Part 1: Merciless Requiem
From the depths of the old factory's ruins, Takuto emerged with a terrifying, icy composure.
His aura felt heavier than ever before, as if his presence alone was devouring the surrounding Stella Flows into a void of darkness.
His eyes had undergone a haunting transformation—the sclera was no longer white but a bottomless pitch-black, housing pupils that glowed with a blood-red ferocity, staring down his enemies like Death itself.
Despite seeing Baltos sent flying earlier, Ren burst into a fit of arrogant laughter.
"You think a little makeover is enough to beat me?" Ren sneered, her eyes gleaming with malice. "I'll end you right here, once and for all!"
The moment she finished speaking, she lunged forward like a projectile, utilizing her maximum speed to slash Takuto's throat with her blade-claws.
But to Takuto, now in Step 4 (Phoenix Nova), Ren's movements were as agonizingly slow as a crawling tortoise.
Within the split second she reached him, Takuto's hand blurred with electric precision, intercepting and crushing Ren's wrist in a vice-like grip.
Snap!
The sound of bone splintering echoed as Takuto twisted Ren's arm with brutal force. Before a scream could even escape her lips, Takuto's hand clamped around her throat, slamming her body into the concrete floor with devastating momentum.
Crrraaaaack!!!
The impact was so violent that the ground shattered into a massive crater, sending plumes of dust into the air.
Outside the immediate fray, Kaori, Ayano, Kaito, and Mei watched in breathless horror. The Takuto they knew—the kind, steady Takuto—was nowhere to be found. This was a monster.
Ren lay in the pit, gasping for life. Her demonic form began to flicker and fade, reverting to her battered human self as she looked up at Takuto with pure, unadulterated terror.
Takuto's face showed no trace of mercy. He gazed down at the dying woman and muttered in a voice as cold as the grave:
Takuto: "Still... not dead yet...?"
He raised his foot. Kaori and the others realized with a jolt of horror what was coming next.
Kaori: "No! Takuto! Stop!"
Ignoring her entirely, Takuto brought his heel down with total finality directly onto Ren's head.
Crush!
Like a dry branch snapping, her skull gave way under the overwhelming pressure. Her life was extinguished instantly.
The battlefield fell into a silence as heavy as a graveyard. Takuto calmly withdrew his blood-stained foot and turned his gaze toward the remaining prey: Zero and Baltos.
His red pupils, swimming in that sea of black, searched for the next thing to kill.
Hana, witnessing her brother's cold-blooded execution of Ren, felt her knees give out. She collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Hana: "This... this isn't Onii-chan... it can't be..."
she whispered, her eyes filled with shock. The gentle brother who had protected her had been replaced by a bloodthirsty fiend.
Zero, seeing his comrade slaughtered so ruthlessly, went into a berserker rage.
Zero: "You... you dared to kill her right in front of me! Die!"
Zero roared. He swung a massive, steel-clad fist, aiming to pulverize Takuto's face.
Takuto didn't even flinch. He simply raised a hand and caught Zero's fist with effortless ease.
The shockwave from the blow sent Takuto's hair fluttering, but his body remained as immovable as a mountain.
Shocked, Zero swung his other fist. Takuto caught that one too. Now holding both of Zero's hands, Takuto stared into the giant's eyes.
Crunch! Aaaaaghh!
Without a flicker of emotion, Takuto twisted Zero's steel-reinforced arms in opposite directions.
The metal-like skin peeled like wet paper, and the sound of grinding bone vibrated through the air.
As Zero fell to his knees in agony, Takuto spun with a fluid motion, his leg trailing trails of red and black energy. He delivered a devastating roundhouse kick directly to Zero's neck.
The force was so immense that Zero's massive head was torn clean from his shoulders, tumbling across the ground for yards.
The man known as the "Steel Human" had been dismantled in seconds by the Phoenix Nova.
Takuto flicked the blood from his hands and turned toward Baltos, the sole survivor. He looked less like a warrior and more like a predator about to devour its last meal.
Kaori, Ayano, Kaito, and Mei were paralyzed by fear. They realized that Takuto hadn't just defeated his enemies; he had lost his humanity. In this state, he was a threat to everyone—friend or foe.
Kaori: "This is bad... if he goes any further, he'll never be able to come back!" Kaori cried out, rushing forward.
Kaori: "Takuto! Stop! It's us! We're your friends!"
Ayano: "Takuto-kun, please stop!"
Ayano pleaded, as they all moved to block his path, desperate to prevent further bloodshed.
But Takuto's red-black Stella Flow only intensified. There was no sign of recognition in his eyes. As he stepped toward Baltos, Kaori stood firmly in his way.
"Enough, Takuto! You've won! This is too much!" she shouted, her voice shaking despite her resolve.
Takuto's dark eyes locked onto hers. Somewhere deep in his subconscious, flickering memories tried to stay his hand, but the dark power pushed him forward.
He didn't say a word; he simply waved his hand, releasing a violent wave of red-black Stella Flow.
"Ugh!"
The four of them—Kaori, Ayano, Kaito, and Mei—were swept away by the energy wave, crashing hard into the ground.
Takuto hadn't intended to kill them, but his Step 4 power was so volatile that they were left severely injured, struggling to even breathe, let alone stand.
Hana remained on the ground, her spirit breaking as she watched her brother transform into a demon.
Her Step 2 (Wolf Awakening) form began to flicker out, tears streaming down her face.
Suddenly, Shina emerged from the shadows. She walked calmly to the devastated Hana and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Shina: "Look at yourself, little girl. Crying won't change a thing,"
Her voice was uncharacteristically steady, though her eyes remained fixed on Takuto with morbid fascination.
Shina: "Takuto-kun is drowning in the darkness."
"He's become a killing machine, can't you see?" Shina continued, her gaze piercing. "I think you're the only one left he might still recognize."
Hana looked up through her sobs.
"Go stop him!" Shina commanded. "Aren't you his sister? If you don't stop him now, he'll turn into a true monster forever. And if that happens... no one will ever be able to bring him back. Not you, not anyone."
A spark of clarity returned to Hana's eyes. Shaking, she forced herself to stand. She understood now—she was the last hope to save her brother's soul.
Part 2: The Spark of Resistance and the Embrace of Bond
After stirring Hana to action, Shina stepped forward. The madness in her eyes was replaced by a sharp, grim determination.
Shina: "Forgive me, Takuto-kun... You're incredibly attractive like this, but if you go any further, you'll be too broken for me to keep."
Suddenly, Shina's eyes ignited with a brilliant electric blue—her Electro Flash Eye. Violent arcs of blue lightning erupted from her body, her blue hair rising and crackling with static. Jagged, glowing electrical markings etched themselves onto her cheeks.
Shina: "Form: Step 2 — Overdrive Bolt!"
In a literal flash of lightning, Shina vanished and reappeared behind Takuto, locking him in a desperate, restrictive embrace from behind.
Shina: "Now! Electro Chain!"
The blue electricity surging from her body coiled around Takuto like physical ropes, binding him tight.
She was pouring every ounce of her spirit into this technique, straining to suppress the tide of his dark Stella Flow, even if only for a few precious moments.
However, the aura of Phoenix Nova was too overwhelming.
Takuto: "RRRRAAAHHH!!"
Takuto let out a primal roar. A shockwave of red-black energy exploded from his body, snapping Shina's electrical chains like brittle glass.
The force of the blast sent Shina flying backward. She crashed onto her knees, gasping for air as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Despite the pain, she managed a weak, determined smirk.
"Hana... now!" Shina gasped.
As Takuto raised a hand with murderous intent to finish Shina off, Hana sprinted from behind and threw her arms around him in a desperate, clinging embrace.
She pressed her forehead against his back and screamed through her tears.
Hana: "Onii-chan... stop! Please, come back! Are you really going to leave us like this?"
Takuto's body jolted and went rigid. Hana's warmth and the dampness of her tears acted like a needle of light piercing through the suffocating red-black void of his mind.
His raised hand began to tremble, and the hellish crimson in his pitch-black eyes began to flicker and dim.
Hana moved to his front, pulling him into a tight embrace, burying her face in his chest.
Hana: "Look at me... it's me, your sister... Onii-chan..."
The battlefield grew hauntingly quiet. The violent eruptions of red-black Stella Flow subsided into a low, rhythmic hum before eventually going still.
Takuto's breathing, once jagged and monstrous, began to steady as his consciousness clawed its way back from the abyss.
Hana held on with every ounce of strength she had left.
Hana: "Onii-chan... do you know? The brother I know isn't like this. He's the person who always encourages us with warmth and smiles." Her voice broke into a sob.
Hana: "What you're doing now... it's like you're destroying yourself. Please don't go any deeper into the dark... I'm so scared..."
Her words, fueled by pure, unconditional love, acted like a sledgehammer against the dark shell surrounding Takuto's soul.
Cracks formed in the darkness. The heavy, crushing pressure lifting from the area as the last of the dark Stella Flow evaporated into the night air.
Slowly, the black void in Takuto's eyes receded, revealing his natural pupils. He blinked, his vision blurry and his strength spent, looking down at the sister weeping in his arms.
Takuto: "...Ha... Hana..."
The voice was faint, but it was warm. Hana's body jolted. "Onii-chan? Onii-chan!"
She looked up and saw the kind, familiar eyes of the brother she loved. Overwhelmed with relief, she buried her face back into his chest and cried harder than ever.
Takuto slowly raised his hands and gently stroked her back, his face etched with deep regret.
"I'm sorry, Hana... I put you all through a nightmare," Takuto whispered. "I... I don't even know what happened to me. But I'm back now. Don't cry anymore, okay?"
"Welcome back, Onii-chan..." Hana sobbed.
As he comforted her, Takuto looked around at the grim scene: Kaori and the others lying injured on the ground, and the mangled remains of the enemies he had executed.
He realized then that Step 4 (Phoenix Nova) was not just a power—it was a curse that demanded a terrible price.
In that brief moment of peace, a cold, rhythmic clapping echoed from the shadows of the factory's basement.
"What a beautiful sight... the unbreakable bond of siblings. Truly touching."
Every head turned toward the factory entrance. Kage emerged from the darkness, using his gravity powers to suspend a captive, unconscious Aoi in mid-air as a hostage.
Kage reached beneath his cloak and pulled out an ancient, ominous Demon Book that pulsed with dark energy.
He looked at Takuto and Hana with a mocking smile and began chanting an incomprehensible, ancient incantation in a low murmur.
Suddenly, a blood-red Magic Circle erupted on the ground beneath Kage and Aoi.
The aura emanating from the circle was so intense that even Takuto was forced to step back.
Takuto: "Stop! Let Aoi go!"
Takuto shouted, trying to lunge forward, but a massive wall of energy from the magic circle blocked his path.
Before vanishing, Kage locked eyes with Takuto one last time.
"You don't need to chase me anymore, Takuto. My goal has already been achieved. The darkness has reached deep into your pure soul," Kage sneered.
Kage: "The murders you just committed, the scent of blood on your hands... they will haunt you forever. I'll let you go for now, but the demon within you will always be there. I look forward to seeing if you're still 'human' the next time we meet."
The magic circle flared with blinding light, and Kage, along with Aoi, faded into nothingness like dust in the wind.
The old factory fell into a heavy silence, leaving behind only the metallic scent of blood and the wreckage of the battle.
Takuto sank to his knees, staring at the empty space where they had been. He looked at his palms; they were still stained with the blood of Ren and Zero.
He could feel it—just as Kage had said—a cold, hollow darkness now resided deep within his heart.
Takuto: "What... what have I done...?"
Takuto's whisper was a lonely echo that vanished into the silent, unforgiving night.
[END OF CHAPTER 35]