Tower of Endless: Death Granted Entry

In an instant, his body was surrounded by eight red, glowing blade glares made of pure Echo.

"Wow!" Moon exclaimed. "That’s cool."

Ed nodded. "I’m ready," he said as he stood up, walking back into the ring.

Moon sealed the helmet back on his face. His hand slid to his back, securing the hilt of Liquid Mountain. "That took too long." He unsheathed it slowly.

His Echo floated to his right, ready to move.

Ed’s own hand found the blade on his back—

SCHWING~

Unsheathing it in an instant. It was a blade that had a handle long enough to be used with both hands, slightly curved, but with a thick body.

"That’s a cool blade," Moon praised, studying it for a moment.

"I know, I made it." Ed nodded. "Yours is cool too."

"It is, guess it’s different fighting with a blade you made yourself," Moon said, his eyes still studying the weapon.

"You’ll have to find out for yourself in the future," Ed said, taking a stance.

Moon didn’t say another word; he also lowered Liquid Mountain.

The two of them stood still, far apart, unmoving.

For a moment, neither moved.

The eight glares around Ed returned to his body, and at that moment—

Shua~

He waved his blade, sending a glare at Moon.

Moon extended his left hand... wanting to meet the Echo head-on as he did with Dara.

But the threat he felt from the glare didn’t feel like something he should defend against with his bare hands.

Ding!

"Ah, dammit!" Moon cursed. His extended hand didn’t waver, but his floating Echo moved between the glare and his own flesh.

Moon, with Echo in his hand, met the glare and swatted it away.

THOOM~

Moon watched the aftermath of the attack exploding at the edge of the ring. "Hell, are you trying to kill me?"

He swallowed.

Ed’s face didn’t change. "Isn’t that what you’re worried about?"

"What are you—" Moon’s uncertain voice trailed off.

Ed wasn’t done. "Don’t you feel like:

’Will I make it?’’Will I be able to win?’’Can I live through this bullshit?’’Everyone is a monster!’

"Don’t you keep asking yourself these questions, feeling every day that you won and came this far through luck or coincidence?

"Every day you think of running away, finding a way to return to the hell-like first floor, just so you can feel safe again, so you understand what exactly you are fighting."

Moon started shaking; a shiver ran through his body. "How do you know?"

"That’s another problem; you act like you’re the first to face these questions," Ed verbally attacked.

"You’re by far stronger than that lousy oaf, though," Moon tried to defend himself through his own achievements.

He was trying to say that Ed was by far stronger than the average ascender on the same level based on that simple exchange they just had.

"The oaf you speak of was the star of two clans. If he’d lived long enough, he would have made a great name in the Tower," Ed corrected Moon.

"What are you talking about?" Moon asked skeptically. "He used everything he had, tools and weird abilities," he explained.

"You think it was a weird ability, but it was his gift... a gift that allowed his Echo to return instantly," Ed explained, before adding, "And that star was killed by you. His universal armor, his combat arts, and infinite Echo didn’t save him."

Moon’s eyes widened under the helmet. "What do you—"

"You stupid kid, this is your problem." Ed shook his head. "You think highly of yourself for a second, before throwing everything in the trash the next day, questioning everything."

Ed cut the air with his blade twice.

The glare every time was very thin, but Moon couldn’t negate how threatening it was. He didn’t need to see the value Fate Alert gave to feel it.

A lesser amount of Echo, but more concentrated and by far more threatening.

"I’ll show you the peak of the second floor power index," Ed announced.

Moon was confused for a moment, but he brought his hand forward with Echo, swatting the first glare before tilting his body, letting the second vertical one pass by.

Once he did—

Ed was already at the corner of his eye; his blade, held with both hands, glowed as it descended on Moon’s head.

Moon’s arm whipped forward, Liquid Mountain meeting the strike head-on.

Realizing Ed was no longer playing around, Moon blew out his pent-up breath and attacked.

Liquid Mountain whipped at Ed’s neck.

Ed rotated his wrist, bringing his blade up to block. His other hand glowed red, forming a blade aimed at Moon’s neck.

Moon shifted his body, leaning backward and pulling his blade’s trajectory down with him... Now aiming at Ed’s large belly instead.

Not only that, but he also extended the distance between Ed’s hand and his own neck.

Leaving a question trailing in the silence... Which would hit first, Moon’s blade or Ed’s Echo?

Ed instantly stepped back; both his hand and Moon’s attack missed.

"You brat, taking advantage of my bad shape?" Ed said, patting his belly twice.

Moon rubbed the top of his helmet. "Oh... sorry about that; it was the closest thing I could attack," Moon answered truthfully.

His straightforward answer made Ed roll his eyes as he looked up; his eyes pierced through the dome of Echo, where Lucen was watching.

The two made brief eye contact.

Lucen shook his head. "Are you proud of him, or proud that you managed to hide his spar with Samuel from me?" he asked.

Ed’s hearing caught his words just fine. "You should be ashamed for missing this opportunity I offered," he replied. "Considering you even tried to poach him in secret."

"His battle wits are exceptional, that much I will say," Lucen admitted. "His style is questionable."

Moon, who wasn’t aware of the ongoing conversation, attacked first this time.

With a sudden dash, his blade made a perfect vertical line, falling on Ed’s head.

Ed’s blade moved clockwise, glowing red, meeting the attack.

Clang~

There and then, they started exchanging melee attacks without mercy.

Ed, with his blade in his right hand and the Echo blade in his left hand, fought against Moon with Liquid Mountain and the round lump of Echo in his left.

Moon attacked with his right and defended with his left without fail.

Ed used both hands in a more fluid way, his body supported by Echo and his weapon reinforced; his attacks were a beat faster than Moon’s.

Moon made up for the lack of power with more feints, fake attacks, and the nature of Liquid Mountain that allowed it to whip forward.

Whenever Ed tried to make distance between them, Moon pressed forward even if it put him at a disadvantage.

Ed couldn’t help smiling in excitement. "You kid sure are crazy."

Clang~

The two stepped away from one another after another exchange.

"Huff huff, does this seal, huff, affect your stamina?" Moon asked, catching his breath.

It was a short, sudden high burst of power that didn’t achieve what was originally intended. Moon had tried his best to overwhelm Ed with his own specialty.

"It does, but my body is supported with Echo in every move; it won’t be as bad for me as it is for you," Ed explained with a wide smile.

He rested his blade on his shoulder. "Want a moment to catch your breath?"

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