In the chaotic evening of Saga, a lone combustible bike traversed the old farmlands, weaving between damp crops in the heat of the battle.
Ryujin rode a bike he had scavenged from the hangar of their base of operations—the Saga International Airport.
"I have to reach Itoshi..."
He thought to himself.
The roar of the double-cylinder engine drowned out the screams of dying Field-men. Streaks of blue, green, and yellow were all he could see as the flickers tore through the landscape. He looked ahead, eyes locked onto the waning moon while his heart raced.
He pulled the throttle harder, pushing the vehicle to its absolute limits.
Suddenly, a shadow eclipsed the moon. It was only a quick flash, but Ryujin saw it clearly.
"That Kolossal Seele! Itoshi is already facing it?!"
He thought as he pressed forward, mud scattering everywhere from the tires of the roaring bike.
[Airport Hangar]
"There! Kira-san! You should take a little more rest!"
Kara ordered, her voice soft but commanding as she kneeled over Kirashi.
"Oke!~"
Kirashi answered with a cheeky smile, lying face flat on the hangar floor as if no one had ever stepped on it.
"Come on! Sit down for a bit! The hard floor is not good for your body!"
Kara reminded him as she stood up, her green helmet wiggling slightly on her head. Kirashi quickly sat upright, right next to 'Homeless Wind-User Number 2.'
Tomori raised her fist, offering a fist bump to Kirashi.
"Nice work out there, man."
Kirashi bumped her back.
"You too! Zexy Kunoichi!~"
They shared a chuckle, but it quickly faded under the weight of what was happening outside the sterile walls of the hangar. Tomori looked down, her tone shifting as Kara sat to her left.
"Say..."
They all turned to her, including Aldrin, who stood before them in silent thought.
"Is Shadow gonna be alright?.." she asked.
Aldrin turned to her with heavy eyes; he was the only one who could truly answer.
He hesitated as the commotion of the Field-Men drowned out the fractured squad.
"I... I don't know, Tomori-san..." he admitted.
Everyone looked down, unsure of the state of their Vice-Leader—a man most of them considered a close friend.
"We're at war,"
Aldrin reminded them.
"If a loss ever happens... we must always be prepared for it."
From the SPINE lounge, Miss Gigi listened to their conversation, silent and calculating.
"But,"
A soft female voice spoke.
"Something tells me..."
It was Kara.
"Ayro-sama is gonna be alright."
They all turned to her before meeting each other's eyes. A small, shared chuckle broke the tension.
"Is that so?.."
Kirashi hushed.
"Can't believe that man would fall to a couple of soldiers after he got absolutely cock-smacked by that massive Seele back home!"
Aldrin giggled, joining in even though unease still tugged at his heart.
"Haha... I know, right?.."
"Ayro-sama is very tough!"
Kara added, looking down at her helmet.
Then, all of a sudden, she started to cough heavily. She covered her mouth, setting her helmet aside. When she opened her palm, the group froze.
"KARA-SAN!—"
[Saga Fields - Wasteland]
Ryujin's bike came to a quick halt, skidding across the muddy path as he kicked it onto its stand.
He rushed toward the massive Seele, not even bothering to take it down yet. He ran with ease; not even the damp, heavy soil could wind him.
"They're right here," he muttered to himself, his spear held firmly in his right hand.
A deafening screech echoed through the dark fields just ahead, quickly followed by a familiar shout—the one that always complained about the heat.
"WAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!! YOU STUPID BASTARD!"
Ryujin flinched but kept moving forward.
"Itoshi!" he called out.
No response. All he could see were the jagged sparks of blue flame. Psk. Psk. Pshhhh.
He followed the flashes until the light of the waning moon finally broke through the clouds. He saw him—his Scarecrow. He looked at his ally, then at the state of the beast.
"Itoshi... he's barely scratched that Seele. He can't concentrate enough flame if it keeps moving this erratically," he thought.
The Scarecrow lunged again, barely severing a single finger from the twenty-seven-foot monster he bravely faced.
"Damn it!"
Itoshi shouted.
"Where is everyone?! Where are the Field-Men?!"
He looked around, finally seeing the state of the field. He was alone.
"Damn it! I'm the only one left?! Where did those flamethrower dudes go?!"
Unbeknownst to him, the Field-Men who had escorted him were already dead, taken down by the very monster he was fighting.
The Scarecrow was fighting blindly.
"Damn you! I won't retreat!"
He took a breath.
"I'll fucking take you down!!"
As the battle raged, Itoshi's thoughts began to falter.
"I'll fucking kill you... you fucking bitch..." his mind spiraled.
"How dare you... how dare you do this to Hishiki... how dare you take Ayro."
He leaped, aiming for the beast's head.
He failed.
The beast swatted him away with ease, its massive size enough to send the Scarecrow flying. He landed in the soft, mud-caked field, his vision fluttering.
"I'll kill them all..."
he thought, watching the night sky.
"I... I took one of those down back home... What is going on?! I'm... I'm the hero..."
In his blurred vision, Ryujin had arrived, calling out to him, but the boy couldn't hear his leader. "Iwowstee!"
"Ah... Ryujin..."
Itoshi thought.
Ryujin called once more.
"Itoshee!!"
"I'll fucking kill them all..."
Itoshi muttered.
Then, finally, a roar.
"ITOSHI!!!"
Itoshi snapped back to his senses.
"ITOSHI! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"
Ryujin called out.
Itoshi blinked, lying there with his Scarecrow mask off.
"Ryujin!"
"Ok, good! Let's take this bitch down!"
Ryujin commanded, his brows furrowed in focus.
Itoshi quickly stood up, sliding his Scarecrow mask back over his face.
"Where the hell is everyone?!" he asked Ryujin.
Ryujin kept his eyes locked on the beast as he responded.
"We were ordered to retreat! Didn't you get the order?!"
The Scarecrow flinched.
"I..."
A realization hit him.
"My comms are gone!!!"
Ryujin shook his head.
"Alright, fine! Let's just end this!"
They both broke into a sprint toward the looming beast ahead of them.
"I'll slow it down! You deal with the finishing blow!" Ryujin ordered.
The Scarecrow gave a firm nod.
"Got it!"
Ryujin spun his spear, soft water dancing with it in a graceful flow. The sound of rushing water echoed through the evening breeze as he attacked first.
He struck low, aiming for the beast's enormous feet.
The beast snarled, a crow-like head sprouting from its main head as it kneeled into the field. Ryujin launched another attack from behind, sliding through the mud before leaping up and aiming for the beast's left arm. Ryujin's spear tore through, slicing the arm clean off.
Itoshi, on the other hand, took the advantage.
"I wonder if it'll work with me too..."
he thought, his mind remembering what the kunoichi does to fly.
In a split second, his feet burst with blue flames, launching him upward.
"Woah—WOAH OWAHH!!!" he shouted as he fumbled mid-air.
But his attack landed—just barely. With a kick to the Seele's beak, an explosive blue flame sparked through the night sky, shattering half of the head that was the size of the crow.
The Seele fell onto its back, stunned and unmoving. Itoshi landed by its feet, ready to finish the job, while Ryujin landed just behind him—focused and observing.
All of a sudden, the twenty-seven-foot monster began flailing wildly on the floor. Ryujin barely managed to haul Itoshi out of the way in time. It screeched as its body deformed in unnatural places; the sound of snapping bones echoed through the night sky as the Seele continued to scream deafeningly.
"You've definitely pissed him off now,"
Ryujin muttered before dropping Itoshi onto the field.
Itoshi landed on his butt with a quiet mutter.
"Ouch."
"Don't do that reckless attack again,"
Ryujin commanded, his voice sharp.
"Hero."
The Scarecrow stood up, scratching his butt as he replied with confidence.
"Ok!"
Itoshi took a deep breath before shouting,
"uuuuKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
"KARA-SAN!"
Tomori panicked as she softly placed her left palm on Kara's back.
"Are you okay?! Your nose!"
Kara's nose was bleeding once more. Kirashi leaned in, his face filled with worry, but no words came out from his lips. Aldrin kneeled, offering a napkin for Kara's nose.
"A-Are you okay?!"
Kara took it as she coughed, covering her face.
"I-I'm okay... T-thank you..." she replied, her eyes low.
Suddenly, their comms—all four of them—rang simultaneously.
"Let her rest. Don't let her leave this place." It was Miss Gigi.
"E-eh?.."
Kara hummed as they all listened.
"Her healing magic is at its limit,"
Was all Miss Gigi said.
Aldrin lowered his gaze before explaining.
"Kara-san... listen to Miss Gigi."
"B-But!"
she objected.
"Kara-san..."
Aldrin looked her in the eye.
"Magic takes your lifespan."
Kara flinched.
"The more you exhaust yourself from magic... the more lifespan you give up,"
He paused, his voice heavy.
"You can't push yourself anymore. You should rest."
Aldrin continued.
"Ever wondered why you don't feel fatigue when you use healing?... That's because it takes something from the future in return.."
He paused, Taking a breath.
"Especially when you're at your limit.."
Kara lowered her gaze, defeated. She bit her soft lips, frustrated, as she gripped her helmet.
Her bangs covered her eyes, casting a shadow as dark as ink.
"I... I'm so weak..." she thought to herself.
Kara looked around as everyone watched over her in such a state.
"UWAAAAAARKKKKKKKKKKKK—"
In that instant, the Seele screeched in a piercing roar, its sound echoing all the way to the safety of the hangar.
Itoshi and Ryujin faced it—just the two of them. One honed by experience, the other gifted with raw strength.
"I have to make an opening blow for Itoshi... he has to stay close to me,"
Ryujin thought, his eyes drifting between the beast and the boy.
As they approached the Seele, Ryujin commanded,
"Itoshi! Stay as close to me as possible!"
The Scarecrow gave a firm nod.
As they both turned back, the Seele's left arm had already fully healed. It opened its mouth wide, locking onto the two rushing toward it.
Not long after, a barrage of strikes rained down on them.
"Incoming!" Ryujin warned.
They moved left and right, dodging the Seele's barrages with calculated precision. The beast grew more and more frustrated as the Scarecrow and Ryujin evaded its every move.
Another piercing screech echoed through the night.
At that exact moment, Ryujin's comms started to beep rapidly.
"Leader, second wave incoming... Your squad will be on standby."
"Shit... with more coming this way, me and Itoshi are going to be in a death trap,"
He thought.
"Miss Gigi! We need more backup out here!"
Ryujin requested, continuing to frustrate the Seele they faced.
"W-what?!"
"Me and BlueRage are in the Field! We're facing the kolassal wind-type right now!"
Ryujin continued.
"Itoshi didn't receive the order! His comms are gone!"
Miss Gigi clicked her tongue before giving a firm command.
"Copy that. Backup Field-Men are on the way... They'll take care of the rest. You two focus on that ugly big one."
Just like that, the line cut off.
More Seeles started to emerge from the cold Ariake Sea, the surface boiling as they breached the flood walls.
All of them snarled as their inhuman features began to take shape. Ryujin and Itoshi saw it—the shadows of the beasts rising over the walls.
But Itoshi and Ryujin were locked in; their focus was for one, and one thing only—the Seele they faced.
"We're gonna go on the offense!"
Ryujin ordered.
At that exact moment
BARARRARARARATAA!
The streaks of blue, green, and brown returned. The Field-Men had arrived, their gunfire lighting up the dark.
"Good..." Ryujin thought, quickly glancing at the soldiers behind him.
"Follow my lead, Itoshi!"
"Copy!"
Itoshi replied.
Just as the beast slammed its right arm into the ground, the Scarecrow and Ryujin used the massive limb as a pathway to charge.
The beast retaliated instantly, tossing them into the air with the sheer force of its movement. Itoshi flailed as he went airborne, but Ryujin remained focused. The move was deliberate. Calculated.
"WOAH WOAH WOAAHHH!!"
Itoshi panicked.
In that instant, Ryujin grabbed Itoshi by the back of the neck, stabilizing him mid-air.
"Divine!" Ryujin shouted.
Itoshi's feet sparked, his blue flame igniting as he looked back at Ryujin. With a powerful heave, Ryujin tossed Itoshi even higher.
Then, with a plunge of his water-infused spear, Ryujin struck first, hitting the Seele square in the head to pin it in place.
As Itoshi floated forty feet in the air, a bright blue glow returned, illuminating the entire battlefield.
"Orbital Retribution..."
Itoshi muttered.
He spun mid-air with his right leg extended, becoming a blur of kinetic energy. Like a sawblade of pure blue heat, Itoshi tore through the twenty-seven-foot beast vertically.
~~~To be Continued~~~