__ When Hikaru said that he made a better door than a window he felt more caught up in the beautifully poetic prose of that statement than offended. He then asked a more simple question of whether or not they wanted to spar while waiting. While that was enticing he continued to stare at the fight in front of him and was tempted so much that it was wracking his mind with the fear of missing out. When he felt the horse slam into his ankle he looked down as it crumpled. "Is this origami art? So beautiful!" Tetsuhiko had to contain himself from cooing over the artistic creation. He wanted to help re-assemble it, but he believed that the original artist had the ultimate control over his creations.
Once his mind finished its fixation on the paper horse he looked back up towards the fight and he could not take it anymore. "What if I open this door for you? Let's join them, why would we want to act in a small independent production when we could be a part of the grand performance unfolding before us?" He spoke with an excessive amount of gestures, he was always a bit of a hand talker, likely because he creates his art with his hands. Tetsuhiko suddenly jingled the tambourine bangles on his wrists and cast a magnetic field of his own design across the training grounds. Without waiting for Hikaru's response he ran towards the battle in order to bridge the gap between them. He leaned forward with his arms behind his back for additional speed and efficiency.
He stopped eight feet away from the man with the black mane and the small fair lad. He used his magnetism to jingle the tambourines when a masked maiden appeared in front of him with ten chakra strings attached to her as he stretched his fingers. "Two people here, one person on the roof, some sort of bird in the sky." Tetsuhiko thought to himself. Now with the chakra threads attached and the magnetic field was up his credibly heavy and sturdy iron puppet was now light as a feather and extremely agile.
Suddenly, Artemisia closed in on the blue-haired girl sitting on the rooftop. Before it got into close range it suddenly fired two kunai at her from the collarbone. The joints of the iron puppet rattled as it moved with the strings making sharp pulling sounds. The beautiful marionette of bunraku theater quality and also of great battle usage continued to close in as the kunai flew towards her, aimed for the midsection. "This is my art!" The puppeteer yelled out in a confident battlecry as he motioned his doll to attack her, while at the same time paying attention to the other fighting duo in case they may want to make a move towards him. Depending on how she would respond to the kunai would depend on Tetsuhiko's next attack motion with the marionette.
_______________ ☼Out Of Context☼ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Valhalla-atcha boy and let's flyte it out, but keep your Asgard up, I ragnarok the house~
Sorry for the requotes, I messed up on my chakra calculation.
〖[x]〗【TITLE: Genin】♫【RANK: D-Rank】♪【PRIMARY CLASS: Puppeteer】♫【SECONDARY CLASS: Performer】♪【BLOODLINE: Satetsu】♫【ELEMENTS: Raiton | Doton】♪【CHAKRA: 480 || 520】♫【STAMINA: 85 || 85】 Technique Used: Magnetic Manipulation ___○ D-Rank Ichi (One) ___○ D-Rank Puppetry Technique ___○ D-Rank Magnetic Music Performance ___○ D-Rank Technique Active: Magnetic Manipulation ___○ D-Rank Magnetic Music Performance ___○ D-Rank
__ Hikaru kept his gaze passed the boy before him until he started exclaiming something about being part of the performance. Hikaru took this as an acceptance to his request but then was shocked to watch the boy run off towards the new comers. As the puppet appeared and he began his first move Hikaru sucked his teeth. Tch. In the blink of an eye, maybe less, the boys body moved without hesitation, using his defensive body flicker technique to close the distance between him and the puppet user who once again had his back to Hikaru. By the time the kunai were shot off the puppet user would feel a slight pressure upon his back, quickly followed by a shock throughout his system and words whispered eerily into his ear. " Never turn your back on an opponenet. " The jutsu used by Hikaru would temporarily disable the puppet user and cause him to need a moment of recovery. Hikaru was well versed in the Medical arts and to have a chance to use this technique against a user who needs mobility was surely something to cross off his bucket list.
_______________ ≎Out Of Context≎ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ So rude to meeee kuuuuu T^T
Halting his execution of the dragon's fang as the foe vanished his eyes whipped back and forth rapidly to figure out where the next attack was coming from. The sound of a chain clanking from link to link rung through the air. He was so focused on his target he paid little attention to the lightning clone birds, which...were potentially more dangerous than the immediate threat. In response to the chain's attack, Masato used his squatting position to lower himself further to the earth, supporting himself with both his hands to preform a sweeping leg attack by shifting from right to left in a break dance like motion. This quick rapid motion would coincidentally cause the arrow to miss its mark on his leg, grazing his thigh in the process, causing a slow, cosmetic bleeding to begin. This sweeping motion performed, would strike at the Taylor's shins while he formed a tiger seal once more. This tiger seal would activate his smoke technique for a third time, continuing to hone his skill. With this vanishing technique he reappeared ten feet away away from the where he had been in the opposite direction of Taylor.
Regaining his distance, he paused with his head tilted downward, as though he had gone into a deep trance. Then after only a moment he looked back up, his eyes white as though their color had never existed. Something primal had awakened within him. Something he had forgotten he ever knew existed. In his mind, scenes of his body turning red and chakra taking a visible state with extreme speeds flashed in his head. Memories flooded back from the laboratory he had escaped from. The experiments preformed on himself once that man had discovered that he was able to hold his smoke form and not perish in such a fragile manner. [ [1] Gate of Opening (開門, Kaimon) [1/5]
Masato winced as he folded his arms for a slight moment, then swinging them outward with closed fists. "KAAAIIII" He shouted as an intense pressure seemed to flood the immediate area. He had tripped open the first gate, the gate of opening. He struggled to maintain this form in its first few seconds, but he slowly moved himself into a readied stance,his right hand extended outward, resembling a claw with his fingers closed down and palm opened. His left hand tucked back in a fist to his side and in something resembling a horse stance with his toes pointed forward at an angle towards Taylor. In his current state, his reflexes and speed had doubled in speed, his strength, five times that of before. He breathed heavily through this transformation, learning to maintain it. [[1] Gate of Opening (開門, Kaimon) [2/5] Now, he simply waited on the reaction of the others.
[OOC: I'm not doing anything crazy in this fight guys, just learning it. This will cause me to forget all my other Taijutsu]
__ Well, the first arrow definitely missed. Out of the corner of her eye, Zhi noticed something approaching her rather quickly. It was flying, but not like Horus. She shifted her bow toward the approaching threat only to watch the puppet fire a couple kunai knives in her direction. "Whoa." Zhi gasped and let loose her arrow to intercept. The chakra arrow would collide with the kunai on her right and thanks to its raw strength continue on to impact the one that launched it. Meanwhile, she would step to her right to avoid the other projectile. The puppet seemed to keep approaching, so she would take jump to the far end of the dojo's roof away from the others. When she landed she quickly turned to make sure everyone was in her sight, minding Horus and his clones' shadows over the battlefield. The other figure that had been near the one probably manipulating that ninja puppet appeared to be attacking the latter, meaning she might not have to keep dealing with that for a moment. It was then that she heard Masato yell, unleashing an unusual pressure upon the area around him with his forcibly bolstered power. "Kaio-what!?" (<=CLICK) Zhi just stared for a moment, not sure how to respond to this tension she felt. She'd jump back into the fray in a bit after she came to terms with the situation.
Taylor pulled back his left arm as the weighed end missed its mark. He wasn't sure where the smoke fiend went now, so instead of looking the boy lowered his left arm to the ground and then tossed his chain into the air. He allowed the chain to slide through his grip so that he didn't lose the ability to pull back on the chain in case of an emergency, but allowed the length to continue past its initial five feet. Sure enough when the chain reached over ten feet the original Horus caught it with his right talon and flew upward along with one of his clones. Taylor felt the tug of the chain as he tightened his grip and flew off into the air. Once he was off of the ground he opened his right palm and let loose a puff of air which shot him upward. He held onto the grip of the chain, however, which allowed him to maneuver himself right on the back of his flying companion.
Once he was on the back of the bird he was able to get a view of the fight below while he retracted his chain and wrapped it around his left arm. He was now about thirty feet elevated so they all looked like ants, but it was obvious that there were two more fighters into the fray. 'Where did all of these people come from?' Taylor asked. Horus, meanwhile, didn't care. Two of his lightning clones flew toward the enemies. One toward Tetsuhiko and Hikaru, while the other went toward Masato. When the clones were within five feet of descending they erupted into a shockwave of lightning chakra. These electrical jolts would severely damage and paralyze anyone within the radius of their strikes. Horus could have sent the third clone toward Zhi, but the girl gave him food. This meant that as long as there were other opponents, and as long as Zhi did not try to take him down, they were cool.
(Throw: D-ranked Taylor Propelling Winds: D-ranked Taylor Electric Explosion: C-ranked Horus)
Regenki
Kondo Kaicho
Kedikitoto
Kumurai Kaicho
Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:30 am
__ Hikaru's muscle shock attack landed squarely on its target, although Hikaru might notice that his hand would touch cold metal as opposed to flesh. Artemisia had appeared in Tetsuhiko's place facing towards the lad as five rapid fire kunai were shot out of the marionette's collarbone launcher aimed at Hikaru's face at point blank range. This attack would be quite difficult to avoid considering the element of surprise and the incredible speed of the launcher. Simultaneously, Tetsuhiko appeared and landed on the rooftop where Artemisia would have otherwise appeared in the half second after the chakra arrow deflected the two kunai and hit the ground.
From Tetsuhiko's position, his eyes widened with a grin on his face because he was enjoying this great piece of theater. "I should've known that bird would be an actor on the stage." He thought before moving his fingers to manipulate his puppet. As the clones were approaching Artemisia and as her mouth opened to release a wall of hardened iron sand which would intercept the clone approaching her and Hikaru and once they exploded they were completely blocked by the barrier. Artemisia and Hikaru would remain completely secure from additional aerial attack and have time to solely fight each other.
__ Hikaru kept his focus on the matter at hand for when he touched the cold metal instead of the intended target, he immediately feared the worst. The substitution technique was well known and Hikaru was prepared for the worst. His eyes were met with that of the puppets, but immediately a shield of paper would lift off of his face and his body to form a make shift wall in between the two.
It was at this moment Hikaru would move to jump back and watch multiple kunai pierce the forming wall, one of them sliding through and slicing the collar on his shirt. " Okay, new plan. " He thought to himself as he landed about six feet away from the puppet. As the paper and kunai slowly fell to the floor, Hikaru would come to see the puppet protect the two of them from some sort of threat. Hikaru never took kindly to threats. Suddenly the paper that fell would move once more, attempting to slide up and bind the puppet in paper chains. Though with the amount of chakra used, it wouldn't seem so easy. As he watched his paper beneath the puppet move a second Hikaru seemed to rip away from his original body and dash off towards the puppet master. It would move in to engage in hand to hand combat and was ready to do Hikarus bidding or die trying.
_______________ ≎Out Of Context≎ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
〖×〗【TITLE: Genin】○【RANK: D-Rank】○【CHAKRA: 400 || 400】○【STAMINA: 100 || 100】 Technique Used: • [ C ] Origami technique • [ E ] Origami technique • [ D ] Paper clone ___○ [ Rank ] Technique Active: • [ C ] Origami technique ___○ [ Rank ]
Mattysandwich
Kondo Kaicho
Regenki
Kumurai Kaicho
Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 8:36 pm
Masato grinned with elation as his foe would attempt to use the bird to escape. Masato dashed forward just before using his smoke technique to vanish for the last time he could must for now, in an instant, he would be at the length of chain just between Horus and Taylor. Using a spinning motion with one hand attached to the chain he would rotate, pulling the avian best downward and the blonde boy skyward without his ride. With this motion in play, he would grasp at Taylor's clothing and use his feet to kick off of him, using the boy as a shield from the lightning bird that would come swooping down upon him while he safely flew back to earth, skidding it a halt.
__ The puppeteer and the other newest arrival to the fray were literally appearing and disappearing all around. The older male opponent chased after Taylor into the sky. Now she was sharing the dojo's rooftop with the puppeteer. Oi vey. Zhi regained control of her breathing and quickly drew on her bowstring while leveling the bent oak weapon toward her rooftop companion. 'Time to attack, but I should avoid hurting anyone too much. These are all my comrades, I think.' As she pulled on the string she both focused more chakra into the form of a new arrow as wall as through her arms and back muscles. Her draw strength would receive a noteworthy boost, proportionately increasing the potential damage of her creation; even the speed of her would-be shot would be enhanced mildly. Fwoosh! She vanished before she would fully take aim, respositioning herself further up on the roof, stopping behind and off to Tetsuhiko's left as he faced out toward the rest of the training grounds. During her movement she had actually passed only a couple feet behind him, loosing the chakra arrow as she did to strike him in the right shoulder. If he failed to keep up with her during this speedy attack then he'd suffer a troublesome wound as well as be knocked off the roof. Her natural sensory talents were on high alert now with so many potential threats in the vicinity.
_______________ ≎Out Of Context≎ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
〖×〗【TITLE: Genin】○【RANK: D-Rank】○【CHAKRA: 375 || 470】○【STAMINA: 55 || 70】 Technique Used: • Arrow Creation [ X Rank ] _☆ Spiritual Bukijutsu _☆ D-Rank Applied _☆ Total Draw Strength = 70lbs _☆ A-Rank Power ___○ Full Draw [ X Rank ] ____★ Complex Bukijutsu ____★ E-Rank Applied ____★ +20lbs Draw Strength ___○ Quick Knock [ D Rank ] ____★ Complex Bukijutsu ____★ Mildly Increased Speed of Bow Attack • Speed Release: Body Flicker Technique [ D Rank ] _☆ Technique Active: • [ Rank ] _☆ ___○ [ Rank ] ____★
Quote:
Mattysandwich
Kondo Kaicho
Kedokitoto
Kumurai Kaicho
Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:33 pm
Taylor thought this opponent would know better than to try him at his own game. He clearly did not since Masato decided to jump on the chain. 'One down.' When his chain was grabbed the bird cried out as Taylor shot lightning chakra through the length of the chain and toward the man. Since his grip was imperative for his attack, Taylor did not anticipate how he would dodge it. Meanwhile, the charge also went up to Horus, who had a momentarily delay since Masato was first on the list. In that brief moment Horus substituted with his spare lightning clone the moment the electric current reached him. This caused the clone to burst into an electric burst as Taylor fell to the ground. With Taylor falling, however, he recovered his chain and re-wrapped it around his arms and torso since at this point there would be no logical way that Masato would be able to hold on, since at this point he either miraculously dodged or would have been shocked off of the chain and paralyzed for a few minutes. With both hands down Taylor swiftly channeled wind chakra and shot himself into the air. He flew much higher in the air than anticipated as the bird flew up to meet up with him. As the bird ascended Taylor created a wind clone which grabbed him by the left hand and threw him back down to the back of Horus. With precision aiming he managed to land on the bird's back as the two regained their original goals of being thirty feet in the air. Horus waited for another opening to strike as he created three more lightning clones which flew in formation around him.
(Current Transfer: D-ranked Taylor Propelling Winds: D-ranked Taylor Wind Clone: E-ranked Taylor Substitution Technique: D-ranked Horus Lightning Clone x3: E-ranked Horus)
__ Out of his peripheral vision, Tetsuhiko saw the girl he was attacking earlier disappear. Out of a panic, Tetsuhiko wrapped his body in his iron sand based scarf and simultaneously hardened it immensely with as much chakra as possible which was at a B-Rank level. It was in this defensive reflex that his magnetic field coated the iron sand-based clothing on his body and allowed him to fly up into the air about thirty feet off of the roof as the arrow was fired and the paper clone pursued him. The chakra arrow was lodged into his Satetsu scarf shielding as he flew up and scraped the skin of his lower back, but the damage was greatly mitigated. "Tch!" He winced as he felt the chakra arrow.
In his Satetsu scarf wrapping, he could still see and manipulate Artemisia. Suddenly, Tetsuhiko forcefully severed the wire from the marionette causing Artemisia to dodge quickly with that technique and Tetsuhiko's magnetic field working in tandem. The result was Artemisia backflipping to avoid the paper chain attack.
_______________ ☼Out Of Context☼ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
〖[x]〗【TITLE: Genin】♫【RANK: D-Rank】♪【PRIMARY CLASS: Puppeteer】♫【SECONDARY CLASS: Performer】♪【BLOODLINE: Satetsu】♫【ELEMENTS: Raiton | Doton】♪【CHAKRA: 420 || 520】♫【STAMINA: 85 || 85】 Technique Used: Harigane Tachikiru (Forceful Severing of Wire) ___○ E-Rank Technique Active: Magnetic Manipulation ___○ D-Rank Magnetic Music Performance ___○ D-Rank
__ At this point Hikaru figured play time was just about over. He kept his eyes focused on the puppet and let his clone do it's own bidding for now, knowing full well the clone could handle itself. As the puppet simply dodged the paper bind he attempting, Hikaru began to let loose many sheets of paper. Slowly but surely they all began to hover and float in his immediate area. They shifted their shape into something Hikaru would be known for.
This technique was one of the higher ranking techniques his clan held within their arsenal. Not only would it bring Hikaru one step closer to his ultimate goal of greatness, but it would make his fighting so much easier, for him anyways. The move was firstly called the butterfly kamikaze technique, though this would come with change with Hikarus different approach to the technique. Something that nobody but him would see coming, even with previous knowledge of his clan, this would be something specific only to him.
The technique he chose would be one that would be considered on of his highest ranking jutsu. The fact that it produced so much paper alone would be enough to scare the newest of shinobi, his rank being what it was. The technique would be known as one of Hikarus favorites without a doubt, keeping his standing higher than those around him, in his mind anyway. The butterfly kamikaze technique used in conjunction with another trick he had up his sleeve would surely take anyone by surprise.
See, this jutsu was normally done with butterflies, but Hikaru knew he could manipulate the paper all he wanted and it would show with this technique. In a matter of seconds Hikaru would be surrounded by mini horse like creatures, each one held up by minuscule wings. It was quite obvious to see that the wings were just for show. But, it was what followed that would surely catch the puppet master off guard.
This technique took a lot of concentration and mental power, but Hikaru was always known to complete a jutsu during his first try, usually. He hoped the puppet master didn't think this was another performance or beginning of a cultural dance, or it might be his last. As the paper completed spreading out and his jutsu finalized, the whole thing would've taken maybe a couple seconds, but to Hikaru, it would feel like years.
As it each one moved by Hikarus body, they positioned themselves in almost an orderly fashion. Each one taking their turn sliding beneath his two outstretched hands, palm side down. He would gift only four of the winged horses with a special gift that would be meant for the puppet. As they all took off into the sky, they began to eerily float around the puppet, all sides in fact. Above, behind, left and right. Anywhere this puppet tried to go, it would be met with paper.
The gift given to four of the winged horses would be a jutsu of Hikarus own making. He placed a bomb tag on four of them and was waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Which is where the clone came in. The puppet master figured he was safe in the sky, but such would not be the case with Hikaru. As the puppet user flew up into the sky, the clone would immediately turn to paper and follow him upwards, closing in on him quickly as the paper could move freely throughout the sky without the assistance of any type of jutsu. Once it reached high enough the paper clone would do something odd though, it would spread its paper outwards and create a wall, a brief wall but it was angled just right so the puppet user could not see his own puppet. Of course if the strings tried to get in the way, the paper would seal and replace itself, using outer sheets to compensate.
" Now! " Hikaru would exclaim. It would be at this exact moment, that all four explosive winged horses would zoom in from their hidden positions and bombard the puppet with a devastatingly large explosion. Metal was hard to crack, but Hikaru wondered if it had a melting point. Of course if the puppet somehow tried to dodge the winged horses would simply turn and wait to explode until they made contact. But Hikaru figured if the puppeteer couldn't see the puppet, he had two choices. Try and pull it back, in which case, it would only be chased down and hunted like a criminal out running the law. Or, it would simply take the hit as intended and Hikaru could truly find out if all of his training was worth it. Now, he waited.
A buzzing sensation shot through his hands, causing smoke to appear from them as a result of mild burns on his palms from the shock. He fell limply to the ground, struggling to push himself up to a position where he could still find Taylor in his visuals. 's**t s**t s**t....that was stupid...' he though, coming slightly to his senses. He exhaled deeply, attempting to calm himself. His body wouldn't respond correctly and his movements were sluggish. He shook off the feelings slowly, concentrating his chakra once again. As he gritted his teeth, his chakra began to seep back out as black smoke blowing off his body like the chimney of a freight train. Fortunately for him, he was much more focused and not filled with rage. While he was still unsure of the extent of his power, he would use it once more. [[1] Gate of Opening (開門, Kaimon) [4/5]]
To gain the attention of the opponent he so eagerly desired to fight, Masato would hold his hand up skyward, struggling with the shocks it took some concentration still. He began to snap his fingers, seemingly in a basic attempt to get attention. [ Cinder Technique: 1/2]
Failing to do so after several snaps, he began to focus his chakra more intently on his finger tips, allowing his chakra to swell. His last ditch attempts began to have fruits as his fingertips felt warmth. Within three additional snaps a small spark would appear directly in Taylor's face, potentially singing his nose, not damaging but gaining attention surely. " Hey, blondie, I didn't say you could go. " He was clearly more collected than before, potentially posing more of a threat now. [Cinder Technique 2/2]
__ Zhi's sensory range was going nutcrackers with everything going on at once. At least, everything that was passing through her range of awareness was becoming a concern. For a bit, she thought all of this would be really fun, but now she just wanted to stop and breathe. Watching Tetsuhiko manage to barely protect himself from her chakra arrow was both saddening and impressive. "Aagh! Fine!" Zhi cried aloud with frustration, stomping on the roof where she stood. The girl used all the might she could muster to pull on the drawstring, even going so far as to apply as much chakra as possible too. Meanwhile, Zhi was manifesting one more chakra arrow of the strongest capacity she was capable of. "I'm done with all of this!!" A magnificently brilliant show of power radiated from her position, the created arrow perfectly displaying the power it was born with. "Ultimate Move! CELESTIAL ARROW!!" She aimed and released the hypercharged bolt of bright chakra out into the middle of the training grounds around the dojo. It would collide against the ground near nobody in particular, absolutely devastating the landscape with a powerful impact. The expressed force of the arrow's designated contact ruptured and dispersed, echoing loudly into its surroundings and reverberating through the bodies of all present onlookers. Maybe it was wrong of her to consider the option of ruining the others' fun, but if they didn't want to pay her mind then they wouldn't. Zhi shouted out to everyone, "That's my strongest move. That's it. If anyone can do better then I guess I lose." That would be the end of that. However it turned out, she wasn't going to participate in this crazy event anymore. Zhi managed to catch herself by propping herself up on her knees as she gasped tiredly. She'd used a lot of techniques in such a short time. Maybe she should have tried showing off less and utilized more generalized martial skills more to conserve energy? Jeeze, you'd almost think that her mother hadn't been trying to (literally) beat this into her hyperactive mind for all these years!
Taylor thought he could take a break from the match before a spark of flames engulfed his nose. He shrieked as he covered his nose to dampen the burning sensation. It was then that the man below called out to him, still conscious and very much not broken. 'Won't that guy just stay down?' Taylor thought as he leered down at him from his bird. He was about to continue the fight when an explosive force sent shock-waves not only through the ground, but also to even the air. It didn't impede on Horus' ability to remain in his current aerial position, but Taylor certainly felt the pressure push against him like a great gust of wind. It was then that the boy turned his attention over to Zhi and the others, where Zhi demonstrated her strongest attack, along with a challenge to anyone if they could top it. "I don't think we have the firepower to even match it, let alone overpower it." Taylor said to the bird. It wasn't too long ago that the boy was just in a pleasant spar with the little girl who created that kind of devastation. Was this what was waiting for him if the match continued? Do ninjas start off as strong as her? Taylor felt something tug within him, but his mind was too preoccupied to truly note it. At the moment, he still had the challenge of Masato to deal with.
Taylor and Horus separated the moment the boy jumped off of the bird's back. The two had a simple and effective plan. Horus would fly off to Zhi and land next to her on her left side, where he would then rub his head against the girl to let her know that Taylor and Horus submitted to her display of power. Taylor, meanwhile, landed on the ground ten feet in front of Masato. As he fell he grabbed the sickle by the handle and swung down with the blade. Doing so created a gust of wind which pushed him back from the fall. With this slight gale Taylor managed to land without any fall damage. It was then, however, with sickle in hand, that he approached Masato. "I am done fighting." He said once he reached the teenager. As the distance closed in Taylor found himself having to look progressively higher to maintain eye contact. Nevertheless, the young blond was not about to lose his gaze. "You want to get the finishing punch to quench your ego and knock me out? Then do it. If you want to take this to death, then don't be surprised when you die. But, even if I do die, know that you are a major jerk who ruined an otherwise fun spar." Taylor never knew that he had this courage within him. Like Zhi he also felt sheer exhaustion after being pushed to the limits by not one, but two spars. He was so tired that he wasn't even truly sure if he thought of Masato as a jerk, or if it was just the momentum of the moment catching up to him. All he knew was that his knees, his left palm, and his nose all hurt. And they all hurt because this person in front of him just had to decide to be the center of attention. The three Horus clones still flew in the air in case Masato did try to kill Taylor. The boy may be ready to fight to the death, but Horus would rather just pull him out.
(Whatever that E-ranked technique which requires Taylor to swing his weapon and make a gale of wind: E-ranked for Taylor)
