A Wanderer's Lies

"What happened here?"

Standing in the middle of Ashton City's forest…no, maybe forest wasn't the best way to describe it.

The Golden Five stood in a clearing devoid of any trees or plant life that once crowded this area.

If the shattered and scattered pieces of wood weren't enough to indicate the destruction that occurred in this area, the dozen craters in the ground definitely supported this theory.

"This is most likely where the explosion originated from," Lucy noted, earning nods from the others.

"I don't feel anyone near us. Whoever was behind this all is long gone." Cain added.

As he said this, the others fell into a loud silence as they looked at each other.

"Well…we know who was here." Jett voiced what the others were thinking.

"No…it can't be. I mean, he's too…he's an F-Ranker, for god's sake." Amara retorted, stammering as she blurted out her thoughts.

"You're right, it seems highly unlikely. But now that I think about it, what do we really know about him? Other than the fact that he uses Nen and is capable with his hands, who knows anything about who he is…what he's capable of." 

Lucy spoke as the logical individual.

The others once again remained silent as Amara still rejected this notion as evidenced by her scoff.

"So what are you saying?" Cain asked, far more open-minded than Amara.

"Well, though I wouldn't like to rule out anything, I don't think it would be right to go as far as to suggest he was the intruder or anything of the sort." 

Cain nodded. He, too, agreed with this.

"However, I do think there's more to Isaac." 

Cain looked around, seeing Amara's expression speak volumes as she continued to silently reject this theory.

As he looked to the side, he noticed a white-haired girl looking down at her feet as if she were deep in thought.

Additionally, Eli, too, looked as if he was present, but Cain could see from his eyes that his mind was absent.

"What do you guys think?" Cain asked them both.

They were the only people who hadn't voiced their opinion. And now that Cain thought about it, they hadn't spoken on the trip here either.

"W-What? Ah, yes. I don't know much about him. It wouldn't be right for me to make an assumption." 

Eli returned to his usual stern self as he answered with a reply that seemed plausible to the others.

"That's fair. What about you, Ava?"

Ava, her bright smile plastered on her face raised her head, replying in a pleasant tone.

"I'm not sure. This is all so overwhelming. What I do know is that we might need to find Daniel soon. It's been a while since you last contacted him." 

Cain seemed as though he'd just realised something as he nodded.

"You're right. With everything going on in this forest, it'd be better if we go meet him as quickly as possible." 

"I think that's for the best. We can't hope to find anything else here." Lucy added.

After a few seconds, the others collectively agreed as they prepared to head toward where they came from.

"Ava, what's wrong with you? You've been acting off ever since yesterday." Amara walked closer to Ava as she whispered.

Ava waved her hands as she laughed awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry. It's just that…I've been feeling a little nervous about confronting the intruder again. What if one of you gets hurt." 

Amara soon sighed as she gave a warm smile. She'd suspected something like this was what was bothering her.

"I knew it. Don't worry, if something does happen, all of us know you'll bring us back from the dead if you have to. Just leave the rest to us." 

Ava soon joined Amara in her bright smile as she nodded her head.

Beside them, Eli wore a strong expression as he looked ahead.

'What is this all about?' 

Behind him, Jett trodden slowly.

'The intruder…'

He thought as if he'd just realised something.

***

"Tsk" 

Isaac clicked his teeth as he stared at Daniel preparing for battle before him with an annoyed expression.

It wasn't because he was worried about revealing his strength. 

No, for some reason, his usual precaution that came with the strong feeling of…fear in his gut was gone.

For some reason, he cared much less.

Currently, he has one goal in his mind.

Reach Aizen and Zach.

But the more he wasted his time here, the further they got.

He couldn't waste any more time.

Therefore, without thinking twice, he took a deep breath, controlling the overwhelming thoughts and feelings he was currently drowning in.

As he did, Daniel lunged from his position, his eyes sharp as he drew closer to the amber-eyed boy.

'Ryu is still too hard for me without the Scarlet Eyes active.' 

He thought, and so…

"Ren."

-BANG

Daniel stood before Isaac, swinging his dominant hand with devastating power, his brass knuckles slicing through the air.

However…

-THUD

Isaac weaved the punch, drawing closer as he grabbed Daniel's arm and closer, turning his body as he pulled his opponent, throwing him over his shoulder and smashing him into the ground.

"KHR!" 

The air was knocked out of Daniel's lungs as he widened his eyes.

The attack itself didn't hurt him much, but the shock of what had just happened played over and over in his mind like a broken record.

'H-How?' 

As he asked himself this, he witnessed Isaac raise his leg, preparing a powerful axe kick.

-BANG

Daniel dashed out from under the attack as Isaac's heel smashed into the ground.

However as Isaac watched this, he slightly widened his eyes as he noticed something.

'He's using Nen.' 

Isaac noted.

It wasn't just Nen either.

It was Nen that looked…no, felt almost identical to Isaac's.

Daniel's Ren was what gave him barely enough speed to escape the attack.

The only difference Isaac could note was the fact Daniel's Nen was about a single level higher than Isaac's, at level 5.

Though Isaac didn't know what this was, he couldn't help but think this had something to do with Daniel's eyes.

They'd changed to red pupils with white lines adorned on it, forming a pattern.

But Isaac wasn't able to focus on this for long as Daniel had already confronted him considerably faster than before, and his expression was focused, angry or determined. 

Isaac couldn't tell.

Daniel, his defence tight as a result of being caught off guard previously, closed in, throwing a cross once again.

This time, Isaac saw no opening as he simply blocked with his forearm.

-BANG

-CRACK

Isaac scowled upon experiencing the power of the blow. The attack was far too powerful for Isaac's Ren to handle.

But this didn't disheart Isaac. 

From that single punch, Isaac could tell.

He could tell Daniel was a raw fighter, only with the Hand-to-Hand perk that he'd levelled up, like Isaac.

But if Isaac had learned anything from his past experiences and Wayne, it was that hand-to-hand fighting didn't come down to just the level of the perk.

It was more than that.

And so, Isaac threw a punch, prepared to feint and…

-BANG

Daniel's pointed brass knuckles cracked over the side of Isaac's face as the boy stumbled backwards, blood escaping his lips.

'That punch…it was identical to mine.'

The punch wasn't anything special.

Isaac had just put a little more power into it than usual to sell the feint.

However, before he could accomplish this, Daniel had dodged and countered in the same second.

It was more than just the simple speed of Ren.

Isaac stumbled backward trying his best to catch his footing but to no avail.

Therefore, he let himself fall, catching himself with his hands and using this momentum to swing his leg like a whip.

However, once again, Isaac witnessed a familiar move as Daniel grabbed Isaac's leg before it had reached its maximum stretch, swinging the boy over his shoulder.

-SMASH

Isaac struggled to catch his breath as he ricocheted off the ground.

He was denied a moment of respite as Daniel raised his leg, bringing it down as an axe kick.

-BANG

Isaac rolled out of the way, barely escaping as he jumped back to his feet.

As he did, Daniel refused to back down, cracking his fist in the middle of Isaac's face with a BANG.

But surprisingly, Isaac didn't move.

He stayed rooted in his position like a statue despite the clear damage the attack did to him as his nose gushed blood.

Instead, he raised his arm, grabbed Daniel's collar, and stared at his opponent with deadly eyes, mumbling, "I gotcha."

-BANG

Daniel didn't have anywhere to dodge as Isaac held tight, moving uncomfortably closer and smashing his forehead into Daniel's perfect face, seemingly breaking his nose.

"Worthless filth." 

Daniel muttered, swinging his head back and scowling.

Though Daniel didn't have many options to escape, neither did Isaac.

Therefore, he held onto the boy, returning the same attack.

-BANG

But unlike Daniel, Isaac once again showed no reaction as he kept staring at his opponent, his hand still holding on tight.

-BANG

As if he needed no time at all to recover, Isaac launched another headbutt, causing Daniel to stagger.

Despite this, the boy smirked.

"You think you can outlast me?" 

-BANG

Daniel hit back.

-BANG

Isaac returned the attack.

-BANG

-BANG

-BANG 

-BANG

The two continued, engaging in a relentless back and forth as Daniel's smirk slowly started to disappear.

It wasn't long after that he wore an expression of complete shock as if he'd seen a ghost, pausing for a second.

'What the hell is wrong with him?' 

In all this time, despite bleeding and the broken bones, Isaac hadn't shown any sign of pain.

His expression remained stern, his eyes glaring sharply as if he were a lion staring at his prey.

'Why…why won't he fall?' 

However, as Daniel faltered, Isaac took this chance as he breathed in sharply, striking Daniel with all his power.

-SMASH

Daniel winced in pain as he felt his vision dizzying.

And so, he tore off the collar on his shirt, leaping backwards as he dropped to one knee to regain his bearings.

As he did, he was surprised to see Isaac didn't follow him, still standing tall under the moon.

'What's his problem? It's like he doesn't feel pain at all.' 

Daniel thought.

As he did, he was interrupted.

"This is your last chance." 

Isaac spoke, his expression never changing as he did.

"Leave. Or I will kill you." 

Daniel narrowed his eyes. 

After everything he'd seen, these words held far more weight than before.

"Pathetic." Daniel spat after a few seconds.

He wasn't stupid. He had long since figured out what was going on with Isaac.

"You're pathetic. Where do you get the nerve to spout such bullshit after hiding your strength all this time." 

It was obvious after their fight. Daniel had concluded Isaac wasn't what he let people believe all this time.

"With your strength, you could rival the Golden Six, yet you let people walk all over you. You stay an F-ranker. Why?!" 

Dabiel glared at Isaac.

This student, this boy, was the opposite of everything he stood for.

So strong yet stayed weak. 

What was the point of that? 

He couldn't comprehend someone wanting to be at the bottom. It irked him to no end.

"Why? Do I need a reason? What do I care what the common bystander thinks of me? As long as I know I stand above the likes of you, all that's left is the day I can comfortably show you what it means…" 

Shadowy tendrils emerged from behind Isaac as it grew and pointed toward Daniel.

"...to be inferior." 

Daniel felt as though his heart had come to a stop as he widened his eyes.

Was that all he was?

A figure inferior to those who cared little about him and his opinion?

Daniel dug his fingers into the ground as he ground his teeth.

"Shut the hell up! Do you know who I am? I am Daniel Euro! I stand at the top! Everyone recognises me as the best!" 

Daniel struggled to his feet as the white in his eyes reddened, seeming as though he was pushing himself.

But more notably, identical tendrils grew from his back, expanding to the same length as Isaac.

As it did, he swung his arm, sending forth all three tails as they tore through the surrounding trees and ground as it went.

-SLAP

However, a single one of Isaac's tails rose, completely swallowing the other three in a single second upon making contact as Daniel was left with a gaping mouth.

'How… it's the same ability…what's going on?' 

As he was left stumped, Isaac outreached a single arm.

"I give you full control…Ravage, The Thing." 

Isaac muttered.

As he did, in the next second, it was as if the tails gained their own consciousness, moving like they were completely different entities from Isaac.

All three of them looked around, soon locking their sights on the student opposite them.

Daniel noticed this. For once throughout all this battle…he felt as though he was completely outmatched.

The three tails shot toward him.

Daniel snapped into action, leaping out from the way with the Ren he still had active.

However…

-SLAP

A tail appeared before Daniel, whipping him back to his original position as he dropped to the ground and let out a loud, "OOF!" 

He was unable to regain his bearings as a second tail slithered and coiled itself around his leg.

Seeing this, Daniel attempted to leap away…but his strength was gone.

His legs wouldn't listen to his brain and he was left slumped on the ground as if he were paralysed.

"W-What are you doing to me?!" He yelled but was given no reply as he witnessed Isaac simply watching this all as if he had no part in it.

-SMASH

Before Daniel could continue, a tail smashed into his gut, pummelling him into the ground.

-SMASH

A second slapped him across the face as he spat blood.

-SMASH 

-SMASH

-SMASH

-SMASH

As if The Thing was playing with its food, Daniel was continuously smashed and pummelled into the ground as he formed his own crater.

As this all happened, Isaac leisurely watched without an ounce of emotion on his face, his eyes cold as ice as he'd forfeited all control of the tails.

The continuous smashing was the only noise that echoed in the quiet forest as Daniel's grunts and groans had long ceased.

It wasn't until Isaac called back the Thing by concentrating more Nen in his abdomen.

As he did, regaining control over his tails, they loomed behind him as he trodden toward Daniel.

The once chiselled face of Daniel had been reduced to blood and bruises as he lay, barely conscious, his breathing hoarse.

Isaac walked closer, soon taking a seat on the downed student's chest, looking down at him, ignoring the hoarse breath that had gotten heavier after the pressure on his ribs.

"Where are they now?" Isaac mumbled as Daniel had barely heard these words.

"Where are the people who praised you? Those who recognised you as the best? Those who kissed your ass?" 

Though Daniel couldn't show it on his face, countless emotions boiled inside him despite the pain.

"It's only me and you. Out here, it comes down to survival of the fittest. Out here, I'm the Lion and you're the scared little Gazelle. Out here, where it matters, I am the king of the jungle."

Isaac's icy amber eyes seemingly glowed in the dark as Daniel watched as the moon loomed over him.

"S-Screw…you." Daniel was able to let out.

Isaac continued to stare, soon raising his hand as he extended his forefingers like his hand was a dagger.

"I made you a promise."

"What are you doing?!" 

Isaac paused, turning his head as he was met with six individuals, all staring at him, each with a different expression painted on their faces.

"Get off him!" 

Cain yelled, taking one more step forward as the others stayed close behind.

During all this, Isaac simply stared, his expression never changing.

In the next second, he let out a silent, "Tsk."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Next chapter title: He isn't an F-Ranker

NNext chapter title: We made an Oath!

NNNext chapter title: I'll kill you all!

I know there are some people who wanted Isaac to get zero damage and dominate, but...he's fighting someone possessed by a god...

Besides, who else besides Deidara can say they've sat on their fallen opponent.

If you don't wanna wait, check out the Patreon!

patreon.com/JustMYSTERY

Also, sorry for the late chapter.

And as usual...

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