Tower of God: Sequence Strength

Khun walked along a long winding corridor, on one side of which was glass that allowed one to peer outside. The soft light filtered through it, casting a shadow onto Khun's face.

His hair was tied into a bun and he wore what looked to be similar to a boy scout's uniform.

As he walked through the corridor, he could looked out through the window where his new team was. There were a total of 5 new recruits, the strongest of which were Novick, the Spear Bearer and another member of the Khun lineage, Ran, the Fisherman.

Besides them, there was Apple, the Data collecting scout. Evangelist Michael, the doctor and Wave Controller and finally, Gyetang, a chicken who was the spear bearer and a cook.

The strength of the team couldn't be compared to his previous team as the only heavy hitters were Novick and Ran but it was still a strong team. Stronger than the majority of E ranked teams, for sure.

However, thinking of his previous team, Khun could not help but smile considering Winston would be visiting them today.

It was quite pleasing to talk to the man. A conversation with an intelligent individual was always great for Khun. Not to mention the reason he would be here.

Khun glanced up towards the ceiling. The room in which Rachel was living in.

I wonder what he's planning.

He shook his head and made his way to the outside.

The training field was at the back of their temporary residence while the front of it was occupied by a chasm of dense shinsu covered by clouds; making shinheuh transport the only real way to get here. Of course, there was always the alternative to fly over.

Just as he walked out of the front gate, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hello there." A voice. A familiar one.

Khun smiled through his momentary shock and turned back to gaze at the man.

Winston Heath, in the flesh.

Khun shook his hand and greeted him. Then, they both headed back inside for some time, talking all the while.

They had some things to talk about. All sorts of topics. It was strange since none of them liked to say a lot of things. Well, Winston didn't like to say a lot of things to others. With himself he was perfectly fine talking the whole way.

After some idle talk and catching up on stuff, they took to the training field for Khun to 'introduce' Winston to the team.

~~~

As they walked into the training field, Winston instantly felt all eyes turn to them. More specifically, towards him.

Of the five people present, there wasn't one that was looking elsewhere. Everyone was focused on his figure, scanning him head to toe. Additionally, he felt a sixth gaze, coming somewhere from behind him.

Undoubtedly, it was Rachel.

"Hello, everyone. I'd like you all to meet someone." Khun smiled at the others. He motioned towards Winston and said, "This here is an old friend of mine, W-"

Before Khun could introduce him, he was interrupted by the blonde haired woman.

"Winston Heath." She said in a clear voice. She smiled at him with a strange glint in her eyes.

"I know of you. You've become pretty popular on the Box, and lately, even Emily is all talkative about you."

Emily? Winston noticed a peculiar word in her speech but didn't ask about it.

Khun shook his head and began to introduce the characters.

"That is Apple, the Data gathering scout." He pointed at the yellow chicken that was standing on a rock by the lake.

"That one is Gyetang, a spear bearer."

Next, he pointed over to the dark skinned and white haired male.

"That is Evangelist Michael, our Wave Controller. And finally-" He gestured to the two people that were talking towards them in slow, deliberate steps.

Their eyes never left Winston since he walked into the yard and shinsu wafted off their bodies.

"Those are our heavy hitters. Taller one is Novick, a spear bearer specialized in Hurling. And the shorter one is Ran, one of my many cousins and a fisherman with lightning type shinsu." He finished.

As his words landed, Michael, the wave controller was the first one to speak.

"We have heard Khun talk about you a lot. Your reputation precedes you as part of the strongest E ranked team." He chuckled.

"I am flattered." Winston only gave a pleasant smile in return.

Before the man could ask anything else, the chicken intervened.

"Excuse me! Is the goddess good friends with you?!" He exclaimed, making Apple and Michael chuckle at his antics.

"Goddess? You mean Charlotte?"

"That's right! Aren't you one of her servants!? Can I ask you to arrange a meeting?!"

Hearing him, Winston was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Ser...vant?" He raised an eyebrow and felt like laughing.

"That's right! Can you make arrange a meeting?! Please!" The chicken's cheeks got redder and smoke bellowed out of the front end of his beak.

Winston shook his head.

"We can work something out. But you might have to take care of your health. She has a particular preference for stronger people. And you seem like you've seen thinner days." He chuckled.

At that point, the so called heavy hitters reached closer and closer still.

Eventually, as they got within the distance, Khun pointed at Winston and introduced him. Strangely enough, both of the regulars stared at him without blinking.

Naturally, Winston had to do the same.

It lasted for but a moment. Perhaps longer.

But it ended when Khun waved his hands before the 2 regulars' faces.

"Feeling competitive are we?" He chuckled. "You're welcome to try, but don't blame me for not waning you. He's not someone to be messed with."

Novick shrugged his shoulders and offered him a side eye.

"Right." Then, turning towards Winston, he spoke.

"I am Novick. This is Ran. You are Winston Heath correct?" He asked.

Winston nodded. From behind him, he heard hushed whispers of Gyetang speaking in Michael's ears.

"They're starting again. It's probably not a good idea to intervene."

"It's good to meet you." Novick extended a handshake, one that Winston had no problem taking.

As their hands met, Winston noticed the strength of his grip.

A strong hand. Pretty good for a spear bearer. He concluded.

As for Novick, it was unknown what conclusion he had drawn from the handshake but he nodded and said, "Would you like a spar?"

"Of course, with me as well." Ran said from beside him.

Winston's eyebrow raised. "One on one? Wouldn't that be unfair to you people?"

Ran instantly had a look of displeasure on his face but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from speaking out.

"You speak big. Don't regret your words afterwards."

"The only thing I'll possibly regret is making a fool out of you in battle." Winston grinned with a challenging tone.

Unfortunately, it seemed Novick was of above average intelligence as his provocative words didn't seem to break his cool.

His eyes narrowed and he said, "Fine. Your choice."

Ran stared at him with judgement, "What are you doing?"

Novick only shrugged his shoulders.

"If he wants to have a 2 on 1 fight, he's welcome to."

And so it was decided.

There were no more pleasantries offered. Everyone simply got back and made room for the fight. Winston and his two opponents moved to the center of the training field.

"I'll signal the fight!" Khun exclaimed as his lighthouse hovered in the air above them.

Novick summoned his armed inventory and pulled out two weapons. Not the traditional spear, but what looked to be curved blades.

"Ready?" Khun's voice came and went. Everyone present felt a weight clog their chest as they stayed riveted to the battle about to ensue.

"Start!"

With that declaration, the fight started.

Boom!

Vrrr!

Immediately, before Winston had even begun to move, a blue lightning travelled at half the speed of light right to his face!

He threw his head back, his spine bending at an unnatural and impossible degree and narrowly but expertly dodged the attack!

Getting back into form he looked at the blue haired young man, Ran, with a smile.

The momentary pause was not to be stretched, however.

Novick, sensing an opportunity dashed at the opponent, instantly shortening the distance between them and attacked with his curved blades!

Winston ducked under one and backhanded the other, earning a look of surprise from the man. With that, he dashed right at him!

Whooosh!

Foooo!

With a clenched fist, he appeared before him with the speed of the wind! It was too fast for him to react. Too fast for him to even think of a counter. Only fast enough for him to have his face twist into an expression of dumbfoundedness.

And-

Boom!

Winston punched out, his fist embedding into the poor man's abdomen and throwing him into the air.

Sensing an object, he stomped onto the ground.

Crash!

Shaaaa!

Debris and dust flew around in the air, stopping Ran who was rushing at him in his tracks, just in time for Winston to jump into the air with a smile.

"Crimson soul fist- Seal!" Novick yelled, seeing Winston jump towards him.

Immediately, the shinsu around him gathered, overtaking a fiery red tint and covering his body in a dome like pattern. However...

Crash!

Shatter!

A singular baang smashed into the seal, shattering it into countless pieces and throwing Novick 50 meters away!

Winston landed on the ground again, just in time to duck under a sweeping kick and counter with his own.

Sizzle!

"Electric type shinsu huh..." Winston chuckled as he saw Ran back off from him. The electric shinsu had the peculiar effect of stunning both attackers and defenders when it came into contact with them by jamming the shinsu in the other party's body.

Unluckily for Ran, he had met Winston.

Without giving them any time to rest, Winston dashed at Ran. Behind him were 5 baangs suspended in the air, all in line for an attack.

Ran got into a stance and an amorphous black blight began to materialize in his palm.

And just as Winston neared, he threw the strange substance onto the ground!

Foooo!

The black substance spread out to cover both Ran and Winston within it, shielding them from prying eyes.

Using his spirit vision, Winston located the young man and fired off his baangs.

"Mascheny Style- Deadly Lightning!" He heard a yell, and with it, a vision rapidly overlapping his senses.

His lips couldn't help but curve into a smile as the shinsu around him changed and coalesced into a giant dome around him!

A series of explosions sounded and a body rushed out of the smog screen! Sliding some distance into the mud, Ran got up with some difficulty.

He dodged all of them? Winston raised a brow. But then calmly retracted his statement as he saw the state of the man from the Khun family.

His clothes were tattered and a streak of red dripped down his forehead. With a deadpan face, he looked towards the writhing black clouds that were steadily retreating into the ether.

Winston calmly walked out with his hands held behind him, a mocking smile plastered on his face.

"You're a bit bothersome." Ran said, wiping some of the blood that was dripping off his face.

"It's not my fault. I thought you'd be stronger." Winston shook his head, heaving a heavy sigh. His facing expressions came together to paint a picture of genuine disappointment and regret. A vein threatened to pop on Ran's head as he held himself back from rushing straight at him and piercing him with lightning.

"It's a shame really. One would expect someone from the Khun family to at least have acceptable skill level. You? I can only say skill issue man."

There was silence in the area for a bit. Ran's eyes were shadowed by his baangs, but the slightest tremble of his hands, the way his feet shifted in the soil, the quickening of his breath and the raging heartbeat gave away all his inner feelings to Winston. He chuckled in silence. A quality of a good fisherman was to set the bait. The bait had been set. The next step was to take the fish out the water and crush all resistance.

Ran looked to the sky and sighed. Then, his deadpan face stared at Winston.

"Fuck it. I'll just crush you right here, right now." A ripple suddenly traveled through the surroundings; slowly growing into a wave, a turbulence and an effervescence!

Lightning began to emanate from his body and coloured him in a neon blue hue. At the same time, Novick who had been thrown back returned while holding his stomach in pain.

"Be careful." He said, taking a stance beside Ran. "He hits hard."

"Even for someone from the Ha family?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"All right people! Let's stop with the yapping!" Winston clapped his hands, yelling out into the air. His mocking words only fueled the fire as Ran gave him a death glare.

"You say he hits hard?" He whispered to Novick beside him who looked at him from the corner of his eye. Ran squeezed his hands together as the lightning retreated back into his body. After just a second, his hands opened up to reveal a small ball of lightning shinsu! "I'll finish him without getting too close then." He said, putting the ball into his mouth.

To his side, Novick also took a stance, a fiery red shimmer of shinsu blaring around him and suffusing into the air.

To the side, Gyetang, Apple and Michael all sweat dropped.

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?" Apple turned to Khun who was sitting quietly with a box of popcorn and 3d glasses on his eyes.

"Who? Ran?"

"No! Your friend Winston!" Gyetang exclaimed in alarm. "Ran might even kill him accidentally! He's not holding back anymore!"

Hearing his words, Khun only laughed and chose to stay quiet. Watching him leisurely munching on popcorn and laughing, the rest of them didn't know what to feel. For starters, it was the first time they had seen Khun acting so jolly.

They turned back to the training field in resignation.

~~~

A/N: Give me stones. Also, leave a review please. Criticism is always welcome. But please not those spam reviews or just retarded ones which don't even say anything.

Cheers.