"Power"

  "The powers that exist this world baffle even those that wield them"

  "Their might, the mechanism behind their use and their origin"

  "The world seeks answers to these mysteries but cannot find it because it tries to be logical about it"

  "Logic can never understand miracles"

  "Some call it a mutation"

  "Some call it evolution"

  "But the only ones that are right are those who think it's a blessing"

  "A blessing from a being beyond our meager existence"

  "A blessing from a god"

  "The law of name suggests that this blessing is not bestowed at random but follows a certain pattern"

  "It could be by direct meaning"

  "It could be by a story of the forgotten past"

  "It could even be through a silly wordplay but your name will affect a great aspect of your life and your power and no one gets to chose which aspect is affected."

  "As I spoke previously of my teacher's power, he is a market"

  "It is in the very core of his name"

  "There is almost nothing that can't be gotten in a market"

  "All that have a price eventually find their way there"

  "Such is what the man I'm speaking of is"

  "There is no skill, no technique, no art that he cannot perform"

  "There is nothing possible that he cannot do"

  "But Why hasn't he used any of his powers since the start of the match?" Ellie asked

  "The match would be much more easier if he did"

  Victor just looked at Ellie and shook his head.

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  "You're assuming that he wants an easy fight"

  "You're thinking the only thing he wants out of this match is winning"

  "So, what else does he have to gain from this match?" Ellie asked

  "I don't know" Victor replied

  "But he's always seeking things beyond our expectations"

  With his opponent hovering in the air and launching attacks him, Orie found himself running around the arena with barely any opening to strike back. His opponent was also having a hard time with him as none of her attacks could land a clear hit. No matter how many icicles were shot at Orie or how fast they were shot at him, all they managed to do was to ruin his outfit.

  Soon Orie began to see snowflakes, they were a bit larger than usual but he didn't think anything of it until he realized that he was seeing them in the middle of a fight. The snowflakes that were seemingly falling down suddenly stopped midair and started to spin at high speeds. Orie looked around him and saw thousands of them spinning in the air he knew exactly what he was supposed to do... run.

  It was not even a question of whether he could find an opening to attack or not, it was already a miracle that he could fend off the attacks that were coming at him. Even in all his previous fights, no one had seen Orie being pushed back this much.

  He was pushed to a corner and his opponent had barely broken a sweat yet he refused to pull any of his tricks. No gust of wind from his enemy's blind spot, no ball of flame appearing from nowhere, no sudden vanishing act, just him, his staff and pure martial arts. All that noticed this this began to ask questions about why he would choose to fight in such a manner when it put him at a great disadvantage that he already was. There were only a few that knew why and the reason was simple. He wasn't using his craft because he had spent all his energy in pushing out Chris' poison from his body; in other words, he couldn't. His failed attempt to keep Natsumi under control also drained a lot out of him and left him worse than he already was.

  Not many were aware of Orie's plight, they all just thought he was trying to show off. The truth is that he was, he was trying to show of to Natsumi; not the Natsumi that everyone knew but the one that was trying to kill him and this situation had given him the perfect opportunity to do so.

  With all known factors considered, the battle seemed to be at a stalemate with Natsumi having a bit of an upper hand as she was yet to receive any significant blow from her opponent. Ever since she began hovering in the air, Orie had not been able to get to her. As she watched Orie struggle with the snowflakes she had sent his way, she said to herself "What did we see that made us fall for this man?"

  "The way he struggles is pathetic"

  "His weakness is an eyesore"

  "There is barely any power in him yet he wants to challenge the strong"

  "Just watching him makes me sick"

  "It annoys me"

  "It..."

  A sudden gust of wind brushed past Natsumi as she was barely able to dodge what Orie sent her way. She didn't see him throw anything, she just saw him swing his staff and felt it within her that she had to get out of the way. Orie's swings had begun sending waves through the air.

  Right from the start of the match till this point in time, Orie had not once stopped spinning his staff. He kept swirling and twirling it non-stop and the build up of force was enough to send waves through the air. So it wasn't just that he was wielding a special staff, he was wielding a special staff in a special way.

  Just before he started shooting wind blasts at his opponent, Orie fell into a trance like state. He was both conscious and actively aware of his surroundings but at the same time, he saw a vision. He saw a man that looked to him like a farmer of the old days holding an ox goad and standing before an army of over six hundred well equipped soldiers.

  "Ahh" Orie sighed gleefully

  "So this is what she gave me"

  "Not even I can tell how old this is"

  "Even the things I know to be from of old would consider it ancient"

  "A weapon so ancient and powerful, yet it only asks for one thing in return"

  "FAITH"

  Orie wasn't out of options but the staff provided a much better plan than he already had. What he was most grateful for was that fact that he could save his last great trick for later.