The Reason To Get Stronger (40)

Neo and Airson were at each other for hours.

Airson was staying cautious of Neo's transport ability, remembering not to let off any large scale attacks.

Neo's plan was to continuously attack Airson up close to keep him from making use of his speed.

Airson had gotten fairly used to the Nebula Blade now. He was able to fight Neo evenly with it.

Still, Neo had the advantage technique-wise. His spiritual essence was much stronger than Airson's. He executed technique after technique to try and wear Airson down. But he wasn't giving up.

Neo clapped his hands together. "Flame Art: Flock of Birds!"

Little wisps of fire appeared all around Neo. At least fifty of them.

Within seconds, they all turned into birds of fire, no smaller than a hawk. The birds chased down Airson, who failed to dodge every one.

There was an explosion of fire that went up with a smoke cloud.

Neo was huffing. He was getting tired.

There was a small crater caused by the explosion.

After a few seconds, Airson walked out of it, still in his Ultrasonic 5 form.

Neo got frustrated. "Why... why? Why do you keep getting up?"

Airson looked straight at him.

Airson was beaten up himself, after taking the onslaught of Neo for so long. "If you really wanted to kill me, you should've done so three years ago. Why wait until now? Why save me from Matso? Why did you help in the royal capital when the gods attacked? You waited out of arrogance. You thought that no matter how strong I got, you'd still beat me. Well I'm not losing here, Neo."

Neo balled his fists and clenched his teeth in rage. "All of that means nothing right now! I waited because there's no satisfaction in killing a weak man! I know I'm stronger than you. But for some reason, you won't die!!! Your purpose in becoming stronger was ultimately to try and defeat me!! I've gotten stronger so that I could kill you and take revenge on this cursed world that brought me here!!!"

Neo looked in Airson's eyes and closed his left eye.

Airson disappeared.

The Nebula Blade fell to the ground with a metallic clanging noise.

Neo readied his sword. "This is it." he said. He opened his eye.

Airson appeared directly in front of him.

Neo pushed his sword into Airson's abdomen, gushing blood everywhere.

Airson grabbed the blade with both hands before it went all the way in. His hands started bleeding badly.

Neo tried to push it further in with all his strength, but Airson wasn't budging. Neo winced. His head was pounding with a dull pain. He used his transport ability too much.

Airson was grimacing from the pain he was feeling. He looked up at Neo. "Trust me... I've lived the majority of my life in hell. One of the worst places you could possibly imagine... a place where children were thrown in cells in groups of four. We were tested on, cut open, experimented on. We were given dirty water and scraps for food. We had to fight each other just to eat once a week... most kids died from starvation. Some died because they were eaten by other kids, then those kids died from sickness. Some were kind enough to vomit their food so others could eat. It was the worst thing imaginable... we never even saw the sun. There was one kid in my cell who died of an illness. The other two... were Miraka and Nigel... my best friends. Even if I didn't know my mother or father... those two were my best friends. To me there's no better family to ask for."

Airson gripped the sword tighter. His energy rose. Gray lightning surged from his body. His hair turned gray and white. Super Ultrasonic 5. "Now those friends are on the verge of death, and my only hope is to go through a different hell for fifty years worth of my time just to get strong enough to save them. That's why I get stronger. Not because I want to prove myself to satisfy my thirst for power like you. Don't compare us like that. Your resolve..."

The sword cracked. "...is shallow!!!" Airson snapped through the sword, shattering it like glass.

Neo was knocked back.

Airson held his wound, trying to breathe through the pain. He was at his wit's end. "No matter... what you do to me... I won't die... I *can't* die... until my family comes back to me!!!" Airson exclaimed emotionally. He punched Neo in the face. A large crater formed from the impact.

Neo fell to the ground.

He slowly stood up.

Even though Airson unlocked Super US5, he was greatly fatigued, and was losing a lot of blood.

Neo was even more fatigued because he used his transport too much in the same day without rest. "You... I can't lose to you... if I do, then I wasn't meant to live..." Neo started limping towards Airson. "I don't want your story, *or* your sympathy... I need to know, that I was meant to live..."

Airson walked towards Neo as well. "You don't have to kill me to know that you were meant to live. Neither of us were supposed to be born. But the fact that we're still alive means that both of us were meant to be alive!."

The two stopped inches from each other.

Neo's left fist started blazing with pink lightning.

Airson's right fist charged with gray lightning.

The spiritual pressure cracked the ground even further.

Neo had tears streaming down his cheeks. "I don't need to hear that from you!! I need to prove that to myself!!!"

The two slammed their fists together, shattering the ground around them. A dome of white energy encircled the two, growing to fill the crater, then exploded with a wild shock of lightning.

Airson was on his back.

Opposite him, so was Neo.

Neo coughed up some blood.

Airson was breathing heavily. He'd lost so much blood now. He spoke. "Honestly... I don't believe that a person's life is determined by how it starts... it should be determined by how it ends. My life, Nigel's, Miraka's, and even Pachi's life, all had pretty bad beginnings. But we chose to take a different path. One that gave us hope, and a reason to live."

Airson slowly struggled to get up.

Neo got up too.

Neither of them were in their forms. They were back to their normal selves.

Neo could no longer generate power, and neither could Airson.

Airson walked towards Neo.

Neo accepted his fate. *"So this is how it ends... killed by my brother. A fitting end to my life it seems."*

Airson walked up to Neo, and hugged him. "You can chase me down for the rest of my life if you want. I'll fight you every time. But I'll never kill my only brother."

Airson let him go and slowly walked away, back to Arbok City.

Neo remained where he stood, looking down, not knowing what to do with himself.