High Mountains, Flowing Waters[Kenichi, Vanyel]

Vanyel's eyes widened slightly, a bit surprised at the sudden shift, but, he was quick to adapt, bringing his arms to cover himself, his energy reacting and adapting alongside him. The damage itself was dampened, but he certainly still felt the sting as the debris connected, forcing him back.

Though he managed to keep himself standing, Kenichi's characteristic relentlessness didn't give him much time to recover. As he sensed the movement of his energy signature, Vanyel didn't have time to adjust his stance before the axe-kick came down. However, while his body wasn't fast enough, the energy coursing through him was able to pool at the impact area.

The hit still made him flinch, and it certainly hurt and did some damage, but he was able to mitigate a portion of it. But, that still didn't make him lose spirit. Vanyel found himself grinning as he forced Kenichi's leg off him while leaping up at the same time, striking forward with the bottom half of his palm. Despite the gentle, oceanic flow that his energy had when trying to defend, it just as quickly switched, channeling and pooling into his hand, coating it with gold-yellow as a wave of energy erupted from his palm.

He could feel the pressure of their energies clashing alongside their palms, the interruption and counter only causing Vanyel's grin to grow even wider. As Kenichi's energy rotated and erupted to try and push him back, Vanyel found himself sliding backward, leaning forward slightly to shift his weight and keep himself from falling backward. However, as he came to a stop, his body lurched backward, and Vanyel adapted accordingly. His arms moved, and, in a move that was surprisingly flashy, yet elegant, Vanyel flipped backward and onto his feet.

Upon hearing the name of the technique and seeing the surge of golden light, Vanyel took a stance that reinforced his lower body. The Yellow Dragon, a symbol of the center of the universe, of power and authority. In wuxing, it was the symbol of earth - relentless, stubborn, and stability.

As that golden energy bloomed, Vanyel's energy surged along with it, a golden aura surrounding him as he braced himself for the attack, adjusting his footwork. Energy coated his body internally as much as it did externally, hardening and reinforcing himself as the attack encompassed him, pushing him backward.

Even as the concussive blast made his ears ring, as well as making his body and the arena tremble in response, Vanyel remained upright, his lower body tensing. His mind continued to focus on the idea of the Yellow Dragon, what it represented from home. He needed to be strong, resilient, stable,

Channel that into my stance, my body, my energy!

Eventually, the pushback stopped, and Vanyel took a step forward. Then another. Slowly, Vanyel pushed onward. It was a struggle, and it was no easy task to even take steps forward. Frankly, it was a miracle that he was even able to still stand outside of sheer willpower. He could hear and feel his muscles and bones creaking from the strain.

Yet, with a triumphant yell, Vanyel forced his body past its usual limits, that golden aura surging bright as he slowly redirected the attack, forcing it downward. Free from the strain of Kenichi's technique, Vanyel surged forward to close the distance, running along the extension of the emitted energy. But, rather than use another typical move, when he got close, he'd suddenly turn his shoulder and charge forward, intent on crashing down into his opponent.

Energy coated his body, making the tetsuzanko feel rough and course, as if a boulder had suddenly barreled into him. If there was one thing Kenichi knew of Vanyel, it was that he was stubborn to no end. Even after everything that he had gone through, he still stood tall, a fire in his eyes that screamed for victory.

He knew that Kenichi would never settle for anything less than his absolute best, and Vanyel was the same way. That was how they always did things. Whenever it came to fighting one another, they both always went full throttle until they couldn't go any further. So, as Kenichi became bathed in his own yellow aura, a shroud of crystal-clear gold enveloped Vanyel's own body.

Just like before, he focused his energy, inspired even further from the sheer power he could feel from his sworn brother. Huanglong, the Yellow Dragon, center of the universe, symbol of the Earth, the Sun, stability. That course, rough aura of energy erupted from him, causing waves of air pressure to rocket from all around him. As Kenichi launched himself from the roof, Vanyel funneled all of his energy into not just his fist, but his entire body as he kicked off the floor, hurling himself toward the other martial artist.

As the two's fists clashed, the two golden auras did as well, an eruption of power causing even more waves of pressure to propel from them. Every fiber of his body and soul screamed to withstand and overcome, to weather the storm. Unconsciously, his body had been slowly adapting to the energy that was thrown at him, allowing him to become more resilient toward it, but the sheer determination and raw spiritual essence behind Kenichi's fist still brought forth a seemingly insurmountable challenge.

Yet, there was something else that drove him today: love. Violet was in the audience, watching him right now.

The fact that she was there, the fact that she loved him and he loved her, it gave him a new strength, one that he hadn't felt in years. Knowing that she loved him, it made him feel like he could do the impossible. It made him feel like he could take on the world, no matter what happened. No matter how difficult the road was ahead, he knew that he would still blaze the path ahead with every ounce of stubbornness he always had.

With all the people he had by his side, his experience, and his own inner strength, there was not a single part of his soul that would willingly yield.

The two men's cries of battle were eventually drowned out in the radiant gold, the light growing brighter and brighter, until there was an explosion between the two fighters. Gold-yellow and ash-grey mixed together as the sounds of combat finally began to die down. The crowd waited with bated breath for the dust to settle...

...to reveal the white-haired dragon on his hands and knees. He was evidently exhausted, his clothes mired in dirt, grime, and mildly torn. However, despite the winner being apparent, there was still a fire in his eyes, a smile on his face, and a weak, but still bright and proud golden aura that surrounded him.