Keiko laughed maniacally, his steps forward sending a ripple of fear through the air. The hearts of those watching seemed to freeze as his overwhelming energy consumed the space. Silver, calm but wary, formed a small, bright orange ball of kinetic energy in his hand. With a flick, he sent it flying toward Keiko, but the now red-tinged Keiko smirked and shot out his own wave of kinetic energy, shaping it into a shield that reinforced his potential energy field, stopping the blow effortlessly.
Ryuga, desperate, fired a blast of scorching flames toward Keiko. But it was in vain. The fiery aura was absorbed, swallowed by Keiko's growing power. Without warning, a massive hammer formed above Silver and Ryuga, crashing down and sending them plummeting through the floor, all the way to the basement of the three-story building.
Keiko's laughter echoed through the ruins, mocking them. "I lost to these two? They're so weak!" His voice dripped with disdain.
Two orange swords formed in the air, crackling with kinetic energy, launching themselves toward the fallen duo. But before they could hit their target, a massive surge of purple energy clashed with the orange swords, sending shockwaves through the building.
Ouiji stood next to Silver and Ryuga, his calm demeanor betraying the gravity of the situation. "Mocking us, little brother?" Ouiji's voice was sharp. "How about shutting this down now?"
With a simple gesture, Ouiji pointed a finger downward. Instantly, Keiko was pushed to the ground by an overwhelming force of gravity, temporarily restraining him.
"You guys okay?" Ouiji asked, glancing at Silver and Ryuga.
Silver, breathing heavily, nodded. "Barely."
Ryuga groaned as he got up. "Yeah, but we need to run. This won't hold him for long."
Just as predicted, Keiko's orange energy began to infect the purple gravity, slowly converting it into more kinetic energy. The gravity field around him weakened as four swords formed around Keiko, their energy pulsing, forcing themselves to the ground and breaking the gravity's hold.
Keiko stood up, his voice lower and rougher than before. "I'm not Keiko... I'm from the future, where I lost everything."
Everyone froze as Keiko—no, this future version of him—continued. "I came back in time to give Keiko the strength he'll need. In my time, he kept failing, and it only got worse when you—" His gaze flicked to Ouiji, "—died."
His maniacal grin widened as he raised his hand, preparing to attack again. "Whenever my past self is in danger, I take over."
Without another word, the future Keiko lunged at Ouiji, reverting to a battle-hungry husk, driven by rage and desperation.