The two Fighters stayed completely still. Both could feel the cool water flow slowly around their shins. Their breathing shallowed. Neither wanted to make the first move. Such an act would invite an opening that the other could capitalize on. Was this true? Was the warrior opposite of the other truly that skilled that even a microsecond or millimeter of an opening could spell death? The harsh truth was no. Neither knew. What conveyed this foreboding sense was the sheer pressure of the crowd outside the dome. Both sides threw their all into their cheers. Both fighters moved as if possessed by that very same sensation. Social Facilitation, the psychological concept that claims individuals perform better or more intensely when observed by people they wish to impress, like a young man trying to show off for a woman on the first date. Before today, neither warrior stood before an audience and must display the feats that built their legends, the prestige of their iconography. The audience outside the arena went silent. What was once a constant battle of roaring spirit died right at the point the fight was called. None wished to miss anything. Barely any of them blinked. Some even held their breath, fearing a single action or sound might set off a chain reaction leading to the doom of their hero.
"Hilde, they're not moving. What's going on?" Göll asked, whispering.
"Göll, take a look down at the audience," Brünhilde answered. Her younger sister looked down towards the audience. All the Samurai, all the random attendees, and even Ieyasu's retinue sat in complete silence and were as still as the Fighters below.
"They're…all kind of…tense."
"Everyone here in the arena knows what this match means. Round Seven, the halfway point. A tied score. What happens here will cascade into the next six rounds. I don't doubt most of the audience realized what the rules demand of them."
"Of the audience? Like in Villains?"
"Not quite," She started, whispering. "Villains demanded that both sides send someone reprehensible. From there, it was up to the Fighters to create as much vitriol and fear within the audience and their opponent as possible. Heroes demands far more from Tadakatsu and Marduk, as well as the audience."
"Because they must inspire hope?"
"Exactly. Hope is a powerful emotion. For some, it's a virtue. The strength of will and spirit to soldier through dark and uncertain times. For the people below, those two men are not just warriors. They're hope incarnate. They not only must be strong, but they must inspire their allies. When they succeed, the cheers and spirits of the crowd strengthen them and allow them to fight at their fullest."
"…So if they start to lose…"
"It becomes a cascade effect that they may not recover from. They must fight with the expectations ever-present on their backs that they will succeed and save the day, and the audience must never lose faith in them."
"It sounds…so painful." Brünhilde placed her hand on Göll's shoulder. She turned to meet Brünhilde, who met her eyes with sad eyes and a soft smile.
"You're right, Göll. It is. But that's why," She turned back to the arena. "Those two are there. They can handle it. Many would crumble like coal under such pressure, but those two?" A massive explosion erupted in the arena. "Such pressure creates diamonds."
Both Marduk and Tadakatsu felt small smiles grow on their unmoving forms. A quick breath turned into a small chuckle. Their brief chuckling never grew above a loud whisper. Both sighed, and their bodies relaxed. "Guess we should get started, huh?" Marduk asked.
"I guess so," Tadakatsu said. Tadakatsu leaned forward slightly. He sharply inhaled and exploded forward; the stone floor beneath his submerged feet exploded behind him in a wake of rubble and seawater. Flying like cannon fire, Tadakatsu took his spear in both hands and raised it behind his head. Eat this! He roared in his head as he neared Marduk. Reaching the perfect distance and timing, Tadakatsu swung straight down towards Marduk's head. Marduk watched as the attack came towards him.
Guess you're not the type to take things slow! Marduk thought as the attack came closer. He crouched down and jumped back, the attack smashed into the ground between them. The ground and water exploded in all directions from where the spear struck the ground. The displaced air reached Marduk. You monster! That would have cleaved me in two! A wide smile grew on his face. I LIKE THAT! Marduk landed on his feet just a few meters from his opponent, and wound his right arm back. He snapped forward and tossed the liquid sphere. Tadakatsu immediately felt the hairs on his neck stand up. The sphere was centimeters from his face. He had been in similar situations before, but why was this attack different? He leaned to the side as the sphere passed him, the air pulsating as it flew by. He took a glance at it before it flew out of his field of vision. He turned his attention back to Marduk and dashed forward again. Marduk, his arm still outstretched after the throw, twisted his hand, clenching it into a fist, and pulled it back to his side. Tadakatsu immediately stopped and ducked. The sphere flew above him and back towards Marduk. He did not hesitate; the moment the sphere passed him, he dashed right behind it towards his opponent. The sphere was just about to return to Marduk's hand as Tadakatsu thrusted his spear towards Marduk's chest. The sphere slammed into Marduk's hand, sending him skidding back as the spear stabbed through the air, his feet creating waves as he skidded back. Sorry, Tadakatsu! I can't be caught that eas- The spear's tip followed him as he moved. What!? The sphere pushed harder against his hand, accelerating him. The spearhead eventually stopped, and Marduk came to a halt a meter further, the water still flailing about. He started cold-sweating as he looked down at the spearhead. The spear's shaft retracted back towards Tadakatsu, returning to its original length.
Shit, he reacted faster than I hoped he would. Tadakatsu thought. I didn't extend it all the way, but still…and that sphere… "Hey, Randgriz."
"Yes?" She answered in his ear.
"That sphere's kind of odd." He slowly walked to his left, keeping his feet from crossing. "I don't think it's a Divine Weapon."
"What makes you say that?"
"Nothing certain. Just a bad feeling. I don't know for certain if we can parry it with the spear. What do you think?"
"Hlökk and Samson could break through the Gauntlets of Authulma. It was a gamble, but it proved that Völunds are strong enough to match weapons of that level." Tadakatsu planted his feet.
"Then I guess we need to try our hand at it." His eyes dilated, and he dashed once more.
"That's a new toy. When did he get that?" Zeus asked out loud.
"Not sure, though I heard he obtained it after defeating Tiamat." Hades answered.
"From who? His father?"
"No…" Poseidon added. "From Tiamat. I heard word that Marduk created that sphere from her blood, the very same waters of chaos that became creation's foundation."
"Bizarre…" Zeus stroked his beard as he watched the fight. "Wonder what it's capable of?"
The sphere floated above Marduk's open hand. He flicked his hand up, sending the sphere towards the sky as Tadakatsu charged towards him. Tadakatsu thrusted his spear, extending it several meters towards Marduk. He ducked the thrust and sprinted just below the spear's shaft. Tadakatsu slammed his left palm down on the spear, sending the shaft straight down. Marduk jumped to the right just before it slammed down on his head. He raised his left hand skyward and waved it down. The green liquid sphere, sitting still in mid-air, began to spin. Faster and faster, it generated a whirring sound before firing straight down towards Tadakatsu. He jumped back, the sphere slamming into the ground and displacing the water. It remained firmly in place, spinning at high speed to grind away the stone floor. Marduk flexed out his fingers, causing the sphere to split into smaller orbs. He waved his hand up, and the spheres flew towards Tadakatsu.
"Guess it's time to test the theory!" He yelled. The spear retracted to its original size. He swiped his spear at the closest one.
The blade hit the bullet…and knocked it away. Tadakatsu felt the impact through his hands. The clang of metal rung in his ears, the slight vibrations generated from contact travelled through the spear and into his hands. Yet, the spear suffered no damage. In that single split-second gamble before the second bullet came into range, Tadakatsu and Randgriz proved it. Beyond the shadow of doubt, this mysterious substance could be blocked. If it could be blocked, it could be beaten. Tadakatsu felt a smirk grow on his face as the second bullet came into range. He swat it away with a simple flick. As if through pure instinct, he continued. His body moved on its own, blocking and parrying each shot as it came towards him. Sometimes two, even three, at the same time, were swept away. More and more bullets flew his way, but none made it past the spearhead. The audience could not look away; the sheer incredulity growing within the Gods was only matched by Humanity's awe.
"I…INCREDIBLE! Tadakatsu's being bombarded with dozens upon dozens of bullets, but not a single one's getting in! He's not even looking at them!" Heimdall shouted. He got swept into it. The display of control and technique.
"Incredible? Please," Tadatomo said. "Dad could do that even when he was a teenager. Incredible is normal for him."
Who the hell is this guy!? Marduk thought. Those shots are supposed to mimic the ferocity of Indra's Stampede of Airavata! Yet he's SWATTING them away!? The barrage came to an end. Tadakatsu aimed his spear straight ahead and dashed, kicking away more of the ground and water. His speed and size displaced the air as he went. Shit! Marduk reached out his hand. The small globules of green liquid in the sea water jumped out of the water and flew towards him, creating a wall of bullets with Tadakatsu in the middle once more.
"It's the pincer move again! What'll Tadakatsu do!?" Heimdall shouted.
"Need to change things up, Marduk," Tadakatsu said. Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from beneath Tadakatsu. Marduk's eyes widened as the wall of water rose in front of him and obscured his vision. He felt his bullets coalesce in his hand back into the sphere. Another explosion erupted to his left, then another behind him. His hair stood on end, and dread hit his stomach.
I can't see him! Where is he!? He heard it. A familiar sound. He felt it. The subtle change in the air. His instincts roared. The spear thrust forward, right towards his right temple. He noticed it too late. He kneeled, but the thrust was too fast. He lurched to the left, the spearhead cutting against his temple as it passed by. He shot his right leg in the direction the spear came, but nothing was there. The shaft of the spear slammed down towards him. Marduk got the sphere above him in both hands just in time to block the downward swipe, but the blow pushed him onto his back and below the water. It ground against the spear, but could not tear away at the metal.
"Marduk's pinned down! He's caught between a literal rock and a hard place! If he doesn't get out of this situation, he might drown!" Heimdall's voice yelled over the audience.
Like hell I'll go out this way. Marduk, underwater, saw Tadakatsu's feet several meters away. The spear can get this long, and he's able to generate this much force from so far away! Hades popped into his head. You're starting to piss me off! Marduk stretched out his left leg and lifted it above the water. He slammed it against the spear's shaft, shifting his body ever so slightly to the attack's right side. He twisted his body and threw the shaft into the ground. He hopped back on his feet and exhaled, finally free of the attack. He felt the spear retract in the air and water next to him, and he dashed with it. It stopped mid-return and fired back out, Tadakatsu's thrust displacing air and water despite the short. "Don't mess with me!" Marduk roared. He slammed the sphere into the spear, swatting it away to the left. The force knocked the spear out of Tadakatsu's left hand and knocked him off balance, his left foot rising out of the water. "Your turn!" Marduk dashed and stuck out his sphere-filled right hand.
"Randgriz! Going solo for a minute!" Tadakatsu yelled.
"I'll be standing by." She said nonchalantly. Tadakatsu let go of his spear and clenched his fist. He slammed his left foot back down and regained his posture. What came next could only be best compared to a demonstration kata. Empty-handed, Tadakatsu stuck out his left hand and extended his fingers. Both hands were placed perfectly. Those who knew this stance could tell exactly what it was. His sons, daughter, friends, and even his enemies were watching in the crowd. Very few amongst the Gods could tell, too. Marduk could not. His absent patience could not help him see what was happening. Even then, why would an unarmed human be a threat? If it were someone else, maybe that would be true. However, this was Honda Tadakatsu.
"Show him, Tadakatsu. Show him the real Tonbokiri." Ieyasu said after he checked the score above the dome.
Marduk 96%
Honda Tadakatsu 95%
At the moment Marduk's sphere lined up his left hand's middle finger, Tadakatsu acted. Through perfect recreation, Tadakatsu stepped his left foot forward at a slight angle while his right foot pivoted and dug a shallow hole in the ground. His clenched fist fired forward and up. Marduk could not stop. His attack hit only air. Tadakatsu's fist found his solar plexus. Marduk's body folded around the strike as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Marduk's head snapped forward, but the velocity of his dash could not be stopped. His folded body flung off of Tadakatsu's fist and sailed into the air. Heimdall, the Gods, and Humanity felt a collective silent shock as they saw Marduk's body crash down. Tadakatsu remained completely still. His body, rigid as tempered steel, stayed firmly where he stood his ground. The impact sent a massive knockback through his body, but he did not let it show. As soon as he heard Marduk's body land, his body relaxed. Turning around, he saw Marduk trying to get above water and get breath back in his lungs. "No mercy for you." Tadakatsu crouched down and dashed. The familiar explosion erupted from where he stood. He pulled his right fist tight against his body as he stretched out his left hand again. Marduk turned around just in time to see his opponent barreling towards him. Ignoring the pain and his need for air, Marduk got his feet under him and waited. Tadakatsu slammed his left foot down and twisted his body.
I got the distance and timing! Marduk jumped back. Tadakatsu's fist…did not fire. His brow furrowed, and he roared. He pushed off his left foot and stepped forward with his right. His fist fired. Ah…this one's going to hurt too. Marduk could not get away. Tadakatsu's fist caught him square on the face. Marduk could feel his skull crack around his nose. He flew away, his body skipping on the water before finally sinking beneath the water. Tadakatsu pulled his extended fist back and returned to his stance. He inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. The Human side of the arena erupted with cheers.
"Tadakatsu has pulled the lead after that heated start, folks! He didn't even use his spear to do it! What a warrior!"
"No, he used his spear," Ieyasu said.
"Leave it to some ignorant commentator to be shocked by Tadakatsu not needing that fancy spear to fight," Naomasa added.
Tonbokiri. The six-meter-long legendary spear, forged by the great Masazane Sengo wielded by Honda Tadakatsu. Alongside its legendary kin Otegine and Nihongo, Tonbokiri was bestowed the title of one of the Three Great Spears of Japan. Legend has it that the blade was sharp enough that when a dragonfly, the symbol of the Samurai, landed on the blade, it was cut clean in half, hence its name. To many, this was a sign not only of the spear's strength, but that it would leave behind a legacy of bloodshed.
Or so it was thought. The truth of the situation is that the name 'Tonbokiri' is not just the spear's name.
Nay.
Nay!
NAY!
Tonbokiri is also the name of a monster whispered among the Samurai of the Sengoku Era! Of a man born with innate strength and talent, that whenever he walked or rode onto a battlefield, his enemies trembled in fear! In his hands, he held that marvelous spear and tore through his foes, but he, with or without that spear, was without rival. That monster, the true Tonbokiri, the Samurai Cutter, the living spear, was Honda Tadakatsu.
Göll shouted as she jumped up and down. The intensity from earlier was still there. "That was awesome! He's that strong!?"
"He is," Brünhilde answered as she looked at her tablet. The scores for Heroes were shown on the screen.
Marduk 95%
Honda Tadakatsu 100%
A smug grin appeared on her face. "And always has been. He's been fighting in battles since he was barely a teenager. After his fateful encounter with a deer at Yahagi River, Tadakatsu built a martial art around two things: deer and spear techniques."
Göll stopped jumping and stared blankly at her sister. "…Deer?"
"Yep!" Brünhilde's eyes shone with excitement. Guy's a deer nut! So much so, he built a martial art around them. Honda-ryū, the homemade martial arts of the Honda clan. Most martial arts are based on animal movements, so he did the same. He combined his family's spear techniques with a deer's speed, grace, and survival instincts!"
"Hilde…that's kind of weird."
"So? It doesn't matter. All that matters…is that it makes him strong. Stronger than anyone else in that hell of an era."
"Dad! You can win this! Don't let that human get the better of you!" Nabu yelled. The other Gods surrounding him and Sarpanitu joined in his cheering. Sarpanitu silently watched her husband rise out of the water and shake his head.
Dear…please get up! It's not like before! You can win this! She thought. She inhaled deeply. "You can do it, Marduk!" She shouted.
"Well…that was nasty," Marduk said as he straightened up. "Haven't been punched like that in millennia." He turned to face Tadakatsu, the liquid sphere reforming in his hand as he slowly spun. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Anegawa and Mikawa," Tadakatsu answered. "You're the first person to take two punches from me and stand back up. You're tougher than you look." He stepped to the right and reached down into the water. He grasped the shaft of his spear and rose back up, armed and ready for more.
"I'll take that backhanded compliment. Truth be told, it's not the hardest punch I've ever taken. You're up there, but the difference is night and day."
"Interesting. Care to introduce me to them?"
"I can't." The orb began to grow in Marduk's palm. It expanded until it was roughly the same size as his upper body. He thrust his right hand into the sphere. Tadakatsu took his stance once more, ready to counter whatever Marduk would throw at him. To his shock, Marduk pulled his hand back out. In it was a large, wooden white bow as long as he was tall. A brown leather strap sat between his palm and the bow connected to a white quiver loaded with arrows. Marduk tossed the bow in the air and looped the quiver around his back, catching the bow as it fell. "Because he is next after you." He pulled an arrow out of the quiver and nocked it.
"Dad's pulled out his bow!? Why?" Nabu asked.
"Against this Samurai, it's necessary. Your father's Wellspring Vault can only do so much. Able to grind through nearly anything while acting as a sword, arrow, and even shield. Yet, it's not his greatest weapon." She crossed her arms. "Whoever this Tadakatsu is, your father recognizes him as a true opponent." She began to shake and chuckle.
"Mom?"
"Don't you see!? We're going to see Marduk fight like when he defeated Tiamat!? How can you not be excited!?" The other Gods saw her excitement and got swept up in her energy. Nabu pulled out and checked the score on his tablet.
Marduk 94%
Honda Tadakatsu 98%
"No way, it's going back up!?"
"Get him, dear! Show him the strength that slayed Chaos!"
"Four Winds and Alabaster Bow." Wind began to swirl around the arrow's head, forming a small horizontal funnel.
That's not looking good! Tadakatsu thought. He extended the spear up to three meters as Marduk fired the arrow. As it flew, the arrow entered the funnel. Tadakatsu could see the brief moment of its flight where the wind caught the arrow and spun it. It exploded with a mighty boom, whistling in the air as it rocketed towards the Samurai. Tadakatsu swung his spear just in time to make contact with the arrow. A loud clang erupted from the hit. The knockback surged through the spear and into his arms. Damn it, that hurt! I was right, at least! He's firing those arrows into the funnel to accelerate them! Another arrow rocketed forth. I can't parry all of these. I need to use Shika Step again! Tadakatsu slapped the arrow away. He did not see the one behind it. Crap! He leaned just to the right, just in time to feel the displaced air from the arrow wash over him. He retracted his spear and slammed his foot into the ground. Blasting forward, Tadakatsu raced across the stone floor.
"Tadakatsu, what do you need me to do!?" Randgriz asked, her tone slightly panicked.
"Can you give me an assessment of this guy's weapons? I assume knowledge of his feats is commonplace!" Tadakatsu dodged two more arrows as a third sailed towards him. Marduk stood opposite him, barely moving from his position and continuing to fire arrows.
"The Alabaster Bow is one of the Divine Weapons used by Marduk to kill Tiamat. The raw power of that bow combined with the speed enhancement of the Four Winds creates arrows that rival the strength of Heaven's greatest archers, Indra, Apollo, and Artemis."
"That's cheating! He's like those two archer nuts from Round Two put together!" Tadakatsu continued his sprint across the ground. Each step kicked up stone and water as he raced across the arena.
"There are many who consider him 'overpowered,' because of this. His arsenal of Divine Weapons is vast and diverse, making him difficult to deal with. We'll need to figure out ways to get past all of them to win." Tadakatsu stopped and ducked. He felt it in his bones; something told him he needed to stop immediately. As he did, barely three meters in front of him, an arrow flew straight down and blew apart the stone floor as another sailed above him.
"Good read, Tadakatsu!" Marduk yelled. "Guess that battle instinct of yours is as good as I thought!" He nocked another arrow. "It's too bad…it doesn't mean a thing when dealing with me." He aimed high into the air and fired. The funnel sped up as the arrow flew through it, sending it high into the air. He drew another three arrows and aimed his bow towards the stopped Tadakatsu. Nocking one arrow, he fired it through the funnel. It soared towards Tadakatsu, who sensed it and broke back into a dash.
Shika Step and Shika Sense. Born from Tadakatsu's observation of deer surrounding his homeland, these two innovations became pillars of Honda-ryū. An offshoot of Shukuchi, Shika Step takes the concept of a spear thrust and converts it into a powerful stomping motion. By stomping with the same force and speed of his spear thrusts, Tadakatsu can replicate the running technique of deer and sprint at absurd speeds. However, this technique requires rigid training in all joints of the legs from the hip joint down to the distal phalanx joints of the toes. Once conditioning is complete and the technique mastered, users of Shika step can sprint and dash at absurd speeds with minimal surface contact and change direction at a moment's notice. Shika Sense, a form of spatial awareness, was born from observations of the sensory abilities of deer. Through constant training of the senses, including sensory deprivation and exposure to life-and-death situations, students of Honda-ryū create a level of awareness that gives observers the notion that they have eyes in the back of their heads and on top of their skulls. It is these two techniques that turned Tadakatsu from simply a strong warrior into a monster that blitzed across the battlefields on foot and evaded every attack that came his way.
Until today. Marduk continued his long-range assault. Arrow after arrow flew towards Tadakatsu. Despite avoiding each arrow, he knew what was happening. Twenty centimeters. Seventeen. Thirteen. Nine. Each shot was now getting harder and harder to dodge. Why? He did not know. It did not matter. All he knew was that he needed to change the situation or he'd eventually be hit. Tadakatsu locked eyes on Marduk as he ran. He could see more arrows flying in his direction, and a few veering towards his intended path. Knew it! He's reading me! How's he keeping up with me!? Marduk fired another arrow into the air, then turned his attention back on Marduk. Gotta change it up! Tadakatsu slammed his left leg into the ground and pushed himself away. The distance between him and Marduk slowly began to grow despite the continued fire of arrows. Does he ever run out!? Before long, he covered over a hundred meters, yet the assault continued. "Randgriz, how many arrows does this guy carry!? I can't hold out forever!"
"The quiver for the Alabaster bow reloads itself with every arrow fired that does not hit its intended target." She answered.
"That's cheating!" Tadakatsu smiled nervously.
"I agree, but that means he needs to go that far to beat us."
"And it still won't be enough," Tadakatsu said under his breath. He stopped in his tracks as the arrows flew towards him. "I've seen plenty." He leaned to his left, dodging an arrow. He stepped to his right, dodging another. Five centimeters. Eight. Eleven. Sixteen. The gap between his evasions and the arrows grew larger and larger. He ducked under one and bowed. "Let's go." Suddenly, a searing pain erupted from his shoulder and sent him sprawling to the water. He quickly glanced at the source while submerged, his eyes widening. An arrow, the head poking out forward, pierced his shoulder right through the muscle. What…in hell!? The realization hit him as the water turned red around his wound.
"Whew…took you long enough," Marduk said, nocking another arrow, far out of Tadakatsu's hearing. He looked up towards the sky and smiled softly.
Marduk 98%
Honda Tadakatsu 88%
"That sprinting move is pretty impressive. Plus, dodging those arrows is no easy feat. Only a few ever pulled it off for as long as you. However…," He looked out towards Tadakatsu and aimed it, the funnel in front of him spinning faster and faster. "I knew you'd eventually try to gain some distance. All I had to do was corral you to a spot where my arrows 'did not' go. Once there, my earlier skyward shots would find you. You're quite lucky, though. Those kinds of shots are far weaker than normal. This one…isn't." He released it. A resounding boom erupted in front of Marduk as the arrow spun.
Tadakatsu's instincts kicked into overdrive as he resurfaced, still crouching. The pain in his shoulder. The realization of Marduk's trap as the arrow barreled towards him. There's another one coming down and this one towards me. This is pretty bad! His expression contorted. His mouth twisted into a mad smile that nearly covered the entire lower half of his face. No…THIS IS FANTASTIC! The arrow got closer and closer. Tadakatsu could feel both in the air: the one barreling towards him and the other falling straight down towards his skull. I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MYSELF!
It's no small secret that Tadakatsu Honda was a man of the battlefield. Much like his peers, he deeply enjoyed the thrill of combat, and the near-death experiences he went through instilled a near manic love for facing death and overcoming it. The situation he found himself in was the first time he felt so close to death that his body, for the first time in this second life, went into overdrive. Primal joy erupted from within his stomach. Through pure instinct, Tadakatsu raised his spear to intercept the oncoming arrow, his actions dulled by his lowered score.
Not that it mattered. The arrow sailed past the spearhead as it rose. The shaft barely touched the arrow, but the subtle contact did what it needed to do. The spinning arrow shifted just a few centimeters mid-flight and sailed just two centimeters above Tadakatsu's head. The spear did not stop. He raised it higher without looking up. He felt the slight contact with the falling arrow and felt it slam into the ground behind him. The rubble and water washed over him. His body shook. "LET'S GO!" He roared. He flexed his leg muscles and dug both feet into the ground. He pushed off, releasing multiple SUV-sized boulders out of the water as a surge of water erupted behind him. He sprinted faster than he ever did before. His feet did not touch the stone floor anymore. Each single thrust, bolstered by his frenzy, now stopped at the water's surface. "MORE. I WANT MORE!"
Marduk could not believe what he saw. The absurdity of Tadakatsu's graceful parries and brutal dash seemed like a perverted mashup. "This is ridiculous." He nocked another arrow. "Come at me then! I knew you were capable of something like this! Now die- "As he released the arrow, Tadakatsu was already in front of him, thrusting his three-meter spear as the arrow sailed over his crouched body. He did not see it. Just as he nocked his arrow, Tadakatsu kicked harder than he ever did before, closing the gap near-instantly.
"Shika Step, Full Throttle!"
Marduk could not dodge the thrust. He put his bow in-between his body and the spear. The spear made contact, pushing Marduk back and into the air as he pulled another arrow out of his quiver. "Not good enough, Tadakatsu!" He felt it. The splintering spreading under his grip. At a glance, he saw it. The frame of his bow was cracking from where the spear made contact. "Shit." He said flatly. The bow exploded in his hands. The spear surged towards him, extending with him as he flew. Four meters, five meters. SIX METERS. The spear cut the right half of Marduk's chest. I barely avoided that, but how did he destroy my bow!? Marduk continued to go, but Tadakatsu refused to let him get away.
"I won't stop!" He yelled, his voice now carrying a guttural tone. Just before Marduk could land, Tadakatsu spun off his left foot as he pulled in his right leg. He launched it, putting the full power of his Shika Step into it. It found contact in the center of Marduk's back. His body folded once more. Marduk could feel his ribs and spine creak and ache under Tadakatsu's foot. He soared several meters away, skipping off the water as he went. He finally stopped with a nasty flop as the water around him began to turn red. Tadakatsu howled with pure manic joy! The audience roared along with him.
"That's our guy!" Sakakibara yelled.
"Damn right it is!" Naomasa said as he looped his left arm around Sakakibara's neck and pumped his right fist into the air. "That guy had no clue what Tadakatsu's capable of!"
Ieyasu stared down at the screens displaying the battle. Tadakatsu's wild grin and primal posture are slightly unsettling him. Never did like it when you got this way…please hurry up and end this.
"Lord Tokugawa, something wrong?" Tadatsugu asked.
"A little. Tadakatsu could have won there if he kept his composure. Had he thought a little more and aimed that thrust better, he could have killed that God outright."
"I don't think so." Komatsuhime chimed in. "Lord Tokugawa, just like you, I have faith in my father's skill. That God, Marduk, however, is far stronger than anyone he's faced. Look at what he did." She pointed to her father on the screen. Tadakatsu shrank the spear back down. Slowly, he cut off the exposed parts of the arrow, leaving a small piece of it in his shoulder. "Father's injured, and those arrows from earlier got far closer than any one before them. Had he not closed the gap like he did, I don't know if he could have survived that assault much longer."
"Big Sis is on point," Tadatomo added. "Using the spear to destroy that bow, then following up with that kick is one of Father's favorite moves to kill someone. He once caved in an attacker's armor and ribcage with that combination."
"Fair…," Ieyasu said. "I just wish it were enough." They saw it too. Marduk was already getting up from the attack, the cut from earlier still bleeding. "I'm afraid this Marduk is going to be trouble."
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Brünhilde shouted as she pumped both fists in the air. "This is why those two are perfect for each other!"
"Uh…Hilde? What're you talking about?" Göll asked.
"Randgriz and Tadakatsu! They're the ultimate combination to destroy anything!"
"Like Samson and Hlökk are?"
"Exactly, Göll!" She turned to her sister, her excitement barely contained. "Tadakatsu is already naturally a strong-ass monster. Yet it's still not enough to destroy something as powerful as a Divine Weapon, which Marduk boasts one of the largest arsenals in all of Heaven. Yet, even he knows that Randgriz is no one to underestimate."
"True, but I'm not following."
"Randgriz's power, bestowed by her name 'Shield-Breaker,' grants her the ability to destroy anything capable of being used for defense."
"But what got destroyed was a bow. How does that apply?"
Brünhilde's expression turned manic. "Because her power destroys the 'concept' of defense. As long as it can be used to protect someone, her power destroys it. Granted, it takes more power to destroy something like a Divine Weapon, but with Tadakatsu's strength," She threw her hands in the air and raised her head to the sky. "They created the Völund:
TONBOKIRI KIWAMI
A Spear capable of destroying nearly any Divine Weapon it strikes!"
Göll stared blankly at her sister. Sis…I think this match is getting to you. I've never seen you act like this, but I see what you mean. Goll recalled days when Randgriz would walk through walls, doors, or generally just anything in front of her, and they would break apart as she walked. I forgot how scary Big Sis Randgriz could be when mad. I remember days when she tried looking for us when we messed something up, she'd leave a trail of broken buildings as she walked!
"Well, that was surprising," Zeus said before he bit into a large chocolate-covered pretzel. "Did either of you think someone could put the beatdown on Marduk like that?"
"Not since you two went at it." Hades answered. "Tadakatsu is certainly an anomaly. To keep up with Heaven's Living Arsenal is no easy feat. However, I'm still puzzled by something." He looked at the score above the arena.
Marduk 85%
Honda Tadakatsu 97%
He looked back at the monitor. Tadakatsu returned to his stance while Marduk summoned the Wellspring Vault. It grew again, and Marduk reached into it with both hands. He pulled them back out, his right now wielding a white club as tall as him, studded with silver metal spikes on the club's head, and his left hand holding what looked like a mask shaped like a lizard's jaw. He placed the mask on his face. A black strap shot out of both sides and connected on the other side of his head. Flames begin to billow out as he rests the club on his shoulder, his gaze now a subtle leer.
"That sphere?"
"Yes. It seems that he's keeping his Divine Weapons in it, but I still don't know what it is exactly." The entrance to the box opened behind them, and Set stepped in. "Ah, welcome back. You might be the one who can solve something for me, Set."
"Depends on if it's within my scope, Lord Hades, but I will try," Set said.
"Thank you. What is that bizarre sphere Marduk has been using? He never had it or those other weapons when he tried to fight us."
"That I can answer." Set walked over to the seats and sat down. "That is a Primeval Weapon." All three now had their attention on him. "…Just like Baldr's Gauntlets of Authulma, it's a weapon made from the essence of a Primeval Chaos, specifically the chaotic water of Tiamat's being. Like the gauntlets, it contradicts the world around it, grinding and eroding anything it comes in contact with. Unlike the gauntlets, Marduk mastered the Primeval Weapon and turned it into a hyperspace vault."
"So it's a weapon that carries his other weapons?" Zeus asked.
"To put it succinctly, yes, Lord Zeus," Set answered. However, it can do far more than that, but you'll never know until it's time for him to take you down for good.
"Fancy. I don't get to see Primeval Weapons often. Can't wait to see what else it can do."
The four turned their attention back to the floating screens. Two bursts of stone and rubble erupted on the screen, and the fight continued.