A vivid memory flashed through Sha’s mind, pulling him away from the roar of the arena…
He was younger, sitting on a wooden bench beside old Mr.
Jaff, eating a bag of dry, crunchy snacks.
Sha had eaten too fast, a dry piece catching in his throat, leaving him gasping and coughing violently.
Mr.
Jaff had instantly handed him a small cup of water.
Sha downed it in one gulp, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.
“Whew! That felt like the very last snack of my life!” Sha had gasped, wiping his mouth.
Mr.
Jaff had chuckled softly, looking up at the passing clouds.
“Ah, water… it saves life, doesn’t it?”
“What do you mean, Grandpa?” Sha asked, tilting his head.
“Water is unique, Sha. It has no set shape of its own, so it can adapt to take the form of any container. Yet, when gather in vast quantities, that same gentle water can sweep away whole cities. Imagine the sheer potential of someone who learns to master such adaptability…”
“Whoa…” Sha’s eyes had sparkled with wonder.
“Water is that strong? If I ever get the chance, I want to control water!”
The flash of memory dissolved, snapping Sha back to the stark reality of the battle ring.
He was breathing heavily, his trident feeling heavy in his hands as Ginchi absorbed move after move, returning every blow with double the strength, speed, and weight.
“If this keeps going, Sha is going to exhaust himself completely,” Tez warned from the stands.
“HEYYY! YOU FATTY UP THERE!” Rihasa roared at the top of his lungs, cupping his hands around his mouth.
“DO SOMETHING USEFUL BEFORE I EAT YOUR PORTION OF DINNER TONIGHT!”
“SHUT UP, RIHASA! I’M CONCENTRATIN’!” Sha barked back, wiping sweat and dirt from his eyes.
Sha took a deep, steadying breath, his heart hammering against his ribs.
My maana reserves are running dangerously low…
I don’t have enough steam left for a long fight.
I have to settle this in a single burst!
Ginchi took a slow, heavy step forward, his broad chest rising and falling.
“Give it up, child. You’re running on empty. Just say the word ‘Abort’ and walk away before you get seriously hurt… or worse.”
Sha gripped the shaft of his trident with both hands, his knuckles turning white.
“Even if I collapse right here… I WILL NEVER ABORT!”
Sha dropped into a deep stance, pulling the air deep into his lungs.
“WATER BREATHing! AQUA FIFTY PERCENT… HOLLOW!”
BAM!
Sha slammed the base of his trident directly into the hard stone floor.
A colossal, swirling Waterspout exploded into existence around him, tearing up stone tiles, dust, and atmospheric air, creating a roaring vortex that filled half the stadium!
Ginchi’s smug expression dissolved into pure shock as the gravitational pull of the vortex locked onto him.
“WHAT IS THIS?!”
Sha stood at the center of the storm, his arms shaking violently as he forced his remaining maana into the vortex.
“LETS SEE YOU TRY TO ABSORB AN ENTIRE OCEAN, GINCHI!”
In the spectator box, Tez leaned forward, impressed.
“Incredible… look at the volume of that water pressure!”
“Ginchi is going to get torn apart!” Rihasa cheered.
Huma shook her head, her face dark.
“You idiots don’t see it, do you? Ginchi is struggling to move, yes, but his passive body is still absorbing the external maana. Sha’s reserves are draining tenfold faster than Ginchi’s!”
“She’s right…” Tez muttered grimly.
“Sha is reaching his absolute limit.” Get faster updates on g.com.
“DON’T YOU LOSE, SHA!” Rihasa yelled desperately.
Down in the vortex, Sha’s teeth ground together as blood began to trickle from his nose.
“Why… won’t… you… JUST DIE?!”
Ginchi gritted his teeth, gathering every ounce of his absorbed energy into a concentrated sphere around his palm.
“NOW YOU’VE MADE ME SERIOUS!”
Ginchi slammed his absorption sphere directly into the center of the waterspout!
KA-BOOOOOOM!
A violent pressure detonation shattered the water column into a massive deluge of mist and steam.
The shockwave blew outward, cracking the stadium barrier.
When the spray finally settled, Sha fell to his knees, his trident slipping from his numb fingers as he collapsed onto the wet stone.
Ginchi stood panting heavily, clutching his bruised chest, a weary smile returning to his face.
“See…? I told you… a child can’t beat me…”
“NO! SHA! GET UP!” Rihasa screamed.
Huma stood up from her seat, preparing to leave.
“It’s over, Tez. He ran out of energy.”
Beside them, an old man wearing ragged robes stepped to the railing, a quiet, knowing smile resting on his face.
Huma stopped, staring at the stranger.
“Who are you, old man? Why are you smiling at a loss?”
The old man stroked his long chin.
“Because that brat is about to do something extraordinary.”
“What are you talking about?” Tez asked, looking at him.
“Watch him…” the old man murmured.
“Watch my Ahasha!”
“AHASHA?!” Tez gasped.
Down in the ring, a miraculous surge of bright blue, waving energy suddenly erupted from Sha’s limp body!
His eyes snapped open, glowing with a brilliant, pure azure light as he slowly forced himself back up onto his feet!
Tez’s heart skipped a beat.
“No way… Sha unlocked it! THE GATE OF MAANA BEGINNING!”
A quick memory played in Tez’s mind of their Master’s instruction: The Gate of Maana Beginning is the first inner soul gate.
When your physical maana is completely drained, this gate opens the path to your soul, forcibly regenerating your energy pool to two hundred percent capacity, pushing past physical limits at the risk of ultimate burnout…
In the arena, Sha took a deep, resonant breath.
“GATE ONE: MAANA BEGINNING… OF DEATH!”
Ginchi backed away, genuine terror flashing in his eyes.
“WHAT IS THIS?! You were completely out of energy! How are you standing?!”
Sha stepped forward, his speed bursting into a blue blur.
“Let’s test how much your body can truly absorb!”
Sha closed the distance in a fraction of a second, driving an Aqua Pistol Punch straight into Ginchi’s gut!
“That won’t work on me!” Ginchi braced his body to absorb the blow—
“AQUA GATLING!” Sha bellowed!
A rapid flurry of thousands of water-infused punches rained down on Ginchi like a relentless machine gun!
Ginchi’s eyes rolled back as the raw speed and sheer volume of strikes overwhelmed his body’s capacity to process and reflect the energy!
Up in the VIP box, Trace leaned forward, his eyes wide with genuine shock.
“KEEP IT GOING, SHA!” Rihasa screamed, jumping up and down!
“He’s breaking his own physical vessel to force that power out!” Huma gasped, horrified by the self-destructive discipline.
“I know my Ahasha has the potential!” the mysterious old man cheered, tears in his eyes.
“TAKE THISSSS!” Sha yelled, unleashing one final, titanic Aqua Missile punch that shattered Ginchi’s ultimate absorption barrier, sending the heavy fighter crashing backward into the reinforced stadium wall!
Ginchi slid down the wall, completely defeated, gasping out, “You… you crazy kid…”
The entire stadium went completely dead silent.
Tens of thousands of spectators stared at the standing child in awe.
Sha raised his fist high in the air, taking one step forward—when suddenly, a heavy spray of blood burst from his mouth.
His eyes rolled back, and his body collapsed limply onto the wet stone platform.
Ginchi, barely conscious against the wall, pointed a trembling finger at Sha’s still form.
“He… he passed out…”
The Host rushed to the center of the ring, checking Sha’s condition.
“SHA HAS BEEN RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS!” the Host declared over the microphone.
“BY RULE OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS… THE OFFICIAL WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS GINCHI!”
Tez, Rihasa, and Weza vaulted over the spectator railing, sprinting onto the field to grab Sha.
Tez cradled Sha in his arms as Sha slowly opened his eyes, whispering weakly, “I’m sorry, guys… I couldn’t get us the win…”
Before Tez could answer, the old man walked up behind them, smiling softly.
“Victory in a tournament is not always true victory, my child.”
Ginchi limped over to them, bowing his head respectfully toward Sha.
“I may have gotten the official point… but you genuinely defeated me today, kid. Hear that?”
Ginchi pointed up at the stadium seats.
The entire crowd of thousands was standing, stomping their feet, and chanting in a deafening chorus:
“VICTORY GOES TO SHA! VICTORY GOES TO SHA!”
Later, inside the infirmary quarters, Sha lay resting peacefully on a medical bed.
Tez, Rihasa, and Weza stood around him, offering encouraging words, when Huma stepped through the doorway.
“Don’t get emotional,” Huma said plainly, looking at Tez.
“Loss or not, our match is up next. See you in the arena, Tez.”
Rihasa gritted his teeth.
“Tez, crush her ego out there! Don’t show her any mercy!”
Tez smiled slightly.
“Hey, calm down. But yeah… I have no intention of losing.”
The mysterious old man stepped into the room, tears streaming down his face as he looked down at Sha on the bed.
“Oh, my sweet Ahasha… look how much you’ve grown…”
Sha sat up, rubbing his head, looking utterly confused.
“Who even are you, old man?!”
“Yeah, who are you really?” Tez demanded, stepping forward.
The old man wiped his eyes and stood tall with deep reverence.
“I am the loyal hereditary servant of the Shatilion bloodline. The last living heirs of that great family… are Rihasa Shatilion and Ahasha Shatilion.”
Every single person in the room froze, their eyes widening in absolute shock.
“WHAT?!”
To be continued…..