Deep within his mind, Kousuke was in his dream realm, where he was practicing fighting images of his classmates as he slept. His ability to analyze an opponent wasn't as good as Hiro's, as Hiro could do so in the instant he saw his enemy.
Kousuke had to look over them over and over again, doing so let him memorize all their moves, habits, and even the emotional state that affected the moves. He hadn't done this for a while due to being limited in strong opponents to face save for Megumi at the time. It was nice for him to get some more practice on those he respected in terms of strength.
Starting his dream training, he had fought Barnaby first to get practice in the Gikufu no Kata. Dodging his gunfire fine-tuned the evasion moves in the form. After his fight with his image Kousuke then fought Ryuji's image next, with everything he knew about him, he was able to make a perfect image of him more than with Barnaby's. From the way he threw his punches, the slight temperaments in his swings, his movements in his legs, up to the new power he obtained during his fight with Alexandra.
'Ryuji has gotten a lot stronger. He's been practicing Sambo with Alexandra-Sensei every day for the last few months. He has some very dense muscles even without him hardening his body with his skill. Landing a hit won't be a problem, it's getting past those thick muscles that'll be a challenge. Got to counter with Jiu-Jitsu locks and Aikido throws with the Mizu Hebi no Kata(Water Serpent Form) and Gikufu no Kata.'
The Ryuji image went for the initiative, Kousuke reversed the tackle attempts by going into headlock maneuvers followed by armbars, leading up to a swift transition into a triangle choke. When the Ryuji Image tried to slam him into the ground to break the hold, Kousuke used the momentum to rotate his body into a perfect position to do a double knee strike to the face. The strikes disoriented the Ryuji image allowing Kousuke to do a guillotine choke hold. With the Mizu Hebi no Kata he was able to extend and dislocate part of his joints to add more leverage to the locks. Thanks to the training and his Code Breaker Skill he could execute the moves without damaging his limbs. He choked the image of Ryuji out till it was unconscious, even an image of him with the thick muscles in his neck was a hard challenge.
The image training was going well with that fight down, Kousuke was adding more to his style with every counter. He started taking the other katas more seriously, not focusing on offense as much and letting himself be more balanced in his approach. The practice paid off in how he was able to counter Ryuji.
'Perfect, I'm getting better with grappling maneuvers and locks. It'll take some real-life practice but my body will remember everything here. Instead of focusing on head-on attacks I'll get better all around so I won't get beaten easily again. The progress is working with me getting the Gouki Ryu into my rhythm, soon I can make some more original moves like Shishou did making Panther-inspired attacks with her forms.'
Kousuke kept practicing with other images of his classmates, he needed to be able to win in the future and not die again like before, that was a close call he couldn't afford again. Not with the pain it caused his friends, he couldn't rest doing that to them or breaking itsuki's heart.
As he was fighting a multitude of images of the boys in his school, mist surrounded the makeshift arena he built in his mind. The arena dissipated, and so did the image of the boys. Everything was changing and it wasn't of his own will.
Kousuke was confused as to what was going on. The mist surrounding the area changed the landscape of his dream, it was now the same Spirit World that Kousuke was in when he died fighting Megumi. Done to the exact detail of the trees and rock formations the clouds made.
'What the? Why am I back here I didn't die again. I would have known if I somehow kicked the bucket in my sleep. What's going on here?'
Kousuke looked around, but no one was there, he was alone in the vast sea of clouds.
He started feeling anxious, his breath was rapid, and the feeling of being alone in this place was getting to him.
'This isn't good. This feels like a bad omen waiting to happen.'
Kousuke's head snapped behind him when he heard the sound of footsteps, the presence was making its way quickly to where he was, almost like it was in a hurry to warn him.
He waited nervously, he didn't know what to expect. Kousuke waited till he saw Old Jabi, she was gliding her way to him, her wrinkled face portraying extreme fright, her lips trying to mouth words to him from a distance.
"Oba-San? What's going on? Why am I here?"
"R....n"
"Huh, what are you trying to tell me?" Kousuke couldn't make out her words. They sounded garbled like they were being blocked from speaking. Just trying to say one word was a struggle for her to utter.
"R…..u..n....RUN! HE'S BEHIND YOU!"
Kousuke heard her clearly now, and he was hit hard with the words of warning she shot his way. He turned quickly to see a shadowy figure leap at him with a ferocious roar and killer intent. Kousuke dodged the towering figure barely with a second to spare before the claws nearly ripped his head off.
Kousuke's body rattled in fear, the shadowy figure was forming, and it shaped itself into a heavily scarred white tiger with shackles on its feet. An iron collar, leather armor on the shoulder blades of its legs and upper back, a short mohawk on its head, and fierce blue eyes staring him down with murderous intent. The creature before him was the Hunter Monarch, Byakurai. The first encounter Kousuke would make with one of the Monarchs. Unfortunately for him, this was the one who wanted to kill him at the moment, not help him.
"Give her back!!!"
'Back? Give what back. What the hell is this tiger talking about?'
Byakurai lunged forward with his hateful roar, Kousuke tried to fight back against him, but Byakurai's speed was great, greater than anything Kousuke had faced before. He was barely able to evade the strikes coming his way, this was an opponent he focused solely on defense against for the first time in his life.
Kousuke tried using his flames to attack when he could, but Byakurai countered with lightning bolts from his mighty claws. Every move Kousuke made, Byakurai countered with his sheer might, he was going to kill Kousuke and Kousuke could feel the intent from his glowing eyes piercing into his soul.
"Give back my child!"
Kousuke didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't take any child from him. He didn't even know who Byakurai was, to begin with.
Byakurai continued his assault, he wasn't going to stop till his fangs were stained with Kousuke's blood. Kousuke tried his best to fight back, but he was no more than a child fighting against a real Alpha not like the soul he bonded with.
Kousuke tried to summon his Alpha Beast soul but Byakurai's roar caused it to vanish.
'What the hell! Did he just stop me from changing with just his scream alone? How can he do that?'
Byakurai stared him down, even with his hate he still could be heard coherently in his speech.
"You think you can fight me as an equal by pretending to be an animal. You little pissant! I'm a true Beast God created by the will of the heavens itself from humanity's wishes. How dare a little weakling like you mock me by playing a beast before me? NEVER!!!!"
Byakurai was the Hunter Monarch, a title he was granted by God for being the perfect hunter of the Heavens. The Lord of the Wilds, everything was his jungle, he was King, nothing Kousuke ever faced before in his second life.
"Give me back my child and I might consider sparing you."
"I don't know what you're talking about, what child? And who are you?" Kousuke tried to ask to find some kind of answer to why he was being attacked.
Byakurai wouldn't listen, he was filled with rage, and his claws began to illuminate with lightning energy.
"Fine, you want to fight so badly. Then come get you stupid kitty cat!"
Byakurai howled in rage at Kousuke's disrespect. He lunged again trying to attack with his charged claws. Kousuke dodged, he was using all his willpower not to get hit with everything in his power. Kousuke landed a clean hit to Byakurai's left eye, only to anger him further in the process. Byakurai swatted him with his head, Kousuke wouldn't stop, he grabbed Byakurai's tail proceeding to climb his back and stab it with spear thrusts repeatedly.
He followed with a palm strike to his spine to miss with his sense of balance, then a hammer fist to the spine where the bone connected to the neck. Byakurai electrified his whole body, Kousuke tried but the shock was intense, he couldn't hold on anymore and jumped off. Byakurai's claws charged up again, Jabi knew what was coming she wanted to stop it before anything could happen to Kousuke.
"Kousuke watch out!" Jabi tried to warn him, that Byakurai was aiming for a strike with his signature finishing blow.
"Raikou Ken(Thunderous Roar Sword)!!!"
Byakurai slashed with his claws at the air in front of him, creating three thunder claw blades aimed at Kousuke. Kousuke put up a wall of flames in hopes they would be enough as a shield, but they barely blocked the attack in time. The impact knocked him into the air scorching his hands from the electrical damage, Byakurai used the chance that Kousuke was off balance to leap in the air and bite Kousuke's arm. Byakurai's teeth dug deep into Kousuke's arm, biting through the flesh and bone. Kousuke gave a blood-curdling scream of pain, he had never faced an enemy like this. Megumi was nothing compared to Byakurai's ferocity.
Byakurai threw him like a slab of battered meat to the ground. He then stabbed Kousuke in the stomach with his claws slamming him repeatedly to the ground. Byakurai then bit his damaged arm again ripping it off as Kousuke watched in horror at what happened to his body. Even if it was in his head the pain was real, it was excruciating and ravaging his mind and body on the outside. Byakurai threw him off his claw, a bloody trail smeared everywhere, with much of the blood covering Kousuke's body and face. The blood in his eyes made it look like bloody tears from how terrified he was.
Kousuke couldn't move, he was frozen in fear, the anxiety was back tenfold, more than it had ever been. The pain numbed every inch of his body from attempting to move a single muscle. Byakurai crept slowly toward Kousuke, eating the dismembered arm as he did. Every step Byakurai took was with a dominant purpose, to make Kousuke know how insignificant he was in the presence of the Lord of the Wilds.
"You? My Partner? Bullsh**!!! Why should I fight alongside a deer who thinks he's a mighty Lion? A pathetic runt who doesn't even have the fangs to stand up against me with his strengths. Never!!! I'll never accept you as my Partner you pathetic little sh**. I'll take my child back and feast on your bloodied corpse!"
Byakurai lunged forward baring his bloody fangs, Kousuke couldn't move still, his body was stuck in a catatonic state of absolute terror.
Jabi tried to stop it by throwing herself between them, but then chains flew from behind her, latching themselves to the iron shackles and collar on Byakurai. He roared in pain at the chains sending a shock of magic that gave him immense migraines and pain to his nervous system.
"Release me you old fools! You have no right to confine me. He's my prey!" A furious Byakurai demanded to fight with everything to break the chains binding his body.
The other Monarchs came, their eyes brimming with fury at Byakurai's brazen actions.
"Silence Byakurai!!!!! You have caused enough trouble for the last time you stupid fool!" Rekkamaru emerged from his shadow appearance greatly disappointed in what Byakurai was attempting to do.
Kousuke witnessed him. He was majestic, a dragon clad in silver and gold-tinted scales, earrings of gold, and wings that fluttered with glittering light. He had human arms contrary to his dragon portions of his body. His lower body was a long tail with his upper body having a human structure like his arms. He was beautiful, a dragon worthy of being the Legend Monarch.
Rekkamaru looked at Koutetsu, and he blew fire at him to heal his body. He blew a ray of light at Kousuke, the light healed Kousuke's body, repairing all the damage and lost appendage.
Kousuke sat up confused. He had no idea what was happening.
"Forgive us, child. He will never bother you in your dreams again. I wish you were mine to fight with but you are destined to be his Partner." The regretful Rekkamaru said.
"No one is my Partner. You can never replace the one who died saving my last child." Byakurai yelled unwilling to accept that he and Kousuke were destined to fight together.
Rekkamaru turned to Byakurai, the chains began to charge the shackles and collar again, and he was roaring in pain from the charges even more.
"Silence! You will not speak again unless I permit it Byakurai. You could have ruined everything, why God favors you so much baffles me."
Jabi ran to Kousuke, and she waved her finger at him before imparting a clue to beating Byakurai in the future.
"Lost Ronin, Twin Fangs, Mizuno Family."
Kousuke departed from the Spirit World after she said her words. Jabi was relieved, but she knew what was coming next.
"Jabi, what is the meaning of this? As our Speaker, you are forbidden to interfere directly unless permitted. Everything that happens must do so naturally. Why did you give Byakurai's last child to the boy?" Rekkamaru demanded form Jabi answer for her disobedience in giving up Byakurai's last remaining offspring without his consent.
Jabi was silent, she changed back into her youthful appearance, getting on her knees and bowing to the Monarchs for forgiveness.
"Forgive me. I had no choice. The boy is in danger. The barrier in place to keep the Jaakou trapped is breaking more and more. We lost their coordinates after the barrier went up only the orb I carrier is giving us a warning that it's almost gone. We must hurry, the boy has to become stronger before it happens, I gave the last child to him to build his army. Forgive me, my Monarchs."
The Monarchs were disappointed in her. She had good intentions but the last child was Byakurai's, he decided to make whether to give Kousuke his progeny, not her's.
"What shall we do Rekkamaru, time is running out she says. There is only so much we can do to steer the boy in the right direction. We can't let Ankou possess him. By right, he is theirs' due to the summoning ritual. We did not summon him ourselves, we were only lucky to notice his potential. If he is caught all realities are doomed."
The bird silhouette spoke.
Rekkamaru was troubled. He wished the boy were his to be partnered with, as they shared the same flame element. But Byakurai was his to be destined to. His brow was heavy bearing the crown of Lord of Divine Beings.
"God, what shall I do? How can I make these two work together? What path have you for us?"
Kousuke's spirit had returned to his body, his eyes furiously opened in a panic as he woke up, and he let out a scream that echoed throughout his home as his body was in a cold sweat. Rina could hear it, she had been woken by the loud yells of Kousuke's voice reaching out from his door. She ran to the room to check on him.
"What's wrong?" Kousuke couldn't respond he was still frightened from his fight with Byakurai. He was having a panic attack, the Thanatophobia was seeping back into his mind.
"What happened? Tell me what to do to help?"
Rina had to think quickly. She saw smoke coming off of Kousuke's body. He was about to lose it again like he did in the arena. Kousuke whether on instinct or the last shred of his clear mind from the fear pointed to the box on his nightstand. Rina opened it hurriedly, and she saw the inhaler in it. She knew what it was, her eyes were shocked that he was using a PTSD sedative drug.
Kousuke couldn't hold on longer, Rina could feel the heat coming off his body. She had to use it now, she forced the inhaler into his mouth to make him ingest the drug to sedate him. With the drug, he was halted from using his power, but his panicked breathing was still going on.
Rina got into the bed quickly to help him calm down to slow his breathing and heart rate. She held him in her arms, rubbing his head, doing what she could to help the attack go away.
"It's ok, I'm here, I'm here, it's ok."
Kousuke's head lay on top of her breasts as her arms continued to wrap around him. By reflex, he held her arms back trying to calm down. Rina buried her face in the top of his hair, she had never seen him panic like this before, not even the sight of him at the arena was this bad. All she wanted was to help him. So she held him for the rest of the night, not caring about anything else but helping him recover from his panic.
'I'm here Kousuke. I promise I won't leave you. I promise.'
She said sobbing as she worried for her friend with everything in her heart.