The Heavens Shall Fall

For a long, suspended moment after Elder Faliah’s hand fell, nothing happened... or at least, that was how it felt for anyone watching. Around the arena, every spot packed to the brim with the outer disciples fell into a silence so thorough that it felt as if even the wind had stopped whistling; everyone simply watched the two figures standing opposite one another. Everyone could see that there was a lingering impression in Siu's stance, the way he inhaled and exhaled, it felt... just... off. It was enough to reinforce the rumors everyone heard and now believed... But, then again, time sped up for the people the moment Bren made his move.

There was no signal or a gradual buildup, as he shifted all his momentum from zero to maximum. One moment, he was still; the next, his foot broke the ground as he stepped forward, sending a visible tremor through the stone beneath him, cracking the tiles. That single move of his muscles had carried him forward like an angry bull, his entire body following through after it as his arm shot out in a straight, crushing line toward Siu’s chest. He wanted to break the freshly healed bones, maybe even rupture his heart once again, and finish the fight in just one punch.

It was not a complicated strike at all, but watching it happen made everyone doubt how the hell they would block it. The force behind it was tremendous, and they could see how Siu's own training clothes began to billow as if he was facing a coming storm... Will he dodge in time?!

“He’s—!” Someone in the crowd tried to speak, but the words died halfway through his throat, expecting Siu to get flattened as he still didn't move... Was this going to be over just like that?!

He remained where he was, his breathing still uneven, his body starting to drop way too late, as if he had misjudged the speed of Bren's attack... and then, at the last possible moment, he sped up, moving so fast, some of them could swear they saw a mirror image of his body. Ducking forward, the counter-form of the Crane that many now attributed to Siu had begun playing out again, unfolding through his body perfectly. They watched as his torso rotated just enough for Bren’s strike to pass along the line of his chest instead of through it, and at the same time, his hand rose, guiding the big man away, while two of his fingers brushed against Bren’s forearm... then pushed against it, directing where it should go.

"...?!

What Bren felt through the fingers was that his own momentum was forcefully diverted, and the trajectory of his punch was changed without any time to recover. That punch should have crushed through him! Yet, he watched in slow motion as it slipped past him instead, its force dissipating into empty space as Siu’s body continued to flow forward, forcing Bren's eyes to narrow even further. He saw as his breathing was halted completely, then resumed in a perfect switch as all the uneven rhythm vanished from it, replaced by a steady, deep, and powerful inhale... And then followed by the sound of Siu's counter-attack striking him. There was no dramatic wind-up, as in a perfect linkage, Siu's body simply aligned with his target, his waist turning at the right moment of exhale, his arm whizzing forward as his palm drove into Bren’s side.

The sound that echoed out from their clash was entirely different than what anyone watching had expected. It was a deep, dull, heavy thud that reminded people how it may sound to hit a slab of rock with a metal pipe in a cave deep underground. Feeling the impact, Bren’s body shifted and shuddered, just a bit, starting to step away, keeping his momentum up to gain a distance, turning towards Siu, feeling his muscles hurting under his skin.

“…What?” The whisper came from somewhere in the crowd, but it didn’t matter who said it, because it was exactly what Bren was thinking, too.

“He’s fine?!” Someone else asked, seeing how Siu was already in pursuit, aiming to push against Bren's surprise, not letting him adjust to the battle.

“That bastard!" Another voice yelled out, "He was faking it!”

“No way—!”

The yells kept coming, mostly because of deep confusion and disbelief spreading rapidly as the realization settled in, especially amongst those who were part of Stone Ward. Close to them, at the edge of the arena, Neya let out a quiet breath she had been holding until then, her tension easing just slightly, glancing at the others. To her surprise, even the twins didn’t bother hiding their reaction at all, their laughter slipping out in low, delighted bursts, showing that they were also worried until the fight truly began.

“Rip him a new one!”

“That's our Siu!”

"You'd better join in their shouting," Rinmei whispered, nudging Neya, "Don't let them get ahead of you."

"Hmph!" She snorted suddenly, standing up, "Beat his ass, Siu!"

Further back, Toban leaned forward just slightly as the real fight began, his fingers still steepled beneath his chin, while beside him, Lorean’s relaxed posture shifted by a fraction, her interest more on the spectators than on the fight itself.

“…Well,” she murmured, “that’s a twist. I saw Cal'Fia get a bit nervous when Siu countered Bren... Huh.”

"Really?" Near them, Dui clicked his tongue, but his question was not aimed at Lorean as irritation flashed briefly across his face. "He faked being injured? Reeeeally? Tsk... Was he injured now or not?"

"Crafty," Seloryn didn’t look away from the arena, licking her lips, “And no, Dui,” she added quietly, “He never was, look at his moves... if he was injured, even a fraction... He would be slipping in and out of the different movesets. That... That's actual mastery...”

Back in the ring, Bren was doing his best to gain back his advantage. He moved out of another strike, his foot slamming into the ground once more as he drove forward, his entire body committing to the attack. He knew and trusted his cultivation, tanking one of Siu's palm strikes with his forearm. He felt that it was a good trade-off, to get in his own... But then that one palm strike became two, and when he missed his own, two became three, making his muscles scream out in pain. It was only Bren who got hit in that exchange, and for some mind-boggling reason, he couldn't read Siu's moves at all! He seemed to come from the left, yet he was coming from the right?! How?! Each one of his attacks and movements flowed into the next, with no visible switches, no apparent pauses he could exploit... this was nothing like what the reports said!

Thrown off balance from the strikes, he helplessly watched as Siu's legs kept moving, and although he tried to read it, Bren couldn't see anything. He missed everything, only watching him closing the distance relentlessly, slipping through... And... There! Finally, he caught that Siu's attack would come from the left, because his feint was the same as before.

What he didn't expect was that Arya had also moved by then.

What Bren saw from the edge of his vision was a flicker of black light as she darted across the ground, her body splitting into brief, overlapping shadows. Her appearance, without realizing it, split Bren's attention, watching as they twisted the perception of motion for him, just enough to create hesitation... and he lost the chance to dodge. What was worse was that just then, when he tried to recover, Marly's part came into play as she followed her Big Sister's lead. From the opposing side, erratic movement cut across Bren’s footing at precisely the moment his weight was lifted from one leg to the other, forcing a micro-adjustment by reflex, afraid of being bit or hit... but in a fight at this level, that was all it took.

At the perfect time, Siu appeared at his flank as if he was just there, stepping out of his shadow. His hand snapped forward again, his palm driving into Bren’s side once more, the impact sharper this time, as his fingers turned into claws after the hit, pushing against his flesh, even if he couldn't tear up the skin.

However, that didn't mean that Bren didn't feel it.

"Ugh..."

An audible grunt slipped from Bren's lips as he turned his body, adjusting, trying to adapt. At the same time, his arm came around in a wide, crushing arc, aiming to sweep everything in front of him away, to reclaim his space, and to reassert control over the situation.

To his surprise, Siu didn’t block, but then, a black flash hit against his wrist as four paws pushed against it... followed by a flying figure blocking his sight... only for him to miss how Siu had slipped beneath it, landing multiple hits on him once again.

Naturally, from the outside it looked... reckless. Even if he was hitting him, it didn't look like he was causing any damage, besides ripping his clothing to shreds. If this keeps up, what he will achieve will be nothing but exhausting himself.

“He’s going straight in—?!”

“Is he insane?!”

But those watching with a better sight... saw it for what it was.

“He’s controlling the distance perfectly,” Rinmei said quietly, "And he doesn't let Bren start building up his own rhythm. He is better than... Well, now that I think about it, I never really saw him fight besides the duel against Nue."

"What is more interesting," Toban spoke, having a similar discussion with Seloryn and Lorean, "Is how well he coordinates with his beasts. Knowing that those two can't damage Bren physically, he uses them perfectly for distractions and obfuscating his own switches and patterns where he hasn't mastered them fluently yet."

"The way he fights," Seloryn said with a chuckle, smiling, "is easily enough to make him an inner disciple. Wouldn't you agree?"

"That's not enough," Dui spoke up before Toban could answer, "He lacks the strength. If he can't do something else, Bren will still win this match."

"We will see..." Toban hummed, watching it still, barely blinking his eyes.

Back in the arena, Bren’s foot struck the ground again, even harder this time as the stone cracked beneath him, massive fractures spreading outward as he tried to uneven the surface, to trip up Siu. He couldn't get a grip on his attacks at all... and now more and more of his muscles were hurting.

“Enough!” Bren roared in anger, stomping again, actually cracking the ground enough to sprain someone's ankle if they stepped into it.

The moment it happened, it caused Arya to break off, unable to support Siu at the right moment. Seeing her dodge, Marly also aborted her attack, riding the wind from Bren's attack to fly higher up... It was a chance, and Bren took it. His attack cut into the path of Siu, carrying everything he had behind it... But again, Siu met it head-on.

"Dodge... he will dodge at the last moment again!" Bren thought. His eyes were locked onto his body... "Where will you go? Left? Right? Faint? When? Show yourself!"

But what he saw suddenly horrified him... Siu's movement was the same as his, the same stance, the same punch, everything... copied to the last moment... to perfection. Was he... studying the same moves?!

"FUCK YOU!" He yelled out, increasing his output, tightening his muscles, straining them, exactly what Siu had wanted to see.

Because the moment he caught the strain in Bren's arms, seeing them through the shredded clothes, it was all he needed. He saw them tighten, identified where they were most exposed, and went for it without hesitation. He dropped out of the copied stance, once again dodging the incoming fist at the last moment, his fingers finding their mark...

And for the first time in their fight, blood was spilled.