Duel

As the sound of metal gliding across leather echoed behind Haruko, he immediately unsheathed his own sword and threw it backwards, blocking that shining blade of Kim's. Haruko had a shocked and annoyed expression on his face while Kim looked pleased and excited. It was time.

As both of their swords clashed, glowing a vigorous and ferocious blue, the two accompanying Haruko drew their weapons and charged up attacks, but they never managed to loosen them into the man with black hair. A shockwave throws the two men back, yet their swords and expressions were still out for blood. Right between them – and at the same time, somewhere above them – appeared two bright, blue windows. They both read the same, except the one floating around the top of the lobby was way bigger than the one below it.

[A Duel has started between Liners {Kim Jaehyun} and (Haruko Aratashi)! Any interference from the outside will be blocked. All Stats will be capped at 10 for the duelists.]

Afterwards, the Blank sitting between them disappeared and the one above started counting down from five, four, three, two...

[Begin!]

As soon as he was unfrozen, Kim thrust his legs forwards and slashed at his opponent's head, leaving no room for error on Haruko's end. He barely managed to deflect Kim's attack into the air, only to get kicked in the side of his stomach not even a second later. Haruko slid back slightly, still holding his sword tight and ready as Kim finally landed back on the ground, chuckling away to himself. Haruko frowned and tightened his fists while clenching his teeth, and he immediately got into back position.

From the outside, the two seemed to be in a small, transparent circle – keeping them in and everybody else out. Leaf was banging on the transparent blue circle, which was seemingly made out of the same thing as their Blanks, looking annoyed and disoriented. Day was trying to cast whatever thunder magic he could on it, but he wasn't making much progress either. As Felix was watching the two inside fight and the two outside panicking, he couldn't help but sigh and rub the bridge of his nose. After all, he couldn't see anything separating the two parties, instead just having the same green Blank blaring annoyingly in his peripheral vision.

[Emergency Plot - Prepare to meet with the other Liners!

Requirements - Keep Liner {Kim Jaehyun} alive at all costs until the start of the next Plot!

Punishment Upon Failure - Permanent Termination.]

Well... He wasn't gonna step in just yet. Felix knew Kim wanted to fight Haruko... and who was he to stop them? Might as well enjoy the show while it was being broadcast.

Back inside the "cage," as Kim and Haruko's swords clashed again and again, mana started seeping out from the two blades, going high in the air. The two barely paid any attention to it, however, instead focusing on the other and their blade. Block after block and counter after counter, the two were getting tired – the Stat penalty for Duels wasn't fun, whatsoever. That didn't stop them, though. As Kim charged towards Haruko once again, sword in hand and ready to stick it in his stomach, Haruko dodged to the side, his body narrowly missing Kim's blade. Kim clicked his tongue at this and prepared to swing his sword at Haruko's side, but he didn't get the chance to – as Haruko's own sword was already heading for his head.

No time to dodge. No time to block. No time to plan.

This... was gonna be it. Five floors in, and... he was already done? Kim's run was over. And, it was a good one, nobody's saying otherwise, but... he wanted more. More out of this Line, more out of his adventure, more out of...

{"This isn't Earth."}

As Haruko's sword cleanly cut through where Kim stood, Haruko became uneasy. It cut through... too easily. When looking down at where Kim's body was supposed to be, he couldn't see anything but a large shadow slowly closing up while bubbling. Wait... Bubbling...?

While Haruko watched the shadow in awe, he could feel a presence behind him – or rather, below him. Rising straight from Haruko's own shadow, he could hear a deep voice speak from the ground, only getting higher and higher by the millisecond, "{Shadow Step.}"

Before he even had the chance to turn around and swing, a deep cut was formed on Haruko's back from a sharp, blue blade. He immediately jumped forwards and turned around, hissing at the pain while gripping his sword tight in his hands. Right where he was standing mere seconds ago now instead stood Kim, looking at the blood on his blade with a cursed, creepy expression on his face. He couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke, "Heh, so you assholes do bleed the same as us..."

"You— You monster! Are you even human?!"

"Are you?" asked Kim, swinging his sword in the air as the blood stuck to the surface of the blue circle surrounding them. He continued, "You assholes come to our planet... for what? To wreck havoc? To bring... whatever this is to Earth? We didn't ask for this fuckin' Line. But we're playing."

"No! We were dragged in, too!"

"Bull-fucking-shit, Aratashi."

"It's not! Yes, we stumbled upon a portal to this Earth you speak of... But we didn't know we'd get pulled into this!"

"But why did Harmonya have their best fighters go through it, then? Your party?"

"You know of my home country...?!"

"Oh. Oh, poor thing... I know everything."

Kim was done talking. By the time Haruko opened his mouth to speak, Kim was already next to him ready to swing his sword at his neck. Haruko barely managed to duck under the attack and jump back again, holding his glowing sword steady. When glancing at Kim, he couldn't help but frown at the sword he was holding. He clenched his fists, and yelled out with all of his might, "Where'd you get my sword from?!"

Kim laughed long and hard at that. He was barely containing himself, even slapping his knee at one point. He took a while to calm down before responding, "Oh my, you don't know shit! Shit!"

"Where?! Where'd you get it from?!"

"Good question, mister!"

Kim swung at Haruko's head again, stepping in closer and closer with each swing of his glowing blade. Haruko was blocking however and whenever he could, until he took one false step – meaning, an opening. Kim immediately took advantage, sticking his sword in his side. Although not very deep because of Haruko's position, it was still a hit, and he was up 2-0. Haruko immediately kicked Kim and jumped away for a third time, clenching his fresh wound with yet another hiss and more grunts. He spoke, annoyed and hurt, "Tell me... where you got my sword from!"

"It ain't yours anymore, loser."

Haruko clenched his teeth and gripped the handle of his sword even tighter, swinging it in the air at nothing, yet with his full force, screaming as he does, "{Air Slash!}"

Immediately, a bright green slash came out of his blade and started flying towards Kim's head, yet he managed to barely block it by holding his sword up. Two small cuts appeared on his cheeks, and he couldn't help but smirk as he spoke, "Neat skill. Daddy taught you that?"

"Shut up! Don't mock my father!"

"I'm sure he won't mind. Not like he can tell us about it, from all the way home?"

"You...!"

Haruko's eyes looked like he could murder about five Bosses before calming down, yet he remained still, not moving a muscle. He frowned even more than before and aimed his sword high up in the air, yelling as loud as his lungs let him, "{Leadership!}"

Kim laughed at this, reading the Blank that opened up besides him with little care. He was now playing with his sword, tossing it from hand to hand to another, high up in the air then catching it, and other similar stuff. He let out a small "Pfft." as he finished reading and gripped the sword backwards, like he'd hold a dagger.

{Liner (Haruko Aratashi) used a buffing skill, {Leadership}! DEX and ATK increased by 2 Stat Points for the Liner. DEX and ATK increased by 1 for Team members.}

"Look, man, you can buff yourself however much you'd like..."

Suddenly, Kim dropped his sword on the floor, uncaring. Haruko raised an eyebrow at this, confused, speaking while changing his stance to a defensive one, "What, giving up?"

"Mm. Wait for it."

Before Haruko even got the opportunity to say anything, Kim's sword emerged from the shadows below him and stabbed straight into his foot left, the tip of his blade coming out on the other side. Haruko immediately yelled out in pain and fell on his right knee, holding his foot and the blade to attempt to minimize bleeding. Kim sighed and chuckled, crouching down as he spoke, "You don't get it, blue hair boy."

He then rolled his sleeve up and dug his hand in the shadows – his own shadow – as he gripped the handle of the sword and pulled, hard, cutting more of Haruko's foot and a bit of his palms. Haruko screeched out even more at this, his foot trembling and his hands shaking. Kim once again cleaned his sword of Haruko's blood by shaking it, and spoke up with a creepy expression, "You can't win against me."

Outside of the blue circle, a lot of people and monsters alike gathered, looking inside at the duel between the two men. One monster with the head of a shark yelled out "Look, look, bluey over there is goin' down!" in perfect English, and a mermaid who was floating in the air spoke up too, "No, have faith in him!" yet still in perfect English. Felix sighed as he was watching the two monsters talk.

["This must be because of the Line, 'cuz... I doubt I speak fish."]

Back inside, Haruko was still gripping his foot in pain and hissing at Kim. His frown was getting bigger and bigger, and if looks could kill, Kim would've been more than just dead by now. Haruko takes in a deep breath as he punches the ground, yelling "{Determination!}" and immediately, a Blank opens up next to him.

(Skill {Determination} activated. Nullifying 50% of all pain.)

Haruko slowly gets up, still grunting, but less in density. He picks up his sword and grips it again, this time changing strategies and charging at Kim. Kim laughs at this and they begin trading swings again, as countless sparks and mana particles fly off in all directions. As Kim gets ready to block a sluggish upwards swing from Haruko, he clutches his sword and keeps it low – but Haruko had a sudden change of heart. He stops his swing prematurely and instead, he yells out at the top of his lungs while aiming for Kim's neck with a horizontal slash.

{"Wait, for real...?!"}

Kim wasn't ready to defend anything – his stance was still on the defensive for vertical attacks, and he didn't have time to change it. Did he... just lose? On such a stupid mistake? Kim almost found it funny. His shadow portal wasn't opening up, either. That must've been his mana running out. This... sucked. This really sucked! He had the upper hand the whole fight, and one stupid mistake was gonna cost him his neck. Shit. Shit!

{"Damn it, Aratashi..."}

This time, there wasn't anybody there to save him. Not like the First Floor, nor the Second... nor any other. He was in a duel – a one on one. It wasn't like he was here to save Kim this time around. He was simply watching from the sides, unable to do anything...

...Right?

But Lady Death wasn't smiling down on Kim just yet. Instead, a small, heavenly angel looked at him with sweet eyes, signifying his safeness. His life. And this angel... had green eyes.

"Haru!!"

This loud, blood-curdling scream echoed through the whole lobby. Not one breath could be heard anymore, not one word, not even one heartbeat from one of the monsters nor humans. Haruko's sword stopped not even an inch away from Kim's neck, as it even drew a bit of blood. But it did stop. Haruko slowly looked back and outside of the circle, as he saw a small little clearing in all of the spectators. A clearing exactly where he remembered his friends being. He looked past the blue windowed circle, past the monsters, and... at Day.

Day was standing on his toes, looking frightened and terrified, sweat running down his face and tears forming in his eyes. Besides him, a evenly terrified Leaf, holding an arrow so tight, Haruko thought the bow's string might snap. And behind Day... The one keeping a crimson red dagger against the throat of the kid, was none other than...

"Heh... Saving me again, Fox?"

Felix kept a hand on the kid's staff and one by his neck, holding his blood dagger tight. It was pressing up against Day's throat, slowly but surely drawing blood which seemed to infuse with the dagger's blade itself. Felix spoke in a low, quiet tone, but he knew Haruko could hear him.

"Sheathe your blade."

Haruko's eyes remained wide and shocked, his wounds still bleeding like hell, yet he remained unchanged, unmoving. He raised his sword higher against Kim's neck as he spoke, "Or?"

A powerful, overwhelming blue aura quickly covered the whole room. Killing intent. Bloodlust. Bloodthirst. Felix could feel them all in the air, and all from one single person – the most dangerous person in this lobby... right behind him.

Because he hardly cared.

Pressing up the dagger against the kid's neck even more, the same kind of overwhelming aura clashed with Haruko's on such intense levels, with it being such a powerful and bright green – yet they didn't mix once, instead just fighting for control over the airspace. All of the mana floating in the air from the battle of the two Mana-Swords suddenly rushed to Felix, only increasing the intensity of his green further.

The two auras kept clashing with each other, neither of them letting up whatsoever. Haruko could see Felix's eyes – he could see how little fucks he gave. He was ready to thrust his dagger into his friends without even a moments notice, and he looked like he wouldn't regret it even if he did. He was dangerous. More than Haruko could imagine. As more and more blood kept dripping down Day's neck, Leaf yelled out at Haruko, "Please, Haru! Day's bleeding!"

Felix whispered again, yet Haruko heard his words ringing in his head louder than any bell, firework, or anything alike he's ever heard before – "Sheathe. Your. Blade."

In less than a second, Haruko's sword sat nicely at his hip, his hands slightly up in the air. He breathes heavily, knowing he completed his part of the deal – but will Fox? Sweat is running down his face as he looks at his companions being so scared and terrified, with Felix's dagger still against Day's throat. Slowly, but surely, Felix lets go of the boy's staff and retracts his dagger into a small ball, throwing it back into his inventory. He sighs and murmurs a "Sorry kid." as he pushes him away towards Leaf, then starts walking forwards – towards Haruko.

As Haruko is about to prepare for the worst and grip his sword once again, Felix just passes by him. As he does, they trade looks – Haruko's blue eyes are no match for Fox's green ones, and they immediately fall back to the floor as he walks past. While Felix walks away, Haruko could swear... that they were brown when they first met. Felix quickly grabs Kim by the collar and they start walking away, as another Blank opens up high above everyone.

[The Duel has ended in a draw. Protective barrier is going down.]

("Wait... Only now...?! Then how did he—!")

Before he could ask Felix how he walked through the Duel barrier, he notices... the two are already long gone. The only thing left behind is the blood on the floor and Haruko's wounds, which have started to close up now that he was out of combat. Haruko can't help but stare at where the two once stood, now gone within the crowd. He can't help but mutter "Fox..." as Day and Leaf start running towards him, worried sick.

At the same time, yet another Blank opens up somewhere at the top of the room letting everyone know that the real Fifth Floor will start really soon, yet nobody pays it any mind – especially not Felix nor Kim, who are simply walking away from all of that commotion. Kim can't help but chuckle, "Heh, finally, I've found him again! I cannot wait to slaughter him the next time I see him!"

Felix sighs, "Then stop being so careless, dumbass. You almost got yourself killed."

"What does that matter when I've got you by my side, ready to step in?"

Felix remained quiet, reading the green Blanks that have been following him for a while now. He clicked his tongue at them and shoved them away, not wanting to think about that right now – instead focusing on the timer that started ticking down, signaling the start of the Fifth Floor.

[Emergency Plot Complete!

Liner {Kim Jaehyun} has been successfully protected. Now, prepare to take on the Fifth Floor alone, as this is a |Solo Floor| and cannot be completed in Teams.]

[Godspeed, Fox!]

[5... 4... 3... 2...]