foot, of course," he replies, as if it were the most mundane thing in the world.
In utter disbelief, the boy stammers, "You mean to tell me you ran 100,000 kilometers in mere moments?"
"Indeed," Uzekai confirms with a nod, his demeanor shifting slightly as he continues. "Now, Im afraid you've been messing with one of our students who was meant to enroll here."
My eyes widen in shock as the gears in my mind whir, a stirring of awe and respect rising within me. Just who is this guy? How can he speak about such incredible distances as if they're nothing? He's operating on a completely different level!
Uzekai's expression suddenly turns serious, his eyes glimmering with an intimidating intensity. "Here's the deal you have my student in your grasp, and I'm afraid you'll need to let him go. Otherwise, you'll have to go through me."
The boy, undaunted, leans in closer with a grin that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Do you actually believe you can give me orders?" He stands his ground defiantly, his taunts echoing around us. "Come at me!" he gestures provocatively, a bold challenge in every fiber of his being.
This is it, I think anxiously. I'm about to witness how someone from the Decided truly fights. With that acknowledgment hanging in the air, Uzekai's expression shifts to one of determination.
"Very well, then," he replies with a resolute grin. "The hard way it is." Without another word, he unleashes a punch toward the boy's face that is so powerful it sends him hurtling into space, leaving me in stunned silence.
Uzekai's eyes widen in disbelief, an astounded look etched onto his face. "There's just no way! How could someone's punch create this much damage?" He touches his nowbleeding face, regaining his footing as he takes off into the sky.
"Are you done now?" he asks, appearing behind the boy, his features serious and unrelenting. The intensity of the situation thickens, and I realize I've only just scratched the surface of this world's power dynamics.
The boys eyes widened in disbelief, his brain racing with the realization that Uzekai hadnt been joking when he claimed to have covered an astounding distance of one hundred thousand kilometers. The mere thought of such a feat was staggering, making the young mans heart race as he processed the implications of that statement.
With a gleam of mischief dancing in his eyes, Uzekais grin grew wider, as if he were reveling in the unfolding drama. "Now it's time for you to be utterly destroyed," he declared with an air of confidence. Without a moments hesitation, he launched a powerful roundhouse kick aimed precisely at the boys back.
The boy's heart sank as he thought, He moves too quickly I cant even react! Damn it all! In that fraction of a second, he was propelled through the cosmos, hurtling past multiple planets, each one more breathtaking than the last. He soared over a vibrant planet with swirling purple clouds and floating islands, then rushed by another that shimmered with cerulean waters and lush greenery. But as he crashed down onto the surface of a rocky, desolate world, he clutched his gut in pain, gasping for breath as the harsh terrain dug into his skin.
Uzekai, observing the spectacle with amusement, called out, "Take this!" as he prepared to follow up his previous attack. He executed a dropkick aimed directly at the boys face, the sheer force of it sending him crashing through the very core of the planet. The impact resonated like thunder, creating a rift that split the ground beneath them.
Reeling from the blow, the boy, now fuming with shock and anger, screamed, "How are you so strong? Just die already!" Fueled by desperation, he forced himself back into the fray, regaining his footing and launching back into space, where he encountered Uzekai once again. This time, he swung a punch, desperately aiming for his opponents face.
"Nice try," Uzekai chuckled, catching the boys fist effortlessly with a single finger.
The boys eyes widened in sheer astonishment. This can't be possible! he thought, overwhelmed by disbelief. How could he stop my punch with just a finger?
With a playful smirk, Uzekai responded, "Isn't it obvious? You're just weak. It's time to end this." With that declaration, he unleashed a series of afterimages that surrounded the boy, creating an illusion of multiple versions of himself. Each one charged in unison, launching an array of devastating punches and kicks.
One afterimage struck the boy with a ferocious punch to the face, the force creating shockwaves that rippled through the air. Another one aimed a swift kick at his back, and yet another followed it up with a brutal uppercut that sent him spiraling helplessly into the sky. The real Uzekai, finally closing in, executed a savage spinning kick aimed at the boy's head, which landed with bonecracking impact, sending shockwaves throughout the atmosphere.
As the dust settled, the boy finally succumbed to the overwhelming barrage and lost consciousness, plummeting uncontrollably toward the ground below. Uzekai, watching the spectacle unfold, remarked with curious amusement, "Is he going to be fine from that fall? It looked pretty over the top." Just as he spoke, the boy landed with a thud right next to Uzekai.
With a confident grin, Uzekai reassured him, "Oh, don't worry. A fall like that won't kill him. You see, in this world, the laws of nature work differently. There's an invisible barrier that protects you from all types of falls and damage. Although it's undetectable to the naked eye, we refer to it as the Gift from the Goddess of Absolute."
Curious, I mulled over the implications of Uzekai's statement. Who is this Goddess of Absolute he keeps mentioning? Clearing my thoughts, I regained my composure and asked, "So, who is she?"
"Well," Uzekai explained casually, "the Goddess of Absolute sits at the pinnacle of all powers. Her influence governs this world and determines the rules we live by. She is the true deity here."
Nodding along, I pressed further, "That's interesting, but it doesn't explain something about your earlier attacks. How were you able to strike through the barrier when you were fighting him?" I gestured toward the unconscious boy on the ground.
With a grin still plastered on his face, Uzekai responded, "That's a pertinent question. While it's true the barrier protects from damage taken during falls, it only applies to those types of situationsfalls, being run over, that kind of thing. It doesn't defend against physical attacks. The barrier is crafted to keep you alive from accidents you cause yourself, not from damage inflicted by others."
Understanding dawned on me, and I nodded thoughtfully. "I see, that explains a lot. No wonder I didn't take any damage from that fall," I smiled, inadvertently revealing my thoughts.
Uzekai, curious, asked, "Huh? Did you say something?"
I quickly shook my head, insisting, "No, nothing at all." But internally, I questioned whether I could truly be considered his student, grappling with the reality of originating from a different world. What would his reaction be if he discovered that truth?
As if reading my thoughts, Uzekai casually blurted, "Oh, I should probably mention that I made that whole student thing up. To be honest, this guy has been causing trouble, and I was given strict orders to capture him and bring him back with me."
Determined to prove myself, I looked him in the eye and said, "I see now. Well, could you consider training me for real?"
With a nonchalant demeanor, Uzekai replied, "I'll tell you whatI'll make you an official student if you can land just one attack on me."
To be continued...