The fires circled around Sakido's feet. Thoughts embraced his mind that he dared not think of. He could feel his heart racing inside of his chest. What lied before his eyes was a concept so surreal, so inconceivable, so irrational, that his mind tried to pass it away as a dream or horrible reverie.
But no, what he saw before him was corporeal. His 'friend' had become something beyond human, murdering a number of citizens that Sakido dared not consider.
He heard the screams of men, women, and lost children swirled in his head, creating a chaotic cacophonous symphony.
The boy peered at his former classmate, friend, and ally. Sakido's glowing bright blue eyes seemed like two fires emanating from his pupils.
"Shizuka, what have you done?!" Sakido shouted at him, his screams being lost in the distant cries.
Shizuka took a quick glance to both sides of himself and answered with "Oh, Sakido, don't tell me you care about them?… Or, on second hand, perhaps you do. You know, I really thought that we understood each other. We disregarded reality, considering how contingent it can be. I suppose you came to advocate against what I was."
Sakido grit his teeth and groaned in frustration and exaltation. "Shizuka! I never disregarded your values, your hatred towards the ones who wronged you, I supported you! But this, what the hell is this accomplishing?"
"Who wronged…me? Why does that matter, Sakido? This systematic rotation of civilization wronged me, therefore those who are caught in it, are nothing but tools for me to use! Do you think that people like my father care about these casualties? These fallen dead, they're just a number, a statistic, a bullet point in an article!"
The white haired boy flared his eyes and barked back "Your anger is misplaced, Shizuka! These humans did nothing wrong, they're victims, just like you! They most likely advocate for your beliefs as well, but what can they do? What does mass death solve?"
Shizuka gave himself a gentle laugh and balled his fist, sending more waves of destruction cascading across the wide city. Now, not just Tokyo, but Kurigawa, and all of Japan. Everything around Sakido seemed to fall to pieces, his heart sank as he saw the vast city fall to ruin.
Sakido thought of himself, of his legacy that hid, he thought of these deaths being caused in his name. If he ceased to exist, if his existence were ended, these thousands, maybe millions, would still be alive and well. In this very moment, he despised his life and all within it. The guilt consumed him, he couldn't fight off the burning flames of compunction.
As he closed his eyes from the dust of debris, thick rolling currents of tears poured from them, standing his face from the heat of the liquid.
As he opened his eyes, they glared brighter, the bright blue seeming to emanate with more passion than before. At once, his sword deployed from his palm, the Seishin energy swirling around him, creating a vortex around his body.
"I see that you've fallen to their side, Sakido. Very well, this is what it must come to."
"I'm on no one's side, Shizuka. I'm against your campaign!…I've been inactive for too long, I won't let your terror spread anywhere else!"
As Sakido pointed his sword at his target, he heard a helicopter buzzing above him, the light of the aircraft pointing down at Shizuka.
"Shoot to kill, I repeat, shoot to kill."
A large minimum was deployed out of the aircraft, and unloaded a volley of bullets at Shizuka. Each bullet was caught in Shizuka's web of electricity, being contained in a static state.
As Sakido realized what was about to happen, he jumped at a nearby crumbling building with his sword, and used it as a climbing instrument to each the soldiers in the helicopter.
Shizuka propelled a singularity at Sakido to thwart his attempts. Sakido held his sword towards the electric singularity, which caused it to explode upon contact, but mostly ceased it's travel and damage.
Sakido then propelled himself up the building and launched himself to the adjacent rooftop, making his way to the aircraft.
Shizuka turned the bullets towards the aircraft, loaded then with much more power than they had been shot with, and shot them at the helicopter. This attack caused the vehicle to spiral out of control, losing blade functionality.
Sakido ran off the rooftop, making a hopeful dive towards the spiraling aircraft. Upon a miraculous wish, he reached the vehicle just in time to drive his blade into the side of it, to regain his stability and hang on to it. The male pilot was ripped out of the helicopter with a bolt of sentient electricity. Now within it's grasp, Shizuka willed the energy to mutilate the body, within a moment, the pilot was a contained mass of intestines and shattered bones.
The pilot in the secondary seat was a female, dressed in standard military gear, she had no gloves and no sleeves, but wore a thick vest and goggles. She turned to Sakido, who was suspending himself outside of the cockpit. She reached for him and extended her hand to his.
"Please, help me, I don't want to die!!!" She pleaded with a crying face.
As Sakido was finally able to grasp her hand, the aircraft titled to the side, causing her to slip from her seat and fall horizontally through the cockpit. She now hung only by his hand holding her steady. The helicopter was heading in a steady downward spiral, slowly, she was falling from his grasp.
The crying woman pleaded and screamed to him, her imminent death weighing on her mind. As the helicopter was knocked off course by a wave of electricity, the woman slipped from his arms, only leaving behind a blood curdling scream. He watched as her body fell what seemed like an eternity, only to be impaled by a rogue piece of debris sticking upwards from the destruction. Her mangled body slid down the spike, Sakido shed tears of lament as he aborted the vehicle and made his way back towards Shizuka. He now heard the screams of an assorted group of individuals.
As he crossed over the neighboring building, he witnessed a group of around 20 civilians, trapped inside of ring of pulsing electricity.
A squadron of highly armored military personal stood before Shizuka, they seemed ready to deploy destructive weaponry.
As Shizuka shot a bolt towards them, Sakido jumped between the two sides and stopped the attack.
"You three need to get out of here!" Sakido shouted at them.
"Who are you, are you with him?!" The lead soldier asked Sakido as his squad pointed their firearms at Sakido.
"I'm with you, don't shoot! I'm trying to help, There's no time to explain, he'll kill you if you don't leave.
The soldier announced through his helmet, which seemed to have a voice projection device. "Let the civilians go!"
The mutated brown haired boy responded back "Bring me to Vice President Shizo! Let him know his son wants a word!"
"Should we allow it?" One of the soldiers asked their commander.
"Let me contact Vice President Shizo." said the leading soldier
He placed two fingers to red light on his helmet, he uttered a special code.
"HQ, put me through to X, put me through to X."
Within the presidential office
"Is this the apocalypse we were warned about?" The Official President of Japan asked Tetero. The Vice President was peering out of a large glass paned window spanning the entire room. The room was adorned with Japanese flags and framed images of past presidents.
The president took a puff of his cigar and slowly exhaled the smoke. He reached onto the furnished oak coffee table and lifted his glass of whiskey, his large silver and gold rings embellished on his fingers clicked on the glass as he lifted it. He lifted the glass to his lips and finished off the liquid left in the glass, the ice making a subtle noise as it's container hit the table. The President turned to his subordinate, awaiting his response.
"It's not the apocalypse we thought of, there's far too little going on for that."
The President looked at his superior and asked "Is the military faring well against that threat?"
The officials stood steadily peering at the ensuing destruction outside, the very building that he was in shaking from the waves of overpowering damage.
"I have a feeling that we don't need to worry about our military doing the job."
"And why is that?" The president asked
"Their own kind will settle this. You can see it there now." The Vice President pointed to the sight of Sakido holding on to the helicopter.
"These Ronin, I want no existence to be left of them after this incident, explain this as some other incident." The president demanded.
The Vice President looked at his boss and inquired "So, it wouldn't be wise to inform the people of Japan of the damage?"
"Has America informed their people of the Ronin? No. Have the European? No. No other Asian countries have done so either. Informing the people would propose no benefit to us."
A servant of the president's protective servant burst through the doors of the office, his fingers tapped on his earpiece.
"A message is coming for Vice President Shizo! The perpetrator of this destruction desires to speak with him!"
Tetero turns to the messenger and asks "Who exactly is this criminal?"
"Sir…multiple reports have come back that it's…"
"Who is it?!"
"It's your son, Shizuka." The messenger said, with a face that attempted to appear stern, but allowed trepidation to leak out.
Instead of a reaction that one would expect from a father who had just received news of this sort, Tetero stood there, his old fingers pressed to his chin. "How did that boy get power such as that?!"
The president turned to Tetero with a lowered brow and asked "Isn't this what your 'X-Axis' serum is supposed to prevent? How is a human developing abilities such as this?"
"I don't know, Mr. Shibuya sir!" Tetero exclaimed. "What is the price for this verbal transaction?"
"Sir, he has upwards of twenty civilians encaptured, he will kill them if you do not grant this wish."
"Shizuka desires to settle the score with me. Damn boy, can't let things be. Let ground control know that the boy can execute the hostages, I'm not moving from here!"
Inside The Destruction
"VP Tetero has declined the offer, please, reconsider, let them go, we will grant any wish!" The lead soldier announced, clearly desiring the freedom and life of the hostages.
"OH! How surprising of that snake! Not willing to put down his life for civilians of his great country, what could you expect from the Vice President after all?"
Shizuka grasped his hand and before Sakido's eyes, the humans were turned into a massive conglomerate of blood and bodily fluid all balled together. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, lovers, young, old, all ended because of a decision made above them. His stomach turned, he nearly vomited, his disgust couldn't be explained with any word of any language in this world.
"Tell him that if he doesn't show himself, then not only will you three die, but the rest of the civilians taking refuge now will also die, I will spare none!"
"X, X come in, the perpetrator is threatening our lives along with every other within Tokyo, and presumably all elsewhere! We need action! Now!"
Back within the Presidential Office
Tetero is being escorted out by multiple officers, all wearing earpieces and geared with firearms, a bunker opens before him and is being led in by his officers. The messenger follows after him and relays the message to him.
"Mr. Shizo, sir, Shizuka is threatening all of this city and our supreme soldiers as well. The boy says he wants to speak."
As the two exchange words, the building tremulously sways and falls apart before them. Holes begin opening in the walls, soldiers can be seen through the windows falling from the first floor to their death.
"I will not speak to him, my life he surely wants. I'll abscond myself to Russia for the time being, I don't care if he threatens all of Asia, let the boy do what he will, the people will repopulate anyway. Drop our nuclear weapons on him and call it a deal!"
As the messaging officer begins to tap his earpiece in order to relay the despondent message, he suddenly stops his movement. Blood falls from his mouth, his limbs fall limp, his body falls to the ground. Behind him stands Queen Mizumi of Answeisen, his head outstretched, showing he had a grasp on his head before he collapsed.
The soldiers pulled their assault rifles on her, the men fired their bullets, each shell being caught in Mizumi's dark red aura. She kept her hood on, seemingly keeping her identity hidden. The bullets she didn't need fell to the floor beneath her feet. Six rounds were suspended in the aura, one by one, she flicked teh rounds to the recipient as it pierced their skull and killed them upon impact. Tetero watched as the blood of his men splattered onto him.
"In here, execute her!" Another officer said from the top of his voice, a squadron of fifteen heavily armored soldiers stormed into the main room of the building. The voice came behind her, the men poured in, facing her back.
She slowly raised her hands, seeming as if she would surrender due to being outnumbered, oddly, a wicked grin cast upon her face. Suddenly, she made a sharp snap with her right hand, with this sudden sound, a red aura slid in between their bodies countless times, the men said nothing, their bodies only slid apart into oblique pieces.
Tetero's eyes widened as he stared at the chaos. Mizumi then looked him deep into his eyes with a lively grin.
"Awww, you didn't need them, did you?"
Back to the ensuing chaos in th city
"So, what did that coward say back?" Shizuka demanded the lead soldier to answer.
"I…I received nothing…Come in X COME IN!!!"
"Ah, your own leader has abandoned you. Too bad." Shizuka raised his hand and propelled a bolt of this damaging electricity towards two of the soldiers, as they had tried to escape, their bodies were ripped apart by the shot, leaving only pieces of them behind.
The only remaining soldier was their leading officer, who stood fearful, but proud in front of Shizuka. The man seemed confident about his death, yet was ready to serve to the last moment of his life.
He fired a projectile at Shizuka that exploded upon contact with the young man, yet did no damage to him. Shizuka retaliated with an attack that sent a large bolt of electricity flying the way of the proud soldier.
Sakido, in an effort to protect someone's life, first ensured that Korihime was out of danger's way, and then jumped in between the projectile and the man. His sword took most of the impact, but his arm was damaged from the shock explosion. His sleeve was tattered and some of his skin had been burned away.
Shizuka watched as the two had a brief interaction.
The white haired boy looked at the soldier and demanded "Run, now! This isn't worth your life, I'll handle this!"
The blast from the previous shock explosion had blown the helmet off of the soldier, Sakido stared into the brown eyes of the surprised soldier.
"What's your name, boy?"
"Sakido Ikakuro"
"You're a hero, Sakido, my name is Col. Minato, I'll make sure these remaining civilians are safe."
"I'm no hero, but thank you sir." Sakido said, tilting his head downwards in respect towards the officer.
With that gesture, the officer repeated the same and ran off to the closed off boundary of the city, where the civilians were being evacuated.
"You saved that officer? Why risk yourself for him?" Shizuka asked, directing his critique towards Sakido.
"That man had nothing to do with the decisions that his leaders made!"
"Ah, as we all don't. But does that spare the axe from coming to us early?" Shizuka asked while flaring his electric abilities with his hands.
"No, but it doesn't justify the death of the ones that are damned just as you. Shizuka, your crimes are horrendous, I can't allow you to continue." Sakido again, aimed his sword at Shizuka, now beginning a fight.
"Fine then, Sakido, if you want to take that side, then do so, I will confront my father, no matter what it takes!"
Sakido's countenance shifted to a measurable degree of rage, his sweat poured down his face from the heat of the electricity and the flames.
"I won't let you live to let that happen. No matter how miserable your father is, you're worse than him."
After saying that, Sakido charged at Shizuka, he was able to put though the massive electric web that protected the boy, but was sent back by a wave of Seishin electrical energy. The wave sent him tumbling backwards into the side of a crumbling building.
Shizuka quickly phased towards Sakido, using his newly gained power to enhance his speed, but not faster than Sakido's foresight and reaction efforts, for he dodged the incoming jab from Shizuka's right arm. Sakido grabbed the boys mutated arm, but quickly let go from the shock of inorganic spikes, feeling similar to grabbing any lethal amount of electrical voltage.
Shizuka took advantage of this situation by grabbing Sakido by the throat. Sakido, in retaliation, drove his sword through Shizuka's forearm, causing the other to let go and phase himself backwards, attempting to heal the injury, as all with Seishin abilities can do.
"Sakido! I'll heal you!" Korihime ran to the already injured Sakido, Shizuka shot a bolt at her that was blocked by Sakido's sword.
Sakido's sword glowed with a much more vibrant flaming blue as he drew back and funneled his Seishin energy into his blade. The flames on the blade moved faster, they were fanned much larger, the glow was more luminous than ever.
The boy then called out.
"Aufschlitzen!"
With that incantation, he cast a sword blade shaped projectile of Seishin energy at Shizuka. The attack exploded upon contact with the boy and decimated the surrounding landscape. The attack managed to completely obliterate all of the surrounding buildings within multiple kilometers of Shizuka and create a massive crater in the street. As if the moon itself fell into the ground. The very sky itself parted from a veil of dust, to a clear almost blue night sky.
Shizuka himself had completely had his arm torn off, as the attack sliced straight through it. His torso was mangled and blood ran from his chest. As Shizuka regenerated his lost appendage, he spoke with a smile on his face…
"So that's the kind of power that you've been hiding?"
The End