Kuzari barely breathed, still shaken by the awakening of the Riten. Kaen's body lay unconscious, marked by a strange glow across his face and arm. Ishikawa stepped forward, eyes wide, breath ragged, his Ni pulsating and unstable. Fear and anger mingled with every beat of his heart.
Ishikawa: "Kaen… you can't die…", he murmured, voice breaking.
Losing his composure, he grabbed Takumi's weapon and rushed toward the shifting shadow hovering before them—the unknown Goldo. His mind trembled, but his determination remained intact.
Unknown Goldo: "You humans…", a cold, almost disdainful voice echoed. "You understand nothing. If your friends are in this state, it is entirely your fault."
Ishikawa gasped, hands gripping the weapon tightly. "What did you say?"
Unknown Goldo: "If you had followed me from the beginning, the outcome would have been different. You are the core of this fracture."
The adolescent's breathing steadied, his body trembling yet upright. "Perhaps… but they sacrificed themselves for me. I cannot abandon them. I will not disappoint them."
Without warning, the Goldo struck. The blow threw Ishikawa to the ground, slicing through his arms. Blood flooded the floor, and the air vibrated with pain. His Ni collapsed, leaving an almost surreal silence. The Goldo approached Kaen, still unconscious, a cruel smile on its face.
Unknown Goldo: "This little impostor had powers… I'll take great pleasure in eliminating him."
But before it could reach Kaen, Ishikawa screamed, pain overwhelming him. His body convulsed. A black mark ignited on the back of his neck, spreading like ink through his body. The unknown Goldo was taken aback: Hohl, the annihilated Goldo, had taken control. Instantly, Ishikawa's wounds regenerated.
Hohl: "Hey kid… it's been so long," Hohl murmured through him. "I must preserve your body for my revenge."
Hohl activated Seelenweber, his soul-weaving technique. Black filaments coiled around him like serpents, then he unleashed Vent Noir, erasing the unknown Goldo's right arm in a fraction of a second.
The Goldo recoiled, surprised. "You are formidable… I am no match." A rift opened behind it, leading to the Goldo's spiritual realm, and it vanished, murmuring: "I will return for Kaen… and next time, I will take what is mine."
Hohl, now master of Ishikawa's body, stood tall and looked at Kaen. The Riten mark shone intensely on his arm and face, a strange eye scanning the surrounding space. "So, it's you… the new bearer of the Riten. Interesting."
The calm was short-lived. Astou appeared with reinforcements of Senshi, eyes widening as she saw Ishikawa possessed. "Ishikawa! What happened to you? You're not yourself!"
Hohl, impassive, replied with a cold smile: "You will entertain me, Senshi… it's been a long time."
The battle began instantly. Hohl attacked Astou with calculated violence. Floch erected a barrier to protect her, while the Senshi retaliated, their attacks absorbed by Hohl's dark aura. When he activated Vent Noir again, Floch's left arm disappeared, and the barrier collapsed.
Hohl then wove the Senshi's souls with Seelenweber, increasing his power and making his aura unstable and terrifying. But inside, Ishikawa struggled. Astou invoked her healing technique, a luminous circle surrounding young Ishikawa's body. The black mark on his neck partially faded.
When he regained control, exhausted, Ishikawa murmured: "What happened? The others are badly hurt…"
Astou, worried, replied: "You had a strange mark… with horns. And your Ni… it wasn't yours anymore."
Ishikawa shook his head. "Forget it, Astou… it's a long story."
Determined, Astou began healing Takumi and Akiriho. Silence returned to the group. Kirina finally breathed again. The sky returned to normal, but everyone knew the respite was fragile, and the threat of the unknown Goldo still lingered, ready to return.
To be continued…