Kozuna
Ughh... What the hell... Is this ice melting? I feel warm and wet, and like I'm moving... But...
The ice encasing my body abruptly dissipated after my thoughts arrived, allowing me to stand and climb out. I pulled myself onto the sand, trying to dry myself off to no avail… But beyond that, upon rising from the ice, I felt rejuvenated.
"Mifune trapped me… But how did I thaw out..? And so fast…"
Glancing around, I realized the crater was filling with sand slowly but surely, and I was near the center. My spot of entrapment was best for someone who intended to escape.
The temperature dropped well below freezing in the desert during nighttime- even in the city. I should have been trapped at least until sunrise... and probably should've frozen to death. I moved sluggishly for a short while, but it didn't take long for me to get back up to speed. And as I departed from the melting block of ice, I came across a message written in the sand- with more ice.
"Kozuna. Sorry, but there was no time to explain. I'll lead Nikai out of the city. That way, I can go all out. My ice will naturally melt the further away I am, and the less curse energy. I'm sure Nikai will leave a pretty obvious trail. You know what to do."
I scoffed and smiled, finishing reading just as the ice began to turn into liquid.
"I knew he wasn't my enemy. Now I just gotta catch up. Wonder how far they got…"
I'm in better shape to fight now, thanks to Mifune... And he's probably out there doing battle right now. First things first: I've gotta locate Nikai. I should be able to track him with a little bit of effort.
I sprung to the closest rooftop and looked in every direction with a surprisingly clear vision that I didn't have, before being frozen in a block of ice…
Does Mifune's ice have special properties? It doesn't take a genius to realize he was an Ozukashi prisoner for the sake of an infinite water source... But if his ice has regenerative properties... That would only give them an even bigger motive...
The city had somewhat died down in terms of flames and smoke, but there was still one direction that was pretty latent with those two things. My intuition was telling me Nikai was still somewhere inside the city… though most likely almost gone…
I shouldn't waste time…
Taking a quick breath, I bolted from one rooftop to another, following the long trail of destruction that would lead me to Nikai… I was off to the northwestern section of The Primary.
***
The further I traveled, the more the entire city seemed to be mobilizing to stop Nikai, buggies, and attack helicopters alike. Despite facing a curse user, all those who had sworn to protect the clan with their lives charged in, knowing they'd probably get killed.
Pretty dumb, honestly.
But, I could be no different, even with the extreme amount of power Nikai had gained in such a short amount of time. Unlike them, I actually stood a chance… Especially since I had an ally on the outside helping…
Many homes and buildings had been flattened and utterly ruined along the path I took, but at least it was pretty much in a straight line. Earlier that day, Nikai was wreaking havoc just out of rage, but it seemed like he just wanted to leave by the time I began the chase.
When I got closer, seeing Nikai in his curse form wasn't hard at all, even in the darkness. But more importantly, was what he was quietly looming over- A blackened corpse lying flat against the rooftop. While the shape was intact, the small body bore little distinguishable details…
Nikai killed someone? Who is that?
I bolted over and took hold of the body while Nikai simply stood there. My fingers twitched when I touched the tattered, broken torso of a child… I recognized who it was immediately… The hair might've been burnt away, the skin might've been all but recognizable, and every feature that made the victim unique might've been incinerated… But there was no mistaking it.
Breathing in and out heavily, my vision was going blurry as I turned to Nikai, who remained in place like he was waiting for my reaction. The sensitivity in my fingers seemed to vanish… I couldn't even tell if there was even the tiniest pulse left…
Th-This is Tyuyo! Nikai… He killed his own brother!
"How far you've fallen… Nikai," I muttered.
I felt my hair begin to stand as lightning shot from every square inch of my body. Setting aside Tyuyo's charred remains, I whipped around with a burst of electricity- one that Nikai absorbed effortlessly.
"Heh, heh, heh… Kozuna, don't be so rash."
That… doesn't sound like Nikai…
"Come on, Kozuna. Don't just stare at me all day… Say something…"
Fixated on me, a sinister smile grew on Nikai's shadowy face.
"What the hell is wrong with you Nikai? Not long ago, all you talked about was keeping your brother safe! You… You killed your brother!"
"You still don't understand, do you?"
Nikai's mouth wasn't moving, but there was indeed a voice coming from him.
Wait a minute... Nikai talked about something controlling him... And this… creepy voice… This must be what he was referring to… The times I faced Nikai before never felt like this… Whatever's controlling him, it has an... ominous presence... What is this thing inside of him..?
"You're the one responsible for this mess... Just what the hell are you, anyway!?"
My eyebrows twitched as I spoke; they spared no time to furrow.
"Oh, how brilliant of a star you are, Kozuna. You guessed it. I'm in control of Nikai right now. Normally, he'd be the only one who could hear me- inside his head. But, since I decided to take full control, everybody outside can hear the glorious sound of my voice!" Nikai leaned closer as his red shadow-eyes narrowed in on my curse seal. "That Shadow Seal of yours, now that I'm out of Nikai's head, everything is a bit more… clear… Flash and Bolt… They're supposed to be separate, and… they also don't contain my counterparts. Strange..."
I stepped away from him, cautiously carrying Tyuyo's remains.
Shadow Seals? Flash and Bolt? His counterparts? I like the names, but… what is he talking about?
"Are you… referring to curses as Shadow Seals? And those are Flash and Bolt?"
"Yes. Humans dubbed Shadow Seals as curses, but we demons… We call them what they truly are. That seal of yours in particular is special… It's supposed to bear two of my counterparts, yet I sense no demons dwelling within your seal... You're unable to draw out the full potential of your abilities, then. At least Nikai's curse- the Shadow Behemoth- was blessed to be the genuine article! Moreover, he gets to be the vessel of ME!"
This thing… It's a demon. So curses are rooted in something demonic, then…
"If having something like you inside of me would make me kill my loved ones… I would never want that power… Believe me, demon."
The demon laughed, shaking its head in an almost hysterical manner.
"Spare me the gallantry. I'm just curious to know why someone who has two separate Shadow Seals- apologies, CURSE seals- lacks the demons living inside of them... Perhaps they were stolen before you first awakened your powers? Maybe you never received them? A shame… Finding the other seals that do hold my other facets will be a pain… No matter. Two demon facets would certainly overpower the likes of you."
Like how you're overpowering Nikai and doing whatever the hell you want? I need to think of a plan, fast.
I quickly glanced in every direction.
"Where's Mifune?"
"Likely dead... Nikai flung him toward the mountains before I even took over."
No wonder his ice melted. Hopefully Mifune's alright... The situation's escalated drastically… I need to stop him, but I also need to get Tyuyo's body away from here… If there's a chance to save his life, I need to prioritize that first.
Gritting my teeth and gripping Tyuyo, I darted away… Turning my back to the enemy for once…
The demon laughed maniacally as I dashed off into the distance…
"Heh, heh, heh... Don't fret, I'm not concerned in the slightest with that child, Kozuna! If only you'd gotten here sooner..! Maybe you could've saved the kid's life!"
Pure evil… Murdering children for fun… I'm not giving up… I'll defeat that demon myself!
I growled, ignoring the taunts as I pressed further on, which only seemed to grow louder and more frequent… Hopping from one roof to another, a voice called out to me. Without realizing it, I was heading in the direction of a downed, smoking helicopter.
Only then did I realize my friends, along with Izanai and Helix, were the people present…
***
"Kozuna… What is that?" Anari asked, eyes wide.
I stood there in silence, handing Tyuyo to Yvira.
"Kozuna. What. Is. That?"
"Th-this is…" Yvira stared at Tyuyo's body, dropping him and stepping away. "Tyuyo…"
"Wait, what?" asked both Anari and Zara in unison…
"I'm going after Nikai… I have to put an end to this…"
Izanai dug his fingers into my shoulder, giving me a stern look.
"Just a minute…"
I jerked myself free of the clan leader; I wasn't about to give him a second of my time...
"You'd be wise to listen to what I have to say, Kozuna..."
"Yeah? You'd also be wise to listen to others for a change. I'm not inclined to care what you say, not after all that's happened... Keeping the people safe is my first priority, and right now, I need to…" I paused for a moment, closing my eyes… "...I need to save Nikai."
It doesn't matter what they think of me. At the end of the day, they're not all responsible for the pain we feel... Deciding whether or not to spare the lives of my fellow Ozukashi isn't something I should be conflicted about, ever again... But this Nikai situation is a different story… First, I need to save him from himself… Then…
"Kozuna, how do you plan on doing that? This problem- that you fools once hid in a lab- has gotten far worse than imaginable. Look at my city... I hate to admit it, but Nikai? His curse would've been much more valuable than yours. A shame I had to capture a weakling like you, rather than him."
"Hold on!" Kaiten limped over to us from the helicopter. "Kozuna has been a huge help, regardless of what you say, Izanai! It's thanks to your laws that Nikai is acting the way he is now!"
Izanai dismissed his little brother's words with nothing more than a wave.
"No. It's thanks to hormonal brats wanting to be famous heroes. Those laws were put in place to PREVENT calamities like these... That's precisely why I locked Kozuna and the ice kid up..."
Sucking my teeth, I crouched into a running stance, charging up my energy before departing.
"Much as I want to beat you into the dirt right now, I have more important things to deal with. But don't worry, Izanai. We'll talk after I return…"
"I'm sure we will. If you're looking to save your 'friend' Nikai, you'll have to kill him, Kozuna…"
Izanai's words stopped me in my tracks, prompting a response... I hadn't considered the option of killing Nikai up until that point. Even after all the death and destruction, I still desired to bring him back alive... Rather than ending his life, atoning for his sins would be a much better punishment… Especially since he was also a victim…
There was a high chance I was simply being childish, holding onto the foolish belief that everyone could change. But, regardless of whether or not that ideal was brash, I couldn't abandon it... Nor could I abandon Nikai… Likely, he felt worse than everyone… Watching his own power be used to kill his little brother…
Get out of my head, Izanai… I know what I have to do.
"Just so you know... While you were busy failing to save his precious sibling, I called in our buggies mounted with anti-curse technology. Once those buggies arrive, the group you see here is going after Nikai. You'd better find a way to save Nikai without killing him before we arrive... Cause for that kid... it's on sight... And for the ice user, we need him alive."
Anari, Yvira... They've lost all hope... They'll never understand the position Nikai and I were thrown into... No wonder they're going along with Izanai's plan...
"He has a name, you know. And he's not a tool you can just use and throw away whenever you please... He's human, just like you and me... By the end of this debacle, Nikai will be saved, and... Mifune... will have his freedom."
"Don't try to oppose me, Kozuna... Your chances of freedom are slipping as it is..."
"...I'm going."
***
By the time I finally left the others behind, the demon controlling Nikai had already left The Primary altogether. Picking up the trail was a cinch, given the giant footprints left in the sand... Without buildings or bystanders in the way, the demon came ever closer to Centra Highlands.
He was almost at the buggy lifts- the place where the whole journey began... That said, with my level of speed, it didn't take long to catch up.
"Miss me?"
"Buh. It's been like five minutes… I was hoping you'd piss off, Kozuna…"
"Not a chance. We have some unfinished business, demon. You're gonna tell me exactly what's going on. Then, I'm gonna put an end to this whole charade."
"What exactly is it that you think you're entitled to, Kozuna? Even if I was going to tell you anything, you wouldn't understand. And I have no reason to explain myself to you. But, since we do have some time, I'd love to see you try and defeat me. It's nice to breathe fresh air again after so long, and it'll be nicer to destroy more ignorant humans."
"Happy to oblige-"
A sudden blast of ice struck to my right, and from above came a certain someone.
"Oh, you're alive… lovely." The demon took a deep breath. "So… the two of you are teammates again? Didn't you just betray Kozuna a little while ago, Mifune? Kozuna, do you really trust him?"
The two of us smirked instantly, without even exchanging glances…
"We were always teammates," Mifune announced, stretching his arms.
Cracking my knuckles, I finished Mifune's sentence.
"Because we've got each other's backs!"
With a half-cocked groan, the demon motioned for us to come at him.
With a slight chuckle, I leaped into the air and combined my curses into a single strike. The charge of vast amounts of electricity, coupled with the raw explosive force of my superspeed, made for a devastating attack…
Flashbolt Burst!
It was just a single kick, yet it not only smashed through the bone armor but also left an indentation in the shadow cloak. As I put all of my powers together, my heartbeat intensified, and my blood became so hot that I thought it was on fire…
I bounced back to Mifune's side and landed on one knee, breathing heavily- though trying not to show it…
Using both Flash and Bolt simultaneously is even harder then switching back and forth… It's way more straining than I imagined… But… it doesn't matter. The person next to me isn't some weakling, and neither is our foe. So even if it hurts, I'll rise to the challenge!
"You stole my electricity, sure... But you mentioned me having two curses- I mean… Shadow Seals. Whatever you call them. So Bolt alone won't be effective, but if I combine it with Flash, then I have a fighting chance!"
Mifune glanced over, raising his eyebrows.
"Two curses?"
The demon laughed, reforming the bone armor…
"Oooh, you're entertaining... You managed to find a slight distinction between your ill-trained curses. No matter. Your usage is still inconsequential…"
The demon raised his claw into the sky, calling down a black thunderbolt on my head.
"I'll show you how to REALLY use your abilities, Kozuna!"
Placing his palms in the sand, Mifune manifested a thick wave of ice off the ground, curving overhead to protect us from my destructive stolen power…
"Kozuna! We need to coordinate ourselves to kick his ass! Your Flash curse is our greatest weapon right now, it's the only thing he can't seem to steal."
"What do you mean? Why can't he steal it?"
Mifune glared at the shadowy presence before us.
"I'll explain later, idiot! Concentrate! I'll back you up, so you'd better not run outta energy now!"
I scoffed and got back to my feet.
"You got it. Let's do this. Together, we can stop that demon and save Nikai!"
No longer in the city, the limitations for battle disappeared. No citizens, no homes, nothing that could become collateral damage... Aside from the mountain, our battlefield was wide-open…
At least we could go all out... Though, to me… It was just one trial after another...
Time to kill a demon…