Sigma/Star

Chapter 64: Chi vs. Fundamentals Part 2

In fact, Mr. Shotuku had made a case of Porter overextending himself to build up his stamina in the event that he would have to be in a sustained battle like this It was one thing for the teenager to have an explosion of emotions and quickly finish off an opponent but if the enemy was talented enough to keep up he needed more than just a burst.

Sigmeund was that talent. He was more than it really, even with his rushed fighting style. Doubt was creeping into Porter's mind, doubt he had never had before at any point during the battle. It was starting to disturb the perfect pool of focus, sending ripples through it until the waters became rough and choppy, breaking apart and shattering the heightened state Porter had entered.

The Artisan suddenly swung his lance sideways, like a bat, catching Porter off-guard and knocking him sideways. The young pilot only just managed to keep himself from falling over, using one of his swords as an extra leg. The doubt was gone. The focus was back. This was a fight Porter simply refused to lose.

"You really just won't quit will you?" Sigmeund eyed his embattled foe, surveying the damage it had sustained. The two had been fighting for quite some time now, exchanging blows far longer than the general had anticipated. This child was quite unique, quite special. He wasn't anything like his comrades, containing something else inside of him that Sigmeund had never gotten a chance to see up close.

Of course, over time you would hear about these sorts of warriors, of these heroes among a nation's army with the capacity to defeat anyone they ever came across, and the energy to level a city. There had been a time when Sigmeund had been jealous of them, of all of those who had had such powers and used them capriciously without thinking about those who could not do the same. But that era in the Artisan's life had gone away, had faded to nothingness once he found himself surpassing all of them on the grounds of his technical prowess.

He had levelled the playing field, brought about the end of their reign over him. And yet he felt no better for having done so. He could look down upon those he defeated and could only feel pity that they had been given such gifts and had ignored their basic training because of it. And he thought of all the other soldiers in the army, the ones who would never be given the opportunity to train like Sigmeund had, who all could have reached the heights he did with the proper experience. It was a cruel system, and Sigmeund didn't want to inject any jealousy or negativity into it any more.

This fighter though, this Enian, gave him a new feeling. It was a rush, it was exhilarating, to face someone so raw and untalented, yet who could draw out these immense levels of energy that held Sigmeund in check. Without his chi, this enemy surely would have been dead ages ago, and probably would have never been deemed fit to even drive a Goliath. Interesting how fat worked that way. Sigmeund wondered who it could have been who even noticed what this child had inside them when they found them.

Porter lashed out with his blades, chopping through air as he tried to keep up with Sigmeund's footwork. The White Storm continued to accelerate, crackling with electricity and emitting a blue hue as the swords started to move faster and faster, until the White Storm had almost completely vanished, its image flickering for only a moment here and there.

Sigmeund was slowing down over time. He too was getting tired, though his exhaustion was brought on from having to pilot at such a high-level, not necessarily a drain on his life force. The Silver Hawk had sustained more damage to it than it had in the last twenty years. Not even the battle with Ochenkov had done this much to it, nor the countless wars it had been engaged in. This was truly exciting.

The Crisis Rescue Unit watched in silent awe at the combat that was still going and still unfolding. The fact that Porter was still up and standing against a high-ranking general such as Sigmeund was astonishing, especially since he still technically had a chance of winning. Either way, the mission was a success. Ochenkov had been found, and enough time had been given for Sigma and Alpha to be awakened. But still, this was an unbelievable spectacle.