*FWOOSH!*
Fire swirled in a clockwise motion, burning the grass below. Within moments, the blue-haired woman, Asami, fell into the spot of flames. It didn't take more than a second for her to stand up straight and survey her surroundings.
"Now where am I…?" Asami mumbled, her eyes sharp.
Another swirl of fire appeared, alerting Asami instantly. Then, a hand shot out from the fire, pushing the flames away forcefully. With a monotonous countenance, Imawashiki stared down the blue-haired woman.
Imawashiki lowered his hand. "I'm surprised to see you here, Asami."
Asami clenched her fists, no longer allowing herself to be swallowed by shock. "What are you doing in Furusato?"
The fiery abomination didn't answer, his eyes placidly glued to Asami. "Do you know just how long I've waited to find you and the others? How long has it been now, nearly forty years?"
The blue-haired woman trembled once more, but not with shock or surprise; but anger. "What have you been doing, Sei—!"
Before Asami could finish her sentence, Imawashiki vanished, reappearing a few feet away with a hand full of fire pointed at her face.
"Don't spoil my own name for me, Asami." Imawashiki said threateningly.
Asami instinctively covered her arm in water and swatted Imawashiki's hand away after sensing the heat of the fire. She then raised her left leg to deliver a powerful kick.
"Answer my question!"
Asami's leg did land against Imawashiki's body, but, unfortunately, it passed right through him, his body instinctively turning into fire.
Imawashiki didn't bother moving, his body reforming itself. "Just as I remember you—always fighting your way out."
"Don't make me force the answer out of you!" Asami yelled, scowling.
Imawashiki frowned, as if disappointed. "Sadly, we aren't twelve anymore."
*KREEK!*
Suddenly, ice shot from the ground, surprising the fiery abomination. Just like before, however, Imawashiki stood still—the spikes made of ice only passed right through his body of fire.
"I've surrounded us with water, pooling it into the ground since we first arrived; seems like you let your guard down—that's unlike you." Asami spoke, staring down Imawashiki.
Imawashiki sighed exasperatedly. "I looked up to you, you know. It's quite unfortunate that all you have acquired are basic tricks with your manipulation over liquids."
Asami's scowl deepened. "At least you retained your confidence."
Without warning—*KSSSH*—the spikes of ice changed shape, transforming into a massive ice cube, swallowing Imawashiki entirely.
"If your fire is frozen, how do you plan on phasing through my attacks!?" Asami asked rhetorically.
What Asami failed to see was a small ember floating in the wind, drifting just behind her body. Within a moment, that one small, blazing ember shined and instantly brought Imawashiki out of the ice box. With his fist reeled back, the fiery abomination swung.
"Your ice is still too warm, Asami."
Imawashiki's fist collided with Asami immediately, launching her straight through her own ice box trap. Massive ruts were indented into the ground as Asami's body was dragged through the dirt.
In response, Asami planted her hand into the ground, pushing herself out of the ruts. Damn, she was punched about a thousand yards back. "Seems like he wasn't the only kid with brawns."
"I don't wish to fight, Asami." Imawashiki's voice was then heard.
Asami spun swiftly, her eyes locking onto the dark-haired man. Now, Imawashiki had teleported behind her, instilling slight nervousness into her body—his speed was impeccable; there was only one kid throughout their lives that could match and eclipse Imawashiki in speed, mainly with his use of lightning.
Asami glowered at Imawashiki. "Then why are you refusing to answer me!?"
"If that's all you need, then okay; I'll answer your questions." Imawashiki responded, conceding. "Those people you saw, the rogues with lives filled with murder—they're serving their final purpose."
She grew confused. "Serving their purpose?"
"How long have you yearned for a balanced world, filled with equality? We both know how harmful it is to be ostracized, to be abused—mentally and physically, all because of our misplacement on this planet." Imawashiki spoke slowly, his calm voice startling Asami.
Asami swallowed her emotions and stood her ground. "Don't tell me you justify murder in the name of 'perfect ideals'!? Life was always meant to be hard, but, because of your actions, you're oppressing that feeling on the innocent that deserve the peace they already have!"
"It's the simple things in life that make it either enjoyable or even hellish," Imawashiki started. "Love, like the one we all felt once, creates bonds—but it also creates enemies. After we get a taste of true happiness, we can't be satisfied after it's gone."
The blue-haired woman remained silent, enabling the fiery abomination to preach his insanity.
"We yearn for alternatives, like the dependency of the ones around you, motivating words of your peers, or even religion; it is typically seen as greedy, but that greed is conjured from the pits of desperation, which was also formed out of nurturing." Imawashiki stated, his brown eyes meeting Asami's.
She just didn't understand—couldn't. "You act like there's an immediate solution. We don't know what will be of our world in the future, but forcing change is what causes conflicts, especially through blood!"
"It's through those conflicts that we learn and progress, Asami—and as you said earlier, '...life was always meant to be hard…'; why does such a concept need to exist? If you want a life of peace and happiness, join me, Asami. Even though Heiki is also with us, albeit the forceful collaboration, he fits right in."
Asami's eyes widened. 'They got Heiki, too?'
"Think about this request, Asami. Your little partner, who's desperately fighting my colleagues, will die. It's your failing ideals against ours—you have until he falls to make up your mind." Imawashiki claimed, dispersing into a cyclone of fire.
She sat there, silently. "...Until Tanjo dies…" Then, Asami shook her head. "He won't die, I'm not aware of the rogues' abilities, but Tanjo wouldn't let himself die—not a thing in this world could stop him at this point."
XXX
Tanjo's mind was flowing with thoughts, formulating potential strategies to subdue the rogues in his way.
"I need to separate them…" Tanjo contemplated, his blue eyes flashing through his mask.
*KRRRSH!*
Wooden roots protruded from the ground Tanjo was standing on, forcing the boy to leap into the air, narrowly avoiding the penetrating wood.
In an instant, focusing on the wooden roots, Tanjo was struck with an idea. Whether he knew it or not, a small grin was etched on his face as he fueled himself with his Aura Sense, not giving a second thought as to which of the four he was using.
Looking in the distance, Tanjo spotted Itami. "He's going to be my way out of here…"
Just as he did when he fought Yuso, Tanjo propelled himself through the air using sheer strength, each kick of his leg sending him flying. As he traveled through the sky, the boy targeted Itami, forming a purple Genso-Kyu in his hand—*BOOM!*—releasing a beam at the staff-wielding rogue.
Itami quickly saw the beam coming, creating a barrier of wooden roots.
"What the hell is he thinking?" Itami inquired to himself, feeling as the beam struck his roots.
The purple beam, however, blasted through the dense wood with incredible force, shocking Itami to no end. Tanjo's actions only exacerbated after that. Itami continued to get hit by the masked boy's beams, which caused the rogue with green hair to grow additional wooden roots. Eventually, Tanjo began using the old roots as platforms.
Smirking, Tanjo looked back.
"It worked!"
True to the boy's words, the two other rogues were distanced from him and Itami due to the abundance of roots separating them. Anyhow, this excitement didn't last long as Tanjo noticed Gimu, the swordsman, running up the roots.
"Shit!"
Seeing that, Tanjo rushed Itami much faster. To be able to outpace the swordsman, he'd need to seriously tap into his Aura Sense and go much faster than Asami had ever required him to run.
So, strategically, Tanjo thought of the yellow Aura Sense—using his training from his time on the mountain top—and placed the magic in his legs. It took less than a second for Tanjo's speed to surge, and the force of his speed broke every root behind him.
'I'll need to get this rogue with one blow, or else this'll be in vain!' Tanjo thought to himself.
*BRRRM!*
With a blue Genso-Kyu forming in his right hand, Tanjo directed his sights on Itami, charging the rogue with all the speed he had.
Itami, on the other hand, looked up to see the incoming attack, gasping from shock. In a valiant attempt to cover himself, several roots blanketed Itami, serving as a shield.
'This again…' Tanjo noticed, his eyes narrowing.
With his free hand, Tanjo brimmed his fist with an Aura Sense, clenching it tightly. Then, reeling his fist back mightily, Tanjo slammed his knuckles into the wood, blowing all of the roots apart.
"GRAAH!"
With the roots all destroyed, Tanjo switched his hands, thrusting his Genso-Kyu forward—*BOOM!*—releasing a blast that instantly blew Itami downward.
The Genso-Kyu's beam was massive enough that Gimu and Doryoku, who were still far away, got hit with harsh winds, including the rest of the village and beyond. Luckily for them, they were resistant enough to stay put.
Bracing himself, Tanjo landed back on the ground violently, his legs tanking the fall.
"Yes! One down!" Tanjo celebrated, grinning.
In mere moments, the debris settled down, revealing the giant crater that now took up the majority of the village. That was one way to clear up all of the dead bodies scattered throughout Furusato, Tanjo guessed.
"Hahahaha…"
Weak laughter could be heard from the crater below, prompting Tanjo to look down. Crawling his way out of the destructive aftermath, Itami held onto his staff, standing tall.
"I'm not even mad that I was out done…" Itami revealed, smiling. "...Because now I know what to expect from you!"
Tanjo jumped back, his mouth gaped. "That attack could disintegrate several mountains at once! How is he still standing!?"
Itami ceased his laughter, licking droplets of blood from his lips. "...I suppose I should make this all the more fun…"
Tanjo was surprised when Itami extended his free arm and showed him that his hand was missing. Itami grinned as he allowed some of his wooden roots to wrap around his arm and take the form of a brand-new hand. Itami tightened his new wooden hand as a test and opened it once more.
"This should work nicely…" Itami murmured, his eyes shifting toward Tanjo menacingly.
The masked teenager assumed a stance, grounding his teeth together. "Guess I'll have to think of a new plan…"
"I can make forests larger than the three nations combined! There's no way I'd actually let some smallfry rogue kill me, much less outsmart me!" Itami boasted, stretching his new hand outward.
Before anything could happen, Tanjo felt a surge of pain at his waist, only to be sent soaring through the air, crashing into fallen structures and, eventually, the ground.
Standing where Tanjo once stood, Gimu had his leg outstretched, placing his foot back onto the ground.
"Hey! He's mine to kill!" Itami hollered at Gimu.
The swordsman looked toward the direction Tanjo was launched. "You were taking too long; you also look quite rough. Take a break."
"What happened!?" Doryoku inevitably arrived, landing behind Gimu.
Gimu started walking away. "Your brother got his ass kicked."
Itami became outraged, his eyes glaring heatedly at Gimu. "That pathetic rogue has no chance of actually beating me; let me have this, you idiot!"
"Maybe next time," Gimu said, proceeding to go find the masked boy's body.
Itami scowled. "Don't act like you're—!"
*SWOOSH!*
The three rogues immediately reacted as an incoming attack landed between them abruptly. Itami looked forward, analyzing the situation. Before anyone could think of a reason, a red pentagram formed in the air, a red-haired figure leaving it.
As everyone grew silent, observing the new guest, Itami clicked his tongue in annoyance and anger. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Standing before the three rogues, Yuso appeared. The long, red-haired male dressed in a black kimono turned around, his Shirugeto eyes locking onto Doryoku.
"I'm here for the wielder of the green ring."
XXX
A little bit of a longer chapter, and Yuso is now here! We also got to see Tanjo think critically, fighting one of the strongest rogues in the story so far! What will happen next? Will Yuso fight Doryoku? What will happen to Tanjo? Is he injured? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_