Ashiro's body then tenses as his guard defends himself even further.
Ken then put up his hands, trying to calm the situation as the other royals of Nexus appeared.
Ashiro looks over at the 4 other people appearing by Ken's side.
"So he brought Sena, Haru, Midori, and Shion. Seems like he'd rather use people who did not harm people such as myself, nor any of my friends dwelling here in the academy." Ashiro thought to himself quietly.
Fumiko then stepped forward of Ashiro and faced Ken. "If you try pulling some bullshit on us. I promise this won't end with you walking away alive."
Ken smirked and began walking away with Sena. "Midori, you're in charge. Make sure you help them against the fights happening in Kyoto and Nagano."
Everyone looked at Ken in shock. Fumiko was confused, yet angry that Ken had just simply walked away so easily.
Ashiro was even more confused. "What kinda game are you playing Ken!?" He asked as Ken walked further and further.
"A proposal." He replied to Ashiro's question quickly and efficiently. "We help you and I get information on why that Kawanari fellow is so involved with you're father, Satsujin Tensai. Plus, I might entertain the idea of us being future allies. Especially after all you did, Ashiro Tensai."
Ashiro clenched his fist tightly, trying not to run forward and smash Ken's face into the floor.
Fumiko tensed in anger upon hearing the wild deals, conditions, and even accusations. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GETTING AT!"
Ken then turned his head back slightly towards the group. "Peace. I want to abandon the constant fighting and violence that has plagued this school ever since your little group has been causing it."
Akari's body then forms tattoos and various symbols across her arms, legs, and even her face.
"OUR GROUP!?"
[Personified Emotions: Wrath Stance Activated!]
Blackened energy stretched across the cafeteria. Akari's body is covered in black roses and barbed wire tattoos.
Her malicious intent floods the room with tension, striking fear into the hearts of the countless students watching and observing them.
"WE ARE NOT AT FAULT!" Akari screamed angrily at Ken. "IT'S YOUR SECOND-RATE RANKING SYSTEM THAT'S AT FAULT. WE TRIED TO KEEP THE PEACE AND NOW YOU WANNA TRY TO USE PEACE AS AN EXCUSE!?"
The dark energy crawls across the floors, causing cracks and minor damage to the floors of the cafeteria.
Ken's eyes widen as Akari's power climbs higher. "STOP THIS AT ONCE!" He shouts, trying to cease Akari's wrathful nature.
Ashiro then placed his hand on Akari's shoulder gently. "Akari! Stop this!"
Her head snapped back towards Ashiro. Her face began to soften, but as they looked at each other a rotating lance of ice flew through the air.
Ashiro shoved Akari out of the way, knocking her to the ground as the sound of flesh being pierced entered her ears.
Akari watches in horror as she sees a jagged lance of ice shoot through Ashiro's stomach. Her stomach ties itself in knots, making Akari's body itch with multiple emotions.
"I feel it," Akari thought to herself. "I feel the rage and malicious bloodlust pulsing through my body. Something's slipping through my precise control. It's like a vessel of my emotions are stockpiled on top of each other. My vision is becoming clouded. But I couldn't care less about that shit."
Ashiro's wounds then begin to heal as red flames erupts from his body. His voice then spoke in a furious tone.
"You dare preach about peace. You tried convincing me that Midori was in charge of helping us. I almost believed you, even after all those fights and arguments we've had. Midori's a good person, I've seen the stuff he's done to try and be better. But now I see that your words are nothing but two-faced."
Ken looks towards Sena with a shocked look. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING SENA!? WE NEED THEIR TRUST!"
Ashiro's red flames burned brighter, but something was different. Ken wasn't acting cocky and showing off that overconfidence he normally eluded.
He seemed desperate for the peace. Something unlike him. But what threw Ashiro off even further, was the actions Sena had just pulled off.
She was normally a calm person who kept to herself and would only fight if necessary. Anything else was seen as trivial and wasn't considered an effort.
Ashiro's hands then dug into his stomach, moving around within it. It hurt like hell, but he didn't care. All he cared about was facing Ken.
Blood leaked into the translucent blue shade of ice, staining it with a red color. The red flames crawl across the ice, reducing it into nothing but a puddle of water.
Ashiro's eyes widened as he felt a rush of pain stretch across his stomach and he ripped the ice out of it.
"GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" He screamed as he felt the pain intensify. He could feel the numerous amount of students watching Ashiro perform such a gruesome, yet stunning feat.
The whispers grew louder as the students feared him more and more. The mumbling amongst the other students grew louder.
"He just ripped out Sena's Shardstorm Lance!?"
"Talk about a freak of nature."
"Is he even capable of feeling pain?"
The stomach injury Ashiro was burdened with then closed up—fully healed. Droplets of the melted ice echoed as they dripped onto the tiles of the cafeteria.
Ken then looks towards Ashiro. His face tensed with a worrisome look as Ashiro took a couple of steps forward.
"Ashiro, if you and I fight. How are you gonna save those two?" He nervously pointed towards one of the TVs in the cafeteria.
"I'm not fighting you," Ashiro said calmly.
Ken's face loosened from the words that left Ashiro's lips. "Well thank god for that."
"I'm not finished, Ken." Ashiro's tone then changed. "Instead, I am going to pummel that faker as soon as I know Kodak's okay." He then pointed towards Sena.
Her face then began to sweat as her computer was slipping. Akari looked at Ashiro in shock. "That's not Sena!?"
"Nope." He replied. "She's being controlled by Satsujin Tensai, my father."
Ashiro, Fumiko, Akari, and Kohaku then begin to walk out of the cafeteria, with the other 3 royals closely following.
Ken rushes forward, grabbing Ashiro by his shoulder. "Now wait just a damn minute! How do you know he's controlling Sena!?"
Ashiro then pointed at Sena's eyes. "See how her eyes are glitched, almost like a computer. The same thing happened to me when I was being controlled by my father. She also doesn't have the same output of power with her innate technique. During the sparring sessions with Fumiko, I was able to see how she opens, or counters the first move in a fight."
Ken released his grip on Ashiro's shoulder. "Go save him. I'll deal with the Satsujin situation."
Ashiro then smirked at Ken. "Seems like you're not as dumb as I thought."
The group then rushes out of the building, launching into the air as their flight skills activate.
Ashiro then spoke up. "Shion, Haru, Akari, Kohaku, and I will help Akachi in Kyoto. Fumiko, and Midori will aid Kodak."
The others nod as their paths diverge from one another. Ashiro scans the area, seeing a battlefield drenched in darkened blood.
The bloody landscape was filled with debris and rubble from the massive craters that were spread across the ground.
Ashiro then looked at one of the battle marks, they were reassembling those of a blade. One that used to be sharp and precise, but as he followed the trail of slashes— Ashiro saw the bloody slash marks get more aggressive.
The blade's patterns became more jagged and bloody. It was nothing more than what seemed to be a wild beast lashing out.
A message from the system then appeared from Shion's perspective.
[Expert Skill: Combat Skill is sensing something ominous!]
Shion's blonde hair then flows through the sudden gust of wind blasting the air. He then looked forward with his eyes squinting at a battle going on from miles and miles away from their current position.
Something was off though. Shion could feel it. He could feel the attacks from miles away.
Shockwaves echoed as they ran across the bloody landscape, etching closer and closer towards the brawl.
Haru then saw it. He looked forward, seeing a jagged red katana slash an arm off a muscular woman.
She reeled back as multiple men in dark blue suits shielded her, trying to aid her against the white and red-haired teen.
Her blood leaked from her arm, only for it to be drawn towards the crimson katana.
"Is that really the person we're gonna aid in this fight?" Haru asked.
Shion then spoke up. "Yeah, I don't think he needs help."
Akachi then slowly descended to the ground, slashing at the women, but as he swung his blade his grip loosened. His sword flew out of his hands as the muscular woman mocked him. "How pathetic. And here I thought our battle would push further beyond our limits."
Akachi then looked up, seeing that Lìhuì was fully healed. He couldn't do it alone.
"It's over. You lost, and now you're ours to use to the fullest." Lìhuì said in a dark tone.
Akachi tried to move, but he couldn't. His body was in shambles and he lost his weapon that bonded with him so willingly.
He accepted his fate. His eyes then closed as the feeling of death felt closer than ever before.
"I'm sorry, Kodak." He said to himself.
Lìhuì moved in to strike, but as her fist swung through the air. A haze of purple mist covered the battlefield
[Innate Skill: Thornfield Bloom!]
Shion clapped his hands together as he recited a chant. "Growth, change, and strength."
A large, vast, and sharp formation of prickly vines and large spikey thorns burst from the ground.
Haru then ran through the mist, touching the ground and spawning thick roots to erupt from the ground.
[5th Bloomforge Formation: Grovebind!]
Roots and vines spawn beneath Lìhuì, entangling, and binding both her and the men dressed in dark blue suits to the ground.
Lìhuì tries to move, but the roots and vines pull tighter and tighter. Their movements were completely negated.
Haru then looked up, seeing Akari, Midori, Kohaku, and Ashiro leap through the air. "DO IT!"
Multiple glows of different energies illuminated the area as the others rushed into the fight.
Midori set himself ablaze, becoming a green flaming weapon.
"DIEEEEEEE!!!!"
[1st Jaded Flame Formation: Emerald Surge!]
Green flames then erupt, burning Lìhuì and her men. Lìhuì jumps back as she escapes the flames, soaring through the sky.
[Skill: Wingless Flight Activated!]
Midori then smiles as the flames erupt across the battlefield. "ASHIRO, IT'S YOUR TURN NOW!"
No answer came. Midori then saw the jade flames he had just unleashed, dwindling.
"Emerald Surge was negated!?" Midori thought to himself as the flames grew smaller and smaller.
The smoke from his flames then completely disappeared. Two figures then stepped through the smoke, one of them seemed to be holding something. Or rather someone.
Midori's eyes then widened as he saw two men wearing white suits step out of the dissipating smoke. One was a brown-haired man with yellow eyes that glowed brightly with a certain hunger for battle.
While the other one had black hair, and seemed more cunning and secretive.
The brown-haired man then spoke up. "Never thought the brats from Nexus would intervene. Gunma please take care of him."
He then smiled upon hearing the order. "Don't gotta tell me twice me!"
[Innate Skill: Lashing Darkness!]
A whip then appeared in Gunma's hand, and before Midori could react a cut then appeared on his face. He jumped back as he felt his flames coming back to him.
Midori rushed forward, wasting no time as he began his assault. "WHAT'D YOU DO TO ASHIRO!?" Midori screamed as green flames fiercely erupted from his hands.
[Innate Skill: Verdant Requiem!]
Gunma's eyes then widened as the green flames engulfed him. "So fast!" He thought to himself as he pulled his arms up, trying to block the attack.
A fiery explosion of emerald flames erupts, sending Gunma flying across the battlefield.
Gunma then pierces his arm into the terrain, catching and stopping himself from tumbling any further.
"DON'T GET COCKY!" He screamed as multiple tendrils unleashed from within his body.
[Innate Skill: Lash Barrage!]
Midori jumped around the terrain, trying to avoid the tendrils. But as he dodged the 5th one, his shoulder was pierced by the 6th tendrils.
[3rd Jaded Flame Formation: Pyrebrand!]
Midori's fists then light up with green flames, and the multiple tendrils lodgein his body.
Blood drips onto the ground as steam comes off Midori's body. Mostly the wounds that were healing as the steam came off his body.
He then yelled into the sky. "YOU TWO JUST GOING TO STAND WATCH OR ARE YOU GONNA DO SOMETHING!"
Gunma then looked up, seeing a wave of purple spikes, prickly vines, and large green roots tearing through the ground.
He leapt into the air, dodging the head-on attack. "How annoying. I gotta fight all these nobodies."
Haru then punched the ground, unleashing a large number of roots and vines that latched onto Gunma's legs.
"MIDORI NOW!" He yelled towards his comrade.
Midori then stood, leaping into the air with green flames surrounding his body. "STOP BARKING ORDERS LIKE YOU'RE IN CHARGE!"
[4th Jaded Flame Formation: Verdant Maw!]
Large jaws of a green fiery serpent then soared through the air as Midori flew through the sky.
Gunma's eyes then widen as the jaws of the serpent grab him, bursting into a vortex of flames.
Haru punched the air in excitement. "HELL YEAH MIDORI!"
---
Ashiro's jaw gets hit hard, sending him flying through the sky. He crashes through the buildings.
Kurayami looks down on the city, seeing Ashiro emerging from the rubble. Blood drips down from his forehead, tainting the broken bits of the wooden buildings of the Takao district he just crashed into.
"Ugh... my head," Ashiro muttered under his breath as he held his head in pain. "Feels like a firestorm brewing in my skull."
A voice then yelled from up above, alerting him. "You like the scenery?"
Ashiro then jumped out of the rubble and looked to the sky, seeing Kurayami smirking at him from up above.
"So no people around?" Ashiro asked. "What kind of evil bastard like yourself picks an empty district?"
Kurayami then slowly floats down from the sky, landing almost silently. "I don't concern my battles, nor my problems with others. Plus those revenant cores you have are rather impressive. I wanna keep this fight between you and me."
Ashiro looked around frantically–he still didn't know if he could trust Kurayami's words.
[Combat Sense has detected no one within 5 miles of your location!]
Ashiro looked at the message still feeling uneasy. "Looks like you were true to your word. So what now, do we fight like a bunch of barbarians? Tearing each other to pieces?"
Kurayami shook his head. "Nah I already had a piece of that. You should've seen it, I punched a hole through Akachi's chest. And yet, he hardened his blood and ripped my arm off. Shit was painful and made me angry."
Ashiro's skin crawled upon hearing the mention of Kurayami's arm being ripped off and not even putting a scratch on him.
"So why fight me personally?" Ashiro asked with a gaze that tore straight through Kurayami's composure. Auras of multiple elements then radiated off Ashiro, deeply surprising Kurayami.
His eyes widened as the auras climbed higher and higher in power. Kurayami then smiled a twisted smile.
"Man forget the honorifics! I want a taste of that elemental revenant!" Kurayami's voice screamed, echoing through the district.
Ashiro then felt a large amount of revenant pouring out of Kurayami's body. "You gotta be kidding me." He muttered with a slightly worried look on his face.