Chapter 17: Fear.
At this moment, Itsuki was terrified—terrified of his own younger brother. His voice stammered.
"W-What did you do?"
Mukuro let out a crazed laugh, his lifeless eyes staring at Itsuki. The feeling of being looked at by those eyes was worse than enduring a blizzard.
"Big Brother Itsuki, look! I just killed them all! They dared to say that stealing was wrong and that the Goddess of Light, Elaria, would punish us!"
Itsuki was deeply shocked by what his younger brother had just said.
"Why...? Why...? Why would you kill them? They... they helped us!"
Still with that emotionless face and gaze, Mukuro tilted his head.
"Huh? So what?"
This was the first time Itsuki had seen his younger brother kill someone. Itsuki's emotions were more chaotic than ever.
But this was his brother. Itsuki could only squeeze his eyes shut and clench his fists tightly, remaining silent for a moment. He shook his head and looked at Mukuro.
"No, you're not wrong. They deserved it."
Mukuro smiled like a child who had just been praised.
"Yep, I knew it."
Return to the Present.
Everyone was stunned by his words. Haruki and Himura immediately drew their swords. He sneered. An explosion sent Yamato, Asano, and Morita flying backward. The stone wall was blown apart. He darted outside at high speed. Haruki and Himura chased right after him.
"Everyone, stabilize yourselves, then follow our trail! Remember to bring the healer!"
They chased each other over the rooftops and, after a while, arrived at an empty field. He stopped, turned around, and wore a triumphant smirk.
"Catching me is very difficult, you idiotic guards!"
Haruki and Himura didn't want to waste words and charged in with serious expressions. The battle in the dark night and the clashing energy streams looked like an artistic performance. Kiryuu's energy was red, Haruki's was sea-blue, and Himura's was yellow.
Haruki and Himura were gritting their teeth as they fended off Kiryuu's dangerous attacks.
"What the hell? This guy is much stronger than he was this morning!"
Himura flipped backward, releasing a horizontal energy slash that flew toward Kiryuu, but he jumped up and evaded it. Seizing the slight opening, Haruki and Himura retreated a distance to find a chance to counterattack.
"He's too strong, Haruki!"
"Yeah, he's not the same guy from this morning. We need to be very careful."
Kiryuu, with a triumphant smile on his lips, raised both hands.
"What's wrong? Finding it difficult now? I told you, I'm not easy to catch."
"I once nearly died joking around with one person. Now, I won't joke anymore. I'll kill you all."
He rushed in quickly, delivering a slash that sent Haruki flying a distance away. Himura launched a slash, but it was blocked. Kiryuu slashed at him, which Himura dodged, then Himura delivered a straight punch to Kiryuu's face, causing his nose to bleed. Kiryuu stepped back, touching his nose. Warm blood flowed from the cold-blooded killer. His face grew more manic, and he burst into a loud, distorted laugh that twisted his features.
"Hahahahaha... This is exciting! I'm feeling exhilarated!"
He charged forward with his bizarre smile. His slash was just a short distance from Himura when Haruki darted in at high speed and slammed him into a cluster of trees. His body impacted a tree, instantly snapping it in half. Haruki had attacked seriously, his body enveloped in a dense layer of energy.
"Are you alright?"
"Of course, I am."
A moment later, only Asano and Morita, along with another girl, arrived.
"You two, I brought the healer. Her name is Yuna."
Haruki was surprised.
"What? Why are only three of you here?"
Morita immediately replied.
"We clearly called the entire Guard squad first, and then we went to find Yuna."
Himura instantly understood the problem.
"This isn't good. The Guard squad might have been attacked."
Haruki looked tensely toward the forest, where a large surge of energy was being emitted.
"This is bad, Himura. Everyone, get on guard! Yuna, you need to retreat far away!"
Kiryuu stepped out of the forest, his entire body enveloped in red energy. The cut Haruki had inflicted on his abdomen was very large, and he was channeling energy to heal himself.
Kazuka, sitting cross-legged and training in the forest, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Hmm, I can sense Big Brother Haruki's energy radiating out, along with many other energy sources. The energy keeps fluctuating wildly, so they're probably fighting. But who are they fighting? Or are they just sparring?"
Kazuka shook his head, skeptical.
"But Big Brother Haruki's energy is stronger than usual. It wasn't this intense when they caught the white-haired guy last time. Well, I'll go there first. If they're sparring, I can watch and learn."
Kazuka ran to Kuroha's room and pushed the door open, but Kuroha wasn't in the room. He ran straight back out.
"She's not in her room. I ran past Aiko's room just now, and the lights were off. I should try Tsuyu's room."
He rushed into Tsuyu's room, but the boy was fast asleep. Kazuka's intuition told him something was wrong and highly suspicious, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.
"Tsuyu is asleep, but Kuroha isn't in her room. Aiko must be asleep too. So where is Kuroha?"
Kazuka quickly put the pieces together. He gritted his teeth and ran quickly toward the energy source he was sensing.
"I get it now. There might be a battle going on. Kuroha must have gone there too. I have to hurry!"
The battle with Kiryuu was still ongoing. Asano retreated backward, holding his hands out in front of him, fingers splayed.
"Morita, cover me!"
Morita ran closer and took a defensive stance.
An extremely large purple sphere of energy was forming, nearly as tall as Asano. Sensing the massive energy, Kiryuu stopped and looked toward Asano. Seizing the opening, Haruki and Himura charged in simultaneously with their energy-filled swords. Himura attacked from the front, and Haruki attacked from the back.
Haruki aimed directly for the head, and Himura aimed for the abdomen. Kiryuu remained highly vigilant; he jumped up and slipped through the gap between Haruki's and Himura's swords. Before they could react to Kiryuu's maneuver, Haruki was kicked far away, and Himura received a direct stab. The sword hadn't pierced too deeply when Asano launched the large sphere toward Kiryuu. Morita hid behind the massive energy sphere, and just as the sphere was about to hit Kiryuu, Morita grabbed Himura and leaped away.
"This used up nearly 100% of my energy."
Asano collapsed to the ground. The fatigue from energy depletion made his vision blur.
A massive explosion, as high as three houses, erupted. Kazuka, running from a distance, also witnessed it. A large crater, like a small pond, was left, and dust and smoke rose continuously. Haruki ran over, a worried look on his face.
"How is he?"
—I wonder how much energy he had when he enveloped his body?
Haruki ran to help Asano and carried him far away from the crater. He saw Yuna hiding behind a tree.
"Stay here and let Yuna help you recover. You did great, Asano."
Morita leaped from a distance, carrying the severely wounded Himura.
"Help him first, Yuna!"
Yuna rushed over, gathering all her strength, gritting her teeth. A yellow energy stream enveloped Himura to begin healing. Asano turned toward them, his face pale from energy depletion.
"We must save him."
Haruki wore a frustrated expression.
—Damn it, why do I keep getting this bad feeling? That explosion was also a bit strange.
The dust and smoke over the crater gradually cleared, and two figures slowly emerged. Another individual appeared, standing next to the killer, but he looked almost identical to the killer, except he had no scar on his face. His entire body was wrapped in an incredibly dense layer of energy, which also enveloped Kiryuu. A triumphant look was clear on both their faces.
"Mukuro? Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am. But we need to take care of these guys, Big Brother."
"Yes."
His face was veined with anger, which was erupting fiercely. His voice and gaze carried a menacing threat. His red energy flared up violently.
"You tried to kill my brother? You must be tired of living! I'll tear out your hearts, you Guards!"
Haruki and Morita, standing above the crater's edge, were both stunned. The two of them were thrown into a state of panic and confusion.
—What?! That was an all-out strike, and Haruki judged it to be as strong as a serious slash from Raiden Orochi. It used a significant amount of energy, and Asano's energy gate could project 100%. He may not be a fighter, but both of them were standing in the explosion when it detonated at a close range. How can they be completely unharmed?
Haruki's mind was filled with chaotic thoughts.
—What? He looks exactly like Kiryuu? Why is his energy so massive? It's enough to envelop both his and his brother's bodies?
Haruki spoke up to probe them. Kazuka had just arrived in time. Although he didn't fully grasp the situation, Kazuka was on high alert, sensing the tension in the air.
"Are you the one who prevented the Guard squad from getting here?"
He sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Yes, so what? We're brothers, and we have the ability to communicate information just by thought. That's how we planned to separate you from the rest of the guards. They were like headless snakes back then. Thinking about it now still makes me laugh."
"Oh, let me introduce myself. I am Itsuki, this boy's older brother."
Haruki grew even angrier, looking down at the crater, his fists clenched.
—Damn it, were we set up from the beginning?
"Big Brother, should we take them down?"
Haruki was startled to hear Kazuka's voice. He looked to his left and saw Kazuka had drawn his sword and was ready in a stance, his eyes fixed on the new arrival. Haruki shouted loudly.
"What are you doing here, Kazuka?"
"I came to help everyone, Big Brother!"
Haruki yelled back at Kazuka.
"How can you help? You'll get killed!"
Kazuka's voice was serious and reassuring.
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."
Kiryuu and Itsuki had climbed out of the crater. Haruki couldn't keep scolding Kazuka; he turned back to look at the two figures standing in front of him, his expression tense.
—Damn it, one was already difficult, and now there are two?