Chapter 4 "Clear Dawn"

Chapter 4
Clear Dawn

PLANET CRYSTAL

“Oh maaaaan!” Knapp cries. He is on his knees on the ground as he is looking at the open panel full of wires on the exterior wall of the spaceship. “I can’t believe that it’s broken down!”

Sybil rubs her throbbing forehead as she says, “We have no choice but to land on this planet. Or else, we would have been floating in space. We would have starved to death first!”

“Do you know how to fix it?” Logy asks.

“Of course…” Knapp gets up and places his fists on his hips proudly. “Not!”

“Now what?” Sybil takes a look around at the area only to find that the ground is entirely made of crystals, no matter what color it is. There are smooth and crystal floors everywhere for miles and miles.

“Why don’t we go to a town? See if we can find an engineer or someone like that?” Logy suggests.

“Actually that’s a good idea,” Knapp nods in approval. “Sybil, do you want to come with us?”

Sybil glances at Logy and rolls her eyes. “Actually, I’m having headaches right now. You can just go. Please get some food too. We are running out of food - thanks to the new person who joined us.”

I have a feeling that she doesn’t like me at all. Logy sweatdrops at Sybil’s last remarks.

“Alright, then. Make sure to get some rest. Logy, let’s go!” Knapp says.

~*~

‘Nimble Blondie’ was the first topic that ever came up in the conversation between a couple of citizens.

Nimble Blondie is the only woman who competes in an annual fighting tournament for money prize. The reason why her nickname is Nimble Blondie is because not only she uses the power of lightning and has blonde hair but also because she is a genius. She can build anything from just scraps -- from a watch to a house to a spaceship.

At least, that’s what Logy gets from reading as many citizens’ minds as possible. Knapp has to admit that it is much easier than talking and asking the citizens. He shivers once again at the memory of trying to find Forgotten.

“Clear Dawn, eh?” Knapp ponders. He and Logy are looking at a large poster on the wall. The large poster has a picture of different competitors with two large words with an exclamation, Fighting Tournament! Next to the large poster, there is a paper with a list of the names of competitors.

“So, Logy,” Knapp turns to the deaf warrior. Since they left Planet Fantasy, Knapp has been trying to learn basic ABC’s and other words in sign language. For some reason, he is the only one with a mind that Logy can’t read. He wonders if it is the power of Universe Warrior that prevents this?

“I… will… fight,” Knapp says in sign language slowly and then points at the poster.

Logy raises an eyebrow in confusion. “Why? It’s not like she is the only engineer who may be able to fix our spaceship. Why not others?”

“We need someone strong,” Knapp answers back in sign language. “And uh, how do you say ‘engineer’?”

Logy reaches out two hands in the shape of ‘y’ and connects his thumbs to each other. He half-twists one of his hands repeatedly.

“Engineer with lightning power!” Knapp exclaims in sign language and continues, “That would be cool!”

~*~

“What?! There’s an entry fee?!” Knapp cries. He receives a ‘yes’ nod from a tall dark-skinned and bald man sitting at the booth. He asks hopefully, “And you said… fifty pounds?”

“Fifty thousand,” the man emphasizes at the last word, which crashes Knapp’s hope into thousands of pieces. “It’s the last minute entry fee. Don’t you know that the price goes up every month? You could have just paid one thousand pounds last year.”

“Here,” Logy drops a pouch on the booth, only to make Knapp drop his jaw in surprise. “Please have Knapp Mitsukai enter the tournament.”

“Forty thousand ninety… Fifty thousand…” The man mumbles as he finishes counting. “Ok then, Mr. Mitsukai. Please read the waiver form and then sign. I will get you on the list.”

“Where did you get money?” Knapp asks in sign language without using voice after he finishes signing the waiver form. 

“I stole it.” Logy flashes a big grin on his face and gives him a thumb-up.

“So, do you have a fighting name?” The dark-skinned man asks.

“Pardon?” Knapp asks in confusion.

“Everyone has a fighting name. For example… there’s Ninja Cat, Nimble Blondie, Dark Weapon, and more…”

“Oh! Um…” Knapp turns to Logy and gives him a look that tells him that he needs help, but the deaf warrior only shrugs his shoulders in return. “Well, then… I guess Universe Warrior will do.”

“Universe Warrior, isn’t it?” The man raises an eyebrow in amusement. “You know… the more we talk, the more likely you are a visitor. Didn’t you know that Universe Warrior is an ancient fighter who used to save the universe from the Gods a long time ago?”

It’s no wonder that the Divine Sword looks so ancient… Knapp recalls. He chuckles nervously and says, “Y-yeah, I don’t care what people think of me.”

“Okay, then. So, you’re Knapp Mitsukai the Universe Warrior. Here is your information package. Good luck!”

~*~

“Welcome to the first round of the 714th Fighting Tournament! There are thirty-three fighters competing for the money prize… which is one million pounds! We received a last-minute new competitor today… He’s known as the Universe Warrior!” A typical announcer in a black suit with neat-combed black hair exclaims. He receives roaring laughter from thousands of people. “I know, I know! Someone who is a fool who calls himself Universe Warrior. Anyway, all fighters were given random numbers, so the first match of the first round goes to… Sky Man vs. Universe Warrior!”

“Be careful,” Logy yells from the waiting room as Knapp and Sky Man are heading for a large ring arena in the middle of the stadium with thousands of people.

Wearing a white shirt with V-neck collar and blue jeans, Sky Man flips back his long blonde hair and winks one of his blue eyes with a big grin on his face. 

“Say… why do you call yourself Sky Man?” Knapp asks curiously.

“What, are you that afraid of me? Well then… it’s because…” Sky Man gives a light chuckle. As a loud bang on a gong echoes throughout the stadium, he begins to lift himself into the sky. He finishes, “...I can fly!”

“Really?! That’s amazing!” Knapp exclaims.

“Did you know that Sky Man won second place last year? Nobody could get to him except Nimble Blondie who uses the power of lightning!” The announcer booms into the microphone. “What can the so-called Universe Warrior do against him?”

“Well then… What can you do against me?” Sky Man asks in amusement.

Before he knows it, Knapp is suddenly next to him in the air. He turns his head toward the Universe Warrior as his blue eyes are widening in shock.

Knapp flips his body forward until he hits Sky Man hard in the head with his own heel, sending him crashing into the ground outside the ring. He easily and gently lands his feet on the ring and then stretches his own legs.

Silence is filling in the entire stadium except Sky Man’s painful moans.

“A-ahem…” The announcer is still recovering from the shock he has recently experienced. “Universe Warrior wins… This… From the looks of it, he must have jumped all the way from the ring to Sky Man. He is very interesting, don’t you think?”

Suddenly, the entire stadium bursts out with loud cheers.

~*~

Universe Warrior is gaining popularity fast for the past couple of hours. Every round he defeats an opponent, he gains a few hundreds of fans more. 

Rumors spread fast. Some are saying that Universe Warrior came back after five hundred years. Others believe that Universe Warrior was reincarnated into a new one because it can explain how young he looks, especially when he seems to be between seventeen and twenty years old. And the oddest rumor that some people seem to believe is that Universe Warrior died and then came back as an immortal warrior who now serves the entire universe.

And then, it is the final round.

“Here we are… the match we have been waiting for!” The announcer says eagerly. “It sure feels like ages but it’s the final match for the tournament… Two opponents who are aiming for the  one-million-pound prize! Universe Warrior vs. Nimble Blondie!”

The whole audience in the stadium is watching two warriors step out of the waiting room. Two opponents are completely opposite from each other. Universe Warrior with dark eyes and messy black hair. Nimble Blondie with naturally blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Universe Warrior, eh? What is your name?” Nimble Blondie asks after they step onto the ring.

“Knapp. But I know who you are, Clear. I’ve been looking for you all day today.” Universe Warrior starts stretching one of his arms. 

Clear narrows her blue eyes but at the same time, she half-smirks in amusement. She places her hands on her bare sides - she is only wearing a half-cut shirt and short jeans. “Everyone knows who I am. But I am an independent woman who doesn’t need men like you.”

“Er, that’s not what I mean…” Knapp scratches the back of his head. “Well… I’ve been looking for someone like you to join my team… to protect the universe.”

Clear stares at him in disbelief. “Protect the universe? From what?” She does not get any answer from Knapp. She scoffs and says, “No thanks.”

“The Locker,” Knapp says out loud after he hears a loud bang coming from the gong. He quickly slides one of his feet around, creating a small trail of darkness.

Lightning bolts start sparking all around Clear. One of them flies straight toward Knapp but before it can reach him, it suddenly gets sucked into the darkness that Knapp created with his foot.

“What?” Clear asks in surprise.

Once again, the entire stadium goes silent. No one would ever think that someone could stop a lightning attack like that.

A grin is slowly being formed on Knapp’s face. Logy, watching at the distance from the waiting room, has not stopped smirking at all. What a show off.

The silence is broken by Knapp when he starts speaking, “I did not just call myself Universe Warrior because I felt like doing so. I received the Divine Sword from the Fifth Universe… I am the true Universe Warrior. I borrow the power of the universe so that I can protect the universe from threats. The deadly threats that can destroy the entire universe. I will never allow them to kill every single one of you all.”

The next thing that Clear notices is that every person in the entire stadium begins to stand up. “Why are you here?”

“I wish for you to join me.” Knapp reaches out his hand. “The warrior who uses the power of lightning.”

“And lose the opportunity to get the prize? Yeah, right. Forget it.” Clear scoffs. She begins to power up for lightning bolts that surround herself. “So, let’s get to fighting, shall we? Besides, I would like to see if you are really the Universe Warrior you claimed to be.”

She sends away a few lightning bolts, which are heading fast straight for Knapp. The Universe Warrior has not moved an inch at all as he uses his own arms to deflect every single lightning bolt, which eventually crashes into the ground outside the ring.

Knapp is suddenly standing in front of Clear as he is throwing a fist, but the Nimble Blondie easily evades it by jumping backward away from him. As she lands on her feet, she slams one of her hands on the floor, sending countless numbers of lightning bolts across the arena.

The Universe Warrior literally runs backwards away from the upcoming lightning bolts until he stops at the edge without even looking back. He quickly jumps over the approaching lightning bolts until he lands safely on the empty ring.

“I’m not done yet!” Clear yells from the above as she slams her palm on Knapp’s face, throwing him into the ring. Instant cracks on the ring. Lightning bolts finally go throughout Knapp’s entire body from Clear’s fingertips. The Universe Warrior is screaming in pain.

Sighing lightly, Clear pulls her hand away from Knapp when he stops screaming. She places her foot on him, pushing him closer to the edge of the ring. “It’s over for you.”

Just right when Knapp is half-out, he suddenly grabs the edge of the ring and then stands upside down on his own hands. By using his hands, he pushes himself into the air and then flips over Clear until he lands on his feet safely.

“Oh shit!” Clear cries as she quickly turns around and powers up for an orb of lightning at the same time. When she throws the orb, Knapp simply slams it back onto her palm with his own hand. Lightning bolts suddenly burst out of the orb and take over both of their bodies but it does not seem to hurt them at all.

“Why are my attacks not hurting you?” Clear asks in frustration, trying so hard not to allow herself slip out of the ring.

“Do you not know what universe energy is made of?” Knapp asks in amusement. When he gets a confused look from the blonde lady, he continues, “Universe energy is made of everything. That includes your lightning power… thus, your attacks don’t have any effect on me.”

“You… You are the true Universe Warrior…!” Clear says in awe, not realizing that she is losing her strength as she is sliding backward closer and closer toward the edge of the ring.

As the heel of her feet is right over the edge, Clear quickly flips over Knapp while still holding his hand. As soon as her feet reach the ring, she quickly gives him a sidekick.

Knapp stumbles and almost tiptoes out of the ring but he quickly stops by balancing himself. Clear quickly squats down and swings her foot toward Knapp’s feet but the Universe Warrior quickly leaps over and then lands at the edge, nearly falling out of the ring.

This guy…! Clear scowls in frustration. No matter how hard she tries to throw him out of the ring, Knapp manages to stay inside every time.

Ten minutes have passed after they exchange punches and kicks which are either blocked or evaded every time.

This time I’m going to run out of universe energy… unless I take my scarf off… but… Knapp quickly jumps away from Clear just to take at least a couple of breaths. He places his hand on his own scarf only to hesitate. I was warned that revealing myself to the universe will only overwhelm me instead.

Suddenly, an orb of lightning bolts crashes into Knapp’s chest, sending him flying across the ring. By the time he lands on his back harshly, he is about one-fourth away from the edge.

“You shouldn’t be distracted!” Clear yells as she runs fast toward the Universe Warrior.

A sudden shockwave coming from Knapp’s body not only stops Clear from getting any further but also sends her flying across the ring. Afterward, he rolls backward until he uses his own hands to leap from the ring. He easily lands on his feet.

He clenches his jaw painfully, as the drops of sweat are sliding down his face. There is a ray of light coming from underneath his scarf, so he shakily adjusts it, which covers something completely. Not even he himself knows what it exactly is.

“W-what the hell just happened…?” Clear asks as she rubs his throbbing head. She must have hit her head on the ring after getting hit by the sudden shockwave. The second she realizes that what she is feeling under her hands and knees is softer than the ring is supposed to be, her heart sinks.

The audience in the stadium explodes into loud cheers and yells. The announcer tries to yell over the stadium’s loud cheers, “The Universe Warrior wins! It’s the first time in five years that someone won against Nimble Blondie!”

Clear is pouting angrily and is about to get up by herself when a hand gets into her sight.

“It was a nice battle,” Knapp flashes a grin on his face. “It’s my first time fighting someone this serious! You’re certainly strong!”

“Hn,” Clear takes Knapp’s hand and is being pulled to her feet. She wipes her short jeans with her own hands. She mumbles, “Congratulations.”

“Clear.” Knapp suddenly leans forward and whispers into her ear, “If you want the prize, then meet me at the spaceship outside the town. It’s southeast of here. You can’t miss it at all.”

~*~

“I am surprised that you bothered to come here at all.” Knapp smiles widely when Clear shows up at the spaceship. “I wasn’t sure because you looked pissed off back then.”

“It’s because I need money,” Clear mumbles angrily. “I am here, okay? What is it that you want from me?”

“Before I tell you, I wanted to introduce you uh…” Knapp places his hand on Sybil’s shoulder. “This is Sybil, my girlfriend. She is a seer. And…”

He jerks his thumb at the deaf warrior and continues, “That’s Logy. He can read your mind.”

“What?!” Clear cries. “It is a violation of my privacy--”

“I only read when I need to,” Logy interrupts her. He looks completely amused at Clear’s reaction. “I am not peeking into your mind right now. Unless there’s something we need to know?”

“No!” Clear blushes and looks away from Logy, avoiding his eye contact. I hope he doesn’t find out that I think how cute Knapp is.

Logy catches Clear’s thoughts but decides not to say anything. Instead, he resumes smiling.

“So, the reason why I asked you to come here is because my spaceship is broken down. We heard a lot of things about you… not just how strong you are but also how genius you are. We heard about how you can build something entirely new just from the scraps!”

“Why should I help you after you defeated me in front of millions?” Clear snaps. “I wasted my time coming here. So, bye --”

“Oh shoot. Guess I’ll just find someone else to fix my spaceship and then get the 1 million dollars as a payment.”

Clear stops right away. “The whole money prize?”

“Yes,” Knapp grins widely.

“Well then… What planet are you from?” Clear asks curiously as she places her hand on the exterior wall of the spaceship and then runs it across until she feels a tiny gap between two panels. She pulls out her screwdriver from her tool bag with a belt around her waist. 

“Um… Sybil and I are from Earth. Logy is from Planet Fantasy,” Knapp answers.

“Earth is still using oil, right?” Clear drills the screws in reverse and then pulls the panel apart from the spaceship carefully. After putting it on the crystal floor, she crawls into the new hole.

“I… I think so?” Knapp shrugs his shoulders.

“Your technology is too advanced for this planet, but I had fixed other spaceships that were more complicated than this. So, it may take me at least a day to fix.”

“Just take all the time you need! We are in no rush,” Knapp says cheerfully. He bows his head out of habit and says, “Thank you!”

“With the terrible economy on my home planet, I just need extra money to last for a year,” Clear shrugs her shoulders. “The King has always taken way too much tax from us. In fact, we pay every three months.”

Sybil and Knapp glance at each other in worry but are not saying anything else. They do not need to get involved with this planet’s business.

~*~

There is a sudden pressure on Knapp’s chest. He gasps loudly, as if he has been deprived of air. He closes his eyes again and takes deep breaths.

“Knapp? Are you ok?” Sybil asks tiredly as she places her hand on Knapp’s shaking shoulder. She sits up from their bed and pulls him into her embrace.

Knapp’s entire body suddenly feels too heavy. The sensation of pressure on his chest has not gone away yet. It is as if there is something holding his heart too tightly.

He opens one of his eyes. He widens both of them as he realizes that he and Sybil are not the only ones in their bedroom.

It is a child. He is standing in the middle of the bedroom. He is staring at Knapp and Sybil with dull heterochromia eyes; black one and white other. He is wearing some kind of white Chinese shirt and black pants. And his hair…

His hair is exactly the same as Kawaii’s when Knapp met him for the first time. Half white and half black hair. But… he is a child this time… isn’t he?

“Kawaii?” Knapp asks softly.

“What?” Sybil asks.

“He… he is over there,” Knapp points at the child who has not moved at all. “Can’t you see him?”

Sybil glances around and shakes her head. “Perhaps we need to go back to sleep.”

“I…” Knapp hesitates as he keeps glancing at the child who is staring back. “Actually, I am thirsty. So, I’ll go and get some water. I’ll come back in a flash!”

“I can get it for you. You don’t look too well.” Sybil places her hand on Knapp’s warm forehead.

Kawaii narrows his eyes in annoyance.

“It’s ok. I need to walk a little bit anyway,” Knapp says. As soon as he gets up, Kawaii suddenly turns around and walks through the door. The Universe Warrior tries to hurry but does not want to worry Sybil too much. So, he walks a little faster than usual and follows Kawaii all the way through a couple of the hallways.

Kawaii guides him out of the spaceship and then stops suddenly in the middle of the crystal field. While Knapp is still catching up, the child form of the Fifth Universe is pointing his finger at the town where Knapp and Clear fought in a fighting tournament.

Knapp stops frozen after he follows where the child is pointing at. He wonders why there is a sunset when it is past midnight but now he knows. The entire town is on flames. Dark smokes cover nearly the entire sky above the town.

A single tear slides down the child’s face cheek as he is still staring at Knapp intensely. The Universe Warrior knows what the child is trying to ask.

Save everyone.

Not too far away, he spots Clear kneeling on the ground and watching the flaming town helplessly. He has nearly forgotten that Clear was going to stay overnight at the spaceship and would finish the repairs the next day.

He turns to Kawaii only to find him completely gone. With a frown on his face, he says almost to himself, “I will find the cause of this.”

He hurriedly moves to Clear and kneels in front of her. He says, “Hey, I’m going to the town and save as many people as possible.”

“No… there is no point,” Clear says almost unemotionally.

“W...what do you mean?”

“I’ve heard… about the king sending the soldiers to my hometown because some of us did not have enough money to pay tax. But… I never thought that they would destroy it like that.”

“King?”

“King Jasper. He… He wouldn’t order something destructive like this… would he?” Clear places her hands on her head as if she is questioning herself.

“Clear… go back to the spaceship. I will go to the town and make sure everyone is ok. Meanwhile, you don’t need to worry, okay?” Knapp does not wait for Clear to answer when he gets up and makes his way for the town.

As soon as he reaches the town, he jumps high into the air and then allows himself to drop back to the ground until he slams one of his feet on the ground. Mixture of whiteness and darkness grows larger from Knapp’s foot and then spreads all over the streets, buildings, vendors, and more within the range of just five miles.

Flames suddenly vanish into the whiteness and darkness, but there is still three-fourth left of the town still on the fire.

The fact that the fire easily disappears into Knapp’s universe energy clearly means that it is not natural and that it is fire energy being used by the soldiers.

As he runs as fast as he can, he is passing countless burned corpses. He does not even want to know how many people he did not save. How… How can they destroy so many lives like this…?

He keeps absorbing and vanishing the flames as he rushes through the town. Eventually he finds a group of soldiers in metal knight armor who are riding horses casually walking and leaving the town, heading north.

“Hey you!” Knapp yells angrily, stopping the soldiers completely. He is still panting so he takes a few breaths. He asks, “How… How would you do this to people?”

“Ah, you’re one of the lucky people who survived. As you should have known, some of you didn’t pay tax. So, King Jasper sent us to teach you a lesson,” One of the soldiers says.

“Hey, aren’t you the one who won the prize at that tournament yesterday?” The second soldier recalls. “In that case, give us your prize. Consider it as tax in advance… and we will not kill you on the spot.”

“No,” Knapp snaps. “I will never give you anything. You took too many lives.... I will never forgive you!”

“Kill him,” The first soldier orders.

“Yes, Captain!” Four other soldiers yell at the same time as they kick their horses, making them run fast toward Knapp.

But just a few feet away from Knapp, the horses stop suddenly, to the soldiers’ confusion. They keep whipping the horses’ behinds with their black sticks and urging them to go any further but the four-legged animals will not barge at all.

As one of them takes a look at the Universe Warrior, he flinches. “W-what… what is with that look of yours?”

Knapp’s usual dark brown eyes are drowning in a sea of whiteness and blackness. It is as if the light and darkness keep colliding with each other. It is like whichever wins will probably take over Knapp’s well being, but he does not seem to be too concerned with himself at all.

The flames in the town begin to move all the way toward Knapp but the second they reach him, they instantly dissipate into thin air.

Knapp lifts one of his hands, but that is when the horses go into panic mode. They all neigh loudly and start kicking wildly at nowhere until the soldiers finally fall off onto the ground of crystals.

“I should have killed you,” the Universe Warrior says dangerously. “But…”

He is looking at the child form of the Fifth Universe. Kawaii is standing between Knapp and the soldiers of Planet Crystal. Tears cannot stop flowing down the child’s face.

“Tell that king of yours… The Universe Warrior is coming after him. Go!”

The soldiers run like hell for their lives, leaving Knapp’s sight completely within just a few minutes.

He has not put down his hand yet when the Divine Sword suddenly appears in front of him while Kawaii is gone once again. He grabs its handle and then pierces it into the floor of crystals.

For the entire time, his heart feels like it is being gripped by something or someone. But the second the Divine Sword thrusts into the ground, it stops completely. Knapp closes his glowing eyes and then releases a loud sigh.

As soon as he opens his eyes again, the first thing he notices is that the Divine Sword is glowing in a blue aura. He raises an eyebrow. It’s not white or black?

He turns around when he senses hundreds of presences from behind. He widens his glowing eyes as he is watching the blue spirits along with quite a few white ones flying into the sky. They are not white? But… why?

A light breeze ruffles his messy hair. He glances back to his sword but then spots a visible large blue energy at the horizon of the land. He pulls out his sword and then is heading straight for the massive energy.

~*~

It does not take much for Knapp to defeat every single soldier. He does not even have to use the Divine Sword at all, which is still latched to his belt around his waist. 

He walks straight toward the large entrance double door. He lifts one of his feet and then slams it on the door, forcing it open harshly.

He enters the castle and calmly walks across the large hall until he reaches the throne, which is already occupied by the King of Planet Crystal.

“I see that my soldiers are no match for you,” King Jasper says with an amused smirk on his face. He runs his hand through his long blue hair, which is at the waist length. “Those eyes of yours… Are you another servant of Double God?”

“No. I live to serve and protect the Fifth Universe… I am the Universe Warrior,” Knapp responds.

“Eh, it’s the same thing. Well, then…” King Jasper gets up from the throne and then takes off his blue robe only to reveal that he is shirtless and is only wearing black loose pants with blue sash tied around his narrow waist. “Let’s see how powerful you are. It’s been a long time since the last time I fought someone as strong as you are.”

Suddenly, the crystals are being shot out of the floor and wrap around Knapp’s entire body, except his head, without Jasper even lifting a finger. He asks in surprise, “W-what…?”

Jasper chortles as he blinks his red eyes. “What? This so-called battle is over already? As you see… I captured you in the crystals… Nobody could ever break free from the crystals at all.”

Knapp cannot move his body at all, no matter how hard he tries. He cannot even absorb the crystals just like he could with fire and lightning back then. What the hell is this power?

Jasper swings his hand at his side. Soon, a crystalized pillar is being ripped off from the floor and ceiling. “What a disappointment. You defeated the Nimble Blondie, so I thought you would be at least a match for me. So, any last words?”

Shit! Knapp scowls deeply. He is angry at himself for losing his guard like that. No matter how much he struggles to be free from the hardened crystal, it still remains unbreakable. The crystal begins to extend to Knapp’s neck… jaw… nose… until it covers his entire head.

“And, that’s it…” Jasper returns to this crystallized throne and then sits on it. After a few minutes of watching the motionless Knapp, he narrows his red eyes in confusion because he realizes that Knapp’s eyes are still glowing in the colliding light and darkness. He shakes his head. It doesn't matter. Sooner or later, he will die without air.

The Divine Sword at Knapp’s waist begins to vibrate. Its vibrations are getting more and more violent every second.

Then, the cracks begin to appear all over the crystalized prison until it finally breaks into dozens of pieces.

Jasper flashes a big grin on his face as he gets back up from his throne. “Well… just when I thought you were dead, you surprised me by freeing yourself! This is getting more interesting!”

Suddenly, the crystalized pillar that has been hovering in the air for the entire time launches itself toward Knapp but it instantly  gets cut in half by the Divine Sword.

“Oh man! I thought I was done for!” Knapp exclaims in concern. His heart cannot stop beating faster than usual… from either excitement or fear. 

Jasper stomps his left foot on the floor. The crystal is suddenly being extended from the floor where Jasper stomped and is being formed into a sharp cylinder. 

Knapp quickly blocks it with his Divine Sword, but the crystalized cylinder pushes him all the way until he gets slammed against the wall. The cylinder is not even stopping there as the wall where he is pressed against begins to turn into larger and larger dent. He groans in pain, his jaw clenching tightly.

“Now you see why I am feared by everyone,” Jasper chuckles lightly. “Did you really think that you could stop me by yourself?”

“No.”

Jasper raises an eyebrow at Knapp’s unexpected answer.

“I mean… I’m shitty at fighting. Hell, I have no idea how to get out of this position. But….” Knapp groans once again as he gets pushed into the dent once again. “The Fifth Universe wants me to stop you from taking any more innocent lives. So, here I am.”

Jasper shivers at the collision of light and darkness in Knapp’s eyes without realizing to. It is as if the eyes of the Universe Warrior are trying to drag and drown him. He yells angrily, “Then die!”

Knapp quickly leaps and flips his body over the cylinder, which finally pierces through the wall. He lands but stumbles over a little bit. He takes a look at the damage that the cylinder caused and exclaims in surprise. “Holy crap! That was really close!”

“Tch!” Jasper growls angrily and then puts his hand on the floor. Once again, something else is being formed out of the crystalized floor. This time, it is a blade attached to his hand. He runs fast toward Knapp.

Before he can penetrate with his blade, Knapp suddenly slides right under him until he gets back up behind his opponent.

Before Jasper can turn around, he gets impacted in the back by the shockwave coming from Knapp’s Divine Sword. He cries in pain as he falls slipping across the smooth floor.

He turns on his back and gasps at the sight of Knapp lifting the Divine Sword in the air. “No… No, please! Please have mercy!”

Knapp tightens his grip on the Divine Sword’s handle. He asks dangerously, “Mercy? After what you had done to people? Made them suffer? Forced them to pay an unreasonable amount of tax? Did you even have any mercy for them when you sent your puppets to kill them?”

Jasper does not say a word as he is shaking in fear.

Knapp thrusts his sword only to stop literally an inch away from Jasper’s nose. No… it is not Jasper. It is Kawaii who is floating right above the trembling King of Planet Crystal.

“Kawaii?” Knapp asks in surprise.

The child form of the Fifth Universe grabs the tip of the Divine Sword and then places it on Jasper’s forehead. He briefly turns to Knapp and then moves his mouth, but no words come out at all.

The Universe Warrior gets startled when a screaming blue spirit is slowly emerging from Jasper’s head. For some reason, it reminds Knapp of freshwater, but either way, it gets absorbed into the Divine Sword. Jasper’s eyes go dull, his body completely limp.

Knapp drops his sword as he falls back on his bottom. He has never seen anything like that in his entire life.

It turns out that he still has a lot of things to learn as the Universe Warrior. He asks softly, “Kawaii… What was that?”

Kawaii narrows his eyes as if he is annoyed. 

“You don’t really speak at all, do you?” Knapp asks, almost in amusement. He reaches out his hand and asks another question, “Are you… really Kawaii?”

The child quickly jerks away from Knapp’s touch and then disappears into the air.

~*~

“Geez… what the heck happened to you?” Sybil asks worriedly as she is wrapping the bandage around Knapp’s head.

By the time Knapp gets to the spaceship, everyone, including Clear, freaks out over him. It turns out that his head has been bleeding from the impact on the wall. Knapp did not notice it until just now.

“Heheh… I had to stop someone. It’s totally worth it,” Knapp says cheerfully.

“Knapp…” Sybil says softly as she places her hand on her boyfriend’s face cheek. “I’m happy that you are happier than before but… I’m worried about you. What if you die?”

“I…”

“Sorry to interrupt!” Clear barges into the clinic room. “Your spaceship is all fixed and ready to go!”

“It’s about time! Thank you for all your help!” Knapp exclaims. He frowns when he realizes that they are really leaving. He asks as he places his hand on the bag full of money, “Clear… are you sure you don’t want to join us?”

Clear rolls her blue eyes. “Actually, keep the money… I picked a room, so you’re going to be stuck with me for the rest of your journey.”

“Really?!” Knapp gasps. “I mean… are you serious?”

“Of course yes! Who else is going to fix this spaceship if it breaks down on the way?” Clear scoffs and crosses her arms. “You will die without me. It’s a miracle that you made this far all the way from Earth.”

She turns her head to glare at Logy who is standing behind. “As long as you don’t peek into my head!”

Knapp laughs heartily at the confused look on Logy’s face and the scowl on Clear’s face. It is going to be fun.