Chapter 318: First Match
"Itadori, was it? How do you want to handle this...?" asked Sunraku, materializing a pair of blades shaped like dark blue flames and a gold flame pattern engraved in their surface.
Raising his brows, Itadori asked, "Twin swords? Aren’t you being a little too serious about this?"
"Hey, I’m more than prepared to go nuckles to face if you are," countered Sunraku, waving the sword in his right hand as he added, "These puppies are just a precaution in case you attempt to get the jump on me. With all the freaky powers Ascendees possess, you can never be too careful, you know?"
"Right. I guess that makes sense..." conceded Itadori, cupping his right shoulder with his left hand and rolling it. Then, without any warning, he bolted toward Sunraku, leaped midway, and executed a swift flying kick with his right heel extended like a spear.
"Whoa, now, I haven’t even put my weapons away...!" exclaimed Sunraku, his voice giving the impression he was smiling beneath his mask as he put his swords into his Inventory and weaved under Itadori’s kick. The latter landed a short distance behind him, kicked off the ground, and attempted to drop kick his guard, but Sunraku bounded back slightly, staying just out of his range.
’This guy is really good at dodging...’ noted Itadori, landing on the tips of his fingers and toes before dropping his palms and kicking off the ground to perform a sharp, somersaulting kick as Sunraku moved in with his fists raised like a boxer.
’Whoa, this guy is seriously flexible!’ Sunraku exclaimed in his mind, the smile behind his mask growing as he watched Itadori twist his body and bound to his feet like a breakdancer. When their gazes invariably met, he then charged forward, meeting Itadori head-on as they both threw right straights at each other’s faces.
FWOOM
FHWACK
Though he twisted his head aside at the last moment, Sunraku got a chill up his spine as the pressure from Itadori’s fist swept past his head like a projectile fired from a cannon. At the same time, his own landed square on the pink-haired youth’s face, producing a cracking sound akin to smacking a wooden paddle against a tennis court.
’Ow! What the heck is this guy made of...!?’ Sunraku asked himself, barely evading Itadori’s attempt to grapple him by using a skill that allowed him to instantaneously slide backward five meters in what gamers would refer to as a single frame. In his wake, Itadori’s nose was slightly bloodied, but he was otherwise unfazed, the only notable change being that he looked considerably more focused.
"You’re movements are strange..." noted Itadori, producing a menacing black and blue aura from his body as he slumped forward slightly with his hands at his sides like a cowboy preparing to draw.