Deep within the forest, the air pulsed with violent energy and tentacles running wild and destroying trees as well as everything around in sight.
Alex and Kazuki stood side by side, eyes locked on Shouya, who stood before them in a monstrous form. His eyes and hair had turned pitch black, spikes protruding from his arms, and an ominous energy surged wildly around his body. Shouya was laughing like an absolute maniac.
Kazuki narrowed his eyes.
"Alex, be careful. He's not himself right now…"
Alex replied "Well duh! I can see that."
Shouya let out a furious scream, his voice distorted with rage.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
Tentacles and monstrous hands exploded from his body, flinging themselves toward Alex with devastating force and speed. Without hesitation, Alex began swinging rapidly through the forest, he was dodging the barrage of tentacles that were moving at terrifying speeds with sharp precision. Trees shattered behind him as the tentacles tore through everything in sight like paper. Alex wad running and dodging faster than he has ever moved before. He was moving so fast that he didn't even know he was slowly tearing his own leg muscles.
But as he ran a hundred times faster than sound while dodging and skipping on trees, a tentacle caught his leg, this made alex alarmed "Shit!" He exclaimed.
In a single motion, Alex was slammed into several trees, the impact shaking the forest. Dust and splinters flew through the air.
Kazuki's eyes widened.
"Alex! Get out of here! Go to safety!"
Slowly rising to his feet, Alex wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression fierce.
"Damn, this sucks" he growled.
Shouya snarled in frustration and began launching spikes at Alex in rapid-fire. But Alex activated his flash step, dodging every spike with blinding speed, zipping between the trees like a blur of wind. "He's starting to move faster." Kazuki thought to himself.
As the barrage intensified, Alex closed in—then appeared right in front of Shouya, his fist reared back. He struck.
But Shouya didn't even flinch.
Instead, he grinned.
Alex's eyes widened in shock.
Then—
BAM!
Shouya's punch landed squarely in Alex's chest, sending him crashing through ten trees. Before Alex could recover, huge spikes followed after him, exploding on impact and piercing parts of his body "Gah." Alex exclaimed in pain and shock.
The forest around them was left in ruins as spikes were sent flying all over the place.
As spikes were flying towards alex, kazuki stepped in. He gathered a huge amount of purple flames on his palm and blasted it at the huge spikes flying towards alex. Kazuki's purple flames caused a huge explosion of flames that took out trees in an instant. The smoke cleared and kazuki was standing infront of alex. His hand was stretched out like he wanted to protect him.
"Stand back, Alex."
He activated his Spiritual Mark—a glowing triangle with two dots at their sides. Kazuki instantly vanished, reappearing across the battlefield at blinding speed, he started blasting spiritual shurikens at insane speeds. Spiritual shurikens rained from every direction, clashing violently with trees and causing explosions. Shouya on the other hand had an evil smirk on his face while his tentacles were waving all over the place. He was clashing with trees and rocks at the same time countering Kazuki's spiritual explosions.
Kazuki charged forward, purple flames engulfing his hands, and struck Shouya with a powerful blow to the face. This blow of purple flames caused a huge explosion of that wiped out even more trees.
The smoke cleared, and Shouya didn't even budge from Kazuki's powerful blow to the face.
He turned to Kazuki with a mocking smirk "My turn." He landed a devastating blow to kazuki, this blow sent Kazuki flying accross trees. Shouya on the other hand was running after kazuki who was sent flying. Alex bursted in with a devastating speed, he appeared above shouya and was ready to deliver an insane blow to him. Shouya looked at Alex above and instantly kicked him into a line of trees like he did with kazuki with a punch. Eventually, both Alex and kazuki crashed into their final set of trees. They both were layed out.
"You're weaklings," Shouya mocked, spreading his arms wide with his tentacles spreading out as well. "I'm shocked. First it was that cyborg bastard, now you two! Haha I'm feeling so extatic!" Shouya exclaimed with a wild grin on his face.
Alex, bloodied but defiant, pushed himself back up.
"Take that back." "Huh?" Shouya asked.
Shouya tilted his head.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
But Alex didn't wait for a response. He leapt into the air, launching himself at Shouya while yelling,
"TAKE IT BACK!"
Meanwhile — High Above the Mountains
Ranpo and Kojin battled Ukina in the skies. The air trembled as they moved at supersonic speeds, their clash was causing explosions in the air. They were blasting mountains and were causing explosions that would eviscerate wastelands.
Ukina hurled giant beams of energy, each one powerful enough to annihilate mountains. Ranpo and Kojin weaved through them with light-speed precision.
As the onslaught continued, Kojin clenched his fists, surging with Destructive Energy—a rare, deadly force resembling black flames covered with dark lightning. He punched the incoming beams away, obliterating vast wastelands below Tch, her beams of energy are way to relentless and brutal!", kojin thought to himself with annoyance.
Ranpo gathered a huge amount of energy on his arms, Bullet Barrage, firing dozens of energy bombs at Ukina. Ukina started to dodge and cut through the huge balls of energy, she was doing so with agility and skulls. She had a delighted smile on her face while doing so.
Kojin appeared above her.
"DIE!!", He let out a huge wave of destructive energy down at her.
He blasted her with a colossal wave of destructive energy, the explosion lighting up the sky as Ukina was sent crashing to the ground.
When the smoke cleared… she was gone.
Ranpo looked around.
"Did you get her?"
Kojin shook his head slowly.
"...I'm not sure."
Suddenly—Ukina hovered above them, perfectly fine.
She smiled.
"You've both gotten stronger. And your attacks are much more brutal. As expected of the *Beast of destruction* and *The iron gallant* "
Kojin growled and charged up even more destructive energy. He unleashed it all at once "I'm tired of this!", he sent a black wave of destructive energy screaming toward her.
Ukina simply raised a finger—and stopped it.
Kojin's eyes widened in disbelief "Huh? With just a finger? How?!"
"I'll play a bit," Ukina said, "but I don't have time to waste."
Ranpo his voice trembling with emotion, called out.
"Why are you doing this…? Why, Olivia?! Don't you remember? We were a team. We were friends. We made a promise—"
Ukina's smile didn't fade.
"You can call me by my past name all you want. It won't change anything."
She summoned a massive energy spear, glowing with the force of three nations' destruction. "Right now, I'm at the peak of A-rank. Not you nor anyone can stop me!"
On a distant hill, Sorata watched with a smirk.
"Ukina.... you'd better not use an attack as deadly as that, or you'd ruin my future plans."
Ukina launched the spear at Rambo and Kojin "Fast!" They thought to themselves as the huge energy spear was rushing towards them at the speed of light.
Just then—a flash of black light.
BOOM!
The attack was kicked away mid-air by Diablo.
Diablo had arrived.
Ranpo gasped.
"Diablo?!"
Diablo, hovering casually, cracked his neck.
"Figured I'd drop in. Been a while since I had something to do that was on my level."
Ukina didn't seem surprised.
"I was expecting you."
Diablo sighed.
"Not in the mood today, so let's wrap this up." He stared to charge up a devastating amount of dark energy.
Ukina opened a dark portal behind her.
"Im not in the mood to deal with you. We'll meet again. And next time, I'll win!"
She stepped through and vanished.
From the hillside, Sorata sighed, walking away.
"Ahh? She's gone? What a pain. I wanted to interfere a little… oh well." He turned around with his hands in his pockets.
Back in the Forest
Alex was now locked in an intense duel with Shouya. Giant arms burst from the ground, chasing after him, destroying the entire area.
But Alex, through sheer will and raw speed, continued to flash step between the chaos, kicking and dodging the monstrous limbs.
"TAKE IT BACK!" he screamed again, fury in his voice.
From above, Kazuki rejoined the battle, flinging spiritual shurikens at blinding speed, aiding his friend in the fight of their lives DIDN'T YOU HEAR THE IDIOT?! HE SAID TAKE IT BACK!" He exclaimed with anger.
TO BE CONTINUED.