To Slice The Wind

Hoseki

"That kid... Don't tell me he ventured away from the markings, Kouji's gonna get really pissed at me if I don't find him today."

Fyodor stood in front of the last tree that had been marked by Arakan. He sighed and scanned the area by turning his head right and left, looking for possible markings Arakan had made moving forward. None. Frustrated, he leaned against the huge tree and gulped a mouthful of tea Reina had prepared for him when she heard that he was going to look for Arakan. It was clear as day to Fyodor that Arakan had continued trekking into the forest at night and abandoned the markings he had made beforehand.

He slipped his fingers into the small opening of the kimono near his waist and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. It was about the size of his palm and it's surface was in a shade of dark yellow, proof that it has been ages since it was made. The ink scribbled on it was faint and almost illegible. Fyodor's index finger traced along the surface of the paper and his eyes landed on the part where there were drawings of rocks and a small writing that read 'caves' were inscribed. He knew that if Arakan was still alive, he would be in a sheltered location that was free from the dangers of the forest. Fyodor immediately started moving.

"It'll probably take a while to reach you Aracchi, but I pray you don't encounter you any dangers you can't handle... Be safe."

Meanwhile, Arakan was just moments away from engaging in a duel against the second ranked swordsman in the Eastern Swordfighting Championship. His path of vision travelled straight towards Shougo's brown eyes. At any moment now, the clashing of the swords could happen.

"I, Seiji Arakan challenge you, Shougo Hoseki to a duel."

"I accept."

Without giving Arakan any time to take his stance, Shougo leaped forward, holding his sword tightly with both of his hands on the grip, while he rested the sword in a downwards angle behind his shoulders. The moment Arakan was in his striking range, he rained down the sword, aiming for the top of Arakan's head as his humongous legs anchored himself onto the ground. The momentum he build from that single leap increased the velocity of the sword twofold and his swinging motion further accelerated the speed at which the sword was moving at. Paired with his monstrous grip, the swing was enough to dent an iron shield and if landed on human flesh, paralyse the entire joint.

Arakan had enough time to react to the downward slash and had managed to catch it with his wooden sword. Bap! Upon contact, it chipped a small part of his sword, as Arakan defended against the move by darting backwards and shifting his sword horizontally above his head. However, Shougo was not done. Making use of Arakan's passive position where he was nearly grounded to the earth beneath him to absorb the shock of the smashing attack he had inflicted, he forced the ball of his right foot from his orthodox stance right into Arakan's solar plexus. Rather than a kick, it was fast, menacingly painful jab from his legs.

"Argh! Hurgh! Hurgh!"

The sudden blast towards Arakan's body made him wheeze in pain and the airflow that circulated in his body stopped flowing abruptly. He felt the sharp pain spread towards his pectoral muscles rapidly, and his bones felt like they were shattered as through a hammer was smashed into his ribcage. The pain inevitably caused Arakan to loosen his grip and break out of his defensive positioning. None of the techniques such as the sweeps and throws that could be done from his defensive stance was applicable with the pain he was feeling. His mind had split away from fighting and focused on trying to mend his injury.

"You think you could be Ryugyu like this? Pathetic!"

The sudden shock from the strike made Arakan freeze and an opportunity for Shougo to finish him off was presented in front of him. Nevertheless, he backed away from Arakan and showed mercy to the boy.