Azuma

### Relationships

Lila Frost (enemy), Jason Dorn (enemy), Herobrine (leader; formerly), Mara Moran (enemy), Callista (fellow member of the Dozen; enemy)

## Other Information

### Appearances

The Moonlight Trolley; The Skyline Complex

### Debut

The Moonlight Trolley

**Azuma**, or the Third Rank. is a fictional character created by Alejandro Pineda. He is the final antagonist of the Moonlight Trolley Arc and a supporting antagonist in the Skyline Complex Arc.

## Appearance

Azuma is a young man of tall stature with pale skin, glowing yellow eyes with black sclera, a muscular build, and messy brown hair. He wears an oversized faded black hoodie, long beige pants cut at the bottom, and a pair of white and beige running shoes.

## Personality

Azuma is brash, stubborn, and belligerent, taking an immense pride in his combative abilities. He despises those who do not share his level of potential and sees normal people as pitiful and weak. Despite his impulsive and brash demeanor however, he shows a great amount of respect and admiration for those he deems worthy, particularly Jason Dorn during their fight, even after he fatally wounded the latter in a fight. He also shows a great amount of disdain for his leader, Herobrine, thinking of him as childish and egotistical.

## Abilities

**Extrasensory Perception**: With his Fluid Compass, Azuma has a perception range that exceeds that of the human limit, being able to perceive attacks and movement from any angle without even seeing it. He was able to catch Lila’s sword while he was in a battle with Mara Moran before he even saw her. This is all due to the heightened connection the Runner has with his surrounding environment when using Regeneration, as the potion enables him to feel any vibration or motion instantly.

**Immense Durability**: In complete contrast to his slim build, Azuma possesses an immensely durable body from extreme conditioning. His flesh is even comparable to the strength of a diamond sword, and can only be wounded with a large amount of strength using said weapon. This was demonstrated he effortlessly broke Spencer Payne's blade when he attempted to cut him, and exemplified even further when Jason Dorn struggled several times to severe his limbs, doing little more than cut him with his attacks. Even with all of his strength, Dorn was only able to partially pierce his neck. Azuma was even able to destroy a portion of the Skyland Complex with an attack, shaking much of the building with the force.

**Immense Regeneration**: partly due to body experimentation and harsh training, and amplified by his Fluid Compass, Azuma possesses an inhuman recovery speed, being able to heal from severe wounds without as much as a scratch. This is evident when he received multiple cuts during his fight with Jason Dorn and healed almost immediately after each one. With help from a potion of Regeneration, he can do the same with his clothing as well, regrowing his arms in the blink of an eye.

**Immense Speed and Reflexes**: Azuma is one of the fastest members of the Dozen, being able to move and fight at blinding speeds faster than Lila Frost could perceive. His running capacity is significantly higher than average due to his time training and fighting throughout his life, as well as his enhancements from Herobrine's blood. He is also incredibly agile, being able to create large shockwaves with an axe repeatedly in rapid bursts and past deadly attacks with little effort. He is capable of using ender pearls in very quick succession thanks to his immunity to their side effects, making them one of his strongest weapons.

**Immense Strength**: As a superhuman being and member of the Dozen, Azuma boasts incredible physical strength and an incredible physique. He has displayed the ability to pierce armor, rupture stone, and even break even a diamond sword with a strike to the flat of its blade with little difficulty. He was able to pierce a hole straight through Jason Dorn's mid-riff despite the latter being a Warrior and by extension a combatant with a very durable body. Furthermore, Azuma was able to destroy several floors of the Skyland Complex with only a punch and later launch Mara Moran, the Flowing Warrior, a great distance with a flurry of kicks.

**Immense Stamina and Endurance**: While not much is known about Azuma’s past life, it is implied that he underwent a large amount of training, leaving him with significantly higher levels of endurance. He has displayed an incredible tolerance for pain and fatigue, proving capable of withstanding usually life-threatening wounds without change to his combative performance. He was able to fight the Hunters constantly for hours on end with very little rest, only passing out after sustaining significant injuries. This also proves his indomitable will, as he was capable of fighting and even sprinting with full force despite being injured and exhausted.

**Tactical Intellect**: While seemingly very impulsive and brash, Azuma possesses an incredible tactical mind from years of martial arts. He is able to analyze, adapt to and counter attacks from practically any opponent, showing the capability of outsmarting several armed opponents by himself without even using a weapon.

## Fighting Style

### Skills

**Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant**: Born into a very harsh environment, Azuma trained in martial arts from a very young age, being highly regarded as a fighting prodigy. He is an extremely skilled fighter, being capable of annihilating dozens of opponents by himself using nothing but his own fists. His proficiency in bare-handed martial arts is unrivaled among even the members of the Dozen, and even Jason Dorn, a Warrior who possesses an incredible amount of skill, was outclassed by his sheer speed and precision. He was capable of single-handedly overpowering both Lila Frost and Mara Moran, two marked Warrior-level combatants, in a fight, breaking the latter's sword without any difficulty and nearly killing them directly after. Azuma has also proven capable of fighting Caven, possibly the greatest known warrior in history, in a match to the death, though he was hinted to have lost.

* **War Style**: Azuma's self-created fighting style consists primarily of swift and powerful strikes that utilize wind currents created by the motion to amplify their range. This form of combat involves many offensive techniques such as performing powerful kicks and acrobatic maneuvers amplified by destructive shockwaves that are tinted blue in color. These can be produced from both close and long range, are able to travel in thin air, and can do so nigh-instantaneously. This makes his techniques by far some of the fastest and most unpredictable of his world.

* **Sword Splitter**: a rising swing from the side aiming for the flat of the opponent’s weapon. This is powerful enough to snap their blade in two, and works on weapons of almost any material if done correctly. This is the only technique Azuma uses that is directly from War Style and not his own.

**Techniques:**

* **Fluid Compass**: Azuma takes a fighting stance and manifests a large, scarlet star-like projection around his feet. This enables him to sense an opponents "killing intent" or pre-emptive reflex, granting him extra-sensory perception in battle and enabling him to match and adapt to his opponent's movements. It was stated multiple times that his reflexes will increase in relativity to his enemy's killing intent towards him. This has been shown to have its limits however, as he was hinted to not be capable of matching Caven nor have the capacity for besting Callista, despite the latter not possessing access to Decelerated Motion.

* **Aerial Pounce**: the user throws an ender pearl and slashes at the open air in front of them, creating a shockwave that teleports and hits them from afar. This attack can be performed several times in quick succession from the air or on the ground.

* **Shatter**: the user repeatedly punches in the direction of the opponent, creating a barrage of shockwaves powerful enough to break any material weaker than iron. This was capable of overpowering Jason Dorn's Flaming Guardian technique.

* **Terminating Strike**: the user dashes toward the opponent, forming two powerful shockwaves in their palms before striking the opponent. This is one of Azuma’s most powerful attacks.

* **Axe Breaker**: the user performs a handstand and unleashes an upward axe kick behind them, creating a shockwave on impact.

* **Critical Flurry**: the user unleashes a series of powerful kicks so fast they create afterimages, creating a flurry of shockwaves with the force.

* **Retaliatory War Formation**: the user unleashes several powerful shockwaves, similar to Shatter, simultaneously, aiming them at the opponent.

* **Branching Impact**: the user performs a downward strike onto the ground to form an expanding shockwave attack.

* **Cyclone Wind, Revolving Currents**: the user performs a series of kicks with their legs in a flowing motion and finishes with an upward kick, propelling the opponent into the air.

* **Chaotic Outburst**: the user unleashes a flurry of shockwaves and slashes in an omni directional defense, reserved only as a last resort. Because it requires an immense amount of concentration, speed, and precision to perform accurately, and it is rarely used. This was fast enough to even negate Mara Moran's Calming Splash, a fighting technique that maximizes the user's defensive capabilities.

Demonstrations