Rain begins to pour outside.
Joki, Reima, and Kazu found themselves in a dire situation, bound and helpless, as they were being carried away by the Migaka. Their fate hung in the balance as Messorem moved to take Kazu and Joki, both of whom lay unconscious.
Amidst this unfolding nightmare, Reima's voice pierced the tension, a desperate cry that echoed through their captors' deaf ears. But despite his valiant effort to break free from the unyielding grip of Ishona, Reima remained trapped, his struggles in vain.
"You won't get away with this, you'll pay for this, you damn scumbag!"
"Scumbag? Oh, how delightfully harsh that is, Reima. You've transformed so remarkably since your arrival in my kingdom...I wonder if it's due to that boy. His influence on you is truly regrettable, for you shall never lay eyes on him again."
Seikatsu's words make Reima's angry face turn into an instant face of hopelessness, and she begins to cry as she continues to be carried away by Ishona.
"Mofina, Vanus, Ardor, go look for Double, and when you do, you are allowed to take his life. He shouldn't have gotten far."
Seikatsu says this, and turns around and points behind the Migaka. They nod their head and proceed to head towards Double's location.
Meanwhile, Double begins running into the distance, holding his hands on his head.
"Damn it! Damn it! What have I done...What the hell have I done!"
Double yells out loud as he proceeds to cry uncontrollably, he begins to struggle battling what's real and what's not, as his mind begins to go back and forth between the cloudy world and reality itself.
"I didn't mean too!"
"It's your fault."
"No it isn't!"
"It is."
"I said no, it isn't!"
Double and Sylphs begin to go back and forth. yelling at each other. Double's mind goes beyond the point of simply racing, as he begins to beat on his own head. trying to gain some control.
"I said it isn't! It isn't my fault! It's not!"
Suddenly, a hand grabs a hold of Double's hand, and as Double looks up, he notices a man standing in front of him.
"What the hell are you waffling about, your yelling is really hurting my ears as well."
Double sees him and wastes no time trying to run past him, but the man quickly pops up in front of Double again.
"Hey...I'm not gonna repeat myself, move or I will hurt you!"
Double says this and begins trying to run once again, but his arm is caught by the man.
Double turns around and shoves the man back. He quickly goes into his stance, charging up a extreme amount of Reiki.
"A boxing stance? That's pretty unique. I don't really know how to box, so I don't think this will be a fair fight."
The man says this, and Double begins to launch forward at him with all his strength. Double lands the punch, connecting right in the stomach, the man stands there and takes the punch and doesn't move at all.
"I told you to move...I won't allow anyone to stop me. Go away!"
Double says this, and his eyes widen as he notices the man is unphased. The man starts laughing, and palms Double's face, shoving him to the ground.
"Man you really had me scared for a second, you took a boxing stance and everything, but you couldn't inflict any actual damage, what a pity that is, am I right?"
The man says this as Double gets up and quickly takes a boxing stance once again. The man makes an astonished expression, and begins to scratch his head.
"You...you just tried to attack me, common sense should tell you to try a different strategy."
"No need...if you won't move, then I'll just power up and kill you! Aeromotional Confluence!"
As Double responds to the man's words, he coats his arms in wind, and alongside that charges all his Reiki into his right hand.
"Jyu-oh-sei, Perfect Ripple!"
Double unleashed a lightning-fast punch, its sheer force creating a shockwave that rippled through the man's body. The air crackled with the intensity of the blow. But as this onslaught of power surged towards him, the man's lips curled into a defiant smile.
With a steely determination, he seized Double's hand, his grip unyielding and resolute. He seemed unfazed by the shockwave of energy coursing through him, as if his unwavering resolve shielded him from harm, and he completely disregarded Double's immense Reiki pouring out of his hand.
"I'll admit...that one was a little tougher than before!"
The man says this and proceeds to lift Double by his hand and slam him onto the ground, creating a mark on the ground.
"Damn...looks like I overdid it a bit. The kid's probably out cold, damn I'll have to tell him what I had to say later."
"I'm fine!"
Double cuts off the man, and gets up with his arms trembling, and blood coming out of his mouth.
"I'm not done fighting, I don't know what you bastards want from us. I won't let you harm any one of us."
"Woah! I am not your enemy! Can we stop fighting now?!"
As the man responds to Double, Double runs at him again getting ready to throw a punch, but collapses before he can throw it.
'This kid...he's completely lost his mind. He's not even thinking with reasoning, he's just swinging at anything or anyone he sees.'
As the man finishes his thought, he swiftly grabs Double's arms with a tight grip, and looks him in the eyes.
"Double! Calm down!"
The man yells this at Double, as Double relentlessly tries to escape the hold. He calms down, and looks at the man in his eyes with an astonished face,
"How do you know my name?"
"How about you shut the hell up and let me explain!"
As the man responds to Double, he slowly lets go of him. Double drops to the ground and sits as the man does as well.
"So...for starters, my name is Nesunpo. It's nice to meet you. I can see that you've been through a lot, but I'm here to help."
"Help...no...no one can help me. I've ruined everything, it's all my fault."
Double's uncomforting response leaves Nesunpo sweating a little, but Nesunpo keeps his cool, and keeps eye contact with Double.
"What exactly did you ruin Double, what did you do?"
"The voices...make them stop...please make them stop!"
Double's response leaves Nesunpo confused. He scratches his head, and then finally begins to understand the situation.
"Double, whatever's speaking to you right now. You need to relax so that they can relax as well. You are out of control right now."
"I'm trying! I'm trying so hard!"
As Double responds, Nesunpo gently puts a hand on Double's shoulder, and uses his Reiki to calm Double down.
"Double...whatever is in you right now, you need to communicate with it and push it down."
As Nesunpo says this, Double begins to control his breathing, and he taps into the cloudy area within his mind, and inside of it he notices that the orbs are shaking rapidly.
The orb that has Sylphs inside of it is shaking even more, and Double goes over to it and tries to rub it gently.
"Sylphs, it's me, please...I need you to calm down. I'm sorry, I should have listened...I should have listened to you the entire time! I don't know what this shaking means, but please don't leave me. I need you!"
The shaking comes to a abrupt stop, and as it comes to a stop. Double looks at himself distorting, and suddenly his mind goes back into the real world, staring down Nesunpo.
"Double? Are you okay?"
Nesunpo says this, and Double nods his head yes. Nesunpo stands up and grabs pills from his back pocket.
"I could only assume that after all this you have a headache, take this...it should help you think, and we can finally discuss everything."
Nesunpo says this and extends the pills towards Double, his expression a blend of curiosity and uncertainty. He couldn't help but tilt his head slightly to one side, puzzled by the swift and resolute way Double accepted them.
"Why did you accept them so quickly, it could have been a trap, you know?"
"No...it isn't, considering you are so much stronger than me, there would be no need for you to go this far."
Double's response to Nesunpo left Nesunpo utterly astonished, his eyes widened in disbelief. Then, like an unexpected burst of joy, Nesunpo couldn't help but laugh out loud, a hearty, infectious laugh that filled the air around them. His laughter echoed in the moment, as if it had been waiting for this precise moment to erupt.
Double, initially taken aback by Nesunpo's unexpected reaction, couldn't help but break into a warm smile himself.
"So...Nesunpo right? How do you know my name? From the looks of it, you were waiting for me. I'm pretty sure I gave our location away though with everything I've done."
"Don't worry, you ran really far out, we'll have enough time before anyone tries to come and get you. For now...I wanna know what happened."
As Nesunpo responded to Double, the weight of emotion pressed upon Double, and he made a valiant effort to conceal the burgeoning sadness welling up within him.
"I have a friend...his name is Joki, and he had brought us here so that we could heal one of our other friends Kazu, but I messed everything up. He had a plan to save us, and instead because I couldn't trust him, I ended up hurting him and getting them captured. It's all my fault."
"...I see, and this Joki guy. What exactly was his plan?"
Nesunpo responds to Double, and Double begins to wipe the little tears coming from his eyes.
"He was willing to sacrifice himself and have himself enslaved here. That way they would give us equipment and things we could use to survive on our own. He believed in us."
Nesunpo's gaze slowly drifts downward, a subtle yet mischievous smile forming on his lips. Double, on the other hand, can't help but feel a growing sense of confusion as he watches Nesunpo's enigmatic grin spread across his face.
"What's with the smile? Did I say something funny?"
"No you didn't...it's just that it sounds like something he would say. Joki hasn't been the same ever since he was a kid."
Nesunpo's response to Double's question leaves Double starstruck. He couldn't tear his eyes away as he leaned in, locking his gaze even harder onto Nesunpo. Time seemed to stand still in that moment, as if the world around them had faded into insignificance, and all that remained was the intense connection between their locked eyes.
"Do you...know who Joki is?"
"It's a long story, but yes I do. He's my little brother. I was excited once I figured out he was here, and I had been watching his move ever since. Through watching him I found out some stuff about you, and how you completely knocked out one of the Migaka...you got a really strong right hand on you."
Nesunpo's words left Double frozen, the two of them locked in an unbroken gaze. Double struggled to process the weight of Nesunpo's statement, his minds racing to make sense of it all.
"Wait! If you were watching, then why didn't you help, your Reiki is insane, and you could easily have helped us when we were getting captured?"
"That's...the one part I didn't see. That bastard Seikatsu was on top of it all, considering how bad he wants Joki back, he wouldn't dare risk the chance of anyone stopping him. That's probably why he set you up, you were his best chance kid."
Nesunpo's response left Double seething with anger, his fists clenched and a furious energy coursing through him. With a roar, he unleashed his frustration, delivering a powerful punch to the unforgiving ground below.
"It's okay to be angry, but what will you do with that anger is what matters, and right now you need to."
Suddenly, Nesunpo gets cut off by Mofina, Vanus, and Ardor, who had appeared behind Double.
"Nesunpo? I see...Looks like we have two people we can capture. It would be in your best interest to run along, and let us deal with this one for now Nesunpo."
Vanus uttered these words, prompting Nesunpo to stand on his feet. Double attempted to follow suit, but Nesunpo swiftly and firmly pushed him back down.
"Kid...don't move for now, I need a warmup, and these guys are perfect."
Nesunpo's words hung in the tense air, and before anyone could react, Vanus surged forward with lightning speed, his fist aimed straight at Nesunpo's face. But Nesunpo, displaying remarkable agility, instinctively lifted his leg, forming a swift barrier that blocked Vanus's powerful punch.
In that split second, as the two adversaries locked eyes, Nesunpo sensed something amiss. His heart pounded with a sudden realization that he was descending, gravity pulling him into an ominous vortex. Panic flickered in his eyes as a shimmering portal materialized beneath him, a trap cunningly constructed by the ever-resourceful Vanus.
With a gasp, Nesunpo tumbled headlong into the swirling abyss, his world spiraling into darkness as he vanished within the depths of the enigmatic portal. The battleground fell silent, the only evidence of the confrontation a hauntingly empty space and the faint echoes of their clash lingering in the air.
"I set a trap below that exact area, he's now in a dimension that can't be opened unless I open it. Now Double."
Double quickly jumps back, and goes into his stance, not backing down. Suddenly, Vanus feels a hand grab his leg, which catches everyone in the area off guard. Vanus gets dragged down into a portal, and another portal forms. Nesunpo jumps out of the other one, and begins staring down the other two Migaka.
"Hey Double! I thought I told you not to move."
"It's just as I suspected, overtime he's gained even more control over that ability. The Balanced Omniscience."
Mofina's words make Double look in astonishment. Everything gets quiet, and suddenly Nesunpo begins charging his fist with Reiki.
"I gotta thank you kid, your ability is really cool. I'll use it myself."
Suddenly, Nesunpo charges towards Vanus with his fist, preparing a strike. Vanus quickly steps out of the way, and as Nesunpo chases after him, he sets off multiple traps. Nesunpo repeatedly falls into them, but instantly comes out of them, creating his own portal back to back.
Mofina points her palm at Ardor, and suddenly a beautiful white appears on his body, making his Reiki even stronger. Nesunpo turns and goes in to strike Ardor, but he instead punches Double by accident. Confused, Nesunpo turns around and notices that around him had been turned completely dark.
"Domain of Obscurity!"
Ardor yelling out these words prompted Nesunpo to cast an apprehensive gaze all around him. His visage morphed into a blank, almost caricature-like expression, reminiscent of a cartoon character caught in a moment of bewilderment.
"Inside of this little domain of mine, I can manipulate light, sound, and perception. Normally I would have to go through a long process to get an ability like this off, but thanks to Mofina's ability, all it took was a simple gaze."
Ardor says this, and then Nesunpo's ears begin to hear a screeching sound that makes his ears bleed, he quickly goes to cover them while Ardor begins to laugh, but as he does so, Nesunpo begins to smile at the same time.
'This one's gonna take everything out of me, but I did let my guard down from having too much fun.'
As a brilliant idea sparked in Nesunpo's mind, he slowly withdrew his hands from his ears, fixing a chilling and intense gaze upon Ardor. The change in Nesunpo's demeanor left Ardor frozen, unsure of what was unfolding before him.
In an instant, Nesunpo's vision plunged into an abyss of total darkness, leaving Ardor with an advantage. Seizing the opportunity, Ardor lunged forward, ready to unleash a powerful punch aimed at Nesunpo. But before he could make contact, Nesunpo executed a swift, unexpected maneuver. A lightning-quick strike from Nesunpo found its mark, connecting squarely with Ardor's mouth.
The impact was jarring, and the abruptness of the attack caused the mysterious domain they had been entangled in to vanish instantly, leaving Vanus, and Mofina in a state of shock and uncertainty.
"What the hell! How did you see me coming? I shut your vision off completely."
Ardor says this and watches with concern as Nesunpo wiped the blood trickling from his ears. Double, standing behind Nesunpo, remained frozen in place, uncertain of what to do.
"LIke I said previously, it's his ability. He's gained a lot more control over it since the last time we've seen him. The Balanced Omniscience allows him to do absolutely anything, as long as it's in the realm of what he's personally encountered, but it's physically and mentally draining. I can tell he's reaching his limit."
Mofina's explanation of Nesunpo's abilities makes Nesunpo laugh out loud. A fusion of worry and bewilderment had come across Mofina's face.
"Mofina! You don't seem like the same shy bitch I saw a while ago. Good analysis of my powers, but if you were able to make that conclusion, then you should know what's about to happen next. When you made Ardor stronger with your ability, you could say that was me encountering your ability, right?"
Nesunpo's words sent a shiver down Mofina's spine, but to the three Migaka's astonishment, Nesunpo extended his palm towards Double. In an instant, a radiant, pure white light enveloped Double's entire form, mirroring the way Mofina had illuminated Ardor earlier.
Nesunpo, overwhelmed by the sudden exertion, dropped to one knee, his breaths coming in rapid succession. Yet, he couldn't tear his gaze away from Double, a serene smile gracing his face amidst the turmoil.
"From what it looks like to me...that bastard Seikatsu had taken your pride, dignity, and he took your confidence away. I'm gonna teach you something Double, when using your Reiki, try to stay calm no matter what."
"Why are you telling me this? You're on the ground exhausted! What are we gonna do?"
Double responded to Nesunpo, who remained silent in return. Instead of engaging in conversation, Nesunpo reclined on the ground, adopting a relaxed posture.
"What's about to happen is this: you are going to control your emotions, and be the calmest you've ever been. While doing that...you are going to use that same attack you used on me and launch every one of them away from this area. Because if you don't, they'll capture both of us, and at that point it's game over."
"But Nesunpo!"
"I believe in you, if you are truly sorry for what you did to my brother Joki, then you'll do this."
Nesunpo goes silent after those words, and at the same time Double begins to charge his Reiki in his fist. Ardor, Mofina, and Vanus all go on alert.
"The moment he moves, he'll be caught in one of my traps. All I need is for him to set one of them off. If he moves from that spot he's in, he's finished. You may have gotten stronger because of Mofina's ability, but you can't possibly believe you can defeat all three of us."
Double closed his eyes, shutting out the chaos of the battle that raged around him. His right arm became coated with the wind gathering around it, he shifted into his boxing stance, his body tense and focused as he directed his attention toward the three formidable adversaries before him—the three Migaka.
In that tense moment, his mind buzzed with a extreme amount of thoughts, a whirlwind of doubts, fears, and anxieties. But then, like a beacon in the storm, the memory of Nesunpo's words washed over him. It was a voice of reason and wisdom that calmed the tempest within his thoughts. Double knew he had to find clarity if he hoped to even inflict damage with his next attack.
With each controlled breath, Double's Reiki began to surge and expand, an invisible force growing in strength and intensity. It pulsed around him, a palpable aura of power that rippled through the air, pushing back the oppressive atmosphere that the Migaka exuded. The pressure from Double's Reiki was now so strong that there would be no way the Migaka could get close.
The three Migaka remained unfazed, their unwavering gazes locked onto Double. It was as if they could sense the slightest shift in his energy or movement. Vanus's traps were set with precision, waiting like silent predators ready to strike at the first sign of vulnerability. One wrong move, and Double knew the traps would be triggered, bringing a swift and potentially fatal end to the battle.
But Double remained resolute, his focus unbroken. In this moment of stillness, Double let go of everything, reason, strategy, memories, they all blanked out in his head. He observed their every movement, their subtle shifts in posture, their hidden intentions. With each passing second, his mind sharpened, and his Reiki became more and more potent.
The standoff continued, a tense silence hanging in the air. Double's determination and newfound clarity clashed with the Migaka's unwavering confidence. It was a battle of wills and patience, a test of who would make the first move, and who would ultimately emerge victorious in this high-stakes confrontation.
"Jyu-Oh-Sei!"
As Double screams this out, the immense Reiki disappears and the three Migaka look in confusion. Double's eyes are still closed, but with the disappearance of the Reiki. Vanus, Ardor, and Mofina saw an opportunity to close in on Double.
Double lunged forward, balancing precariously on one foot. With unwavering determination, he directed his fist toward the middle of them.
"Dragon Shock!"
Double sends out a punch that sends the three Migaka flying, and at the same time destroys almost the entirety of the Monark Regius.