Chapter 37: Pomp
"How...the hell...are you...still standing...?" asked Saji, panting heavily after using his life force to empower his Sacred Gear. He had hoped to at least knock Vahn unconscious, but not only had the latter weathered his attack, but his body was steaming as it rapidly regenerated.
Lowering his arms, Vahn, his hair temporarily slicked back, somewhat spiky, and burned at the edges, explained, "To be fair...you would have beaten me if not for my equipment. But since your Sacred Gear is also a type of equipment...you can't accuse me of cheating..."
Seeing Vahn get into a ready stance, signifying his intention to continue, Saji briefly clenched his teeth before issuing a loud war cry as he charged recklessly at the former and threw all his weight behind his right fist. Vahn still felt an intense, sun-burn-like pain across his body, but thanks to [Pain Tolerance] and [Battle Focus], it didn't show in his expression or inhibit his ability to respond, his left wrist deflecting Saji's fist at the exact moment it carried all the force of his body.
DING
With the activation of Vahn's bracelet's [Perfect Guard], Saji momentarily found himself stunned as all the force from his blow was redirected back at him as a paralyzing shockwave. In that window, Vahn landed a dozen exceptionally swift blows at the center of his chest, his form temporarily resembling that of a Wing Chun Master before he propelled Saji backward end over end, his body skipping no less than three times before sliding to a stop face-down.
"Get up...I know that isn't enough to defeat you..." said Vahn, panting slightly as he discreetly used [Wound Transfer] to transfer some of Saji's damage to his own body, causing a notable ache in his joints and pain in his chest but increasing his already superhuman regeneration.
"You're damned right it isn't..." responded Saji, forcing himself to his feet, unaware of what Vahn was doing. He believed he was able to rise due to the strength of his convictions, so after standing fully, he struck a power pose and issued a loud war cry, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he, once again, charged at Vahn. This time, however, he tried paying more attention to the latter's footwork and forms, realizing there was a disparity in their close-combat abilities and doing his best to decrease the distance over the course of their several-hour brawl...
...
..
.
Seeing Vahn and Saji arrive at the Starting Zone without any noticeable injuries, Sona, having changed into a bunny costume along with the rest of her Peerage, briefly raised her brows before bowing, saying, "Welcome back, Goshujin-sama..." in reference to Vahn.