Kozuna
My heart was pounding out of my chest with excitement that matched my level of fear. I was beginning to actually like the feeling of using my curse… A smirk was strung across my face as I stared down… whatever Nikai had become…
Anari peeked out from behind Shin.
"Kozuna, is that you? Why the hell'd you show up!?"
Ungrateful much?
"Some soldiers dragged me outta my cell… They were gonna cart me over here all slow in a buggy, so I… elected… to just use the rooftops... Much faster. Anyway, I'll stop him. So stay back."
"No! I'm going to help! I don't need to rely on you for everything, Kozuna!"
"Stubborn as always… Anari, just stay back. This isn't about you or me…"
Talk all the shit you want, Anari… But I saw you about to get incinerated…
Shin hastily pulled Anari back, shouting, "You got it, Kozuna! We'll stay out of your way!"
Anari growled while Nikai fired raw curse energy our way. I flashed forward, jumping and kicking the ball of energy back into Nikai's hands the very instant he released it. I bounced back from the kick's recoil, and all the same, Nikai shook his head, the black energy surrounding him growing thicker…
"Alright, Nikai… I've been wondering just how powerful your curse was… Think it's time I see for myself…"
I've got the advantage in terms of speed and physical force... But it looks like his curse relies a lot more on the energy itself rather than enhancing his body... So his energy attacks give him an edge, and even though I have the power to send them flying right back at him… it still hurts quite a bit… But I can't show weakness…
There was a sudden, painful throb in my chest as I looked into Nikai's blood-red eyes… Everything went… blurry… I hit the sand, unable to move a muscle…
"What's going on!?"
"You can't look him in the eyes!" Anari yelped, flailing her arms about. "It causes paralysis!"
Would've been nice to know beforehand!
Virtually hovering over me, Nikai manifested more pure curse energy. He enlarged it with a quickness that shocked me, and the only thing that stopped him from slamming it into my back was Anari.
She rushed in, slashing Nikai's claw away from me, just barely redirecting the energy to a nearby building. Needless to say, following an explosion, little remained of that place… That could've just as easily been me…
Zara did say transformation-type curses were among the strongest…
"Anari! Get back! That sword isn't enough to beat him!"
"I've got a better chance than you, Kozuna! At least I know what he can do!"
"...and yet still managed to get caught in his paralysis…" Shin added.
Through our brief exchange of words, Anari had feigned paying attention. Nikai summarily grabbed Anari by the neck and lifted her right off the ground. He gripped her skinny neck, squeezing with intense tightness, no hesitation to choke the life out of her... In only a few short moments, Anari was gasping for air, her face was turning red, and her eyes were becoming bloodshot…
Anari was fidgeting, dropping the sword and kicking her legs like crazy. She even tried pulling Nikai's claws open, but it did nothing to help…
I couldn't force myself out of the sorry state I was in; it felt like there was some invisible weight holding down every part of my body that I needed…
"NO! NIKAI! YOU'RE GONNA KILL HER!"
Gotta break this hold he has on me… How do I do it..?
Nikai, while in the process of killing Anari, raised his other palm to Shin. Energy built at the center and gradually expanded with so much force that the wind's direction began to shift fiercely…
My gaze was rapidly switching between Anari and Shin… Both were in danger, and for that matter, so was I… But if I was stuck in place, what could I do to save them..?
People in this clan fear me, and for what..? I'm just a fledgling curse user… barely able to save anyone… My curse is weak, especially compared to the likes of Nazun's or Nikai's…
My gaze unconsciously fixated onto my curse seal- energy was flowing out of it, mixing and interacting with Nikai's… The glow was brighter than ever and no longer orange, but blue instead…
Electricity was crackling out of the marking, minuscule sparks but still visible.
My seal is being drawn to Nikai's again… Is this another facet of my curse's power? How is it triggering?
I glanced back up at Nikai while Anari was seconds away from suffocation or a snapped neck... or both… Hopes placed into whatever was building inside my seal, I hurriedly concentrated all of my energy into the electricity circling my hand, breathing in and out…
Everything feels… slower… I might not be able to move my body much... But the energy that flows through me? That's a different story...
As my eyelids shut, the imagery of energy flowing like liquid filled my consciousness. It was like a switch was just… flipped in my brain, unconsciously.
A thunderous burst of electricity boomed from my hand and all around us. Nikai's energy ball fizzled out almost instantly, and he dropped a coughing Anari to the ground while he was left dazed briefly… With the number of volts, I'd just hit him with, it was no surprise that I stunned him pretty damn well.
His paralysis was like a weight finally lifted; I gained the strength to get back to my feet.
"Oh my god... I… I thought... I thought I was gonna die..."
Bet you did, Anari... Now, how about you try thanking me for once?
Electricity enveloped my left arm in a veil seemingly on its own. With that, I simply directed it at my target, releasing yet another blast from my palm... before Nikai had even recovered...
Would've been nice to awaken this ability when I fought Nazun… Ah well, better now than later…
"Anari! Shin! I need to know his abilities, then you guys need to get away from here!"
Shin nodded immediately, getting right to the point on all they knew about Nikai's powers.
My gaze fixed back onto Nikai, who was back on his feet, only growing larger and huskier... The spikes protruding from his back were beginning to curve around his shoulders and touch at his chest, forming natural armor.
I crouched into a running stance, searing a burn mark into the ground.
"Better not be leaving anything out... If I get caught in another immobilization, it's over… Now get out of here; I need to be able to fight at full capacity…"
"No! I'm gonna stay and do whatever I can-"
Shin sighed and pulled Anari away... forcefully... She wasn't listening any other way…
Thanks, Shin… One day that stubbornness will just gonna end up getting her killed…
"Alright, Nikai… Let's do this," I muttered as Shin and Anari departed…
***
Nikai pounced at me, claws wide like he aimed to tear me open in one strike. He howled like a monster under the full moon… He didn't sound anything like himself anymore... Brow furrowed and standing still, I let loose another wild lightning bolt, but it didn't stop him…
Ultimately, I did nothing more than create a smokescreen for him, thanks to the electrical explosion. One which he appeared through and tried swiping at me from.
Without time to think, I simply crossed my arms, bleeding all over the place… I skidded back from the force, leaving a slight trail in the sand. But despite the sudden distance I'd gained, the pain had yet to set in… My heart was pumping faster and faster.
The whole situation wasn't good…
His shadowy claws… They sliced right through my skin… I can't resort to blocking with my bare skin… His whole transformation cloak is a kind of armor… A type of armor that I don't have! If he made full contact with anything beyond my arms, that might've… actually killed me…
I leaped atop a nearby building and put some more distance between Nikai and me, though not far enough that I couldn't keep my eyes on him.
Shin mentioned that this wasn't Nikai's first transformation… So Nikai shouldn't be able to just… do it on command… Let alone actually control it after the fact… I already knew it was weird that my curse seemed to activate on its own; still, I chalked it up to a reaction… to Nikai's curse… But it only ever reacted when I was right next to him, not at a distance… Something else is going on…
Something clicked in my brain, and out of nowhere, I saw the silhouette of incoming curse energy. I sprung higher into the sky, catching a glimpse below of curse energy blasting into the roof I was standing on.
He's using the dark to his advantage… It's like he covered his energy in shadows… It wasn't red or purple!
After being in conflict with Nikai for some time, I'd already realized that talking was no use. Trying to talk some sense into him? Nah, Nikai probably couldn't even hear me. Every sound that came from his mouth was just another nerve-wracking, enraged shriek.
When I landed, Nikai was right on my ass… Except his attacks were beginning to have some intelligence behind them. Aiming his claws for my already weakened arms, using his energy more sparingly to catch me off guard… I resolved to keep on dodging, but he was getting closer every moment…
He's wary of my electricity; he knows I can't use it well at longer ranges… That's why he's not giving me time to use it… But Nikai has never exactly seen me use my superspeed or explosive force to the fullest extent…
Amid Nikai's flurry of melee attacks, I ducked to my feet and zipped behind him with a kick directly to where his spine would be, though I avoided the spikes. Nikai stumbled ahead a little, and as he did, I blasted him again, guiding lightning directly to his skull.
I can't hold back like I've been doing… Otherwise… I'll just end up getting murdered… Brutally…
Nikai had quickly become almost the size of a two-story house, like some sort of defense mechanism in response to my blow... Nowhere near as large as Nazun, but still threatening compared to my average human size. It didn't matter, however…
As he turned, I struck him with a clean uppercut from my right. I let loose all the explosive force I could muster in a single strike, snapping his shadowy blob of a neck back briefly. At that point, while still in midair, I twisted my left toward him, launching a direct electrical blast up through his chin and out the top.
Following that combo, I found myself blown back from the sheer force of my own attacks, barely landing on my feet. By then, the burning sensation in my arms was taking root… Despite the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I was running short on time to finish things…
Nngghhh… damn… If I abuse my arms anymore, they won't be any good…
A large portion of shadows had melted away from Nikai's face, and behind the shroud, I could see his physical body floating, suspended inside the skull of his curse… Yet still, he was raising his arm to reseal the opening…
Just like they said... he's gonna try to heal himself. I gotta interrupt that and keep up the heat. This time, though… I gotta use my legs…
Electricity surrounded my left leg as I leaped into the sky. Oddly enough, my curse was working really well with me… Started to seem like my energy was following my thoughts, providing me with the optimal route to victory.
In moments, I slammed my foot into Nikai's face, basically slapping his shadow head to the side.
He might be giant, defensive, and have wide-scaling attacks… But I'm quicker and smaller… and my precision-type destruction is unmatched compared to him!
Landing on his shoulder, I sprung high above his head and struck Nikai with two consecutive kicks, powerful enough to make his entire transformation fall to the ground… at last…
The moment Nikai stopped moving, I smirked, though that victory was short-lived. My heart throbbed with intensity in such a sudden manner that I ended up plummeting into the sand, landing flat on my face.
"Nnngghhh… Agghh… Think my curse is taking its toll…"
Nikai tried to stand back up, but he couldn't do it. No longer able to keep form, his shadows shrank and promptly dissipated. And it was good timing too. My seal had begun fading, the time limit to use my curse before repercussions had run out…
The pain traveling through my body intensified, far worse than the last time I'd used my abilities… I knew wielding a new facet of my power would have more adverse side effects, but I was practically done out…
Not to mention the growing blurriness from blood loss…
Okay, he's back... I don't think I could've held out much longer. It's been at least ten minutes since this fight began... Good thing he finally can't hold the form anymore… I'm exhausted…
I didn't fall unconscious, at least… But that didn't change the fact that I was immobilized…
"K-kozuna?" mumbled Nikai weakly…
"Nikai… are you… You?"
"Yeah... Thanks for stopping me... I couldn't control myself..."
"Anytime... You're not in this alone, y'know..."
"I need to take full control of this power… so I don't hurt anyone... I almost killed Anari, more than once... Also, bro, there's something I've been thinking about, these past few days..."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What is it..?"
Nikai took a labored, deep breath.
"If I'm… ever gonna learn to use this shit... I'm gonna have to join the Hanakai, and you'd be wise to do the same thing... If you really wanna protect the people, it'd be best if we both just left... Those guys would stop attacking the city... They don't care about the clan. They just want us. We're the cursed ones here… The only way for us to keep the people safe indefinitely is to make ourselves the villains... We can protect the people from the shadows..."
"Are you crazy? We join the enemies? They're killers! You think they're not gonna come back and attack the Ozukashi again? Besides, let's say they don't, they'll still attack the other clans! I'm not fond of killing innocent people, or putting others with curses through the same hell we have to face now!"
Nikai painstakingly shook his head and grunted.
"I… wish you'd understand... As smart as you are… Stop trying to get praise for being a hero... do what's right. If you really wanted to protect everyone, you wouldn't care what these dumbass civilians thought of you. The only people I want to defend are my comrades, and… my little brother... The clans and cursed can rot in a pit for all I care. It doesn't matter to me what you say, this is for the best..."
Nikai paused for a while, coughing up blood.
"E-even… Even if you don't come with me… I've made my choice... These fucking Ozukashi, they set this shit up, they pitted us against each other! At least if we willingly join, the Hanakai will welcome us with open arms. Before I transformed... I saw someone staring at me from a rooftop… They used some sort of… device… to make my curse activate…"
So I'm not the only one that found this curse activation weird..? Even so… I can't agree with his methods.
"I felt the same thing when I exited Sand Tower. My curse activated on its own... But do you think us leaving is going to put an end to the whole conspiracy? There's more going on, and we're the only ones who can stop it! To do that, we both have to stay here! Plus, we don't even know what the Hanakai want with us! What if they treat us worse?"
Nikai scoffed, slowly pushing himself back to his feet.
"Yeah, whatever. If you wanna confine yourself to this damn hellhole of a clan, that's on you… But don't tell me what I should be doing… Every day I'm forced to spend cooped up, the less I care for this shitty excuse of a clan... I want what's best for me, and the little bit of family I have left... You're like a brother to me Kozuna. That's why I'm telling you this first... I'm walkin' outta here and joining the Hanakai, whether you like it or not…"
"It doesn't matter whether or not he likes it..."
…was that..?
I turned my head as much as I could to see Shin standing several feet behind me, bearing both the shield and sword. Anari was nowhere in sight…
"You… You're the one who activated my curse!"
Shin grinned in a way I'd never seen before…
"You're indeed right. My orders were to capture you- both of you… And the councilor's plan went… mostly according… Now all I've gotta do is take you two in… You'll be joining Anari soon enough."
"You work for the councilors? Weren't you Zara's assistant? What'd you do with Anari!?"
After assuming a stoic expression, Shin first pointed a small gun at Nikai.
"Worry about yourselves..."
Nikai's body plopped straight back into the dirt as a tranquilizer dart pierced his neck… And Shin didn't hesitate to point the gun in my face… I knew I couldn't fight the inevitable, but I wanted answers…
"Let me ask you one thing, Shin!"
"Speak... Kozuna…."
"...just… What do the councilors want with us, anyway?"
Shin closed his eyes and smirked once again… He didn't care to answer my question… The moment he pulled the trigger, everything just went black…