The battle raged in the dark streets, Caterpillar Ambulance passing Kazuo with every move. With eerie ease, the hybrid monster transformed its arms into powerful crab fangs, a menacing pair of claws slicing through the air, ready to strike.
Kazuo, despite his best efforts to channel the occult energy Asami's grandfather had taught him to perceive, struggled to maintain control.Unable to maintain a stable defense, Kazuo tried to surround himself with this aura, but it was unstable, fluctuating, occasionally bursting into a blinding glow before immediately weakening.
Caterpillar Ambulance's claws cut through his energy shield like it was nothing, each attack weakening Kazuo a little more. Each blow made him stagger, his body getting heavier and heavier and his vision blurred. He knew it wouldn't be long before he completely collapsed.
"Is that all you got?" Caterpillar Ambulance scoffed, his face twisting into a sadistic grin."The great "Rakai" is reduced to this?" Kazuo tried to answer, but his voice trailed off.
His body no longer reacted as he wanted, and finally, under the impact of several consecutive attacks, he ended up collapsing on the ground, his body too injured to continue.
A heavy silence settled over the deserted road. So, with a sardonic laugh, Caterpillar Ambulances brought together two objects straight from his delusional imagination: an old ambulance and a large mechanical caterpillar, true to its new name.
Approaching Kazuo's limp body, he used the caterpillar to lift him up, lifting him up without the slightest consideration.
"Come on, my lion cub, it's time for expressive transport!" laughed Caterpillar Ambulances in a mocking tone. In an almost slapstick scene, he maneuvered the caterpillar like a mechanical arm from an arcade game, swinging Kazuo back and forth before tossing him unceremoniously into the back of the makeshift ambulance.
Kazuo's kick as he lands in the ambulance, accompanied by a door closing, adds an almost comical touch to the situation, like a tragic farce.
As the ambulance drove away, followed by the caterpillar, Kazuo, lying on his back, slowly began to regain consciousness. His senses were still confused and pain ran through every fiber of his body.
He saw, through the light of the ambulance window, the night sky. But something had changed. Despite the violence of the scene, he felt a strange lucidity of mind, a state of vigilance forced by the urgency of the situation.He knew he could no longer let himself be dominated like this.
If he was to survive and reclaim what had been taken from him—and perhaps much more—he had to harness this power within him, no matter the cost.
Kazuo opened his eyes, his face felt painful, realizing that he was no longer in the ambulance. The environment around him was extremely calm and peaceful.
He finds himself in this immaterial space, a place drenched in golden lights. And there, in the center of this splendor, stood the imposing humanoid lion seated on his throne.
His penetrating gaze seemed to probe Kazuo into the depths of his being.
"You have returned, new guest," the lion whispered in a deep, lively voice. "Given your condition, I think you have met a challenge worthy of your size."
Kazuo did not immediately respond, his eyes still clouded by recent events. He slowly stood up, trying to remember the fight that had left him so weak.
"This...it completely destroyed me," Kazuo admitted in a shaky voice, trying to swallow his bitterness. "I thought I had the hidden energy to protect me, but it didn't work as I hoped."
The lion nodded, his gaze still fixed on Kazuo.
"It's normal. The force is there, in you, but it's raw, uncontrolled. If you let it get to you, it will hurt you more."
The lion moved away a little, his voice becoming louder. "You have channeled the occult energy in sufficient quantity but to control it. .. you still lack control."
Kazuo clenched his fists, feeling the frustration rising in him. "So tell me how to do it! I must be able to fight with him, defeat him..."
The lion smiled mysteriously. "All right. I will give you the basics of transformation, but know that in your current state, the transformation will be... unstable. Your form as a Leo man will depend on your level of mastery. And if your occult energy slips, you risk losing yourself in an uncontrolled frenzy."
Kazuo nodded, determined despite everything. He had no choice; it was the only chance he had to turn the situation around.
"Listen carefully," the lion continued.
"To transform yourself, you must begin by feeling every bit of occult energy in your body, like a river flowing through you. Take a deep breath, find that energy and learn to form it. Imagine yourself as a lion: strong, steadfast. Then let this image merge with your physical body."
Kazuo closed his eyes, concentrating on the lion's words. He felt a slight tremor, like a tremor under his skin. The occult energy, though unstable, reacted to his intention. It was like manipulating a wild force, a beast hiding deep inside him that he was trying to tame.
"Don't let the pain distract you," the lion added, his deep voice echoing through space. "Pain is just a signal; it has no power over you if you ignore it. Focus, Kazuo... control ."
The space around him began to clear, the image of the lion on his throne gradually fading. Kazuo felt like he was coming back to reality, but a powerful heat was already spreading in his limbs, a raw, boiling energy ready to manifest itself.---When he opened his eyes, he was back in the ambulance, but something had changed.
He felt the occult energy flowing through him, his body shaking with this power trying to control him. His hands were shaking a little and his nails seemed to be growing, hardening, taking on an almost nail-like appearance.
Kazuo took a deep breath, remembering the lion's instructions. "Strong. ..unshakable..." he muttered to himself, mentally replaying the vision of the lion-man he would embody. Energy surged through him like a burning fire.
His body began to change, his muscles contracted, his features slowly changed, and he felt a raw animal strength.
But as the lion predicted, the transformation was not permanent. Kazuo sometimes felt a loss of control, an irrational desire to destroy everything around him.
"Focus, Kazuo..." he whispered, trying to keep his sanity intact. He clenched his fists, feeling her claws scratch the skin of his palm. The transformation was not complete and even he knew that he now had much greater strength.
"It might be unstable, but it would be enough to defeat Caterpillar Ambulances." The ambulance doors suddenly opened and Kazuo, with a sharp look, prepared to face the monster waiting outside.
Kazuo stepped out of the ambulance, half man, half lion, his body radiating a fierce and terrifying aura.
His golden eyes glowed with fury and every movement unleashed a beastly power that made the shadows around him retreat.
The very atmosphere seemed to bend to his will, imbued with an almost palpable occult energy. Iriza, gasping for air, looked at Kazuo in surprise.
"How is it possible that such a transformation was achieved so quickly?" she murmured, visibly worried.
Kazuo slowly turned towards her, an aggressive glint in his eyes.His words, filled with anger, came out in harsh, savage growls, far from his usual tone.
«I will tear you to pieces! » At that moment, still in his monstrous form, Caterpillar launched himself at Kazuo. His massive arms, transformed into giant crab claws, slammed into him, but Kazuo dodged them with impressive agility despite his impressive musculature.
Without moving away, he rushed towards his opponent at the speed of lightning, reaching almost 500 km/h. In a brutal move, he extended his claws, which pierced Caterpillar Ambulance with terrifying precision.
The impact was so intense that the latent corruption that possessed Caterpillar Ambulance began to dissipate, his body deteriorating under the corrosive effect of the attack. Iriza, from above, watched in horror as his spell broke and Caterpillar's monstrous appearance gradually disintegrated, leaving him unconscious in his true human body.
But Kazuo wasn't done yet. Without hesitation, he raised his head towards Iriza, who was trying to jump high to escape. With a powerful leap, Kazuo leaped into the sky, reaching the succubus in seconds.Grabbing her arms tightly, he tore them mercilessly and, in a gesture of devastating violence, threw her to the ground with inhuman force.
Iriza let out a loud scream, writhing in pain, but her survival instinct allowed her to strengthen her regeneration.
Slowly, her arms were restored, and seeing Kazuo roar with uncontrollable rage, she realized that this fight could no longer be won. "This… this man has become… a monster", she whispered in panic, he didn't waste a moment and retreated, shooting into the shadows.
Kazuo, however, did not calm down. Control of his mysterious energy was slipping away, his mind was going into a destructive frenzy.
Blindfolded, he began to kick and tear at everything around him. Shards of stone and metal flew into the air with each blow and his voice mingled with inhuman screams.
Then an old man quickly approached the scene: Yoshinori Miyahara, Asami's grandfather. Calmly, he lifted a holy talisman and pressed it to Kazuo's forehead."Kazuo, calm down... Remain a man," he whispered.
The seal began to glow with a strong light, and Kazuo's aura trembled, his raging strength gradually diminishing. His animal features began to dissolve, his claws and teeth digging into his flesh.
Slowly, he resumed his human form, his breathing ragged and his gaze once again that of a weary teenager. Finally, Kazuo collapsed, unconscious, as silence fell over the ruined road.
The next morning, Kazuo opened his eyes with difficulty, daylight filtering through the curtains of his bedroom. A sharp pain shot through his skull, like a hammer hitting his temples.
He put his hand on his head and moaned."What happened…?" he muttered, still groggy from sleep and hazy memories of the day before.
Turning his head slightly, he noticed a small piece of paper lying next to his pillow. Intrigued, he picked it up and unfolded it. The writing was clear and neat, clearly that of an experienced adult.
"Meet me at the sacred shrine in Kyoto. We have much to discuss.Yoshinori Miyahara." Kazuo frowned as he read the name.
Suddenly, fragments of memories came back to him: Caterpillar Ambulance transforming into a monstrous beast, his transformation into an unstable man-lion, and the imposing figure of Yoshinori placing a seal on his forehead.
Everything seemed so unreal that he wondered if it was a dream.He sighed and sat up slowly, his headache hard. As he approached, another detail caught his eye: on his desk, a tray containing a carefully packed lunch and another note.
This time it was his mother's familiar handwriting."Kazuo, I left early for the market. Don't worry, I'll be back in the afternoon. Here's lunch, eat well."
Kazuo sighed again."There's no chance, not even a chance to ask her what she knows about tonight..." He took his lunch and opened it, revealing an onigiri with some carefully prepared pieces of tamagoyaki. Despite his condition, he ate quickly, his stomach rumbling after such a rich night. But every bite brought flashes of the day before.
He relives Caterpillar Ambulances and Iriza, the succubus, and also the strange sensation of being consumed by animal fury. "It wasn't a dream... It was real." After finishing his meal, Kazuo got up and went to the bathroom. He looked quickly at his reflection in the mirror.
He looked tired, with dark circles marking his face and a defeated expression.
"Great, now I look like a zombie..." he mumbled before splashing cold water on her face.After preparing for a while, he took a deep breath. Yoshinori was waiting for him. It wasn't that he had much choice but to go to the shrine for answers.
"Okay, you can get past this with…" he said as he walked out of the house, bag carelessly slung over him shoulder.As he walked the streets of Kyoto, the atmosphere seemed remarkably calm.
The memory of his transformation and the aura of destruction he had left in his neighborhood made him clench his fists.
"I must learn to control this energy… Otherwise, I will end up hurting someone."
The sacred shrine of Kyoto was not far, but the road seemed more intimidating than usual. The trees along the road seemed to whisper in the wind, as if they knew what was weighing on their shoulders.
Kazuo gritted his teeth and continued, determined to face the truths that Yoshinori would reveal.