4: “Ahahaha!! You don’t realize how grateful I am, how APPRECIATIVE I feel towards you right now, boy. Thanks for allowing yourself to become the perfect sand bag to test my metal work out on...or should I call you a cactus now that I’m about to strike you with over 2000 spikes?! Just keep your end of the bargain and STAY STILL okay?! AHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Rise: “Am I...being MOCKED?!?”

4: “Now! Despite the energy expenditure I have to fork over, I command for EVERY single one of my precious creations to...RISE!!”

Rise: “GRRRRRRRAAAHHHHH!! I’m NOBODY’S precious, especially not yours!!”

4: “...”

Despite the boy’s noisy complaints toward his opponent, the young adult code-named 4 maintained avid focus on controlling a massively huge number of varying shaped spikes littering the clearing.

*Rumble*

Rise: “...*Looks up* huh..? What the...”

A massive shadow was cast overhead from the obvious plethora of spikes floating to reach the clouds. For a short few moments only, the clouds all overhead of the forest remained in an oddly picturesque state of resemblance to sea urchins.

4: “(I’ll just...ignore him.)…GATHER TOGETHER, MY ARMS!!”

Without prior telling or notice, and before Rise could properly react to the sight of so many spikes above him and deathly threatening to descend down at once – effectively quelling any semblance of HOPE he’d have of winning in one piece: half of the 2000 weapons present uncontrollably vibrated in their aflighted positions.

Then, the sight of over one thousand, two hundred and fifty five over – sized needles seemingly melted and fused together! The sea urchins released their quills – allowing a massive globule of liquid metal to flood the skies above. It shifted and churned, before finally settling on a particular shape.

One 4 was fond of so dearly, since his childhood days.

.

.

.

The tip of a spike took form: but the rest of the body was entirely different. A set of sharp teeth settled on both left and right sides. Above the neck, yet beneath the blade of this gargantuan weapon(or maybe it also counts as ‘above’ since the murderous tool is now facing the earth) ...resembling a sword’s hilt or half of a bicycle handle.

A serrated scalpel, or rather ‘TWO’ serrated scalpels conjoined together in order to create a double – sided axe with a spear-like tip.

4: “Fall – fall – FALL!!! crush him into oblivion – make it a GUARANTEE that he’s unable to move from that stupidly chosen place!! OH! But that isn’t all~”

Rise: “...This guy…

*Looks around, before gazing below*”

One thousand, two hundred and fifty five spikes disappeared in a flash while formulating that overwhelmingly massive and destructive, weapon of metal.

Yes...that’s right…

twelve hundred roughly...except that even ‘without’ those…

Giving a gander to his surroundings: Rise STILL noticed about 1000 spikes left floating around the place and blocking his escape from a 360 degree angle.

.

.

.

Not only that: but directly below, right as Rise was considering how to go about finishing this clown without getting hurt or releasing his legs from their stood – upon position…

An eerie quake from below inched closer, MUCH closer, to the surface.

It was a faintly familiar sensation, one that reminded Rise of his previous battle before 4 was even healed.

From above, a powerful and ‘massive’ reminder of 4’s strength, via a delicately crafted pair of saw-toothed scalpels crashing down, overhead...doing a FINE job at dwarfing the clouds.

All around, the last one thousand, one hundred spikes positioned themselves at every possible angle in order to strike at their target with a swift command from their manufacturer. Really covering just about every inch of breathing space so this teenaged werebeast had nowhere to run…

.

.

.

Should he even feel like running.

And down below...

4:”Ahahaha! That reminds me, there was always one GLARING weakness to your ‘standing still to beat me’ strategy…

Aside from giving me enough preparation time to set the field up in my favor – since you PROMISED you wouldn’t move, how will you dodge my underground spikes that are about to RUN YOU THROUGH from below?! I’ve been ESPECIALLY ensuring the production of these particular babies by the minute~

Hahahaha! This is it!! I won!”

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

The ground never stopped shaking and breaking apart. Soil shot up like clouds of dust while rocks and insects were sent flying from the newly dug holes. Like an extreme game of wack – a - mole: spikes shot out from the ground and just decimated the landscape. Unwarranted destruction was starting to befall the clearing they currently stood inside of.

Rise’s original position is currently in the midst of being bombarded ‘seemingly’ by packs of bloodthirsty sharks! Bloodthirsty, METALLIC, fear – inducing and flesh – craving shark – like needles.

*SHUDDER!*

Again, the earth shook – however THIS time: The sky darkened before contact, and a gigantic axe just absolutely slammed into the earthen open area.

4: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Die – die – DIE!!! Finally, FINALLY! It’s - it’s ALL ove-

*Fwish!*

A slash out of nowhere cut the happy moment short. It was quick and precise, maintaining a semblance of surprise and aggravation mixed together. Where did it come from? Was it from the boy being showered in attacks right now? Impossible. There’s no way something like that would be true! He made doubly SURE to NOT allow even a RAT to get past his formation!!

…He was most certainly dead. So then...

Was there ANOTHER enemy he had to worry about?

...To focus on?

Even with 4’s enhanced super speed, This cut from a set of long, prepared blades was just too strong and too fast. 4 Didn’t have time to react, but at the same time: he felt like he didn’t really need to.

With a hissing noise, the two shortened prongs from 4’s arm spears each flew out towards Rise’s chest! Those two protrusions would finally come in handy, after ALL this time in silence. While being twice as sharp and condensed to absolute perfection – Each spear’s two shorter tips were entirely overlooked. Long and thin needles shot forth, directly at Rise the moment he tried to attack 4 with a clawed swipe. Both were surprised...and rightfully so!

Two...well, actually THREE things filled 4’s eyes in that momentous exchange.

1) Rise moved from his position. He ACTUALLY moved form his position...but how? How did he DODGE everything!?! How could he get THROUGH the armada of weapons: the RAIN of falling spears, slip PAST the underground array of spikes. The weapons from below kept on burrowing to the sky...effectively creating brand NEW porcupines out of the clouds still looming over. Not only that – ALL of the weapons came crashing down on the battlefield nearly at IDENTICAL points in time! Rise is incredibly fast, 4 can imagine. That in and of itself is an AMAZING claim to make...but, HOW is it physically possible that Rise was capable of dodging every one of those spikes JUST to give a swipe at the man, Four himself. Just how did he do it?

2) The shot metal spears, designed INCREDIBLY sharp and with the most details available…

…

…

…

Actually bent, the very moment they made contact with Rise’s fleshy chest. They didn’t bend to the side or up nor down as well.

...No.

What happened was the three pronged spear that came into contact with Rise bent ‘inwardly’, as if his chest was made of indestructible metal, and not the weapon itself!

And then came three. Three was…

well.

.

.

*SPLURT!*

…

.

.

.

*Plop!*

4: “AAAHH!!”

Rise: “Dammit. I pulled out from the bet. Even now, I just can’t feel happy. I’m so fucking pathetic...damn.”

3) Was the blood. 4 registered this specific change only because too late as his blood began to flow outward like an unstoppable waterfall of regret. A waterfall of emotions intertwined with a waterfall of blood to create a waterfall of absolute misery. It flowed down his left arm, where a stump now remained. Should he reseal the broken weapon with metal..?

Nope. It’ll only maintain appearances and NOT stop the leaking flow of blood. Should he just ignore it?? NO! This was his HAND!! His actual HAND had been severed clean off by the monstrous brat!! He was in a horrible state of confusion, pain and hopelessness. He was in terrible condition, and there wasn’t anything immediate that could help him out.

But worse...was the actual threat looming over him right about now.

In desperation, a battle with every ounce of Four’s speed was put to the plate against Rise. They clashed about five times per second – ten times per second – then came fifteen times, thirty times, ninety times per second – two hundred times per second – five hundred times per second!

One – armed Four was treating this as a survival game of life and death!

Meanwhile…

On Rise’s side, the helpless struggle felt more like an amusing break from the amount of stress building up due to this conflict that unfortunately took the lives of his classmate.

He treated this man with absolute contempt...including his speed! Naturally, he decided to finish the game by ‘playing’ with the man as he bled all throughout the forest they’d moved their fighting location to.

He would truly make this man suffer for what he did to Leos...and probably Oliviera since she was with him.

---