He was a monster. An utterly indestructible force. A being without any weaknesses. He certainly lived up to the moniker Lucifer. Seijun quickly mended the grievous hole ripped in his body by allowing flames to consume it. Seijun was entirely helpless when he became caught beneath Reiwa's staff. The green and gold staff projected a field of power, unlike anything the vessel of Moeru had felt before. The staff radiated divinity, which was the furthest thing Reiwa exhibited. To make matters worse, the tyrant was faster than Nozomu when Seijun fought him in the solar system.
Nozomu gazed at the crimson-haired man with enmity. Based on how the fight was going, Nozomu would need to continue channeling more of Kanden's power into himself. Harnessing an incomprehensible amount of magic was more than hazardous when accounting for the safety of Earth and the people on it. Refusing to drown in his thoughts, dark lines that ran down the white-haired man's body grew, and the sound of his lightning became more intense and oppressive.
Reiwa purposely ignored the other three Tansu vessels; his gaze stuck on Nozomu and Seijun. Their magic flared in a way that was a stark contrast to Asami, Manabu, and Shototsu. It was more potent, much more dense, and limitless. The Tansu Beasts were practically roaring at Reiwa from within their fleshy capsules.
"You two are undoubtedly less restrained." The tyrant spoke deeply, his red hair swaying in the wind. "Moeru does not surprise me. Kanden, on the other hand—you're suddenly aggressive compared to our last meeting."
*SPLISH!*
The sound of water swirling into existence interrupted any impending conversation. The ground became moist as water droplets plummeted downward. Reiwa shifted his body to look up at the giant body of floating water above him with vast disinterest, his armor clanking with every inch of movement. It appeared that the blue-haired vessel of Suijin was irate, conjuring more colossal water streams.
"I'm not done with you, jackass!" Asami yelled at the top of her lungs, clenching her fists as she manipulated the water hovering around her.
Reiwa hummed, narrowing his blue eyes at the vessel of Suijin. "You're not evolved enough. Tame your filthy beast before attempting to get close to me."
*WHOOSH!*
With a quick wave of his hand, Reiwa expelled intensely pressurized wind outward in Asami's direction, instantly sending her crashing down into the earth. The tyrant could not have acted more effortlessly, subduing the blue-haired woman like he was swatting a fly. Any clouds that had happened to remain in the sky were also promptly dispersed by Reiwa's nonchalant attack.
"Hate to kill the mood, asshole, but I'm not on good terms with my dumbass of a beast, either!" Seijun shouted, attempting to keep the tyrant's attention focused on him.
Reiwa sneered, "It's not you that I look at, Container." Moeru is alive within you. His anger toward me is the only reason you have any power."
Seijun frowned, bright flames emerging from his skin. "You disrespectful prick!"
A gruff hum was all Reiwa replied with.
*ZIP!*
A flash of lightning surged toward Reiwa, resulting in the tyrant stepping back. Nozomu had utilized his speed to dash in front of the crimson-haired man and continue his assault, reeling his right hand back before unleashing a punch brimming with Aura Sense and lightning. Before Nozomu's knuckles could reach Reiwa, however, the green and gold staff intercepted the punch.
*TING!*
"Faster," Reiwa ordered sternly, unfazed by the attack. "Use your speed, Kanden."
With a grunt, Nozomu hastened his movements and became relentless with his assault on the crimson-haired tyrant. Reiwa carelessly twirled his staff to block the white-haired man's punches and kicks, occasionally grabbing one of Nozomu's limbs and throwing him back a few dozen meters.
*FWOOSH!*
Inevitably, Seijun pitched in to help his childhood friend, offering blunt attacks made of pure fire. The two dragons could not even dent Reiwa's armor, much less graze the tyrant. It was horrifying to witness so much power. From an outside perspective, none of their movements were perceivable due to the sheer amount of speed they pushed themselves with.
During the one-sided clash, Reiwa rammed the green and gold staff into Seijun's waist, pushing him into Nozomu, causing the two of the vessels to be launched into the distance uncontrollably.
"Damnit!" Nozomu cussed, clutching the soil he was sliding across. "Seijun!"
The other vessel in question halted himself quickly, spitting out any scorched pieces of what used to be dirt out of his mouth. He glanced at his childhood friend curiously; his brown eyes were narrowed in vexation.
"We need to get him off the planet! We'll do what we did out there!" Nozomu declared through the cackling of his lightning.
Seijun nodded, grinning. "Leave that to me!"
Shockingly, the vessel of Moeru stood upright and started ambling toward Reiwa calmly. Nozomu blinked repeatedly, confusion washing over the vessel of Kanden. Was he trying to be pinned down by the staff again?
"Hey! Reiwa!" Seijun shouted, cupping his mouth with his hands.
Reiwa hummed, crinkling an eyebrow in amusement. Never before has someone casually called out to him, especially after being pummeled into the ground multiple times. It would have been nearly refreshing if he had not been so disappointed by their previous efforts.
"You and us! Space! Big open battlefield to go crazy!" Seijun hollered, lowering his hands.
The tyrant stood still, contemplating the suggestion. The breeze was all that could be heard as everyone stared at each other in wonder or curiosity.
"Don't disappoint me again," Reiwa muttered, his blue eyes glinting dangerously.
*SWOOSH!*
Reiwa quickly sprinted forward and punched Seijun in the abdomen, the force of the punch sending the man flying upward and into space. Every inch of land around Reiwa was fractured and blown away, sending shockwaves that stretched around the planet.
Nozomu exhaled with exasperation, only to then see Reiwa look at him next.
"I'll just meet you there." The white-haired man said, bending his knees before leaping upward.
The crimson-haired tyrant watched as Nozomu soared into space in a single bound, humming. The two current dragon vessels were certainly stronger than the previous two. Another factor that makes this fight different from before is the lack of distractions that would be present in space. Reiwa will not disappear so easily this time.
"Bravo! I knew you'd be a good addition to this war!" A voice suddenly rang through Reiwa's ears.
The tyrant's eyes widened slightly as he swiftly spun around and threw a solid punch at whoever stood behind him. For the brief moment Reiwa saw them, he acknowledged that it was a man with brown hair and green eyes, along with the unsettling smirk plastered to his face.
It was Regashi Ketsueki.
Regashi adorned a look of surprise as he hurriedly jumped back, dodging the punch. After distancing himself, the brown-haired man remained crouched close to the ground, awaiting any further actions from the tyrant.
Reiwa was stunned to see that someone had successfully dodged his punch. To test the new opponent further, Riewa darted toward Regashi once again, throwing yet another punch that split the ground for thousands of meters. Regashi managed to dodge for a second time, sliding across the ground as he observed Reiwa.
"Slow down, big guy. I'm your biggest fan!" Regashi revealed, grinning as he stood up.
Without hesitation, Reiwa proceeded to bolt toward Regashi, stomping onto the ground mere inches before the brown-haired man and raising both of his hands into the air, preparing to slam them down and crush his opponent.
'...What is this?' Reiwa thought to himself, bewilderment brewing within him.
The tyrant was completely frozen, unable to move a single muscle. His form towered over Regashi threateningly, completely dwarfing the brown-haired man—but Reiwa was unable to kill him. Regashi's glowing green eyes were looking directly into the tyrant's, an ominous sensation sweeping through the hulking, crimson-haired man.
"I told you to slow down." Regashi spoke calmly, retracting his arms into his Furusato Unit cloak. "Now you're frozen."
Reiwa could not respond, forced to stare at the brown-haired man silently.
"Back to what I was saying—I knew you'd be a good addition to this war! You're strong, scary, and just perfect! Your track record alone is what I wanted!" Regashi said, grinning devilishly.
The way that Regashi spoke made it seem like he was the reason Reiwa found his way back. That was impossible. The tyrant punched his way back into this universe himself, not through the assistance of anyone else.
"But it was me who brought you back!" Regashi exclaimed, his eyes glinting frighteningly.
It was now apparent that the brown-haired man could read his mind. Reiwa tried pushing his way out of the invisible forces trapping him in one spot, but his attempts were only proven to be fruitless.
"What I want you to do is keep those pesky little dragons busy up there. Shouldn't be hard, right? Just be wary of my previous underling, Seijun. The fiery guy? He's a little emotional—he'll certainly burn up and take you with him if you let him!" Regashi rambled on, annoying the crimson-haired tyrant.
*CLAP!*
Regashi clapped his hands, exhaling. "Now go; do your job. This is the final phase, y'know! I know you'll make it entertaining!"
XXX
Thanks for reading! It's as Regashi said: this is the final phase! Only so many chapters left! How will the story end? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1itcalz_