The Attack on Kuzari.
The City That Breathes Poorly
Kuzari, suspended on rocky arches, was shrouded in an unstable energy mist. The resonance antennas flickered weakly, some half-dead, others completely silent. On the battlements, the Senshi stood motionless—not out of fear, but as if frozen by an invisible saturation. For what approached was not an enemy. It was a memory.
The sky darkened to a suffocating deep red. Every breath of the city seemed stifled, as if Kirina itself were holding its breath.
The Group on the Heights
On a cracked rooftop, Kaen and his companions surveyed the city. The sky, unnaturally dark, seemed to weigh down on them.
"The sky is black..." Kaen murmured. "It's not night. It's a signal."
Floch fidgeted, unable to contain his unease. "You feel it too, right? I feel nauseous! This sky… it's like it's accusing me of something!"
Akiriho, calm as ever, shook his head. "The sensors are malfunctioning. It's not an illusion. It's a resonance."
Ishikawa, fists clenched, stepped forward. "Then we prepare. If there's a fight, I'll be the first to strike."
Takumi, his glasses reflecting the pale glow of the resonators, added, *"This kind of energy… it doesn't belong to this world. It comes from another cycle."
Astou's Arrival
In a sloping alley, a figure came running. Her cape whipped against the reversed wind sweeping through the city. Security beacons went dark, one by one, in her path.
"Hey, guys!" Astou panted as she joined them. "Don't you see the sky? It's like it wants to swallow us… I have a terrible feeling."
The Appearance
Suddenly, in the heart of Kuzari, the ground cracked. A black vortex opened, swallowing light and sound. A blurry, almost liquid figure rose into the air. Inverted codes floated around its body. Space itself bent under its presence.
Takumi stepped back, throat tight. "Kaen was right… Look at that. It's a Goldo."
And yet, a Goldo wasn't supposed to exist here.
The Group's Response
Akiriho and Takumi instinctively took the front line, their bodies taut like drawn bows. Kaen and Ishikawa stood back-to-back, short of breath. Floch formed a green energy barrier that vibrated around them.
"Ishikawa, Kaen..." Akiriho said firmly. "You're not ready. Get to safety, or you'll be slaughtered."
Takumi added, never taking his eyes off the shadow: "Floch, take them away. We'll hold it off."
Floch gritted his teeth. "Hurry! Takumi and Akiriho won't have much time!"
Activation of the Ni
Takumi leapt forward, his gauntlet charged with a tempestuous blue aura. Akiriho lowered her blade, the ground vibrating beneath her feet. The city's resonators responded to their power.
The Ni, the energy of the soul, awoke within them. Each shaped their own world through this inner weapon.
Ineffectiveness
Akiriho struck first. An uncontrolled arc of energy shot forth, violent but rare. Yet it crashed into the void. The black shadow absorbed everything, as if no attack could pierce its surface.
"We're doomed…", Akiriho gasped, already exhausted. "We're no match."
Moments later, the Goldo pierced her body with a sharp blow.
Kaen's Fall
Kaen froze, unable to move. Floch and Takumi desperately tried to hold back the assault. But a brutal truth weighed on him: even they were nothing against this being.
If even they stand no chance… what can I do? I am just a burden, Kaen thought.
"Kaen!" Takumi shouted. "You have no power! Run! Akiriho sacrificed herself for you!"
But Kaen, his throat tight, replied in a trembling voice: "No… I can't abandon you. But look at the truth: you're sacrificing yourselves for me… and I do nothing.
The Awakening of the Riten
His gaze met Ishikawa's. Between them, it wasn't friendship. It was a shared fracture.
A memory exploded in Kaen's mind: Ishikawa, a barefoot adolescent, his body marked by pain. At that moment, Kaen understood.
This bond was not of allies. It was silent recognition: I am no longer alone in my curse.
Confrontation with the Goldo
"Hey!" Kaen shouted, voice firm despite his tremors. "Goldo… what do you want from us?"
The shadow turned toward him, its distorted voice echoing like ancient reverberation. "Do you mistake me for one of yours? I have come for the one behind you… the vessel of Hohl."
Kaen stepped in front of Ishikawa. "You will not take him.
"Then you will waste your time, human," the entity growled. "I have no reason to linger."
"You're not listening," Kaen replied, his eyes shining with newfound resolve." I said no."
"Enough."
The blow was brutal. Kaen was thrown, his body striking the ground.
The Awakening
"Kaen!" Ishikawa screamed, voice breaking. "You have no right to die now!"
Kaen's spirit drifted into a white, silent space. Around him, fragments of memory shattered like glass. His body lit up with an unknown fire. A mark spread along his arm to his wrist, etching a fiery symbol across his face. His left eye opened, glowing with a strange light.
In this absolute silence… something had awakened.
To be continued…