PHASE 88 - THREE BROKEN RIBS, BLEEDING NOSE, AND A BROKEN HEART PLEASE!

It’s time to d...d...d...duel!

I have designated a place in the Yami counterpart of the Kozukata Shrine for our battle. Everything in this dimension is the same, except that the pine trees here are now withered and dead, the sky is dark and the moon is red.

We prepared a gloomy octagon ring for this father-and-daughter duel.

The shrine maidens as our audiences, together with Helena, Key, and Heushac. My fellow shrine maiden Ayano will serve as a referee in this match, and the announcer is Asumi-nee. I have my very own boyfriend as my coach. And on the other side, Frederick has my twin brother as his personal advisor.

Now this feels like a world boxing welterweight match.

“T-Tiara, are you really sure about this?” Rikkun asked in a worried tone. “That’s your father, you know…”

“He’s not my father.” I groaned. “All I can see is a sack of shit ready to become my punching bag.”

Realizing that I’m still using profane words in my sentences, Rikkun’s face was fed by despair. He should have known that there’s no way he can change my mind whenever I’m speaking like this.

“You should be advising me on what battle tactic I should use.” I glared at Rikkun. My voice still indicates that I’m mad.

My boyfriend facepalmed himself as he uttered a sigh. “Fine, fine. Just do Rush-Body-Body, just like how we fought Helena.”

“Ahchoo!” It was a background sneeze from the audiences. It came from Helena. Chills went down on her bones and all the hairs on her skin stood up. Her memories during our last battle must have scared her.

<>

“Ladies and gentlemen…” Asumi-nee had her announcement loud and deafening because of her mic. “Let’s get ready to rumbleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!”

The shrine maiden audiences applauded, certainly amazed by our shrine maiden leader! Of course, Asumi-nee is patronized by us shrine maidens. She always has the best event ideas from any of us.

Ting!

My fellow shrine maiden rang the boxing bell, indicating that the fight is on.

Frederick materialized his golden Roman gauntlets, and I also materialized my steel fingerless gloves. Both of us raised our defenses, ready to read each and every move.

“Hahaha! This will be a great bonding between us two-” Frederick smiled, but it was immediately replaced by fear when he saw me recklessly charging with full speed!

“Haaaaa!”

Bam!

I made a right hook, but Fred blocked it with his armored wrists! But I don’t intend to stop there! I unleashed another left hook, aiming at his stomach, but it was shielded by his elbow! Not yet! I unleashed another right hook, left hook, right hook, left hook!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

“Guh….”

Frederick is clearly shaken by my attacks. Each and every blow has the intention to hurt him hard. Shockwave blasted every time I unleash a punch, and the floor started to form a small crater. But his shield is impenetrable!

“Ack!” Frederick dashed back to catch his breath. But I didn’t let him get some air! I rushed forward, following three continuous jabs straight to his nose!

“Haiyaaaah!” I shouted.

“W-Wait, let me rest! Let me rest!” Frederick started to run around the ring. Now my attacks won’t hit him because he’s fleeing away.

I can’t match his evasion speed like this. I have to power up!

“Haaaaaaah!!!” I made a super Saiyan shout as I transformed into my . Ten shapeshifting tails spawned upon my back, and I’m now wearing a goddess white dress with flame effects. With my divine powers, I’m sure that I can hit him clean now!

“!!!”

A thousand punches left afterimages of my fists. Frederick guarded his face and body again with his golden gauntlets, but two hundred punches passed through his defenses. I managed to hit his kidney fifty times, his chest twenty times, his ears eighty times, his jaws thirty times, and a single finishing blow straight to his nose.

“Gahack!” Frederick was still able to stand up even if he’s now covered with bruises. His left eye is already swollen, and his nose is already crawling out with blood.

It is clear that I have won this match.

“Haaaa!” I want to finish this battle with a single punch. But then...

Swoom!

Frederick materialized a golden buster sword and slashed it to my direction. Too bad, I’m too fast to slide to his left in order to evade his surprise attack. But he continued to counter me anyway!

Slash! Slash!

He’s greatly injured, so he can no longer swing his heavy sword properly. I evaded all of his tired attacks with little effort. Moreover, he’s heavily gasping for air.

Come to think of it, I didn’t give him the opportunity to catch his breath.

The wind shatters. Frederick’s next attack is a bash from his heavy golden sword, aiming for my skull.

I blocked it with my fingers. His attacks are too weak and slow, sluggish like a normal sixty-year-old man. There’s no way that this is called a fight. It’s barely a warm-up for me.

“Tiara… You really are strong…” Frederick commented as he panted so hard.

My only reply to him is a knock-out right hook straight to his nose. And that rendered him back to sleep.

Ting!

The bell rang, signaling the end of the fight.

“K.O.!!!” Asumi-nee shouted. “The winner is Tiara Hikari!”

<>

It’s a peaceful afternoon. I went to the peak of the mountains to calm my nerves.

The sky is orange thanks to the setting sun. In this view from the waterfall, I can see the afternoon star sink on the city’s horizon. It’s truly a magnificent sight that will make me relax and cool my head.

I’m hugging my knees while watching this kind of view. Being alone in this peaceful waterfall makes me able to collect my thoughts about my battle against a certain someone.

“Auuu… I never should have done that…” I muttered to myself. Surely, I do have lots of regrets in beating my own father. I really think he deserved it, but not to that extent though. I really crossed the line this time.

Suddenly, I felt a cold metallic thing on my forehead. I reached out and noticed that it was a can of iced coffee being held by the man I love.

“Is your head cool now?” Rikkun asked with an assuring smile.

“Y-Yes.” I happily accepted the drink. “H-Hey, Rikkun. Did I go overboard?”

“You always go overboard.” Rikkun teased me with a smile and a pat on my head. “But you especially went waaaaaay out of the line in that battle.”

“...Auuuu…” I cried as I hid my embarrassed blushing face.

I knew I’m too sadistic in that fight. I knew that my father is holding back. When he heard that I said ‘I want to beat his butt’, he already decided that he’ll become my punching bag instead.

Silence. There’s a long silence. But it’s not the usual awkward atmosphere we had while sitting beside each other wordlessly. I see Rikkun scratching his head, trying to formulate some kind of sentence that would change my perception on everything.

“Hey, Tiara.” Rikkun gazed upon the sunset. “Do you still remember the first timeline? The one when you and your mother was chained and displayed at the Brightmore Town Plaza.”

“Yes.” I bowed. “There’s no way I can forget the moment when my mother was burned at the stake.”

“How about the one who rescued you from the flaming hills of hay, do you remember him?”

“One who rescued me?” I locked eyes with Rikkun as I tilted my head. “Asumi-nee saved me that night.”

“There are two persons that night,” Rikkun said. “Asumi sneaked you out, but there is this certain someone who is wearing a white hooded cloak who rescued you from the burning stake.”

Now that he told me that, I really do remember a mysterious white knight that saved me back then. But I’m just four years old at that time, and I don’t quite remember his face because it’s a long time ago. I don’t even remember the mysterious white man’s voice, but his words back then were forever burnt to my skull.

(“With determination, I will never give up.”)

Those are the mysterious man’s words when he spoke to Asumi-nee at that time. From then on, I used that tagline to keep me going. Those words are meant to give me hope whenever Rikkun dies in the past timelines. I thought that if I tried hard enough without giving up, I’ll be able to save the man I love. And those words worked. Look at us now, we’re officially a high school couple!

“You may have been forgotten his face because you’re just a child back then, but I remember him fresh from my brain. I saw him when I peeked at your memories when we fought Shirayuki.” Rikkun said.

I kept my silence. I think I already know who that mysterious white man is. I’m just waiting for Rikkun’s words to confirm it.

“The one who saved you from the burning stake… It’s your father.”