"It's me..." He smiled, barely able to stand. "Now, get lost. Let me finish my target. You Skyph fighters are always cruel. You don't deserve to swim in space." He stepped forward, facing Untras, as his body began regenerating.
"What? He's still standing? I should do something..." Clive created a high-tech sniper rifle. "A space pirate, but he's kind...?" Clive thought to himself before firing.
The bullet hit Daizo in the head. He looked at Clive, his expression twisted in anger. "Boy, I told you not to get in the way. Stay out of it." He said, before spitting out the bullet.
"It didn't do anything to him! How powerful is he?" Clive thought, shocked.
"I've prepared for this day, Untras," Daizo said, his eyes narrowing. "Remember... four years ago? It's time to finish what we started." He stood tall, raising his sword.
Clive blinked, confused. "What... What is going on?" Daizo was in a rage, but Clive noticed blood dripping from him.
"How can blood fall from the air?" Daizo muttered, before Clive suddenly appeared in front of him. He grabbed the sword, but the blade sliced through his hand.
"No way to stop this..." Clive said, gritting his teeth.
"Step back, Clive..." a voice came from behind him.
Clive stepped aside as a plate-shaped ninja star shot through the air, smashing Daizo's sword in half.
Seuph Lux, the main leader, stood strong. Clive stepped back, giving her space. She was healed, though still furious.
Doctors Gio and Hite were finishing up, healing the others. Seuph stood, seething with rage.
"Huh... This is a duel between me and him, not Untras," Seuph said, her voice full of anger.
She threw another star plate, hitting Daizo in the head. He staggered backward.
"You... will pay for this..." Daizo growled, barely able to stand.
"Skyel... Order: 753, Spin Blast!" Seuph commanded.
Two spinning plates appeared, one on each side of her shoulders, slowly rotating. Another two appeared near her thighs. Her eyes glowed with a star-shaped design.
Daizo struggled to rise, barely able to keep his balance. He grabbed one of the spinning star plates that had hit him, throwing it aside in frustration. But then he saw Seuph unlock her Skyel.
"This is bad... but I have to...," Daizo mumbled, realizing the danger.
Before Daizo could act, Seuph appeared in front of him, two massive star plates in her hands. She struck him hard, sending him flying.
"It's fun!" Seuph laughed, charging at Daizo again.
She hit him again, and again, until Daizo was near the ground. He tried to unlock his Skyel, but Seuph's relentless strikes left him too weak to respond. With one final hit, Daizo was sent soaring far into the air.
Clive just watched, stunned, his mouth hanging open. On the other side, Gio and Hite finished healing the last of the team.
Seuph stood tall, finally stopping.
"Hey Clive... Let's find this pirate. I'll make sure he gets a hard lesson," Seuph commanded.
"Y-yes, madam. Let's find him," Clive replied, nodding.
They began searching for Daizo.
Daizo had landed in a deep hole, unconscious and bleeding heavily. It seemed like he wouldn't survive much longer.
Seuph and Clive continued their search.
"This damn pirate... Where is he?" Seuph muttered, her frustration growing.
"I hope he stays hidden," Clive thought to himself, unsure of what would happen next.
After half an hour of searching, they still couldn't find him—Daizo had fallen into the hole they'd missed.
Seuph pressed her earpod.
"Clive, we need to head back to the spaceship. I'm sure he escaped," Seuph said, her tone firm.
"Understood, madam," Clive responded, pressing his own earpod.
"Yes!" Clive thought, relieved.
Back at the ship, everyone was healed.
"Everyone, board the Astro Opera. We're taking this spaceship with us," Seuph ordered, signaling toward Daizo's ship.
Everyone nodded.
New student Delom stepped forward.
"Hey, Delom, bring the spaceship aboard the Astro Opera," Seuph commanded.
"Yes, madam," Delom replied.
Delom raised his hands, and two massive, glowing hands appeared, moving in sync with his. He guided Daizo's small ship into the docking bay of the much larger Astro Opera.
Once aboard, they left for their next destination.
Onboard the Astro Opera, everyone stood in the corridor.
"Alright, since we had trouble today, the tournament will be held tomorrow," Untras said, looking at the group.
Everyone dispersed to their rooms except for Clive.
Clive walked toward the practice grounds, a space where anything could be summoned with a voice command.
He called for a punching bag and began throwing punches with both hands, but his strikes were so fast it looked as if he had multiple arms.
Clive was practicing his light-speed technique, which he hadn't fully mastered. He still struggled to control the speed, but his punches were blistering. He couldn't help but think about the fight with Daizo and how helpless he felt.
"I didn't do anything during the fight... I didn't help anyone," Clive thought, frustrated.
As he continued, the punching bag tore apart, but Clive didn't notice until a moment later. He reached out, and a sword appeared in his hand—its hilt glowing a soft yellow. He began practicing with it, focusing on his control.
Meanwhile, Daizo regained consciousness in the massive hole. He barely crawled out, barely able to move. When he reached the spot where his ship had been, he realized it was gone.
"You've made a big mistake..." Daizo muttered, his voice filled with fury.
His body began to regenerate rapidly.
"Skyel... Order: 888, Art of Demon!" Daizo shouted.
His sword materialized in his hand. His left eye was marked with a black symbol. His nails ignited with thin fire. His black hair turned white, and his eyes cracked open, revealing glowing fire inside. A white tail appeared from his back, with a flicker of fire at its tip.
Daizo sprinted, sword in hand, determined.
On the Astro Opera, an alarm sounded, red lights flashing and sirens blaring.
"What's happening?" Untras thought, concerned.
Clive, still in the practice room, stopped his training. "What?!" he exclaimed.
Daizo's ship fired its laser cannon at the wall, and with a burst of speed, it broke free from the Astro Opera's hold.
TO BE CONTINUED...