(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 92

Light flashed for a second, and once it died down, Megumi found herself on an open field. The grass swayed violently beneath her, as did her hair, but she couldn't feel any wind. Once she looked up, she saw exactly why it was so windy. Lightning flashed over head from the dark overcast above her. Trees surrounded her, though they appeared to be miles away. She could hear nothing but the sounds of leaves swishing in the harsh wind. That was, until she heard Katherine's voice. "So, a battle between two lovers?"

Megumi grinned as she turned to Katherine. She slid her Micro-Uzis from its holsters. "Yeah, but only one of us can win."

"And since Ian isn't here to interfere this time, I've pretty much won." Katherine grinned before she stepped into position.

Megumi grinned back. "We'll see." In an instant, she aimed and fired a burst of three shots. Each one was deflected by an invisible shield. Of course. Spirit shield. She chunked one of the Uzis at Katherine, who dodged it, giving Megumi barely enough time to catch her off guard. She unstrapped her spear from her back thrust at her abdomen. With a cry, Katherine side jumped in the nick of time as Megumi soared past her.

Megumi cartwheeled to a low crouch, holding the spear across her chest with both hands, just in case she needed to block Katherine's spear. Instead of chasing after her, Katherine stood there with her hand on the handle of her katana. "Letting me get up?" Megumi rose to her feet.

"Just don't want there to be any excuses." Katherine dashed low at a breakneck speed, and slashed at Megumi from her hip to her shoulder. The blade was caught by Megumi's spear, vibrating the metal pole up through Megumi's hands. She could feel the power from that one; that would've sucked for her if she didn't know how quick Katherine can move.

Releasing the scabbard, Katherine grabbed the handle with both hands and swung the sword over her head before she brought it down on Megumi, only to catch the spear again. Each blow felt even harder than the next, each sending a shockwave through her hands. She couldn't stay on the defensive for long, otherwise she'd lose feeling in her hands.

So she concentrated her firepower into the palm of her hand and vaulted backwards, throwing the ball of fire the size as a marble at Katherine. Grinning, she easily jumped it, just as Megumi had expected. "Expand and explode!" she cried as she clinched her hand. Gasping, Katherine leaned forward and held her arms in front of her in a "X" shape, defending both her head and her chest. It was much too late. The small orb of fire erupted, engulfing Katherine into its fiery embrace.

Winded, Megumi sat down. All of her strength seemed to evaporate all at once after she made the ball explode. She remember her mother showing her that technique a few months back, though she usually made sure it connected before exploding. Megumi didn't have enough time to take aim.

There was a loud thud among the smoke. Preparing for the worst, Megumi used her staff as a crutch to help her back to her feet, panting softly. For a while, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, all except for the wind. "Wait," she whispered to herself. The wind was blowing just as strong as it had been at the beginning of the fight. Why was the smoke not disappearing? Realization flashed in her mind; it had to have been Katherine. Before she had time to react, a blade flew from the smoke and struck home in her thigh. She hissed in pain as she fell to a knee. Searing pain tore at her thigh, but she knew from experience that the program lessens pain. Nevertheless, it still hurt like hell.

Wind burst forward from the smoke before it was carried away by the wind from the program. Katherine appeared from the smoke with a smirk. Her fighting uniform was charred. Patches of her tan hakama had been burned. She ripped off the remainder of her Apprentice jacket, wearing a white tank top underneath. Megumi grimaced as Katherine tossed a throwing knife casually, catching the tip of it in between her fingertips. "I gotta admit, baby. You almost got me with that. You really gave me the heebie jeebies."