Yami scoffed at Kodak's anger. "You'r e paralyzed. You reached that limit. And now you're gonna be gutted like fish."
Maeko's machete creeped around Kodak's neck, but as she moved in with the blade, an orb appeared. An orange and yellow orb.
[Innate Skill: Crushcore Implosion!]
Maeko then looked at Kodak, confused. "What's the deal with the orb?"
Kodak then smiled at the unexpected news. "Looks like all that training worked. Crushcore implode."
[Command confirmed!]
A large wave of energy then instantly bursts from the orb, engulfing Maeko and Yami instantly.
Their flesh is carved away as Kodak feels his body finally ceasing up from the paralysis.
"Damn, that's gonna fucking hurt." He says as he stands up, only to fall to a knee again.
He could feel the energy from crushcore hurting him. Almost like a lash of enrrgy poisoning him.
'Calm down, focus on your agony. Heal and push through this Kodak!' He told himself, trying to amplify his healing factor.
Kiko and Kuroi then take their astral forms, placing their hand on Kosak's shoulder.
Kodak coughed up blood, splattering it all across the asphalt. His mind raced as he could feel the unstable energy coursing through his body.
It was nothing short of pure agony. He screamed in pain, feeling like his entire bkdy was going to rip in half.
He knew he was close enough to reach that doorbell. The doorbell of death ringing to claim his life.
Kodak then took a meditation position, trying to power through the pain.
"C-c-come... O-on. Don't die damnit!" He said trying to find something, anything to preserve his dying moments.
Kodak's eyes then began to slowly close. His heart slowed as his world was becoming dark.
He looke up, barely able to see that the astral forms of Fūshuku, Kuroi, and Kiko were calling out to him.
He couldn't hear them. He couldn't hear their pleads for him not to die.
His world then goes completely black. It was a moment of peace.
It was nothing but a black void of nothing, and yet everything at the same time.
"Damn... Never thought I'd die like that." Kodak said to himself in a disappointed tone.
Something then smacked Kodak over the head, prompting him to bolt his head around, seeing his mother.
"Mom?" Kodak called to her as tears and raw emotions began to pour out.
He stood up, trying to hug her. But as quickly as Kodak saw his mother Dal-hee. Tears then formed around their eyes as they dripped onto the pitch-black floor.
An abundance of emotions fulled the room as Kodak and his mother were reunited.
He embraced her firmly as Dal-hee did the same to her son.
Kodak began to stutter as the wave of emotions began to wash over him. It wasn't a gentle wave either. It was rough, harsh, and even agonizing. "I-I-I missed you... Mom"
Dal-hee then looke up towards Kodak, placing her hand on the left side of his face. "What did you endure to end up this broken?" She asked Kodak, trying to understand him.
Kodak then sank to his knees and let himself crumble beneath that heartwarming kindness his mother had gracefully shown him.
"When you guys died... I had lost everything. I was angry. Angry at the world for taking my mother and sister. But there's a part of me that wants to lash out at the world, tearing to pieces." His voic became angry and frustrated. But his tone then shifted into what he was taught by his mother.
"But I know that's not what I was taught and trained for. So I fought and protected those remaining in my life."
Dal-hee nodded her head, trying to understand as to how or why Kodak felt this way. "Are they okay?" She asked him, wanting to know more.
Kodak shrugged. " i thought they were But then it happened. The betrayal of a second father destroyed me."
Dal-hee looked him slightly surprised. "Who was it?" She asked once more.
Kodak exhaled, trying to prepare what he was saying. "Satsujin. It was Satsujin who betrayed us. He killed Kohaku's brother and then moved on to tear apart Himari. I wanted to do something. But I was helpless and torn. And then I fell unconscious and woke up 6 months later to only fight more."
Tears then fell from Kodak's face."But I can't, I can't keep fighting. I just keep thinking. 'Can I let this one go?' But I know I can't give up and yet everything makes it seem like I should just given to defeat."
Dal-hee lifted Kodak's head as it lowered. "Would your uncle or father give up this easily? Would Fumiko give up on fighting for you this easily?"
Kodak's eyes widened as he looked up at his mother, hearing the tone and meaning behind her words. "No, of course not. I couldn't even picture them giving in so easily to despair or the darkness that clouds the mind of so many others."
Dal-her then smiled. "Then why should you give up? You have to keep fighting. You have to surpass those who wronged you. And only then can you rest."
Kodak's eyes then lit up with a fire in his eyes.
The avatars looked at Kodak's lifeless body, shocked at the stillness of his quiet heart.
Fūshuku's eyes looked in horror as he thought back to how a friend of his looked. "It's happening again. Someone close to me always leaves or dies on me and I can't fucking stand it. I have to do something... ANYTHING!"
Fūshuku then looked at the menu from the system, seeing his innate technique, his skills, and even his strength.
Kuroi held Kiko close as he cradled her in his arms. "Shh, I'm here Kiko."
Kiko cried her heart out on Kuroi's shoulder. "I can't believe he's just gone!"
Kuroi placed his hand on the back of Kiko's head, rubbing her to try and calm her down. "I know." His tone was dark and empty.
He then looked towards Fūshuku, seeing him with a look in his eyes. It scared him as he hasn't seen that same look before.
"Fūshuku what are you doing?" He said as he looked at the revenant soaring around his brother's body. His face looked towards his younger brother with a terrified look.
Fūshuku smiled towards Kuroi and Kiko as tears slowly slid down his face. "You two made me realize how precious life was and the others that make life seem that way."
He then place his hand on Kodak's chest and forehead. "Kuroi," He said with even more tears flowing down his face. "Thank you for allowing me to have the pleasure of getting to bond and feel the love of having an older brother again. It was nice."
Kiko and Kuroi stood up, shocked. Kuroi then spoke up first. "Don't tell me... You're planning to sacrifice yourself for a rebirth!?"
When a disciple of an avatar dies, the avatar can use their entire life force to give forth another life to a revenant user. Essentially it's another chance at life. But it also allows the disciple to gain the avatars innate technique and skills.
Fūshuku then began coursing revenant through Kodak's energy cores, trying to give his all to the one person that gave him another chance.
Kodak then looked around the dark void, seeing a pillar of light.
Light fills the room as Kodak sees Dal-hee's smile right before she disappears.
He looks closely at pillar of light, seeing Fūshuku. "What arr you doing?!"
Fūshuku grabs Kodak's hand, pulling him into the pillar of light. "Rebirth."
Kodak's face then stares at Fūshuku with a look of fear and shock. "WHAT!?" He knew what Fūshuku was planning.
The fear of losing another special person flooded Kodak's mind. He wante to refuse, kick, and scream at Fūshuku.
"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" Kodak shouted at Fūshuku. He needed to know the reasoning.
But he was only met with a sincere smile on Fūshuku's face. Not even a peep left his mouth. Only a smile that was trying reassure Kodak's expressive emotions.
Kodak then tried to pull away, but nothing happened. Only stillness as he screamed out to one of his beloved avatars.
"FŪSHUKU STOP!" Kodak pleaded with desperation. He secretly wanted this to be the end of his life. And yet, he was the one being saved.
The bright light then extended further across the dark void, filling it with light and purging anything malevolent.
Kuroi slammed his fist against the light pillar, seeing Fūshuku's body crumbling before his very eyes.
"DON'T LEAVE ME FŪSHUKU!" Kuroi called out to his brother, but he only saw a smirk and Fūshuku getting absorbed into Kodak's body.
Kuroi slammed his fist into the ground, but was met by now destruction or even damaging it. He forgot what it felt like not being able to show his emotions through destruction or physical activity.
He then looked down at Kodak's body, seeing his eyes open.
Kodak looked around himself, seeing a sobbing Kiko and Kuroi. He then saw a message from the system.
[Hey there Kodak!]
Kodak stared at the message for a moment, until after a few minutes he realized that Fūshuku was absorbed into the system.
"Open stats!" Kodak commanded to the new system.
[Command confirmed!]
Name: Kodak Kawanari
Title: The Destructive Ruler
Strength: 9.0M
Speed: 15.8M
Revenant Capacity: 10.7M
Revenant Output: 10.3M
Revenant Proficiency: 8.4M
Innate techniques: Destructive Battle Arts, Kinetic Arts, Sealed Dwelling (NEW)
Skills: Wingless Flight, Blade Breaker, Combat Sense, Aura Applications, Death Burst.
Kodak's eyes traced over the innate techniques, seeing all his stats and skills. But one of the innate techniques made his eyes trace back to them and tears formed.
'So this was Fūshuku's innate technique. I will master this and then tear through whoever is deserving of my judgement!'
But like a gift from the deepest pits of hell, Kodak's eyes widen as he sees Maeko and Yami exiting a crater that was create from the 'Crushcore Implosion' that he unleashed.
[Artifact: Ryūjin Summoned!]
The sword then glows dark red as Kodak uses another skill upon the sword.
[Intermediate Skill: Blade Breaker!]
[Be careful kiddo. I mean it.]
Kodak looked at the last message, seeing it was from Fūshuku. "I'm gonna kill these bastards for forcing your hand!"
Kuroi and Kiko then go back into the mindscape, seeing the message from Kodak's perspective.
Kuroi's eyes tear up as he looked at the messages. "Shuku you idiot."
Kiko then threw her arms into the air, cheering Kodak on. "GO ON, KICK THEIR ASSES KODAK!!!!"
Kuroi then smiles while looking at the kinetic blade radiating in Kodak's left hand. It reminded him deeply of someone he knew all too well.
'Kenji, are you watching? You're wish was finally achieved. The new Destructive Ruler has finally awakened. And he reminded me of how you use to be. Reckless, cocky, strong, kind, and a hero.'
Kuroi's eyes then spark red, casting a red hue over the mindscape. His eyes were always so tired and plain looking. Like a void robbed of any emotions or feeling.
But upon seeing the new Destructive Ruler, he had his spark back. He had a new reasoning to trust and push Kodak further. 'He will beat Jashi. The revenant killers and anyone else who gets in his way!' Kuroi thought to himself.
"COME ON KODAK, SHOW THEM THAT YOUR NO LONGER HELPLESS! SHOW THEM THAT UNBREAKABLE SOUL OF YOURS!!!"
Kodak's ears in perk up, hearing the cheering from Kiko and then the encouragement from Kuroi entering his head. "I'll do just that Kuroi!"
Maeko then rushes forward as the black fog covers the battlefield. "ENOUGH YAPPING, IT'S TIME WE FINISH THIS REMATCH KAWANARI!"
Kodak grins as he sees the fog settling in. "Fūshuku show me the skills I can do at this current moment with your technique."
[Sure thing kid.]
Innate Skills Available for Usage: Gale Fang, Sealed Pulse, and Whirlstep.
[Permission to send information about "Sealed Dwelling"?]
Kodak smiled at the message. "Do it Fūshuku, hit me with all you got."
The dark fog then move in on Kodak, but as Yami sees it over take him. The dark fog dispersed.
"WHAT THE!?"
A large gust of wind then blasts through the terrain, eliminating the blackened fog completely. Almost like a plague being purified.
[Innate Skill: Whirlstep!]
[Kinetic Energy is being channeled into Seal Dwelling!]
Kodak's eyes quickly glance over at the message, smirking at.
Kuroi and Kiko watch as the sparks of kinetic energy and wind pressure from Fūshuku's technique begin to seemingly combine.
Kuroi's eyes widen as he sees an energy core from Dwelled Sealing form within Kodak's Kinetic Energy Core.
"Amazing, his innate kinetic energy technique is combining with Fūshuku's!" Kuroi exclaimed in excitement.
Kiko's eyes then look closer at the energy cores, seeing their energy bonding cooser and closer. "It's not just his power and activation of the two techniques. Kodak is manually coursing Sealed Dwelling through his Kinetic Energy core. He's directly evolving his innate technique through battle without the need for destructive battle arts!"
Kodak then smiles as the fog is completely torn through. "Found you."
Yami's face begins sweating as his hands tremble with fear. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that told him he would live against Kodak in one-on-one confrontation.
But that dear then disappeared as both he and Kodak look up into the sky, seeing it thousands of blood red spears being suspended in the air.
Yami then yelled out to her, "DO IT!" His voiced echoed as he then turns into black smoke, seemingly disappearing.
Kodak's looks up with a nervous expression. "Damn, never thought she could be capable of controlling those blood spears all at once. Makes me think back to how I even won against these two in the first place."
Kodak then smiled as a gust of wind pressure and kinetic energy surrounded Ryūjin, his favored blade.
[1st Kinetic Formation: Charge and Burst Impact!]
[Innate Skill: Gale Fang!]
Kodak glides across the land as intense wind pressures and red sparks of kinetic energy lash out, tearing through the ground.
Debris and rubble fly into sky, suspended by the wind around Kodak's body. The rocks, stones, and metals then come closer.
His mind then races as he goes over the steps in his head one by one.
'The first defenses against Maeko's blood spears will be the wind manipulation from Sealed Dwelling, serving as body armor. Kinetic energy will reinforced the rubble, creating a sort of armor made up kinetic energy, stone, metal, and the reinforcement of wind manipulation from Sealed Dwelling.'
Kodak's body draws the rubble, creating a temporary set of armor made from various stones and metals.
Suddenly, Maeko lifts up her hand, almost like a command to her blood spears. Then a moment of silence and tension suffocates the area, the tips of the blades on the spears then turn around.
Maeko's face becomes serious and cold. Hell, she couldn't even say anything to insult Kodak at this very moment. It might have been the realisation of Kodak's nature during the heat of battle. It might have been the fact he lover, Yami was being harmed. Or it might have been the fact she decided it was time to end this pointless squabble.
"Blood, pierce, ELIMINATE." Her words echoed through the air, breaking the silence, but amplifying the the tension standing between her and the lone Kodak Kawanari.
Her smile faded as her eyes blackened in color. Void of all emotions and attachment that binded Maeko before.
'Maybe this is what Satsujin meant when he trained us.'
A memory then flashed back in her mind as her index finger pointed towards Kodak.