"In this world, strength is not a gift... it is the price of staying alive."
"The Kara is the vital energy that flows through all things. Some shape it to create, others to destroy... but all depend on it to survive."
"When the breath of the Kara fades, the heart stops beating, and the soul vanishes into eternal shadow."
The two left the sanctuary, Raizen walking alongside Takashi, his Kara still throbbing in his veins. The bamboo forest grew denser as they moved away from the Zenith Temple, and each step seemed to bring them closer to the brutal reality that awaited them.
Raizen kept glancing around, intrigued and nervous. He remembered Kuro's words, the weight of responsibility resting on his shoulders. But one question tormented him:
"Who could be behind all these attacks, and what is he really looking for?"
Takashi walked in silence, his eyes fixed straight ahead, breathing calmly. His aura remained cold, distant, but reassuring in his total mastery of the situation.
After a few moments, he broke the silence, his voice composed and measured:
"Raizen. What you are about to see is not a game."
Raizen nodded, his fists clenched.
Aomi:
"You will observe, learn, and understand. You will not fight... not yet. But you will see the gravity of our enemies, what it truly means to be a Stellar Zenith."
Silence fell again, only disturbed by the rustling of leaves and the wind rushing through the trees. Raizen felt his Kara vibrate slightly, a gentle warmth that reminded him that he was no longer just a street kid, but a bearer of energy capable of changing the course of things.
A few hours later, they reached the outskirts of Seiran. The landscape, once peaceful, was now ravaged. Half-collapsed houses, flames still present on some roofs, and muffled screams escaping from destroyed alleys.
Raizen felt his heart tighten. He had imagined the violence, but seeing the town like this... it was real, brutal, and relentless.
Takashi remained in the background, observing every movement, every sign of danger, his expression impassive, calm, and focused. He approached Raizen and whispered, still with that composed tone:
"Do not act. The Kara will not save anyone if you do not know when or how to use it."
Raizen nodded, his eyes scanning the chaos around him. The town attacked by the Burnt Bloods was not just a battlefield: it was a lesson, a test, and the first true trial of his Kara.
Final Scene
The village of Seiran was nothing more than a field of desolation. Flames still licked at half-collapsed roofs, and the cries of survivors intermittently echoed among the ruins. Raizen felt his heart tighten, his Kara throbbing furiously in his veins. He wanted to move, to intervene... but Takashi placed his hand on his, holding him behind him.
Without a word, Takashi's gaze pierced the mist that was gradually rising around them. Each step seemed to absorb the sound, each breath of wind disappeared into the thick white curtain. Raizen felt a chilling fear run through him, but he couldn't look away.
In the mist, a silhouette first appeared indistinct. Then, other shapes began to emerge, smaller, less defined, giving the impression that the mist itself was coming alive to reveal presences. Raizen's heart pounded wildly, his breath catching with each apparition.
Then, finally, they could distinguish the man at the center of this floating mass. His imposing stature seemed to absorb the light around him. His red eyes glowed like embers in the mist, and a scar streaked his right eye. In each hand, he held a crystal chain, shimmering with a sinister glow.
He smiled, a cold and cruel smile, before speaking:
"Finally, you are here... I will kill you and take back the one you are protecting."
Raizen felt his heart race, panic overwhelming him. He wanted to react, to scream, to strike... but Takashi fixed him, firm and motionless, and whispered in an icy voice:
"You're not a pure Burnt Blood, are you? You're a superior Kageyami. Your Kara is strong... but not strong enough."
The man with red eyes froze for a moment, his lips twisting with contained irritation. Then, with a sudden gesture, he raised his hand and shouted:
"Attack!"
The mist swirled around them, masking the enemy silhouettes that surged in waves. Takashi placed himself in front of Raizen, his eyes fixed on the red-eyed Burnt Blood, while his Kara awakened, vibrating around his fists.
A first assailant leaped from the mist. Takashi dodged with a lateral step, striking with his right fist which released a concentrated electrical discharge. The enemy collapsed, stiff and smoking, while another emerged to his left.
He pivoted on himself, striking again with a flurry of Kara-illuminated fists, sending the assailants flying backward. With every movement, his body was a blend of speed and fluidity, protecting Raizen like a living wall.
Raizen tried to follow with his eyes, but Takashi grabbed his arm:
"Stay behind me."
With a dazzling sprint, Takashi rushed into the heart of the mist, striking one opponent after another. His blows created small explosions of energy, illuminating the scene with bluish flashes and silhouettes projected against the ruins. Raizen felt the breath of the Kara on his face, the sound of fists hitting the enemies' bodies resonating in the mist.
Then, Takashi combined his physical attacks with his Kara:
Takashi: Piercing Flash
A concentrated discharge shot from his hand, striking the first assailant before he even reached their zone. The electricity illuminated the mist, revealing the bodies that collapsed, paralyzed by the pure force of the attack. Raizen felt his Kara vibrate within him, a mixture of admiration and fear.
Without pause, Takashi followed up:
Celestial Kara: Chain Lightning
A series of lightning bolts leaped between several silhouettes, striking the enemies who tried to advance in turn. The crackling sound of the electricity and the howls of the adversaries tore through the sinister silence of the mist.
More assailants approached, but Takashi concentrated his Kara and deployed:
Celestial Kara: Paralyzing Wave
A luminous wave propagated from him, paralyzing several enemies at once. Raizen watched, open-mouthed, Takashi's total mastery. He understood how much their margin of safety depended on his power.
Raizen felt his heart leap with every attack, the howls of the enemies and the crackling of the electricity filling his ears. Takashi advanced and retreated at the same time, a fluid movement of deadly dance, never leaving Raizen alone, never letting an assailant pass.
Suddenly, the red-eyed Burnt Blood leaped into the fray, the crystal chains swirling around him like snakes of black light. Takashi backed away, pulling Raizen with him, striking with his Kara-charged fists and creating a mobile barrier, every gesture perfectly calculated to maintain the young Stellar Zenith's safety.
Smoke
The flames of the consumed huts still danced on the horizon. The ground, cracked by the intensity of the black Kara, smoked in places like cursed earth. A few survivors, kneeling behind broken stones, held their breath, trembling, their eyes fixed on the titanic confrontation.
But soon, other silhouettes appeared through the mist and smoke: a few Astroforges, breathless, scratched, but still standing, surrounding a group of trembling survivors. They had heard the chaos and rushed to help.
At the center of the carnage, two forces clashed.
The crystalline chains of the Burnt Blood whipped the air in deadly arcs, each blow charged with bestial rage.
"Dark Kara—'Surge of a Thousand Links!'" he roared, sending his chains swirling like a storm of blades.
But Takashi did not back down. His fist rose, surrounded by azure lightning that illuminated the mist.
"Celestial Kara: Piercing Flash!"
A single impact broke the dance of the chains, the shockwave raising dust and stones.
Blood flowed from his shoulder, his flank bore a deep gash, but nothing slowed his pace. Each step resonated like a condemnation.
The Burnt Blood gritted his teeth, backing away despite himself.
"Tch... this colossus... he takes hits like a demon..." he thought.
"I am Mag Dog, the mad dog of the Burnt Bloods..." he said, his grating voice echoing through the alleys.
His chains clattered against the ground, releasing bursts of blackened Kara.
"And you, warrior... who are you?"
Takashi raised both arms, his veins coursing with lightning, his aura vibrating like a contained storm.
Takashi:
"Takashi Aomi of the Stellar Zenith."
"Celestial Kara—Judgment of the Zenith!"
His fists struck together, creating a circular wave that exploded in the heart of the battlefield. The ground cracked, the mist was swept away, projecting several Burnt Bloods backward like disjointed puppets.
The survivors stifled cries, their faces illuminated by the white flash.
"He's... he's a monster... no... a savior..." murmured an old woman.
The Astroforges, inspired, joined the fray. Some created Kara barriers to protect the survivors, others struck from a distance with intermediate techniques. But none rivaled Takashi's perfect mastery, even when he received a few superficial blows that scratched his skin or made him lose his balance for a moment. Nothing that slowed his deadly dance.
End of Chapter 5