Chapter: The Rhythm of Chaos
Beat… beat…
The rhythm thumped through the air, vibrating in the marrow of their bones. Hakari's grin widened, his eyes alight with manic energy.
"Turn up the music!" Hakari roared.
♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟ
Ren's eyes went wide. The melody swirled around them, manifesting out of thin air. Where the hell is this music coming from? What the—
CLAP!
Todo struck his palms together. Boogie Woogie triggered instantly. In the blink of an eye, Ren and Todo swapped places.
Ren found himself standing directly in front of Hakari, whose cursed energy was overflowing like a ruptured dam.
POW!
Hakari threw a heavy, bone-shattering punch. Ren reacted on instinct, throwing his hands open.
"Red Stitch: Spider... 100% Output!"
WHOOSH!!!
Blood-red threads exploded from Ren's wrists, weaving into a dense web that intercepted the blow. Hakari's fist collided with the crimson mesh.
BANG!!!
The shockwave rattled Ren's teeth, skidding him backward across the dirt. But the trap was set. Before Hakari could retract his arm, the red threads began snaking upward, binding his forearm in a tight, constricting grip.
CLAP!
Another swap. Todo's timing was surgical.
Ren suddenly found himself standing where Hakari just was—except now, his own upper body was tangled in his lingering Red Stitch threads.
"Ugh, shit!" Ren hissed, struggling against his own technique.
"HEY! Be more careful, you idiot!" Todo barked at Hakari, his tone dripping with annoyance. "Don't get caught in his... threads, rope, or whatever that red crap is!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Hakari snapped back. He didn't wait. He blurred forward, launching a snap kick aimed directly at Ren's face.
Todo smirked. He's caught in his own threads. It's over. Now we just jump him!
But Ren's expression shifted from panic to a sharp, cold smile. Ha. He took the bait.
I can still control the spider threads even after they are unleashed. The second I grab his leg, he's wrapped. Even if Todo switches us again, I'll have Hakari under wraps!
Ren moved with deceptive fluidness. The thick red threads around his torso loosened at his command, flowing down his arms like liquid silk as he reached out to snatch Todo's incoming leg.
"Where are you looking?! I'm right here!"
Hakari's voice boomed from behind. He had circled around with terrifying speed, throwing a haymaker into Ren's back.
THUD!
Ren gritted his teeth as the impact surged through him. Shit! I forgot how fast he is! But it's fine... the spider threads are covering my back. I can take it. I just have to grab Todo and end this—!
Ren lunged for Todo, but the tall sorcerer's grin only widened.
CLAP!
The world blurred. Hakari and Todo switched places. Hakari appeared in mid-air, ducking his shoulder to dodge Ren's reaching hand. In the same motion, Hakari drove a brutal punch into Ren's solar plexus.
"Body shot!" Hakari screamed.
Simultaneously, Todo appeared behind Ren, landing a heavy blow to his kidney!
They were a whirlwind of coordinated violence, giving Ren no room to breathe.
"Ack!" Ren grunted, blood slicking his lips. No... this is good. Both of them are in range. I just have to expand my—!
Ren suddenly felt a strong drain all around his body...
'Dammit!' Ren thought.
"100% Output... Red Stitch: SWORD!"
Ren swung his arms wildly, his face contorted in a snarl.
SSSHH—SSSSHH—SSSSHH—SSSSHH—SSSSHH—SSSSHH—SSSSHH—SSSSHH—!!!
As Ren swung his hands in a frantic blur, the air itself seemed to fracture. Deep, jagged slash cuts erupted everywhere.
Hakari's arm was severed clean off, spinning into the air.
"Ugh, again with that bullshit!" Hakari hissed. He didn't even slow down; steam began whistling off the stump as his bone and then muscles grew back together instantly.
CLAP!
Todo's palms met. The world shifted. Todo took Hakari's place, and his mind raced as he analysed the carnage.
"Shit! He's using that again!" Todo realised. "There's no indication—no spark, no tell! The only sign is his hand movements and that tiny leak of cursed energy from his fingers. It's too faint; I can't track it!"
Todo's eyes narrowed. Fine. I'll just use this bastard as a shield since he can heal!
CLAP!
CLAP!
CLAP!
CLAP!
CLAP!
The sound was relentless. Todo rhythmically swapped himself with Hakari, using his partner as a human shield every time he sensed a shred of danger. Hakari was caught in the crossfire again and again. He lost a leg, then another arm, his body healing almost as fast as it was being dismantled—but the agony was starting to grate on his nerves.
Hakari's arm was severed cleanly at the elbow and started to heal just as fast!
"AHHH!! Fuck! Stop using me like a fucking meat shield!!" Hakari roared, gritting his teeth as he stood barefoot on the torn earth, steam rising from his body.
The three of them stood a few feet apart, a tense triangle of aggression. Todo looked at Hakari with an annoyed shrug. "Oh, shut up; you can take it. If you couldn't, you would have died already!"
Despite the bickering, neither took their eyes off Ren.
Ren stood near the lake, his chest heaving. The red threads surrounding him were slowly beginning to flicker and fade. He brought a hand to his mouth, stifling a ragged cough.
Cough!
Ren wiped a streak of blood from his chin.
'Fuck... I was not able to cover both of them with my threads... There is something I am lacking... cursed energy!
Fucking cursed energy...
It's still a troublesome problem... When I use Red Stitch: Spider, I can control the threads however I like, but after their summon, it takes more cursed energy every time I want to use them again, and controlling their shape takes more and more cursed energy...'
Ren looked down at his hands. 'That's why I used Red Stitch: Sword. It takes more energy upfront than Spider, but it's instant. It actually hurts them. I can't drag this out. If I don't end this in the next few minutes, I'm done for because. These two can fight for days.'
It was a grim realisation. Ren had only been using the new Red Stitch for six minutes, and he was already starting to run low on cursed energy...
'I know what I'm fixing next... Regardless, they're worried about me now. I still have a few tricks. I haven't used Red Stitch: Sword at its full capacity yet. I can control those threads too, just like Spider. But until now, I've only used it by waving my hands...
But no tricks like that won't work...'
"Hey, dumbass," Todo spoke up, his voice echoing over the water. "Have you figured out how he does that?" His eyes never leaving Ren.
"Nah," Hakari spat. "Unlike you, I can't even tell when he cuts me. It's just instant. But I can say this: it's not really instant. I can feel something passing through my flesh. It's definitely physical, and it for sure takes a shit-tonne of energy since he's holding back on it... or maybe there's some other drawback?"
Todo's eyes narrowed. 'Possible, but still... this is the weirdest cursed technique I've ever seen. In uniqueness, it matches my Boogie Woogie, but in versatility, it surpasses it! He can block with the threads, and if his technique is thread-based, then those invisible slashes must be threads too. The scariest part is he hasn't even used a domain, a maximum technique, or even Rika...
Is he holding back?
Oh, now that's a scary possibility, but why would he? If so, why? Does he have a hidden motivation? No, it doesn't add up... but it's still hard to win against him; the only sign of him getting weaker is his cursed energy… It's hard to sense, but it's for sure going down from before…'
Todo grinned, his posture relaxing into a confident stance. "Hey, Ren, I admit it—normally, it would be impossible for me to defeat you. But since I have this bastard with me, I'm going to win."
"I'm sure you've figured out the basics," Todo continued. "Boogie Woogie! I can switch positions between myself and my enemy. And clapping my hands activates the technique!"
As Todo spoke, his cursed energy flared, surging with newfound pressure.
Hakari laughed, raising his fists. He was shirtless and shoeless now, still moving his hands around in the air like he was dancing. "Really? Now? Ugh, I don't need this idiot; I can beat you up on my own, Ren Sato! But I'll give you this—you're fucking strong!"
Ren smiled. 'Hmm, Todo told me how his cursed technique works. He must be using the Revealing One's Hand... binding vow…" Pretty much by telling me how his cursed technique works, now he will have an easier time using Boogie Woogie...'
"Ha! Well, I guess since we're being civil," Ren called out, "you two are the strongest people I've fought in a while. And the most annoying, for sure! Also... where the hell is that background music coming from?!"
♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟﾟ♫｡♪ ˚♬ ﾟ
Hakari laughed, the beat dropping perfectly with his voice. "Oh, that's just my theme song! It plays when I'm about to beat someone's ass!"
Hakari exploded forward, and Todo moved right alongside him.