Smart Tooru / not-dense Tooru / powerful – eventually godlike Tooru

Exception Tooru / Powerful Harem / Evolving Blaze

Harem: Julie Sigtuna, Tomoe Tachibana, Miyabi Hotaka, Lilith Bristol, Rito Tsukumi, Sakuya Tsukumo, Imari Nagakura, possible OC's

Note: There are numerous variations of the protagonist's name that are used in the story, I personally will usually use Tooru as his name. Some people prefer Thor or Tōr however and I understand that, if you would like to see a certain pronunciation be used please say so in your reviews.

There shall be OC's in this simply because of the fact that I want to keep a certain cast of characters involved in the story and giving them a partner is necessary (Imari), they will mostly be secondary characters however. This story is a harem, as is the actual series. I might add an OC harem member later on, but don't hold your breath. The protagonist is not romantically dense and will get his girls in this.

Warning: This chapter and subsequent story is to be rated accordingly for language, suggestive themes, violence, and potential gore. If at some point I do decide to incorporate lemons they shall likely be in their own separate story instead in order to not hinder the viewing pleasure of others, or I will give fair warning to their inclusion in a chapter, the romance and subsequent relationships though will still remain in the story…

Official Disclaimer: I do not own Absolute Duo or any referenced or related works in that may appear in this story. If there ever is an OC inclusion in this or any of my stories, the resemblance of a name and/or physical appearance to anyone living or deceased is completely coincidental. The right of any pictures or art I will ever use go to their respective owners, if said artist would like the picture removed from my profile or story, for that is where it would most likely be, please say so instead of jumping to conclusions of infringement.

Note: This chapter has been edited for quality assurance purposes. 11/20/2015 – Cuddly Cat

Chapter I

Welcome to the rest of your life

~x~

Tooru Kokonoe was currently sitting on a bench in the middle of the flower gardens of the school he was supposed to attend, Koryo Academy High School.

Tooru was a young man with short, dark, chocolate brown hair and golden sharp eyes. He was quite tall for his age and usually had a kind demeanor and a friendly yet care-free personality about him that made him oddly approachable. He was currently wearing the standard Koryo Academy boy's uniform consisting of a white dress shirt with a black jacket over it and blue pants. A navy blue tie finishing the ensemble exquisitely and offering an air elegance about him.

He was presently looking at a strangely shaped metal shield that was attached to his left arm. It being in a flame design and having golden veins running across the upper portion of it, it mimicking the blaze of flames as it pulsed with energy.

It was his Blaze, a genetically engineered ability that allowed him to materialize an item born from his soul, it was both the key to his future…

…and his greatest failure.

His Blaze was categorized as an irregularity, an anomaly when it came to Blaze's as all Blaze had always been weapons, his being the sole exception. A Blaze with no apparent combat value whatsoever, it's like the world could not get enough of screwing him over.

'But I won't give up, I have adapted, and found a way around my shortcomings. I won't lose.' He thought determinedly as he got up from the bench and went to go to the school's entrance ceremony that was starting soon.

As he was walking to the school through the sakura trees that made up the entrance walkway he came upon quite the wondrous sight. A cute girl looking curiously at the sakura blossoms, the way she was observing them being as if she had never before seen such a thing, which considering her foreign appearance might hold more truth than not.

She was a beautiful young girl that had silver white hair that reached all the way down to her hips with two black ribbon bells woven into her hair. She had a petite lithe figure, her pale skin being as white as snow and as smooth as porcelain. Her gorgeous hypnotizing ruby red eyes holding an innocent gleam to them that made him almost want to berate himself at the thoughts running rampant through his mind at the moment. The way she stood and walked being of such elegance that it simply employed dignity and nobility in her every movement. If her walking was art then so was her body, like a doll crafted from the finest porcelain one could not help but wonder at how truly fragile she was. The whole image with her surrounded by sakura blossoms was enough to momentarily strike him speechless.

'Cute…' was the predominant thought in his mind as he simply gazed at her for a few seconds. She briefly glancing towards him for but a moment before simply walking away.

After a few seconds he finally managing to slightly reclaim his composure.

'Wow and that was only the first girl I saw here and she was that cute, I guess this place can't be that bad after all – I hope we have the same class together.' he thought hopefully

"So that's what people mean by a cute young thing!" he heard someone say from behind him, this startling him slightly as he realized that he was not the only one that had been staring in surprise at the girl from earlier.

As he turned around he came to find her statement ironic as he came face to face with a cute young girl with golden brown hair and vibrant green eyes. She having her hair tied into a long ponytail with a green ribbon that matched her eyes perfectly. She had fair skin and a fairly curvaceous frame. Her features were soft and delicate, yet her eyes were hopeful and determined, showing vast reserves of inner strength that lied within her. She like all other girls was wearing the standard female academy school uniform.

"You're new here too right? Why don't we walk together?" she asked in quick succession

Seeing no reason to deny her request, as what guy in their right mind would, he decided to comply.

"So this is Koryo Academy High School" Tooru remarked as they walked through the front gates of the inner portion of the school, he looking around curiously at everything along with the girl.

"An all-expenses-paid academy with free room and board, established by the Dorn Agency – it's like a dream come true!" Imari said excitedly

"I mean do you know what that means exactly, an all-expenses-paid with free lodging? That is amazing! Just think about it, free food, free rent, a free high school level education! You can't go wrong with free!" the girl said quite exuberantly, stars in her eyes as she looked at everything around her in wonder.

He could only smile at that as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he observed her, he not being sure how to react to such an energetic person.

"I guess you can't" he responded quite lamely getting the girl's attention once more

"Actually I'm the only one here from my middle school, so I was a little nervous. I'm happy to have met you though, I usually struggle with meeting new people, but you're great company!" she said happily as she graced him with a smile

She suddenly flinched after she stopped talking "Sorry if I talk too much, I tend to talk a lot and I know that most people think of it as quite annoying." she apologized near the end as she caught herself. She offering a short bow to him by ways of apology, momentarily surprising him at that.

"Oh no, not at all, please speak your mind. In fact it's quite helpful, I have been quite nervous about all this myself." He admitted making her look at him curiously at that

"You see I'm the only one from my middle school here as well, and I have been quite on edge ever since I came here. Frankly, talking with you has let me relax a bit, it's nice to find that some of the people here are just everyday people like you and me. The way they worded it to me was like this was some huge military academy" he said seriously, making her chuckle at that

"Well we are supposed to be studying combat techniques here, right?" she asked as they walked by a large coliseum like arena, the sounds of battle and weapons clashing sounding off inside.

"Uh-huh" he said simply as they both looked towards the grand looking arena

"Oh, I haven't even introduced myself!" she said suddenly, breaking him out of his stupor

"I'm Imari Nagakura. I hope to have a fun three years with you here as your potential future classmate!" she said in a bubbly tone of voice as she extended her hand to him for a handshake, making him smile at that.

"Tooru Kokonoe. It's a pleasure to meet you Nagakura and I hope we can be friends" he said to her as he shook her hand making her smile at the last bit.

"If we're going to be friends then please call me Imari" she said happy at the prospect of a new friend

"Then please call me Tooru" he replied with a good natured smile, she smiling back at him at how accepting he was of her already.

An announcement suddenly sounded off stating that the opening ceremony would begin soon in the study hall from the intercom, breaking them out of their little moment as they realized they were still holding onto each others hands. They looking away embarrassedly at that as they broke apart.

"Ano, I guess we should get going" she said as she made to leave with him in tow

"Actually, I think I am going to wait a bit before heading there, I want to see what all this is about" he said as he gestured towards the arena

"You sure?" she asked, she sounding a bit… disappointed at that

"Yeah, we still have half an hour until the ceremony so it should be fine" he said as he looked at his wristwatch

"You go on ahead I will catch up to you later, alright" he said with a kind smile at her, making her nod slowly at that before he made to turn around – only for her to latch out and grab his wrist halting him in his tracks.

"A-arigato" she said softly, he turning around only to find her with her head down as she addressed him, her bangs hiding her eyes from view.

"For what?"

"For being there, I really needed that, ever since I came here I have been really down as most people would simply ignore me or find me annoying. I'm glad… I'm glad to call you my first friend Tooru." she said as she looked up at him, a sincere smile on her face, surprising him for a second before his eyes softened and a soft smile of his own found its way onto his lips.

"The pleasure is all mine Imari," he said softly to her "The pleasure is all mine…"

After that they parted as he headed for the coliseum and she for the ceremony, each bearing a great deal of respect for one another, their thoughts on the other as they each headed to their destinations.

Grand Overture

~x~

"Well that was a total waste of time" Tooru said angrily as he walked towards the entrance ceremony, a bit angry at the total disappointment that the arena had truly been.

'I mean seriously, if I wanted to simply see people repeatedly try to hit each other I would just watch it on TV or something. That was not even the worst part either, who the hell swings a sword like a baseball bat!?' he thought angrily

'I mean you would think half these people did not even know what sword or individual weapon styles were, or even what a simple stance was.'

'Most of them don't even understand the concept of defending, their idea of defense is simply meeting an attack head on with their own, bunch of idiots' he thought angrily as he kicked a rock

'But I guess it was cool to see all the different types of Blaze out there, they really do vary a lot from person to person' he pondered as he thought back on all the different Blazes he had seen and the different unique people that wielded them... even if they sucked at doing so.

He truly had to admit Blaze's were really interesting things, the idea itself sounded almost silly and cliché when he first heard of it. A weapon made from someone's soul, it just sounded like something almost idealistic in its concept. But, there was just something about holding one of them in your hands, it was as if you were making a physical construct of all your hopes and dreams. The feeling needless to say was beyond anything he had ever experienced before, it felt as if nothing was impossible to achieve while wielding it, as if everything was within reach.

"Ah" he voiced out in slight surprise as he noticed he had arrived at his destination. A sign with the words "Koryo Academy Opening Ceremony" propped by the entrance.

'Five minutes to spare huh?' he thought as he gazed at his wristwatch, that was a little close for his taste, but at least he had gotten a bit of insight on what to expect at this school. If what he had seen at the arena was any indication combat was a pretty big part of life here. So it would not be that out of place to hold an exhibition match or something during the ceremony to give the students a taste of what was to come.

He walked into the study hall only to momentarily stop surprised at the extravagant décor inside the building.

'And this is just a study hall!' he thought in disbelief as he observed the large room.

The room had four large glass chandeliers that fit well with the style of the room. The main colors were white and cream for the room, the roof was curved and had a cut out in the middle that had glass panels in place to allow more natural lighting to filter through. The room had red drapes for the windows and stage, and the walkways were painted red as well. There were two sections that he assumed were normally occupied by tables that were currently filled with a number of elegant white chairs that were occupied by the new students that were meant to attend this school year. There appeared to also be columns supporting an unused upper level that had a number of empty red seats. Finally there was a line of teachers standing in front of stage.

'Wow' he thought in shock as he looked around in wonder 'Usually most schools hold their opening ceremonies in gymnasiums or if the school has one an auditorium, but this school really goes all out. Well it is an academy after all.' He thought passively as he looked around the crowd spotting both the cute silver haired girl from earlier as well as his new friend Imari.

Imari seemed to notice him too as she waved towards him, making him wonder if she was actually waiting for him to show up this entire time.

He then came to notice that the seats next to her were taken making him frown a bit at that as the sole contact he had in this entire school was cut off. He looked back towards the cute silver haired girl from earlier to see the same case applied making his frown deepen further, those were the only people he really liked in this school so far.

He sighed as he took a seat near two guys near the back of the room, one had black hair with a bowl cut hair-style and wore glasses, while the other was a muscular teen that had spiky brown hair. He offered them an awkward smile and sat down in the vacant chair in between the two, the black haired teen ignoring him, while the other teen gave him an acknowledging nod.

They then both looked back at the stage as the lights slightly dimmed, this being quite ineffective due to the natural lighting but getting the point across as almost everyone quieted down and looked towards the stage.

They then all saw something that left several students in a state of bafflement, as what could only be described as a black haired gothic lolita with amethyst colored eyes walked across the stage and to the microphone.

Said girl wore an elegant gothic style dress, it being black with white frills, along with an accompanying head dress with a pink rose on either side. Her black hair was set into twin pigtails that reached all the way to her hips, with them curling near the bottom slightly. Her rather dainty and delicate appearance along with her pale-white skin making her almost look like a doll. All in all she was really cute.

"Welcome new students to Koryo Academy. I am the Academy president, Sakuya Tsukumo" the dark haired lolita said to the assembled group, she surprising most of the audience that had not met her at the news.

'Wow, we must have the cutest academy president ever. An academy president is basically like a principal right? She is hands down the cutest principal I have ever seen. I mean just look at her, she is just so tiny. She obviously must be pretty mature and is likely older than me though if she is the academy president. Fake loli then, isn't this false advertising? I wonder how old she really is?' he thought intently as he gazed at her with undying scrutiny

"We shall now perform our traditional Screening Rite" Sakuya said, confusing most of the audience at that.

"First, please take note of the person sitting beside you; he or she shall be your partner." She explained, hushed whispers breaking out at the announcement. At this Tooru looked to both his left and right confusedly, unsure of who exactly would be his partner as he did not know which one she was referring to. The spiky brown haired guy to his left was presently smiling at him and talking to the other guy next to him, while the black haired guy with glasses simply continued to ignore him.

"And now…you are to battle your partner. The person beside you is now your enemy." She announced surprising most of the audience at such a thing.

The moment the last word left her mouth Tooru's arm instantly lashed out as he elbowed the black haired boy with glasses next to him in the gut, all the while having never looked away from the stage or Sakuya. The blow knocking the wind out of the teen as he suddenly blasted backwards colliding with two other guys that were positioned behind him, knocking all three unconscious – this leaving everyone in the room in a state of shock. The guy with spiky brown hair sitting next to him looking at him nervously, knowing full well that could have been him.

Meanwhile his expression had not changed in the slightest, he drawing back his arm back onto his lap as he folded his hands together and continued looking forward towards the stage.

Even Sakuya looked a bit surprised at that, not having expected such a reaction from anyone in the assembled group like that, and it seemed to be the irregular as well to have done so.

'Interesting' she thought as a small smile formed on her face as she regained her composure.

"Oh-ho, a little eager aren't we, I never stated for the fight to begin boy. I haven't even explained the rules or instructions yet," she said dangerously as she narrowed his eyes at him, he looking nonplussed at that.

"Pardon me, it's just as per your statement my enemy was sitting right beside me, distracted. I simply moved in order to remove the threat as quickly as possible, I would not desire someone that would wish to impart harm upon me to be within arm's distance. It's not safe for their health as you can see" he said as he gestured to the small pile of teens behind him

Her smile actually seemed to widen a bit at that, she liked this kid, she liked him a lot.

"Be that as it may, you may wish to know the rules of engagement prior to doing so, don't you think?" she asked calmly with a raised brow, getting an understanding look from the boy at that.

"Of course, pardon my haste my lady, you are indeed correct, please continue." he said as he bowed his head towards her respectfully, this prompting her to nod in his direction as she continued – several people still looking at him warily.

"Now as I was saying before, the person beside you is now your enemy…" she reiterated once more, this immediately making Tooru's head snap to the spiky brown haired guy next to him, a bloodthirsty grin on face. The teen immediately looking away with anime tears coming down his cheeks as he knew it was all over.

"Only the winners will be permitted entrance, losers will have their Lukifer's removed and will leave the premises." she explained making many people voice their outrage at that.

"This is the first I've heard of this!" shouted someone from the crowd

"What type of rule is that? This is news to me!" said another guy in the crowd

"But we already got our acceptance letters and passed the initial exam isn't that enough?" voiced someone else

"A battle, here? But that's impossible, this is a school isn't it?" stated a girl nervously, their previous shock at the earlier event being replaced by their current outrage.

"If your individual battles are not completed within ten minutes, both students will be given failing marks and asked to leave." Sakuya continued above the din of the crowd.

"Wait a minute!" interrupted a black hair teen that was sitting next to Imari "Isn't it unfair to simply kick us out if we lose, we're already enrolled here, do you know how difficult it will be to find another high school available this late in!? I denied three acceptance letters just to come here!" he voiced angrily

"Consider this Koryo-Academy's entrance examination." She said calmly silencing him "It is a struggle for survival based on one simple concept: Defeat others to stay alive. Kill or be killed" she said darkly

"What's wrong with a written exam?" the black haired teen asked nervously

She lifted her head and graced the entire room with a sinister smile as she looked down upon all of them imperiously, "You will all be plunging headfirst into battle before long. You must have known that when you first expressed interest in attending Koryo Academy." She stated to them calmly, her tone unwavering.

Suddenly the brown haired young man next to Tooru stood up "Can we switch partners? Heck do I even have to fight him? I mean he already took out three guys with a single blow, isn't that enough for him to pass already, and technically he did take out a guy that was next to him." Said the teen, hopeful of avoiding a conflict with the monster that was currently sitting beside him, the action slightly angering Tooru.

"No you cannot. Under technicality I cannot simply pass him from that as the rules hadn't been stated yet, and since he has to fight someone you are the only one that presently fit's the criteria for the rules established." She said disheartening him as he clenched his fists at that, there was no way he could win, that guy was a monster, and the worst part was he did all that without even needing to draw his Blaze.

"Understand this: The person beside you is now your first enemy," she repeated making Tooru look at her at that as a grin spread across his face.

First enemy, insinuated that it would not be his last. Ten minute time limit, defeat others to stay alive, kill or be killed. That means that essentially he could take out as many people as he could during that ten minute time interval, after he took care of his "enemy" of course. Oh this was going to be fun.

"Fine," the guy said "I'm doing this under protest however, as I doubt that this is a fair assessment of my abilities if I face off against him" he said as he pointed at Tooru who only smiled back.

Several of the other students looked sympathetically at him at that, having just witnessed the brutal display from Tooru earlier.

"Your statement shall be taken into consideration" she said with a small nod, getting one in turn from the teen.

"Now fight, heaven-chosen children, you the Elcidae! You have been given the power you require to do so. So use the power of you souls, your Blaze, to seize a future for yourselves!" Sakuya declared as she officially commenced the battle

In an instant Tooru's arm lashed out once more as he slammed his fist down next to him just as the brown haired teen dodged away, the impact instantly demolishing the chair and destroying the ground underneath it. He doing all this without moving from his seated position or turning his head from the stage. He then turned his head towards the brown haired teen and looked at him emotionlessly as he stood up to prepare to confront him, his hands now in his pockets. The brown haired teen forming a two handed mace with amber veins running through it, as he observed Tooru warily.

Just as quickly as Tooru the silver haired girl he had noticed earlier quickly activated her Blaze the moment that Sakuya finished her speech. She forming two dual blades from flames, they having neon pink veins with energy pulsing through them. The guy next to her, a black haired teen with black eyes, quickly materializing his own Blaze which took the form of a one handed battle axe which he quickly used to attack the silver haired girl.

"Why you-!" he shouted as he made to cut her in half, she jumping over his strike with great ease as she made distance between them before rushing towards him and striking him with a dual overhead blow, he barely managing to block it in time. He then proceeded to try to parry as many attacks as possible while trying to attack himself, sadly the girl was too quick to dodge and his attacks usually ended up over-stretching leaving him temporally exposed. For every attack he performed she would perform up to three or four in that same amount of time.

Most of the students were simply looking on in shock at the two fighting groups, temporarily not knowing how to get involved in the conflict themselves. The surprise and suddenness of the event being too much for them as they temporarily did not know how to react to it at all.

A fact that Tooru was quick to capitalize on as he gained an evil grin on his face and suddenly grabbed one of the guy's that was looking at the silver haired girl's fight by his skull. This making the eyes of all those that were observing him widen as he suddenly lifted the guy up off the ground with one hand, all the while never breaking eye-contact with his "enemy". The teen in his grip vainly struggling to break free as he trashed about, he attempting to pry Tooru's fingers away.

"Catch" he said maliciously as he chucked the struggling teen towards his foe, this eliciting a girlish scream from the teen, as his adversary simply stood there in shock at his foe's actions. He quickly released his Blaze as he attempted to catch the teen only to discover that Tooru had in fact been trailing after the impromptu airborne projectile, hidden from his line of sight.

Tooru then seemed to concentrate his energy into his right fist making it shimmer a slightly golden color before he jumped and punched the teen squarely in the back sending him blasting forwards into the brown haired teen, a trail of dust and debris being uplifted from the attack and resounding point of impact.

'That was deliciously brutal, no mercy, analytical to a fault, willing to do almost anything to get the desired results. I really like him a lot, he's perfect. A perfect combat machine, and he is only a lvl. 1 at this point.' Sakuya thought with a pleasant shiver going down her spine at that

This boy, she could feel it, he was the one. He was one of the pair that shall achieve absolute duo.

"Get up, I barely packed any power into that, I know you are still conscious" he said making a lot of people look at the wreckage again.

"I must say that was quite the surprise, it almost got me, but I disagree with your methods." the brown haired muscular teen said as he glared at Tooru angrily, he holding the unconscious teen with one arm as he placed him on the ground and held his mace with his other.

"What is your name?" the brown haired teen asked with narrowed eyes

"You know it's rude to ask someone's name before stating your own. Anyways names Tooru, and don't act so glum, I barely packed enough strength into that punch to knock him unconscious, and just enough to cause considerable damage if the momentum of his trajectory continued. I did say catch after all didn't I?" he asked with a tilt of his head and a dark smile.

"Humph, I guess you do have a point, names Tsuko" he stated as he suddenly dashed forward and made to smash Tooru with his mace, Tooru simply sidestepping it. The surrounding impact of the mace was enough however to overturn the ground in the area where he was, this making Tooru's eyes widen as Tsuko smirked and swung to the side. Tooru barely dodging the blow as he made space in-between him and his adversary.

At this point most of the people in the room where immersed in their own respective battles as they fought their partners.

"Well are you going to draw your Blaze or not?" Tsuko asked heatedly after waiting a few seconds for him to do so, only to get no response from Tooru making him angry.

"Fine, I will force you to draw it then! I will show you not to underestimate me!" he said angrily as he glared at Tooru and dashed forwards as he attempted to impact his mace directly on the boy's shoulder, only for Tooru to suddenly move and for his head be in the trajectory of the mace, this making Tsuko's eyes widen.

'Shit, I can't change the direction mid-swing' some of the people observing the battle actually gasped as they saw what could only be observed as the boy's assured death about to happen before them. The Tooru actually having his eyes closed as the weapon fell upon him.

Tooru simply inhaled and then exhaled and the mace suddenly crashed into the ground next to him. It was so quick most of the people observing barely saw it happen.

Tooru's hands had extended outwards and he had seemingly simply pushed the mace in mid-swing off course with his open palm in but a fraction of a second.

"What the hell?" Tsuko said in utter shock at the impact point of his mace, before looking back at Tooru in fear.

"That isn't possible, how could you re-direct that point blank strike with your bare hands? For all purposes your fingers should all be broken at this point." Tsuko said in clear disbelief

"You didn't see it did you?" Tooru stated calmly, confusing the teen "My Blaze," he said as suddenly flames coalesced along his right arm and formed his Blaze, a metallic shield in a flame design. He moving just in time to block a one-handed battle axe from impaling Tsuko in the back.

This being a by-product of the silver haired girl from earlier disarming her foe.

"A shield? B-but I thought Blaze's only came in the form of weapons?" the teen asked in disbelief

"I guess I'm an irregular" Tooru answered simply

"But even so, how did you manage to block my overhead strike without using it!?" Tsuko demanded, completely confounded as to how Tooru did so.

Tooru smirked at that "Who said I didn't?" he said confusing the teen further

"You were so focused on the fact that I redirected it with my hand that you did not pay attention to the means I used to do so. You see while I did redirect it with my hands, I could only alter its course of descent slightly, at most allowing it to impact my shoulder which would have likely still incapacitated me." Tooru said calmly

"Then how-!?" Tsuko exclaimed

"Didn't I say it earlier? My Blaze, that's what allowed me to deflect it, after altering your Blaze's course of descent it was now headed towards my left shoulder. It was for this reason I stepped into the path of the blow initially even though it was more risky, this halved the distance needed for me to redirect the blow. You see even if I did manage to dodge that attack, the pesky area damage your weapon is capable of at full strength would have still likely incapacitated me and left me vulnerable to a follow-up attack." Tooru stated, realization dawning across Tsuko's face at that.

"I see you are starting to get it. Yes, I redirected it towards my left shoulder on purpose, and then used my Blaze to not block the blow, but to once more redirect it by sliding the attack over it utilizing the new course trajectory that I created earlier by redirecting it to facilitate this." Tooru said, he shocking even Sakuya at that as she was observing most of the battles from the stage, she finding Tooru's in particular to be incredibly interesting.

"But that's-" Tsuko started before being cut off

"Impossible" Tooru finished for the teen, silencing him "Nothing is, we're fighting with artificially engineered weapons forged from our souls. I threw away such preconceptions as impossible a long time ago." Tooru said as he glared at the teen

"I mean do you even still think you are human at this point? Because I must say if you do, you are sadly mistaken!" Tooru shouted as he attempted to perform a backswing with his shield arm as he spun around directly to Tsuko's skull, said teen barely managing to dodge out of the way.

"Humph, I guess you're right" Tsuko said as he looked around towards all the people still currently engaged in battle, this certainly was not the sight to expect in your average high school.

"I appreciate the save back there, but it's about time we finish this" Tsuko said seriously

Tooru not deigning the statement worthy of a response simply dashed forwards, this making Tsuko's eyes widen at that as he quickly swung his mace downwards. Tooru simply maneuvering under the blow as he span around and backhanded the mace to the side with his Blaze arm while charging a large amount of energy into his right fist.

'Damn it' Tsuko thought in silent resignation, just as all the energy finished coalescing into Tooru's first. Tsuko barely managing to block before he was blasted backwards by the sheer force of the attack. The large teen smashing into one of the columns in the building and causing the entire establishment to shake from the impact, this immediately knocking him unconscious in the process.

A silver haired girl all the while watching all this curiously from afar, her battle already over long ago.

"Well that was fun" he said good naturedly before he looked at his wristwatch once more, he still had four minutes left. At that he got a bloodthirsty look on his face as he gazed around the room, most people were still in the middle of their respective battles, but a few were finished and were currently standing beside the teachers as they observed the conflict.

"Let the games begin" he said with a sinister smile. Without warning his head went limp as his eyes were shrouded by his bangs and his smile slipped off his face, he then shifted his feet in place before he disappeared stunning most of the people that were currently observing him.

On the other side of the room one Miyabi Hotaka was currently fighting a losing battle against a large male student wielding a two-handed great sword, she barely being able to utilize her large cumbersome lance as a shield to block the much more agile enemy. She had tears currently running down her cheeks as she knew that she was going to lose, she was going to fail before even being allowed to attend the academy. It just wasn't fair!

"It's over!" shouted her foe as he made to perform an overhead blow that would surely break her hold on her lance.

Suddenly a person appeared behind the large teen in mid-air making her eyes widen in surprise as without preamble the person grabbed the teen by the back of the head and smashed the teen head first against the ground with such force it immediately knocked him unconscious. The unknown assailant digging his knee into the teen's back as he descended upon him.

It was such a shock to her that her Blaze dispersed as she fell backwards onto her rear in surprise at that, she shivering in fear of the teen in front of her. The teen then stood up once more and cast a glance in her direction that left her speechless as she gazed into his eyes.

His golden eyes were dilated as they stared at her unblinkingly, they looking nearly dead as they gazed at her – an emotionless expression on his face. Truthfully the only expression that could define the look that currently resided within his eyes at this point was…

He suddenly offered a psychotic smile to her as he gazed at her, his eyes unnaturally wide as he did so, the look a mockery of a comforting gesture.

…madness.

After a few seconds of looking at her and regarding her as not a threat since her Blaze was deactivated he quickly turned his head towards the battlefield and in a quick movement of his feet was gone as he simply disappeared once again, leaving a shell-shocked girl in his wake.

He then reappeared in the middle of the battlefield and quickly blocked a slash from his left with his Blaze from a girl with shoulder length spiky black hair, she having tried to get him by surprise.

"Hi, hi!" she said quite merrily

"I must say I did not much appreciate you taking out my partner from earlier like that in order to use him as a missile. In fact I have to say that I'm quite angry" the dark haired girl said in a dangerous tone, smile still in place.

He simply tilted his head at that, as if he did not understand, the dead look in his eye unnerving her slightly.

"Why you, don't ignore me!" she shouted as she made to slash at him once more

"Ahh!" she squeaked out in surprise as he kicked her legs from under her in one swift motion, suspending her in mid-air for a fraction of a second as her eyes widened.

He suddenly lowering his right arm in a chopping motion with energy coalescing around it making the girl's eyes widen once more as she raised her katana to block the blow. Tooru not stopping at all in his movement as his forearm dug into the blade, the action cutting into his flesh before suddenly the explosive force of his attack was released and it blasted the girl backwards into the ground. She spewing blood from her mouth from the impact as the ground cratered below her from the sheer pressure of the blow.

The last thing the girl pondered on before she fell unconscious being that if that blow from him had come in actual contact with her she would be dead. She likely having been cut in half from the attack.

'What is this?' thought a stunned Sakuya as she observed the irregular as he descend upon the battlefield like a wrathful god

'This is not the power of a level one, even level two and three Exceed would have trouble keeping up with someone like him' She thought in astonishment

She then observed the boy disappear once more from sight before he reappeared somewhere else. 'The extent he has taken magical manipulation is unprecedented, his tactics disturbingly effective, his demeanor and bloodlust simply overpowering.' She thought in awe as she observed the boy intently

She truthfully wanted to tell him to stop, that he was infringing upon the testing rights of others by interfering in their matches, but something beckoned her not to. In her mind she simply had to observe this boy's actions. She knew at this point that without a shadow of a doubt he was almost guaranteed to be the first half of the absolute duo, and since this entire project was for that sole purpose. Who was she to hinder its progress?

So it was with a satisfied small smile that she observed the proceedings neutrally 'Only a minute and a half to go' she thought giddily as she observed the battle with barely restrained childlike glee that was eerily reminiscent of her outward appearance.

Several of the students that had finished their battles had flocked towards the teachers in order to avoid the battlefield, and most importantly the monster that was currently rampaging across it, as he carved a path of destruction through it.

He suddenly appeared before a pair of two katana wielding teens that were currently fighting intensely with one another. He simply standing in the sidelines for a few seconds.

His appearance at this point was slightly disheveled from all the fighting, namely a bit of dust and blood on his jacket which was now open revealing his white under-shirt and showing his tie to be a bit loose. His hands and the sleeves of his arms were another story however as they were covered in dust and blood, as well as a gash on his right arm that was bleeding freely from the fight with the girl earlier.

The two boys were about evenly matched and were fairly sufficient with their swords, even if they were simply trying to overpower one another.

He waited for the next time they separated from clashing blades and made room between one another, before they rushed at one another again and simply walked in between the two of them, surprising both of them immensely as he stood in the way of their attacks. This stunning those observing especially Imari, the girl he had saved, and the silver haired girl from earlier, all of who had been observing his actions nervously already for quite a while, their battles already over.

Suddenly both of their attacks were effectively halted by Tooru who did not even look at either as he continued to look forward unseeingly, before turning to the one to his left and staring at him emotionlessly. The boy staring back with a mixture of surprise and growing horror.

Tooru had blocked the blow from his right with his Blaze while he grabbed the wrist of the sword arm of the teen to his left, incapacitating both.

He then did something that shocked everyone that was gazing at the battle speechless, he maneuvered the hand of the male whose wrist he was holding and forced him to plunge the blade into the other student's shoulder. This making the said boy cry out in pain as the one who was forced to do so froze up in shock as he looked on wide-eyed in stunned silence.

This caused Sakuya's and several of the professor's eyes to widen as they realized what had just happened. Blaze were not supposed to actually harm anyone physically unless there was a strong killing intent behind them which that other student had lacked, which meant that the irregular had just established his own will over the other students Blaze. This being something that should theoretically be impossible as that would mean that you would have to subjugate another person's soul to your will, no one should be able to do such a thing. Yet the proof was before their very eyes.

Immediately the other teen dispersed his blaze as his arm immediately drifted towards the blade subconsciously, he whimpering in pain as he tried to grasp the blade to tear it out only to find it impossible to do so.

Tooru the leant forwards until he was mere inches from the frozen teen's ear "If you lack the will to inflict such harm upon others how do you intend to conquer your enemies? I will show you the pain you must conquer in order for you to dole it out." he whispered darkly into the teen's ear before his arms became alight with crackling golden energy.

He then positioned his left arm slightly below the teen's own extended arm, the same arm which second's ago had been holding the blade that was currently impaled into his adversary's shoulder, and quickly smashed his energy coated right arm upon the teen's arm just slightly above his elbow - he using his own forearm as a base. The resounding sickening crack as the teen's arm broke under the assault echoing across the hall as it snapped like a twig.

This making most of those that had at this point not yet completed their battles turn towards the sound only to hear a heart wrenching scream tear itself from the teen as he writhed on the ground in pain while flailing his arm helplessly – it sticking out at a grotesque angle. It was only through sheer luck that the bone had not broken through the skin from the attack.

At this point the teen's adversary who was himself injured was staring on in horror as he looked at this monster ruthlessly destroy them.

Tooru then leaned forward once more as he addressed the downed teen "I inflict this pain upon you knowing full well what it feels like. If you have anger release it, if you intend to inflict pain on another however be prepared to receive it in turn." he said seriously before he whirled around and yanked the blade out of the other teen's shoulder in one swift movement, making blood spurt out of the wound and causing the teen to cry out in pain as he stumbled.

Immediately Tooru swung the sword horizontally with his left hand, stopping the blade mere inches from the teen's neck who was currently attempting to staunch his bleeding shoulder.

"You're dead" Tooru said emotionlessly, this making the teen grow wide-eyed before Tooru's leg suddenly lashed out and impacted the teen in the stomach. The force of the blow ultimately causing the teen to be launched away from them – Tooru releasing the blade into the air as he did so. He then pushed the blade using his forearm in mid-air, spinning it once before quickly grabbing it and impaling it next to its owner's head. The action immediately making the whimpering teen silence himself as he looked at it in equal amounts fear and surprise. He then turning to his would be killer, who was only staring on impassively.

"You're weak" Tooru said coldly, the statement hitting the teen like a ton of bricks "That beside you is your soul yet you have no real control over it, me being able to wield it without your consent shows how weak your will really is. You being here means you have a purpose, but ask yourself are you as you are presently worthy of it? Overcome your weaknesses, master your strengths, and solidify your will – for in order to seize your own future you must know what you desire first." Tooru lectured before he kneeled down and knocked the teen unconscious with a punch to the gut.

'40 seconds' Tooru thought as he blocked an overhead strike from behind with his blaze from someone that was clearly not happy at the earlier display of brutality, this being a girl with long brown hair that fell in waves down her back who was wielding a tanto.

Not feeling up to another battle with lots of conversation he simply landed an open palm strike on her chest that was infused with golden energy, the strike being so quick and unexpected it caught her completely unawares as she was blasted backwards. She barely managing to remain upright as she dug her feet into the ground as she skidded backwards.

Tooru then slowly stood up making the remaining people that were left on the battlefield tense – most of them having abandoned their ongoing battles and now intent on simply not allowing this monster to continue unchecked.

Suddenly before all their eyes he simply disappeared making them all go wide-eyed as he was nowhere to be seen.

"Over there!" shouted a teen with a short sword as he pointed it towards Tooru who was currently standing near the back of the hall, he being in the middle walkway between where the chairs had been positioned prior to the beginning of the battle. Most of them rushing forwards to take him out.

'15 seconds' he thought as he closed his eyes, the rest of the students trying to take him out at this point.

"Ahhhhhhh!" he roared as his arms became alight with golden flames as his golden eyes snapped open aflame with power. This momentarily surprising his foes as they stopped for a single instant in their charge, before they continued onwards to what they assumed was a challenge.

He then did something that left the observers completely astonished – lifting both his arms and smashing them into the ground before him he caused the area directly in front of him to crater as the ground was upheaved in waves before the two points of impact. The attack destroying the two sections of the room that had previously been the sitting areas and disabling everyone that was still on the battlefield either from the attack itself, or the debris that resulted from it.

'Zero' he thought as the ten minute battle was over, he recalling the golden flames that coated his arms back revealing that he was not uninjured from the powerful move as his arms were covered in blood and the sleeves of his suit were in tatters.

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the hall afterwards, the only sound being the low groaning of some of the people having been knocked unconscious. Sakuya herself staring onwards in awe, her pocket watch ticking uselessly in her hand as she looked upon the sole remaining participant of the conflict.

Luckily most of the participants that had defeated their partners beforehand had the forethought of removing their defeated partner from the battlefield if they were unconscious.

Tooru then calmly walked back towards his prior seating location and positioned his chair upright before dusting it off and sitting down on it. He crossing his legs and folding his hands on his lap as he regarded the stage calmly, acting as if the entire battle was but a slight interruption of the entry ceremony rather that the chaotic struggle they had all participated in.

"Winner, Tooru Kokonoe!" Rito Tsukimi shouted out as she raised an arm into the air dramatically as if calling the match. Rito was an academy professor that was currently wearing a maid dress and bunny ears. She having long, straight dark violet hair that reached all the way to her hips and had regal purple eyes that shone with underlying mirth and unbridled optimism. She was holding a clipboard in her right hand which she had used to look up the name of the irregular in order to make her little announcement – her statement having the added effect of snapping Sakuya out of her stupor.

"That would be the case if this was an official tournament, anyways time's up 30 seconds ago. I would state that only the victor's that have been decided at this point in time would be permitted entry, but I believe that would be a moot point as there is no one at this point still immersed in battle. This due in part to Mr. Kokonoe's involvement in the conflict." She stated calmly before she was cut off

"Involvement!? The guy took out nearly half our potential class by himself, isn't there some rule against that or something!? Didn't you state that we were only supposed to fight our partner!?" a male student said angrily, this getting both agreements and objections to the statement before Tooru himself spoke up silencing them as most of them were deathly afraid of him at this point, but the kind tone he spoke in seemed to catch many of them off guard.

"No, the exact words Director Sakuya utilized were the following; "'The person beside you is now your first enemy'". These were the exact words she used the second time she repeated her statement, thus establishing the teen next to me, Tsuko, as my first enemy as per her statement. She then further went on to state that we were to at some point use our Blaze during the course of the battle, she not specifying the number of times or duration of usage." He said explaining his thinking step by step

"First enemy, insinuates that it would not necessarily be my last. She also set forth a ten minute time limit, which offers all of the participants a time frame of ten minutes in which to be able to participate in the battle. She also goes as far as state "defeat others to stay alive, kill or be killed" which in turns allows the application of lethal force and enables people to fight to the fullest extent of their abilities." He explained

"A ten minute time frame, the sole requirement being the application of your Blaze and the elimination of your partner as your priority. Which insinuates…" he stated as it suddenly clicked for some of the audience

"A no-holds battle royal, with only the two aforementioned requirements" Imari replied in understanding

He nodded at that as he sent her a grateful smile making her blush slightly at that.

"Which means that essentially I could take out as many people as I could during that ten minute time interval and do so with - extreme prejudice" he said darkly with the same kind smile from before, it seeming a lot more twisted for some reason. This immediately serving to unnerve a number of the "victors" of the Screening Rite.

"While that was in fact not my intended meaning behind those statements I cannot fault your reasoning either, so there will not be any repercussions from my part." She stated before glancing at his arms for a second

"I also recommend you get your arms looked over before heading to class, aside from the student whose arm is currently broken you are the one in the worst shape. In fact I do believe that your injuries might be more serious that his own, frankly it's surprising that you're still conscious" she said with narrowed eyes towards him, this surprising and actually worrying some of the "victors" at that.

He simply smiled back at Sakuya at that "Why thank you for the concern my lady, but it would be rude to leave before you finish what you have to say, I did in fact battle my entire class in order to hear my cute Academy Director speak. Such minor injuries aren't enough to stop me from doing so, please do continue with your presentation." He said with the same smile on his face, the statement that he fought all the people in the room just to listen to what she had to say making her blush – this not being helped by his comment regarding her as cute.

"But if it does anything to soothe your worries however, I do promise to get my injuries looked over afterwards, if only for the sole reason as to heed your recommendation and do as you say." He said with a bow of his head, the director equal parts stunned at his brashness and embarrassed by his commentary.

"Uh, very well please do so" She said as she regained her composure "Anyways allow me to leave you with these final words: May you someday reach Absolute Duo" she stated awkwardly, not really having all that much more to say at this point as the battle was over, but somehow now feeling slightly guilty about dashing his expectations like that.

Everyone suddenly heard a click be heard across the hall, as most of the people assembled turned towards the source only to find Tooru with a notebook and a tape recorder in hand. The sound being the tape recorder finishing, while with his right hand he continued writing something down before finishing and closing his notebook. Tooru then placed his tape recorder in the front pocket of his tattered jacket and put away his notebook.

"Yes!" he exclaimed as he suddenly stood up making a lot of people jump at the sudden action "I got it all, now I just need to edit all these loser's background chatter from these recordings and I will have the words of the cutest director in the world! It was worth every injury and battle, new ringtone here I come!" he said excitedly to himself

"Umm, Tooru" Imari said trying to grab the boy's attention as he ranted on and on about the cuteness of most of the girls attending the academy and of "his" uber cute director. Imari at one point hearing her own name across the number of listed girls, making her embarrassed as she blushed at that. Even the director was openly blushing at this point, when he stated that he would use her voice as a sort of lullaby in order to help him sleep.

"The one true unchanging righteousness in the world is cuteness after all! Cute makes right!" he continued ranting before he heard the voice of a beacon of cuteness call out to him.

"Yeah, Imari?" he asked happily

"You're speaking your thoughts out loud" Imari said to him, this making him look around to see several blushing females, with a number of male students snickering at him. There was also one girl that seemed to openly be glaring at him as well.

He could not help blushing at the news "Stop listening to my thoughts!" he yelled indignantly, this having the added reaction making a few of the guys break out into gouts of laughter at that.

"Stay out of my head!" he shouted as he made to run away towards the infirmary intent on obeying the recommendation of his Sakuya-chan, before he abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Oh, I almost forgot" he said as he grabbed the guy whose arm he broke and threw him over his shoulder. He then went to the girl who he had smashed into the ground earlier and pulled her flush against himself before he seemingly disappeared from sight in an instant.

"That's so cool" a student said referring to how he was able to suddenly disappear like that, several others nodding in agreement

Author's Note

The ideology that cuteness makes right I got from No Game No Life, this will be a near philosophy of Tooru throughout the series. Tooru is not a pervert he is just obsessed with all things he labels as cute, it is his philosophy that it is for cuteness that he fights and is willing to give everything he has.

While he might seem quite powerful, all he really has at this point are; quick wits, a ruthless personality whilst in combat, and his shield. The energy manipulation and speed technique are things he developed in order to cover his own shortcomings of not having a weapon. The energy techniques still do the same amount of damage as canon, there is just one difference – he isn't holding back. In canon he states that a simple attack utilizing what will later come to be called Mjolnir when he was lvl. 1 nearly dislocated his shoulder, in my story he has more practice with using it and has a higher pain tolerance. A good deal of damage is still being inflicted upon his arms at using it, but he just has a higher tolerance to the pain the damage brings to him.

He is about on par combat and skill wise with a lvl. 2 or 3, he isn't as resilient as them however, nor does he have any of the superhuman abilities higher level Elcidae possess.

Disclaimer: I do not own No Game No life or any referenced or related works in that may appear in this story.

Edited: 11/20/2015