In the previous chapter of In the Middle of Two Sides…
Kouta was no longer thinking about holding back… this was the perfect opportunity to get out of control. He knew this enemy was stronger than him, and that was enough to know that his berserker state wouldn't hurt anyone else. Then, he began to let out a long, loud scream as his aura grew larger and larger: it wasn't the ghostly ascension, at least not yet, it was something similar to the Super Augmentation, but stronger…
(Beginning)
It was the maximum Augmentation, the most uncontrolled and powerful form that the Super Augmentation could offer, leaving Kouta with a power of 12,600, an unimaginable power at this point, but at a high cost: Kouta completely lost control, his eyes acquired that characteristic lack of irises, completely white eyes, and a malevolent smile, his body attacking irrationally, leaving Kiyomi completely disoriented, not knowing how to defend herself against such attacks. Unpredictable and wild, but just when Kouta seemed to have humiliated Kiyomi, an unknown shadow attacked him, paralyzing him for a moment before being attacked by Kiyomi and this unknown person.
Terebo, the Soul Punisher, descended from the sky with the stillness of a corpse. His silhouette was thin, wrapped in black bandages dripping with a dark substance. His eyes were empty, but not blind… they stared straight into the soul.
Kouta, still under the control of the Ultimate Augmentation, felt a deep chill.
For the first time… his body stopped.
Not out of fear, but out of self-control, as if Kouta were still fighting to regain control.
Terebo (voice hollow, distorted):
—Interesting… is this what Gares's supposed enemy looks like?...
Kiyomi (panting):
—Terebo! Don't you dare kill him yet! Tenshi wants him weakened, not dead!
But Terebo wasn't listening.
Terebo wasn't obeying.
Terebo was punishing.
He raised a hand.
A spectral claw formed over his head.
And before Kouta could move, he was brutally impacted, thrown through several trees, his body roaring with pain. And with a claw mark on his chest that seemed to absorb what remained of his vitality.
He crashed to the ground, and his transformation began to collapse.
His skin cracked. His aura flickered.
And just then… he appeared.
A hooded figure descended through the mist.
His footsteps were heavy.
His aura… with a feeling identical to Kouta's, but more refined. More restrained. More... old... was a strange aura: on the left side, the aura was a deep red, like that of demons, but on the right, it was completely white, like that of Adeus himself. It was strange, yet it felt powerful, unattainable.
The hooded man extended his hand over Kouta's body. A warm, white, pure light enveloped him.
The wounds disappeared. The muscles regenerated.
And his eyes... closed again for a second, as if his soul had been repaired. It was similar to Sanae's Technique, but more relaxing and faster.
Hood (low, firm voice):
—Get up... It's not the end yet.
Kouta opened his eyes.
His gaze was clear.
But his heart wasn't.
He felt the power again. He felt the fury rise, it was pure chaos…
Kouta (double voice, one deep and gravelly echoing above Kouta's):
—YOU ATTACKED ME FROM BACK!
The roar echoed like a god screaming.
His aura exploded again.
But now… there were no barriers.
There were no limits.
The Ultimate Augmentation returned, doubling his base power: 12,600.
And from his back, the aura of the Phantasmal Ascension rose like a crown of specters:
His eyes turned completely white.
His hair floated as if on fire.
And his voice distorted, a mixture of his fury, his pain, and his soul.
Kouta screamed.
And the world shook.
His total power soared to 37,800.
A figure no warrior in the squad could even imagine.
Not Tetsuya. Not Haruto.
Not even Adeus felt anything so fierce since the ancient days of war.
Terebo (for the first time, retreating):
—...This...isn't natural.
Kouta disappeared.
In a single step, he crossed twenty meters.
His fist was a spear of aura that pierced Kiyomi's chest.
No time to react. No mercy.
She screamed, her scythe shattering into fragments.
Terebo threw a dark chain at Kouta.
But he caught it... and broke it with his bare hands.
Kouta (with a deep, inhuman voice):
—You... punish souls?
He walked toward him, slowly, as if each step sank the ground beneath his feet.
Kouta:
—Why not... punish your own soul?...
He launched himself like a missile, hitting Terebo in the chest. The demonic commander was thrown back several meters by the impact, colliding with the base of a tree after destroying hundreds in his path, though still standing.
Terebo (coughing up black blood):
—Interesting…
A snap of his fingers and his body dematerialized.
Kiyomi, bleeding out, was dragged away by a shadow. both disappeared.
The mission had failed.
But the world didn't return to calm.
Because the 37,800-power monster... was still there.
And his mind... hadn't fully returned yet.
The other soldiers, after finishing off their enemies, turned toward the massive presence so close to them, and...
Sanae (from a distance):
"Kouta... please! There's no more danger! You've won!"
But he didn't respond.
He just gasped.
The aura consumed him.
And if they didn't stop him... he could break everything.
And so, as the mist returned,
and the demons went into hiding...
the true enemy was now none other than their own leader...
To be continued…