Tensei's soul energy output started to increase and expelled a terrifying aura. This aura even made Haruki freeze as all the birds and animals around in the forest started to flee and it felt as if even the wind tried to escape Tensei. His core started to evolve by breaking itself down and creating a new one like a butterfly awakening from its cocoon.
Tensei instantly realised when he felt this surge of energy within him he had awakened to a Berserker Core and secondly his prayers worked. He punched Sunny away sending him flying onto a nearby tree before looking at the sky thankfully.
Then, he grabbed his hair in pain and started to scream as demonic voices filled his brain on the path to insanity. Haruki came rushing and shook him with a Skull Soldier and Tensei's demonic voices started to subside. He started to calm down before smiling at Haruki.
"Thank you," said Tensei.
"No problem," explained Haruki.
Haruki paused for a minute before he blinked a few times on purpose and then opened his mouth again.
"You look way different," said Haruki.
Tensei was puzzled and looked at his reflection on the puddle of water beneath him and he was shocked. His blue hair became much darker, his red eyes became more pale, his scales became much more visible and harder but the human-like skin was still evident, his horns were also much more grown out and his teeth seemed more sharper. His face however was the same.
Sunny got back up and coughed some blood out. The recoil from the black magic was evident but he was not going to give up. The man he was hunting might have awakened the Berserker Core but he has not ascended yet meaning he still has a chance to defeat him in this small pocket of time when he is still a fourth dimensional being.
Sunny ran towards Tensei with his fists infused with soul energy and used Elemental Magic of Fire to burn and kill Haruki and Tensei.
Tensei just held the right hand of Sunny and using his remaining hand created a water spell with the thought of it and launched it on to Sunny which extinguished his fire and then Tensei kicked Sunny on to the ground but Sunny quickly got up and they both exchanged equal blows.
"Maybe it's time I try this for once," thought Tensei as he looked at Haruki.
If this went wrong it would be horrible for Haruki but since he was too excited in his new core he thought he could easily control it. He managed to create a basic spell with just the thought of it not even requiring saying it out loud, his core just instinctively created the spell. Did he still have soul energy? Or was he using something else entirely.
"Two-Horned Transformation," said Tensei.
His horns, scales, eyes, and hair all changed as they became much more rigid, black, and demon-like compared to his normal self. The aura amplified even more as Sunny spat on the ground, as he always loves a challenge.
Tensei ran towards Sunny and slammed him back down to the ground. Sunny attempted to get back up but Tensei reinforced his body with so much soul energy that it was impossible for Sunny to move him. Complete control over soul energy was a perk of getting a Berserker Core. He pummeled Sunny over and over again until it was clear he lost. Tensei wiped the blood off his claws and for some reason he wanted more.
Was this bloodlust? He did not know. He ran up the tallest tree he could and looked at the moon as it rose gracefully above the horizon. He grinned. It was not a normal grin. It was a wide grin. Probably the widest he ever grinned in his life.
"I came so far…To lose to some last hybrid brat," thought Sunny in the empty void of his brain.
He refused to let the battle end with this humiliation. With new found courage he got his head back up and his body back up. Haruki quickly dealt with him using his lightning bird to strike Sunny and he used the World Serpent to tie him up to a nearby tree. No matter how much he struggles he will never get out of the predicament.
Tensei got down and patted Haruki on the head.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" asked Tensei.
Sunny was silent. Haruki brought out a pocket knife and stabbed Sunny on the abdomen. Seeing this act Tensei slapped the knife off Haruki's hands.
"Don't hurt anyone. Just be here alright?" said Tensei gently.
Haruki, who felt extremely guilty and embarrassed, nodded without any defense or argument.
"Now let me ask you again! Who are you? Why are you hunting us?" asked Tensei.
Sunny did not say anything but instead started to laugh uncontrollably. Tensei was confused and even questioned his mental sanity, but he decided not to say anything and instead wait for him to complete his laughter. Instead of speaking after laughing he spat on Tensei's face. Haruki's mouth opened wide and he looked Tensei as he stood there with no reaction.
"I am used to this so don't try it," said Tensei wiping the spit off his face.
"You and I are the same aren't we? We both are disgusting hybrids," said Sunny.
"Why are we disgusting? We are also species aren't we?" asked Tensei not trying to prove a point but gently telling.
"We are not real demons, we are society's mistakes," explained Sunny.
"From the looks of it you look like a Fire Demon hybrid, but I can tell from the loneliness in your eyes that you've probably been through a lot…And judging from the fact you tried to kill me your Hokage probably sent you," asked Tensei.
Haruki was listening quietly as he never saw this side of Tensei since he was always grumpy and moody. This side of Tensei reminded him of Chiro, the soothing and mature man that can fix anything. Tensei looked at Haruki, who was trying to act like he was not interested, and then chuckled.
"May we continue this conversation in the Demonic Language?" asked Tensei in the Demonic Language.
"Fine," replied Sunny.
"So…You're the person who made everyone stereotypical about hybrids aren't you?" asked Tensei.
Sunny's memories started to flash in his brain as multiple scenes unraveled in his brain.
His house was on fire, his parents were melting away inside and it was his fault he did not even save them. Public execution was ordered for the 'murder'. News spread quickly and soon everyone started to hate the idea of hybrids and ran away from humans entirely, isolating themselves into forests.
"From the look on your face it's true. Well I can tell you one thing. I hate you. It's because of you, society treated me horribly, but then again. I cannot blame you cause you were a child, I just want to say it's alright. I found Chiro Zanami when I wanted revenge for my village's collapse. He fixed me. You found Suzumi Hokage. He probably broke you, that's the difference," explained Tensei.
"Don't act like we are two sides of the same coin," said Sunny.
"I am not acting. We are. But there is always a way, always a choice, you can be better than this," said Tensei.
Sunny understood those words and when Tensei knew he did he asked Haruki to untie him and Sunny slowly started to leave. Before he did he gave a firm handshake to Tensei.
"Let's meet again someday shall we?" asked Tensei.
"You probably won't see me again for a long time and don't get the wrong idea, I am letting you go but I am still your enemy since we are on opposite sides," replied Sunny.
Tensei laughed. "Of course,"
In a battlefield, filled with the sounds of bombs exploding on each other and sirens blasting their noises and the flashy red lights blinking on and off. The sounds of tanks and cars were heard as gun bullets were fired with such noise that it nearly deafened some people.
The ground was cracked as buildings started to fall and trees were lit on fire turning the place into a fiery hell. Many people wore masks as the poison gas was released into the atmosphere creating a suffocating smell. People were dying all over the place as blood stained the torn grass only leaving behind the stubbornest of weeds.
The once flourishing city of Arklia that had neighbourhoods filled with plants, fresh air, and kids jumping around on the water puddles on the ground coming back from school wearing their cute bags, while the adults enjoyed the insides of their cozy homes while workers worked cleaning up the city to sustain it was now plunged into a war-torn civil war between two sides of the Starry Kingdom. This was the previous home of Nicole Albaria.
Inside a broken apartment on the ground floor of the building, Nicole and her parents were hiding in the closet, cramped with no space to breathe as they were trying to hide from the Freedom Fighters.
Two people came inside the house with guns, weapons, potions, and scrolls. They unsheathed their knives and enhanced them with a Scroll of the Thousand Cuts.
They walked cautiously, looking behind each other's backs as they passed the broken kitchen that had the gas cylinder rolling on the floor and the cupboards and cutlery broken. They walked past the living room where the tv was shattered and the couch was ripped apart and the cotton laid on the floor beside the fallen down fan. The wall paint was smudged with blood and dust as the explosions increased and increased.
The main usage of soul energy in the Starry Kingdom was the usage of brewing potions and infusing the paper made from the types of flowers and the sacred papyrus grown from the banks of River Plasma. There are four types of flowers in the Starry Kingdom. The Red Flowers which grant additional physical abilities, The Blue Flowers which grant additional mental abilities, The Yellow Flowers which grant supernatural abilities, and the Green Flower which grants regenerative abilities or soul energy manipulation and amplification abilities, or also debuff or toxic abilities.
Potions are brewed by taking the sacred water from the Holy Spring which only the Starry Kingdom have access to and mixing it with the dyes of the different flowers. There are many combinations of the dyes and many mystical items that can be crafted with this. They use their soul energy core to awaken the scroll they crafted and use their abilities to the fullest. It's like giving directions to a person who is lost.
Since they don't have a natural way of using soul energy like how Lukia, Indus, or Ninjaro do they use a similar way to how the people from the Snow Kingdom use. However instead of orbs they use Grimoires, which are books with pages that are empty scrolls and can store and use spells that you already conjured once. The Grimoires are given to children who cross their Grimoire University and get a degree. The Grimoire chooses its user and the Library of Holy Stars is where all the Grimoires that have not found a partner reside.