The air crackled with electricity emanating from Gotier. The priest's body was wrapped in a pulsing layer of golden lightning, lighting up the dark hall. The overwhelming presence of Don'yoku, the Emperor of Lightning, was impossible to ignore. Even the crushing gravity imposed by Kubo seemed to hesitate before such absolute power.
Kubo stepped back, eyes wide, as his Kugutsu — a twisted, monstrous figure — let out a shrill roar.
Gotier, his gaze heavy with pain and resignation, murmured:
"The light I bring is not salvation, but judgment. May the heavens forgive me for what I'm about to do."
He raised his right hand, and a spear of electric energy began to form, humming and slicing through the air with brutal force.
"Emperor of Lightning," Gotier whispered, and the spear launched with the speed of a thunderbolt, piercing the ground and exploding in a shockwave that temporarily dispelled Kubo's darkness.
The impact made the castle tremble, cracks spreading across the walls as light flooded the hall.
Meanwhile, Yuzuki was on his knees, his body a mass of wounds and blood. The weight of battle and Kubo's relentless attacks had pushed him to the brink of collapse. Inside him, a familiar voice began to echo.
"You won't last like this, Yuzuki," Mao whispered with a tone of false compassion. "Let me handle it. Just for a moment... give yourself to me."
Yuzuki tried to resist, but the weakness in his body was unbearable. Mao's shadow began to envelop him. His eyes, once full of resolve, now carried a disturbing crimson glow.
"Kubo..." Yuzuki's voice came out deeper, distorted, as Mao took control. "This Kugutsu will be my feast."
Kubo's eyes widened in terror.
"No... it can't be!" he stammered. "That presence... it's him... it's Mao!"
In a desperate act, Kubo fused with his Kugutsu, invoking the forbidden Yûgô technique. His body and the puppet's merged into a grotesque, towering form, covered in a glossy black carapace that seemed to absorb all surrounding light. His voice now echoed as two at once — a cacophony of despair and hatred.
"You have no idea what you're facing!" Kubo roared. "I am the darkness! I am gravity!"
With a sudden movement, he vanished and reappeared within the shadows, using his most devastating technique: Dark Vessel. He moved with terrifying speed, striking from every angle and crushing everything around him with the overwhelming force of his gravity.
Part 1: Light Against Darkness
The hall was in ruins. Don'yoku's light was beginning to fade as Gotier breathed heavily, the weight of using the Kugutsu draining his vitality. He knew that every passing second was another step toward the destruction of his own body, but the fight was far from over.
Kubo, even wounded and merging with his Kugutsu, began to laugh. His grotesque new form seemed to feed off the chaos around him.
"You are nothing but pawns in a game you can barely comprehend," he mocked, his voice echoing like muffled thunder. "You think you can defeat the darkness? Don't you understand yet? I am the darkness!"
The Return of Zeke
In the corner of the hall, Zeke stood, away from the danger, observing the fight. The seal that had kept him bound had finally been broken by Mao, but not without consequences.
Mao, still controlling Yuzuki's body, watched Zeke with a predatory smile.
"Welcome back, Zeke," he said sarcastically. "But let's see if your freedom is worth anything."
Zeke, upon hearing Mao's voice, shuddered. He recognized that presence.
"You... Mao," he whispered, clenching his fists. "You haven't changed a bit."
However, before he could react, Paige's desperate voice echoed from the far end of the hall:
"Zeke, we need help! Akari, Fryr, and I can't get out of here with this gravity!"
Zeke's eyes narrowed upon hearing Paige's voice. Something inside him stirred. He stood up, ignoring the pain that consumed his body, and ran toward them.
"Hold on to me!" he commanded. Zeke summoned his remaining strength and, with a fierce shout, struck the floor with a punch, creating a shockwave that dissipated the gravity around them for a moment.
"Run!" he shouted, pushing them toward the exit.
Paige, tears in her eyes, looked back.
"Zeke, please, come with us!"
He shook his head.
"Not yet... I need to help the others."
With that, he turned and returned to the main hall.
In the center of the hall, Yuzuki, still under Mao's control, faced Kubo. Mao seemed relentless, moving with cruel grace, but Yuzuki, deep inside, fought to regain control.
"You can't win like this, Kubo," Mao mocked, advancing with a swift attack. "I am the hunger that never ends."
Kubo growled, extending his hand and using his Dark Vessel technique to disappear back into the shadows. However, when he reappeared behind Mao, he was met with a violent strike that sent him crashing into the wall.
Mao began to laugh, but his laughter was interrupted by a sensation of resistance. It was Yuzuki, trying to regain control.
"Stop... I won't let you do this!" Yuzuki shouted in his mind.
Mao laughed.
"You have no choice, Yuzuki. You're dying without me."
Kubo took advantage of the distraction and launched a direct attack. Yuzuki, still internally conflicted with Mao, managed to move his body enough to protect Gotier from the blow, but at the cost of a devastating wound to his chest. He screamed in agony as blood poured from him.
Gotier, eyes wide, ran to Yuzuki.
"Why did you do that?" he asked, holding his bleeding companion.
Yuzuki only smiled weakly.
"You... still have to win this."
Don'yoku Reveals His Power
Anger grew in Gotier's eyes. He stood up, and Don'yoku, sensing the priest's determination, intensified his presence. The lightning around him became brighter and more violent.
"Kubo, you've crossed all the lines," Gotier said, his voice filled with controlled fury. "There is no redemption for you."
Don'yoku began to speak, his deep voice resonating through the hall:
"Release me completely, Gotier. Show him the true power of an emperor."
Gotier hesitated. He knew that releasing Don'yoku fully could destroy everything around him, including his allies. But the sight of the gravely injured Yuzuki drove him forward.
"Emperor of Thunder... Final Form!" he shouted, and his presence exploded in electric energy, lighting up even the deepest corners of the hall.
Gotier did not hesitate. With Don'yoku in his control, he advanced, each step lighting the ground beneath his feet. His voice, though tinged with sadness, was firm:
"You may be the darkness, Kubo, but even the longest night ends with the dawn."
Gotier raised both hands, creating a pulsating sphere of electric energy above his head. The lightning crackled and snapped, growing in intensity.
"Emperor of Thunder... Final Chant!"
He hurled the sphere at Kubo, who tried to absorb it with his gravity, but the light was too much to contain. The resulting explosion engulfed the hall, tearing screams from Kubo.
Kubo, now completely fused with his Kugutsu, tried to resist, but Don'yoku's light was overwhelming.
The chapter ends with Kubo disappearing into a whirlwind of shadows, leaving the group in ruins and Yuzuki on the brink of death. Mao, still in control, watches with a twisted smile, while Gotier prepares for the next strike, knowing that the battle is far from over.