The figure that appeared among the trees was Number 4, crouched with a hunched posture, continuously rotating his wrists. Even his puppets alone were enough to bring down advanced fighters. While Naka and Shima barely managed to handle the puppets, what could these two kids possibly do? Soma's unease turned to fear; realizing he was truly in a life-and-death fight made his skin crawl. Rikimaru also knew they couldn't win this battle. They just had to escape. If he could create an opportunity, maybe at least Soma could get away safely.
"Stay calm, Soma. We can't win this fight, but we need to create a chance to escape," Riki whispered. Noticing their planning, Number 4 smirked. "Good, good... Making plans before attacking is crucial. Let me give you an advantage." He stood up, his hunch still noticeable. He raised his hands and moved them upward as if pulling strings. "Puppet Technique: Wooden Puppet!" The ground split, and a wooden arm emerged, followed by the puppet pulling itself up with a supporting hand. "If you're only going to fight one puppet, who knows, maybe you can survive somehow." He laughed and crouched back down to watch the fight.
Rikimaru scanned their surroundings. There was nothing but trees and a small clearing. Even if they disappeared into the forest, finding Kamiya or the way back wouldn't be easy. Getting lost in the woods meant being vulnerable to the creatures outside. Doubt filled him.
As Rikimaru and Soma faced Number 4's puppet, Rikimaru stepped forward and gestured for Soma to stay back.
The puppet lunged suddenly, its jerky, eerie movements threatening. Rikimaru raised his arms, blocking incoming strikes, but each blow hit hard, making it difficult for him to stay grounded. Eventually, he saw an opening and drove his fist into the puppet's wooden body, only to feel as though he'd punched solid wood—it barely left a mark. The puppet countered, grabbing his arm and hurling him into the air. Rikimaru crashed hard to the ground. Dazed, he saw the puppet leaping above him, ready to strike with a powerful double-handed blow.
Just in time, he channeled his ice energy. "Ice Element: Frozen Shield!" he shouted, creating a barrier of ice between them. The puppet's hands slammed into the ice, sending shards everywhere. The temporary shield bought Rikimaru a moment to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, Soma, overcoming his fear, sprang into action. "Fire Element: Flame Breath!" he shouted, sending a wave of fire toward the puppet. Flames engulfed it, but when they died down, the puppet was still standing, entirely unaffected. The puppet turned sharply, fixing its empty gaze on Soma before charging at him. Before he could react, the puppet's wooden arm struck him, slamming him into a tree.
The puppet advanced on Soma, lifting its fist to strike his abdomen with all its might. At the last moment, Rikimaru intervened, taking the blow himself. Blood splattered onto Soma as Rikimaru gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. Holding the puppet, he created a chance for Soma to escape.
"Run, Soma!" Rikimaru whispered painfully. "I'll hold it back, go!"
Number 4's mocking laughter echoed through the shadows. "Well done, kid," he sneered, watching Rikimaru struggle. "Too bad… Losing a fighter like you is unfortunate."
Rikimaru's vision began to blur, but with one last effort, he gathered his ice element and launched a final attack. "Ice Technique: Frozen Embrace!" Ice spread up from the ground, encasing both himself and the puppet in a thick layer, freezing them in place.
Soma, dazed and covered in blood, ran through the trees until he collided with someone and fell to the ground. Looking up, he saw his father, Kamiya. Kamiya's eyes widened in surprise when he noticed the faint, single-lined Seimei-Sen in Soma's left eye. He realized his son's eye had awakened, likely triggered by trauma. Soma clung to his father's arm, trembling and desperate. "Please, help! Rikimaru…" he begged.
Kamiya nodded with a serious expression. They hurried back to the clearing where the frozen puppet stood. But Rikimaru was gone, and only half of the puppet remained encased in ice. Number 4 smirked slyly as he stepped forward and summoned another puppet. Kamiya moved in front of Soma, his gaze fixed on Number 4, ready for battle.
As Kamiya clashed with the new puppet, the ice on the original puppet began to crack. The puppet lunged at Soma, but Soma, fueled by the power in his awakened eye, found himself filled with strength. He crouched, then punched the puppet's chest, shattering its wooden frame, sending splinters everywhere.
When silence fell, Soma turned to Number 4 with a furious glare. "Where is Rikimaru?" he demanded, his voice trembling with desperation and rage.
Number 4 laughed mockingly, an amused look in his eyes. "That kid… he was stronger than he seemed…"
Rikimaru's absence only fueled Soma's anger, making the power in his Seimei-Sen eye shine even brighter. Despite the exhaustion that came with using his eye, he couldn't let Rikimaru's sacrifice go to waste—he had to win this fight. Realizing this, Number 4 chuckled as if enjoying himself. His hands formed signs, and more figures began to emerge from the dark forest. Four new puppets rose from the ground, each more terrifying and resilient than the ones before. Kamiya, standing next to Soma, prepared himself. "We attack together," he whispered. The mix of fear and newfound power in his eye gave Soma courage. Both of them were ready for battle.
Kamiya's wounds and fatigue from the fight with Hama were still fresh. To avoid opening the stitches on his cheek, he decided to speak as quietly as possible and only when necessary. He hoped the bandages wrapped tightly around his stitched left arm would hold up as long as he didn't make any sudden moves.
In the rush and excitement, Soma hadn't even noticed that his father was tired and wounded. His sole focus was on defeating the puppets and Number 4.
Two puppets charged at Kamiya, who took a deep breath as they came at him from both sides. He spun on the spot, deflecting their punches, causing them to stumble past him. Quickly, he turned to the puppet on the left, kicking it away, then faced the other puppet and whispered, "Fire Element: Flaming Breath!" He took a deep breath, unleashing a wave of fire that engulfed the puppet, burning it to ashes. The other puppet lunged at Kamiya from the ground with a kick. Reacting swiftly, Kamiya jumped and brought his right leg down, crushing the puppet's body, but he quickly leaped back to avoid its impending explosion.
Meanwhile, Soma charged at the two puppets coming for him. Sliding between them just as they both raised their fists to strike, he yelled, "Lightning Element: Chain of Lightning," touching both puppets' feet with his hands. Purple lightning burst from his hands, destroying the puppets' feet. Kamiya murmured, "Aim for their torsos and crush them."
Barely hearing this, Soma responded with, "Lightning Element: Thunder Strikes!" and struck each puppet's chest with both fists wrapped in purple electricity, shattering their bodies. He hadn't expected them to explode, and the sudden blast threw him to the ground, where he lost consciousness.
"Soma!" Kamiya shouted abruptly, nearly tearing the stitches on his cheek in pain before falling silent again.
Number 4 grew a bit anxious. "I didn't think these two Naizens would destroy my puppets so quickly," he mused. Producing those puppets was no easy feat. "Number 1 will be furious with me," he thought to himself.
Kamiya turned his gaze to Number 4. "End this and surrender. I may consider sparing your life," he said.
"Unfortunately, that's not an option for me. If you think you've defeated all my puppets, there's plenty more where they came from," Number 4 replied, standing up and summoning the last of his remaining puppets. "Puppets, rise and end this battle!" he shouted.
From his belt pouch, he scattered ten small wooden cubes, which, upon contact with the ground, began to emerge as full-sized puppets through small dimensional gates. The wooden figures clawed their way up through the soil.
"I can't handle them all alone. Maybe if I weren't injured and exhausted… if Sato or Yasue were here with me…" Kamiya thought, trying to focus on the fight. Just then, two Rikimarus appeared on his left and right. The one on his right said, "Uncle, if I knew you were here, I wouldn't have thought of running." Kamiya was initially confused, then realized Rikimaru had managed to clone himself.
"If you learned this by yourself, it's truly impressive. And it seems like your clones carry substantial energy." Kamiya whispered, his Seimei-Sen eyes now activated. The Wood Clone Technique was challenging, requiring the user to split their energy to animate the clone. The clones, made of wood but physically resembling humans, shared the main user's thoughts and feelings.
"I had an epiphany, you could say. The puppets looked similar to each other and were made of wood. I knew I inherited a wood element control ability from my father, but I had never practiced it. I tried turning myself into wood, poured my energy into it, and, accidentally or not, I managed to pull it off." Rikimaru was visibly excited.
Kamiya thought, "So, you were a genius, Rikimaru..." but refrained from praising him; it would only inflate his ego, which could be dangerous in battle. "Be careful. If your clones use any abilities, their energy will drain quickly—they lack life energy, remember. Even if your energy runs out, you can survive."
Both of Rikimaru's clones nodded in agreement. Moving through the trees, the real Rikimaru approached Soma quietly, lifted him up, and hid behind a tree to tend to his wounds caused by the explosion.
"Alright, Uncle, let's crush these puppets," both Rikimaru clones said in unison.
Number Four, realizing the situation a little late, hadn't commanded his puppets. "Now I get it—you can clone yourself, but how can your clones emit such powerful energy? I want to dissect you, Rikimaru!" he said with a laugh, though his unease was growing, unsure if he could win this fight even against just two clones and a Naizen.
"The name is Rikimaru Ryo," said the clone on the left.
"Ryo, huh? So you're Sato Ryo's son! I knew the Ryo clan had unusual energy levels, but even two clones should be beyond your limit. You're an intriguing one. I'd love to study you—would you come with me?" he said, trying to think of a way out. Maybe if he kept the conversation going, he could call for help. "If Number Three comes here, no one will be able to stop him, but will he come? I'm tired of dealing with that fool Number Five. I wonder if he succeeded in his mission—I sent him two puppets, and both are gone." His worries grew. "Isn't there anything you're curious about? I could answer your questions." As he spoke, he slipped his right hand into his belt pouch and channeled his energy into a stone inside.
Kamiya still didn't understand why he hadn't attacked yet. They could defeat ten puppets, but the battle would tire them out significantly, potentially causing serious harm, though with some luck, they could survive.
"Questions? This war has been going on for years—you're no different from those other animal-mask wearers." Taking advantage of the moment, Kamiya activated his "Earth Element: Half Coating," forming stone armor over his hands that extended to his wrists. Shaping his fingers like spikes, he charged forward, striking two puppets in the chest, smashing them apart. Seeing this, the two Riki clones followed suit, hitting two more puppets with brutal force. With their wooden cores, the puppets shattered upon impact. Two more down.
Though the remaining six puppets launched a counterattack, it was too late. Rikimaru's first clone moved swiftly to destroy another puppet. However, an approaching puppet grabbed onto him, self-destructing to eliminate the clone.
"Wow, I didn't expect that," remarked the other Rikimaru clone. The real Rikimaru, hidden in the trees, paused momentarily as the energy from the fallen clone returned to him. "Soma, stay here. I'll be right back."
Meanwhile, Kamiya defended himself well against the puppet that repeatedly kicked him. At the right moment, he jumped away, causing two puppets to collide with each other. Rikimaru's clone and Kamiya attacked, driving their fists into the puppets' bodies, tearing them apart. Only two puppets remained. The original Rikimaru, emerging from the trees, distracted the enemies. One of the remaining puppets took the opportunity to strike the clone in the neck, destroying it, as its energy transferred back to Rikimaru with all its information.
"My fault, sorry. Uncle, Soma's wounds are stabilized, and he's safe. We can finish this now," he said, gesturing toward Number Four. Number Four, sweating coldly, wondered why backup was taking so long. Despite having other techniques, it now seemed impossible to stop these two superhuman beasts.