A massive explosion of flames erupted from the heart of Nagano, lighting up the night sky with an intense glow. Jashi leaped into the air, his maniacal laughter echoing through the streets like a haunting melody. "HAHAHAHA!!!" he cackled, reveling in the chaos. Below, Kodak expertly manipulated the searing flames, directing them precisely as they pursued Jashi, licking at his heels and scorching the ground as he dashed frantically across the cityscape. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS!?" Kodak screamed in anger
Jashi paused, a furrow of confusion creasing his brow. "Whatever do you mean, Kodak?" His voice dripped with mockery, starkly contrasting the gravity of the situation they found themselves in. Kodak, heart racing, tightened his grip on his hand, feeling the warmth of blood seeping from a deep wound in his palm. "What do I mean!?" he shouted, his frustration boiling. In a sudden burst of adrenaline, he leaped into the air, channeling all his focus into his Destructive Energy Technique. A shimmering aura began to crackle around him, ready to unleash its power.
[1st Destructive Formation: Tenfold Impact!]
Kodak's fist connects with Jashi's face, the force of the blow sending him staggering backward. With a surge of adrenaline, Kodak charges in, landing another punishing strike squarely on Jashi's jaw. "You took Himari from us! You left Fumiko critically injured, and you harmed Akari and even Ashiro!" His voice rises, filled with raw fury. "And Satsujin just stands there, refusing to fight back for control! I hope you both suffer for what you've done!"
Satsujin slowly awakens within the vast expanse of the mindscape, a surreal world where thoughts and emotions intertwine like a swirling mist. The air feels tense as he hears Kodak's accusatory words echoing around him, each syllable penetrating his consciousness. "It's my fault?" he questions, a mixture of confusion and defensiveness rising. The weight of blame hangs heavy, distorting the vibrant colors of the surroundings and casting shadows over his reality.
Jashi then feels something different within the body of Satsujin, the sudden loss of control frightens him, but that fear was shattered as he felt the thoughts of Satsujin aligning with his own. Jashi then smirked as he finally handed control of Satsujin's body back to its rightful owner.
"It's my fault!?" Satsujin's word radiated rage as he looked at Kodak with hate in his eyes. "The boy I took in from a torn and murdered family betrayed me worse than the vile enemy dwelling within my body," Satsujin said as his words hit Kodak hard, harder than any attack he faced throughout his life. He gritted his teeth in anger as energy surged wildly within his body.
[Kinetic Energy is surging!]
Kodak's body pulsated with vibrant red streaks of energy, illuminating him in an otherworldly glow. A single tear slipped down his cheek. He then turned his gaze towards Satsujin, his expression a mix of pain and determination. "Himari was brutally killed, Fumiko is dying, while I waste my breath with you. And Akari is in critical condition. Ashiro can't even grasp the situation. His father is helping the enemy and has just killed and critically injured most of his friends. WHAT KIND OF FATHER DOES THAT!?" Kodak's harsh and angry words echo through the empty ruins of the city. Multiple people start gathering around Kodak and Satsujin, floating in the air.
Satsujin remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ground, the weight of unspoken words pulling his head low as if he were trying to hide from the world around him. "Shut up." His voice couldn't be heard from his low tone. Kodak looked at him, confused. "What, speak up." Satsujin's jaw flexed in anger, prompting him to yell at Kodak with hate and fury in his eyes. "SHUT UP!!!" Glitch energy radiates as the people below run in horror of the fight about to break out, all but one person ran away. A man dressed in a dark red jacket and grey sweatpants. "This will be important for the higher-ups." He took out his phone and began recording the animosity between Kodak and Satsujin.
[1st Kinetic Formation: Charge and Burst Impact!]
Kodak was the first to make a move, darting through the crisp, chilly air as the biting wind whipped through his hair. His voice rang out, a blend of urgency and desperation, as he shouted at Satsujin, "DON'T MAKE ME HURT THE MAN WHO HAS BECOME LIKE A SECOND FATHER TO ME!!!" Each word carried the weight of his emotions, echoing the turmoil in his heart.
Satsujin remained unfazed by Kodak's heartfelt outburst, igniting a storm of fury within him. In a flash, Kodak's fist collided with Satsujin's jaw, the force of the blow sending droplets of sweat flying like bullets in the air. Dark clouds loomed ominously overhead, and the sky erupted in torrential rain, mirroring the brewing chaos. With a sudden burst of energy, Satsujin sprang into action, ready to unleash his next move.
[Skill: Glitching Blitz Impact Activated Strongly!]
Kodak felt a chilling jolt of instinct reverberate through him, a primal warning from his combat sense skill urging him to evade the impending strike. Yet, he found himself unable to move. There was no question in his mind—he was faster, stronger, and more skilled than Satsujin. Yet, a deep-seated part of him whispered that he should accept the blow, as if he somehow deserved the pain about to come his way.
Satsujin then strikes Kodak square in his face. Blood drips from his nose, and rain from the sky washes down Kodak's face. Kuroi then screamed at him within the mindscape. " He is going to kill you! What the fuck are you doing!?" Kodak didn't answer as Satsunin struck him once more, more blood leaking from his nose and even his mouth. "I deserve this. I'm done, just let him kill me." Kuroi then grabbed Kodak's mental form within the mindscape. " You're picking the easy way out of this!? You don't deserve that, you haven't done shit to begin with! You deserve nothing. Hell, I might as well just take over your body so I can kill him. Did your sister deserve the sexual harassment and abuse that was dealt to her? Did your mother truly deserve such a brutal end, writhing in pain as she breathed her last? Did your father merit the cowardice that saw him flee when the darkness closed in? I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the—"
Before Kuroi could finish, Kodak seized him, violently swatting his hands away before landing a fierce punch squarely on his face. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" His voice thundered, and a palpable aura surged around him, thick with a murderous intent that crackled in the air. Kuroi's smirk widened, knowing the words had struck a nerve, igniting the very rage he sought to provoke. "I had to talk all that shit just to get you to pay attention. Now, regain your body before I take it for myself."
Fumiko opened her eyes, smirking to herself. "(Looks like my remaining agony was good enough to heal me up to about 10% of my strength.)" She then stood up and looked around, hearing a loud shockwave explode from the sky. "Kodak's still fighting!?"
Satsujin unleashed another strike, aiming for Kodak's body, but this time, the impact felt markedly different; Kodak stood unyielding, the attack seemingly absorbed without effect. In a swift, fluid motion, Kodak seized Satsujin by the face, his grip unyielding like iron. With a powerful punch, he sent Satsujin hurtling away, the brutal force tearing through Satsujin's jaw. The sheer momentum propelled him high into the air, where he soared until he collided with a distant mountain, the impact echoing through the valley far from the city.
Kodak looked at his fist, and steam was coming off it just from the impact and the speed put behind it. He then flew into the air, but instead he fell to the ground, unconscious. His vision goes dark, and the last thing he heard was something from Kuroi and Kiko, but he couldn't make it out.
[Limits have been reached, your body is shutting down!]
Satsujin stood up weakly, his body was in shambles, and his roots and pathways of revenant were too twisted and contorted. "That damn resilience of his is infuriating!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the rugged cliffs. With a brittle crack, his fist collided with the mountain wall, sending a shudder through the rock and a cascade of loose stones tumbling to the ground below. Frustration coursing through him, he took to the sky, his form flickering and unstable as he pathetically glided in the sky.
Fumiko stood frozen, her heart racing as she watched Kodak's body plunge through the azure sky, a figure tumbling helplessly against the backdrop of fluffy white clouds. Instinct kicked in, and she lunged forward, arms outstretched, desperate to catch him before he hit the ground. The wind whipped around her, carrying the scent of rain, amplifying her urgency as she strained to reach him in time.
[Skill: Blossoming Flight!]
A soft tone of purple wings sprouted from her back as she took flight into the dark sky of the ruined city. Her wings were illuminated by the shining presence of the moon as she caught Kodak. She floated slowly to the ground, landing with such grace. Fumio then heard the slight breathing from Kodak's chest rising up and down, followed by the slight groans in pain. "Mm..." Fumiko immediately started coursing revenant through him. To his core, roots, and even his pathways of the destructive energy core. "(Come on, you aren't dying on me!)"
Ashiro then woke up, seeing the corpse of Himari. Masashi still had blood splattered over his face, traumatizing the young boy. He cried into the shoulder of his older sister, Kohaku. She silently cried as Ashiro walked over, hugging the pair of sad, broken siblings. "Kohaku, I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough to protect Himari. I wish I could-" Kohaku slapped him across the face, his face filled with shock and sorrow. "Don't you dare say it. You are not to blame, none of us are. Those people who attacked us are harsh, evil, and downright despicable. It doesn't make sense, it doesn't -" Kohaku then falls unconscious as multiple people stand around them. Ashiro wanted to fight, but he had run dry of any revenant he could use to fight with. He clenched his fist in anger at his weakness. "Dammit, so what's gonna happen? YOU ALL JUST GONNA HUNT US DOWN LIKE DOGS!?"
Fumiko sets Kodak on the ground, seeing that his body was using the revenant she had coursed through his body. "(Looks like Kodak will survive this no doubt, but. Kohaku and Akari have gone unconscious, I don't know if their healing factor is strong enough for them but its a gamble at this point. DAMMIT ALL!)"
Fumiko then felt her body trying to absorb Lunar energy, but she stopped herself. After all, she could barely even stand. Fumiko then turned around and looked at the multiple men and women standing around them. Their outfits seemed weird, but she knew they meant business. A man then walked forward; he was old and frail-looking. But Funiko knew who this was.
"Hey there, Kenzo." The man turned his gaze towards Fumiko, his eyes widening in surprise as he sensed the formidable reservoir of revenant energy she now wielded. "Wow, you've grown strong, Fumiko. But enough about you—how's my nephew doing?"
At the mention of her friend, Fumiko's expression darkened. "He'll survive, but he's currently trapped in a coma. The immense strain and agony he endured nearly shattered him. His energy is completely depleted, yet he's recovering at an impressive rate. Still, don't expect him to wake up for a couple of months."
Fumiko's shoulders slumped, and her gaze fell to the ground, her heart heavy with worry for Kodak.
Kenzo gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his touch warm and steady. "Don't feel too bad," he said, his voice rich with wisdom. "After all, he's a Kawanari. One day, he will recover, and when that day comes, he'll emerge stronger than ever before. Right now, he could be deep in conversation with his avatar, harnessing all the strength and wisdom that comes from their bond."
Tears streamed down Fumiko's cheeks as she softly chuckled, her laughter a melodic, gentle sound that broke the heavy silence. She felt an unexpected warmth spreading through her chest, a comforting reassurance. Deep down, she knew he would recover; a sense of certainty washed over her, wrapping her in a cocoon of hope. "You're right, Kenzo," she replied, her voice steady yet laced with emotion. "He will recover. After all, I should know better than anyone that the Kawanari family is as resilient as they come—headstrong to a fault, but fiercely unyielding in the face of adversity."
Kenzo's lips curled into a smile at Fumiko, but it quickly morphed into a fierce scowl as he turned his back, his face igniting with a blazing fire of anger and malice as he gazed at Kodak's gravely injured form sprawled amidst the chaos. The sight of the scattered casualties around him twisted a knot of rage in his chest. Dark thoughts of vengeance and murderous intent surged through his mind like a relentless storm. "(Whoever did this to you, Kodak, I hope they realize they've sparked a war—one that I will finish!)"
Ashiro collapses onto the cold, unforgiving ground, his body trembling under exhaustion. A deep ache spreads through his limbs, and he can almost feel the energy draining from his core. As his vision begins to blur and fade into darkness, a fleeting image of Kohaku flickers in his mind—a comforting presence amidst the encroaching void. With a deep sigh, he lets his eyelids flutter closed, surrendering to the overwhelming fatigue.
Ashiro gradually opens his heavy eyelids, wincing slightly as the bright light overhead floods his vision. He finds himself nestled in a crisp, white bed, the soft linens cool against his skin. Surrounding him are various pieces of medical equipment, their gentle beeping and whirring a constant reminder of his current state. A nurse stands beside him, her expression a blend of professionalism and concern, framed by the sterile ambiance of the room. The faint scent of antiseptic lingers in the air, grounding him in this unfamiliar yet strangely soothing environment.
Ashiro's vision was blurry for a moment before he heard a soft voice of a nurse in the room where he was resting. He muttered under his breath, still confused about the current situation. "W-where.. am I?" Kenzo then walked into the room, smirking at Ashiro. "Looks like you're awake." The tone of Kenzo was confident and slightly surprised. "I guess the Tensai family is still strong as ever."
Ashiro slowly rises from the soft hospital bed, wincing slightly in pain as his blurry vision is clearing up steadily. "Ow, what the hell happened?"
Kenzo snapped his fingers, and his voice spoke with authority. "System, scan for abnormal conditions." A short ring notified Kenzo of his skill being activated.
[Skill: Elder's Insight Activated!]
Kenzo then puts his hand on Ashiro's shoulder, sensing for any abnormalities within his revenant. "(His revenant is affected, but what does catch my attention is his revenant cores. Most of them are blocked off, probably from his avatar. I could try to forcefully open them, but they're prone to revenant blockage and damage. Most likely killing him.)"
Kenzo then removed his hand and began to walk away from Ashiro. Before he was stopped by a question the boy had for him. "So, am I good?" Kenzo looked back and smiled. "Fit as you can be, but that doesn't mean go straight to training. If I know anything from Kodak, you wanna train your powers immediately. So just chill out and relax, Ashiro." Kenzo said, while reminiscing about the days of a younger Kodak yelling at him, wanting to train and fight more.
10 years ago...
Kenzo shook his head in disapproval towards Kodak. "You are still injured, you might feel strong. But that's your Kawanari blood in you telling you to fight, despite being so badly injured. I mean, look at you, Kodak. That 13-year-old almost killed ya!" Kenzo's voice was wise and stoic, yet stern and worrisome about his nephew. "I'm sorry, Kodak. Hopefully, one day you will understand why I do this for you."
Kenzo then comes back to the present, seeing the same fire in Ashiro's eyes that he saw in a younger Satsujin. "You are just like your father." Ashiro looked at him, surprised, but still angry. "I'm not my dad, I refuse to be a person who could just disregard his son and his friends so easily like that!" The Elemental Energy technique then starts radiating from Ashiro's body. Sparks of electrical energy rush through Ashiro's body as he feels something like a new revenant core awakening within his body. "Huh?"
[New element unlocked: Lightning Core!]
[Elemental cores: Flame Core, Earth Core, and Lightning Core!]
Ashiro looked at the messages before feeling a stream of lightning jolting around his body at speeds that his body could barely handle. "KEUGH!" Ashiro then falls from the bed as Kenzo watches, only giving him some encouraging words. "Focus, Ashiro. Feel the electrical current flowing through your body. Remember this feeling, make this power your own. You control the power, don't let it control you. Instead, you should dominate this newfound power and make it your own."
Ashiro's eyes light up with the electrical current, his body then tenses before shortly relaxing and coursing the lightning through his pathways. Seconds go by as he gains better control, with Kenzo supervising him to make sure he is okay. The seconds turned to minutes, and before long, the electrical current within Ashiro's body had calmed down. Ashiro squeezed his fist in succession, engulfing his fist in lightning. "Whoa." His eyes stare into the current of lightning engulfing his hand.
"(Godai told me the trigger for my elements is linked to my emotions, passion, and anger are the main contributors to my Flame Core, mainly cause of my anger towards my weakness and the passion to get stronger. Sympathy and compassion are linked to my earth core, probably cause of my protective nature. Aggression and concentration are linked to lightning. I wonder if those emotions could mesh with one another. There is one more element I'm missing, the Water Core. From what he told me, the Water Core is a mixture of emotions, anger, focus, empathy, and even sadness. It's an element that is forever adapting.)"
Ashiro then frowns as he gets slightly annoyed at himself. "(I SUCK AT ADAPTING!!!)" He then leans back, his head falling onto the pillow of the hospital bed while he mutters under his breath. "Damnit all."
Kenzo smirked at Ashiro and spoke once before he got ready to leave. "Just remember." Ashiro's eyes look over immediately, hearing Kenzo's words. Ready to listen to his encouraging words of wisdom. "Don't let yourself be swallowed up by your emotions; control and dominate them to your will. You do what you can. After all, we are the authors of our own story. So go make your story."
Ashiro's eyes light up as he feels the passion for his flames burning brightly. "(Just who is this old man, and why do I feel so inspired!?)" He clutches his hospital gown to his chest and smiles as Kenzo leaves the room.
"(Looks like that Tensai boy is not gonna be struggling with himself as long as he has confidence, however.)" Kenzo then walks into a hospital room, seeing a bedridden Akari, barely clinging to life. "(Looks like her condition is worse than I thought. The combination of toxic energy that plagued her for so long, along with the fact that Kodak had to use destructive energy to purify it, and then she was barely healed from the agony usage by Fumiko. It's a miracle that she can even breathe.)" Akari lies on a hospital bed just like Ashiro, except she has multiple machines strapped to her. Seems as though her condition was too unstable to even stand, much less walk.
Kenzo then puts his hand on Akari, feeling the remnants of destructive energy still plaguing her body. "(Seems my hunch was right, Kodak's energy still resides within her body and is still damaging her as we speak. If she doesn't wake up soon, she's as good as dead.)" All of a sudden, Akari's body starts glowing with two types of auras. A dark red one, signifying the malicious energy she still had, and a blue one that was still putting up a fight.
Akari looks around herself, seeing that she has entered her mindscape. "So this is what Kodak and Ashiro did to get stronger. No wonder their such powerhouses." Akari looks around the scenery of the mindscape, a world filled with nothing and yet everything. Beautiful fields of nature, and yet such an empty valley filled with nothing. Akari touched the grass, and it felt soft and firm. The feeling of this world sent chills down her spine.
A voice then called to her, one of multiple tones. "Akari Yuka, disciple of the emotional personas. One of both benevolence and malevolence. What do you desire?" Akari's eyes darted across the land until she saw a figure. A young woman with long, dark hair and monster-like features, including grey horns on her head and a pair of differently colored wings. Her wings were two different kinds, the left wing that was such a pristine tone of white that it calmed Akar's mind. While the right one was such a deep and evil tone of black that it made her slightly nervous. But yet, this didn't frighten Akari, in fact, she felt like herself from just being next to the beautiful woman across from her.
"Are you my Avatar?" Akari asked, curious about the woman. "Are you here to help me?" The woman nodded and opened his mouth to answer Akari's first question. "I am your Avatar, my name is Mizuki. But before we start, lend me your hand." Akari reached out, feeling the simultaneous coldness and warmth coming from Mizuki. "(She's beautiful like the moon, and yet so balanced. I wonder how she controls her personified emotions, if she even has a technique similar to my own.)"
Akari then felt something get pulled out of her body, seeing Mizuki holding the little bit of destructive energy that Kodak couldn't remove from her body. Akari looked at the energy, even being that close was making Mizuki's form take some damage. "(So this is the destructive energy technique that I've heard so much about. It's stronger than I thought, if I hold on any longer, I might be a little bit hurt.)" Mizuki then crushes the energy within her hand as the same malicious energy that came from the personified emotion, malice.
Bloodlust fills the air, and Mizuki's neutral expression suddenly turns dark and angry. The dark red aura overrides the blue aura. The bit of destructive energy that Mizuki held was then instantly shattered. As Akari fell to the ground, the intense energy emanating from her avatar made her body grovel in response. "(You gotta be kidding me, this is what an avatar is capable of!?)" Akari digs her fingers into the ground, her fingers slowly piercing into the tough dirt below her. Akari threw up as she felt the killing intent fill the air. "(SHE'S ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVEL!?)"
Mizuki didn't even look at Akari normally; instead, she stared at her with even more malicious killing intent. "GET UP." Her voice was almost like a command, telling Akari to bend to her will or be mercilessly crushed. Akari stood up slowly as the energy from Mizuki weighed on her heavily. Akari then thought back to her fight against Ryoko and even against Satsujin. "(I couldn't do anything in that fight against those strong fighters. Ryoko held back, and Satsujin thought I was nothing more than a hindrance. I hate it, I hate my weakness, my softness. My kindness and unwillingness to hurt others have done nothing but hinder my strength!)"
[Personified Emotions: Malice was selected!]
Malicious energy radiates from Akari as she stares right back at Mizuki, surprising her avatar. But harsher words flowed from her lips as Akari stared back with killing intent. "Are you gonna stare all day, or are you going to fucking do something!" Akari then felt something snap; her energy levels with her innate technique spiked as multiple pings from the system echoed into her.
[Innate technique has leveled up!]
[Personified emotions LVL 1 --> LVL 2!]
[Malice formations are being redefined from the amount of killing intent you are unleashing!]
Akari then stood up fully, almost like she had gotten used to the large amounts of bloodlust from Mizuki's aura. "(So that's the secret to it.)" The dark energy from Akari begins coursing through her body, amplifying her strength better than the last time she used the technique.
[1st Raging Malice Formation: Bloodlusted Eclispe!]
Akari then plants her feet, shifting her body as she moves to punch Mizuki square in the liver. But she dodges and kicks Akari across the mindscape. Her body rolls painfully through the lush grass until she digs her hands into the ground, stopping herself from tumbling even further. "(Damn, not even a scratch. Compared to Kodak she's on whole other level, makes Ashiro seem like a weakliing.)"
Akari then stands up from the attack, brushing off the dirt on her shoulder. "Damn..." Her anger surges even more wildly as she rushes at Mizuki again, throwing a quick jab at her face. Mizuki dodges the attack, smirking with an extreme smile that showed her low estimation, only to be met with a secondary punch straight to the jaw. Staggering Mizuki slightly.
She wipes her mouth, seeing a faint smear of blood across her hand, and a twisted smile plasters across her face. "YES!" Her voice echoed with excitement as her power surged more aggressively than before. "THIS IS HOW MALICE SHOULD BE USED! RENTLESS AGGRESSION USED TO TEAR THROUGH YOUR OPPONENT!" Akari grits her teeth, angry at her opponent underestimating her. She rushes forward once more and dodges a swift punch from Mizuki, and counters with a brutal kick straight to the gut. Akari then started wondering why she was leaving herself wide open, but as her attack lands, Mizuki doesn't even budge; in fact, her stomach felt hard as stone. "SHUT UP AND FIGHT PROPERLY!" Akari yelled in anger.
Mizuki then grabs Akari by the face and slams her into the ground hard. The heavy force of her body being slammed into the ground caused blood to be coughed up from Akari's mouth, and the taste of blood entered her mouth. "(Damn, what kind of monster as their stomach that dense and strong!?)" Mizuki then picks Akari up by her throat and smirks. "YES, THIS IS WHAT I WANT. I WANT MORE!"
Akari then punched Mizuki's elbow, forcing her to let go. Mizuki then delivered a brutal roundhouse kick straight to her head, staggering her a little bit more. "STO UNDERESTIMATING ME!" Mizuki fell to the ground and was kicked in the head once more as more blood leaked from her mouth and nose. Akari continued her assault, punching Mizuki in the face as she chuckled in delight at Akari's malicious killing intent-induced punches. "MORE!" Mizuki screamed even louder, as blood trickled down her mouth, complementing her twisted smile. Akari punched her again, but her fist just bounced off Mizuki's face; the density threw her off as Mizuki sprang up.
Akari then feels her face take a strike from a lethal elbow straight to her face. "(SHIT!)" Her face whips back as Akari feels her jaw bleeding more and more. Blood drips onto the lush grassy fields they fought on, but Akari couldn't do anything as her vision went black.