Seven Heroes Redux

Yuto, however, knew that he was also partly to blame, and he couldn't forgive himself. The least he could do was finish what his sister started.

His heart hardened, so he no longer cared about the lives of his enemies. His initial plan was to kill all four of the people who mistreated Haji, but he would be a hypocrite if he did so.

Yuto would need to take Haji with him to protect her. He couldn't lose anyone else.

On the day of their departure, Yuto and Haji said goodbye to their parents.

— Are you sure you'll be fine, Yuto-chan? I couldn't bear to lose two more children.

— Fine is an understatement, mom. This time I'll try to hide in the city, because they might recognize my face.

The worried father said:

— When Haji-chan told us that you almost jumped off the bridge, I couldn't believe my ears. Yuto-chan, don't ever give up on life again, okay?

— Sure, dad. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now it's different.

Yuto's parents smiled, trusting his words.

Yuto and Haji arrived in Tokyo. They returned to live in the house abandoned for years. Without Kanata's presence, the house felt emptier.

They had no reason to stay in the house all day, so they went for a walk. They went downtown to see what had changed in the city. Even during the day, many lights covered the place. It wasn't the most modern city in the world for nothing.

But one thing caught their attention more than anything else. It was something strange that shouldn't be there. The association's main building was in one piece, and in the same place as always, as if it had never moved. And it was much bigger than before.

Yuto was shocked. How was that building even there, if it should have been dragged across the city? And everything was intact, as if nothing had happened that day, except for his sister's disappearance.

Although the chance was low, Kanata might still be alive. Yuto wanted to believe in this chance, and that was one of the reasons why he returned to the city.

But what he saw in front of him belied all the past. It was beyond his comprehension.

The building's windows doubled as television monitors, on both sides. Outside, they used to project advertisements, as if they were posters.

And an ad was on display. It was a detailed description of the qualifiers and the losers in the association's annual tournament.

Several official and unofficial tournaments took place every month, but the annual one was the most recognized. The rewards were too tempting for anyone, even level 6's.

Level 7's were so well paid and famous that they didn't even care about tournaments or competitions. They only participated for pleasure or to restore tarnished reputations.

This time, no level 7 was present. It was the day of the semi-final. There were only four participants left, all level 6. Caliel and Kiseki against Mifuyu and Revon. It was a doubles battle.

The winning duo would move on to the final, which would be a duel between the two remaining participants. It was a way of showing that allies would one day become enemies.

It was an hour before the start of the event. Some people were seeing the ad and getting excited:

— Dude, a fight between level 6's! I hope no one in the stands gets hurt. Caliel doesn't take it easy even with her partners.

— This is going to be a bloody show, a good one! Although Kiseki won't let anyone die. She was assigned the worst possible partner.

Yuto became interested in the match. Before planning a new invasion, he needed to gather information. Learning how strong the new level 6's were was a good start.

Yuto went to the place where the game was to take place, and took Haji with him. It was the size of a football stadium.

Between the arena and the stands there was a barrier that nullified almost any power and impact, to protect the spectators.

Several nanocameras were monitoring the battle. Many of them were easily destroyed, but there were so many that no second or angle would be lost.

Also, Kiseki would be participating. She was known as the main healer of the association. Her healing reached the point where one living cell was enough for the entire body to be reconstituted. She could also repair any object.

Yuto sat on any step of the bleachers, and Haji on his right side. He noticed a strange man on the left.

He wore a dark blue suit with glasses and a light blue tie. He was dressed shabbily, as if he had just woken up. He had dark blue hair and eyes.

A holographic display appeared in front of each viewer. The images of the participants were shown in a poll. It was a bet on which pair would win, and you could also put money on it.

This is a field day for gambling addicts...

Yuto turned to Haji to face her.

— What do you think?

— Those guys back there said Caliel was strong, right?

— Yeah, but she's not good at teamwork...

Yuto noticed something strange. Mifuyu, one of the participants, looked familiar. She was a middle-aged woman, wearing a scientist's coat, glasses, and short hair that was divided into blue and green. Her eyes were the same color as her hair on either side.

I have seen her somewhere...

— Yuto, I'm gonna bet on the ninja and the scientist.

— We're not wasting any money, so let's give it a try.

Caliel and Kiseki won with 64% of the bets.

The battle began with the announcer's introductions. The participants were:

Caliel, rank #3 level 6: A tomboyish, dark-skinned, half-naked exhibitionist woman. Short black hair and yellow eyes.

Kiseki, rank #4 level 6: Apparently a girl. Black and white maid outfit, dark green hair with some purple streaks, and purple eyes.

Mifuyu, rank #7 level 6: A middle-aged woman. Scientist's lab coat, glasses, short hair parted in blue and green. Eye color is the same as hair on each side.

Revon, rank #8 level 6: A woman wearing black ninja clothes and a face mask. Black eyes and a ponytail.

The arena was a dark blue metal box, with translucent walls that looked out onto the stands. There were several obstacles scattered around the arena, such as walls and barricades.

Caliel charged at Mifuyu, intending to tear her apart with her sharp nails.

Mifuyu was going to protect herself by freezing Caliel, but Revon appeared in front of her and repelled the attack, throwing Caliel to the other side of the stadium, breaking the walls along the way.

— Your opponent is me, Caliel!

After shouting this so that her opponent could hear, she whispered to her ally:

— Go try to convince Kiseki to join us.

Mifuyu nodded and headed towards her target of convincing. Caliel had already recovered and jumped straight at the ninja.

The ninja dodged all attacks quickly, although the exhibitionist was also very fast and strong. Each strike could pierce her stomach if landed.

Revon knew that, and her power was the best defense. In addition to Invisibility, she had Perfect Reflexes. She could make any part of her body invisible, but she also had reaction times of less than 0.01 seconds.

It was practically impossible to land any attacks on her, as long as she didn't get tired. But she was trained for it and, with 6-Up, she could fight for hours tirelessly.

With each dodged attack, she made her left or right arm invisible, alternating. With that, she slammed into Caliel's head with swift but crushing force.

Mifuyu came close to Kiseki and knelt down. With sweet words, she tried to convince her not to help her partner and just watch, turning the battle into two against one:

— Kiseki-chan, I know you're not very comfortable with the situation. Caliel is a terrible person, and she will torture us both if you help her. No need to heal us, just don't help your partner.

— B-But, Mifuyu-san, I can't do that... That's cheating, and Caliel won't like it...

— I checked the rules, and there was nothing about cooperation between rivals. And we're going to defeat Caliel, so she doesn't come after you.

— B-But…

Revon repeatedly turned her entire body invisible and ran behind obstacles, hitting Caliel from behind, then from the front, from the sides, and at every point she wasn't protecting at the moment.

Caliel was getting progressively angrier with all that agility. She loved to see her victims suffer because it excited her. Her power was Gooning, perfect for a sadomasochist.

With each damage she received or caused, her pleasure increased. Like a chain reaction, her strength and speed varied with the pleasure she felt or was felt by others nearby.