“First Tempo.”

Sora tapped the side of his headphone.

“?!”

Miko was shocked when he saw him appear in front of him out of nowhere. Before he could react, Sora pushed his palm in front of him.

*Bam!*

Miko was hit with an invisible force and was sent flying back.

“Cough?!”

Suddenly, all the air in his lungs was forced out along with some blood. He flew off the ring and crushed into a statue below.

“What the hell just happened?!”

Momo was in shock. She only saw Sora pop up in front of Miko, and the next thing she knew Miko had crashed into a statue.

“Hey, are you still alive?”

Sora stood on the ring and asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

Miko took up the statue he crashed into and threw it at Sora, and then leaped towards him.

“Trying to use the statue as diversion huh?”

“?!”

However, Sora appeared in front of him while he was mid-jump. He thrust his palm and made it stop in front of Miko’s face.

“Resound.”

*Boom!*

Miko was once again hit with a powerful invisible force, and was forced out of the air and into the ground.

“Guh?!”

He groaned out in pain.

*Swoosh!*

He looked up and saw Sora above him, thrusting his palm down.

*Bam!*

The palm hit him in the stomach and caused the ground underneath him to crack up.

“This is only the First Tempo and you’re already like this.”

Sora said with his hand pressed against Miko’s stomach.

“Who’s the one playing around now?!”

He shouted.

“Shut up.”

At that moment, he looked in Miko’s eyes.

“?!”

He saw unbelievable amount of savagery in them. He then saw Miko’s body being covered by a black light. Seeing that, he immediately distanced himself. This allowed Miko to stand up.

“Is this Vita?”

He said inspecting the black light.

“Normally I wouldn’t need to use Vita to kill people of my age group, so I didn’t intend to use it in our fight.”

Miko smiled.

“But it seems you’re something different.”

He kicked off the ground and rushed towards Sora carrying a hurricane like gust behind him, and throw a punch. Sora met it with a fist of his own.

*Bam!*

An explosive sound rung out as shockwaves spread from around them.

“Heh.”

Miko smirked and threw a barrage of punches which Sora replied to by doing the same. The punches clashed with each other, and caused numerous explosive sounds to ring out. Neither of them were backing down.

Sora suddenly disappeared and appeared behind Miko, thrusting his palm towards his back.

Miko suddenly stooped and avoided it.

“Wha?!”

Sora then got his face grabbed by Miko, who partially turned around when ducking.

“Don’t think that I won’t always be able to react to your speed!”

*Bam!*

Miko slammed his head on the ground and caused the ground to shake.

“I’m called a monster for a reason, you know.”

Miko said with a savage smile.

“Resonate: Area Effect!”

*Bam!*

At sora’s shout, Miko was suddenly hit with a overwhelming force and blown away. He slammed on the walls of the maze unable to move, as a deafening sound rung out.

It was as if he was being forced back by invisible waves. His bones rattled and his body couldn’t move.

“Ow, that hurt like a bitch.”

Sora stood up and held his head. He looked at Miko with a frown.

“I’ve never seen anyone adapt to a Tempo that fast. You really are a monster.”

He said.

“Ah, I finally figured out what that kid is using!”

Momo suddenly said.

“It’s sound magic. A form of magic that uses sound waves manipulation as it’s base. It’s normally used by people for simple tasks like amplifying your voice or a sound, and considered a support type magic. But I heard that if used properly, it’s very lethal and destructive.”

She looked at Sora.

“It’s the first I’ve seen it used in battle.”

Suddenly her eyes started to sparkle.

“Miko, beat that kid and make him your friend! I wanna study the magic he’s using!”

She shouted excited. Her child-like appearance made it look like she’s asking for a new toy.

“Huh?”

Sora was shocked by her statement.

“Beat him and make him your friend?”

He repeated.

“Fine.”

Miko replied.

“Don’t agree to it!”

Sora sighed with a bothered expression.

“Just how do they think people make friends?”

He mumbled.

*Crack!*

That’s when he saw the wall Miko was being pressed against started to have cracks formed in it.

*Bam!*

The black aura around Miko suddenly increased explosively, and Miko forced himself off the wall.

“He broke through the sound waves with brute strength?”

Sora was shocked, however that was a big mistake on his part. Miko suddenly accelerated and appeared in front of him swinging his leg.

“Shit!”

He quickly lifted his arms to block it.

*Bam!*

He was blown to the side by the kick and smashed through a couple statues. He looked up and saw Miko above him thrusting down a statue towards him. He quickly moved out of the way, and the statue shattered when it hit the ground.

Sora rolled to his feet and rushed towards Miko with two palms thrusting forward.

“Resonate!”

*Bam!*

An explosive sound rung out and Miko was forced back a few steps, but that’s it.

“Wha?!”

Sora was once again shocked by Miko’s strength to resist his attacks.

“So you’re using sound waves to attack huh? That explains a lot.”

Miko said and walked towards him.

“However, despite how I look my body is pretty sturdy and packed with incredible strength.”

He took a step forward and the ground started to crack.

“I can still get stronger, you know?”

“What a coincidence.”

Sora smiled and tapped his headphone again.

“Me too.”

A high pitch sound reach Miko’s ear.

“Second Tempo!”

*Bam!*

An explosive sound rang out and was accompanied by a strong gust of wind which blew away the debris in the area.

“Let’s do this.”

Sora lower his center of gravity, and stretched his hands out to his sides. Miko also took a fighting stance.

“Come!”

The two disappeared at the same time and appeared directly in front of each other. They threw a punch and slugged each other in the face.

They step back and pounce at each other again.

Miko ducked under sora’s fist and hit him with an uppercut. He then went in for another hit, but sora avoided it and hit him under the chin with a kick. Miko stepped back and Sora slammed his palms on his stomach.

*Bam!*

Miko was blown into the side of the training field, and Sora quickly chase after him.

*Bam!*

Miko jumped and gave Sora a boot to the face and forced him to the ground. Miko then thrust his fist down on his face.

“Sound Barrier!”

*Bam!*

Miko’s fist hit air and wasn’t able to advance any forward. It was like he hit a wall.

Sora quickly placed wrists together with his palms open.

“Sonar Cannon!”

*Bam!*

Miko was hit by a powerful force which lifted him into the air with his entire body rattling.

“Blegh?!”

Blood shot out of his mouth as he felt like his organs were damaged.

“Shit! I overdid it!”

Sora exclaimed after seeing how much blood shot out of Miko’s mouth.

Miko clenched his teeth in pain and pointed his palm at Sora, while midair. Suddenly a sinister purple and black aura covered his body. This was his Dragon Rage.

“Is he…”

Momo was shocked by what Miko was about to do. A black and azure orb started forming at the center of his palm. It grew large by the second.

“Roar!”

A beastly dragon roar suddenly came from it, and the imagine of dragon appeared at the center.

“Dragon Shot!”

The orb shot forward and quickly molded into the shape of an azure and black dragon.

“What the hell is that?!”

Sora shouted in horror. The dragon Miko fired quickly descended from the sky releasing a terrifying roar which shook the entire valley. The moment Sora saw it, he knew that he couldn’t block it with normal means.

He quickly tapped his headphones again.

“Third Tempo!”

The power in his body suddenly increased to new level. He took the same pose he took earlier.

“Sonic Cannon!”

*Bam!*

A powerful invisible force shot towards the dragon. The force was so powerful that it shook the valley and caused its sides to have cracks in them.

The force clashed with dragon.

*BOOM!*

A deafening explosion rung out. The valley shook like it was hit by an earthquake. The statues started falling apart, the rings heisted up in the air by pillars started to collapsed along with those pillars, the ground started to crack.

Eventually it was like the entire valley was crumbling apart.

After a while, everything calmed down and dust covered the valley. Once it settled, Sora was seen on his back covered with wounds and breathing heavily.

As for Miko, he laid on a heap of rubble with his body bleeding as well.

“I can’t believe that Miko can actually compete with Sora to this extent.”

Said Ace.

“I’m suddenly feeling the urge to pit my Boost Player against him.”

He said.

“He wasn’t this strong when we met. He’s grown stronger.”

Hina sounded pleased.

Momo was shocked as well.

“Since when can he use the Dragon Shot? And it’s so powerful too.”

She looked at Sora.

“But I’m really surprised that Sora survived that.”

As she said that, she saw Sora struggle to his feet. He slowly tapped his headphones again.

“F-Fourth Tempo.”

*Bam!*

Power increased in his body again.

“Guh?!”

But this time it looked like he was in pain and he almost tumbled over.

“Does each Tempo increase the strain on his body?”

Miko said after seeing the way he reacted. He slowly stood up, but his body was more steady than Sora’s. He cracked his fingers and reactivated Dragon’s Rage. But it was more powerful than before.

“I must say Sora, this is the most fun I’ve had in a while. I’m really starting to doubt if you’re human. I mean, you’re able to go toe to toe with me after all.”

Miko said with a wild grin.

“I never knew you were so arrogant.”

Sora said.

“It’s not arrogance. It’s pride.”

Miko said while walking towards him. He, however only took a few steps before he was stopped.

“Isn’t it best you stop here?”

Asked Tia who appeared out of nowhere.

“You might end up killing a precious comrade and rival.”

She said with a smile.

“I guess you’re right.”

Miko smiled back at her and deactivated Dragon Rage.

“I got a bit too caught up in the mood. Thanks, Tia.”

He said.

This time he approached Sora with a friendly smile.

“How about you say we call it quits here? After all, it’s just a spar.”

He said.

“Ah, I forgot about that.”

Sora also relaxed and the strain on his body disappeared along with the power that was build up in him.

“I was really about to kill you back there.”

He said with a laugh.

“I’m the one who should be saying that.”

Miko laughed as well. The two soon stood face to face.

After staring for a while, Miko stretched his hand out.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sora.”

Sora took the hand and shook it.

“The Pleasure is all mine, Miko.”

The two stared at the other with a fierce gaze which didn’t match the smiles on their faces.

Seeing that, Tia-

“Miko is normally aloof so he comes off as uninterested in others, but that’s not the case. The ones he’s uninterested in is ordinary human, because just like how they can’t understand and accept him, he can’t understand or accept them.”

She said.

“Miko is drawn to those that fall under the special category. Monsters, outcasts, abominations, those are the things he love the most.”

She turned and looked at Hina who was listening to what she was saying.

“That means that you’re his type, white haired devil.”

Hina jumped when she heard what Tia called her. Tia smiled and said-

“You two should try to get along, as two cursed children.”