2 Weeks Later…
Kiko and Kodak's fists clash, and a shockwave pulses through the mindscape. But the destruction this time was kept to a bare minimum. Kiko smiles as Kodak trades equal attacks with her. " Looks like you're finally getting the hang of this."
Kodak smirked at Kiko's compliment. "I am pretty adept!" He yells with confidence as Kiko and he simultaneously equal out their attacks, creating an even more powerful shockwave.
Fūshuku and Kuroi stand below the brawl between Kodak and Kiko, watching and seeing what their disciple needs to improve. "So that's what's happening," Fūshuku says as his eyes scan Kodak's revenant. Kuroi then looks at Fūshuku, questioning him. "Talk to me, what's happening with Kodak's revenant?"
"Notice how his two different energy cores are welding into each other; it's lowering his output. He is trying to forcibly combine them unconsciously. It's causing him to downgrade in terms of both power."
Kuroi listens deeply to Fūshuku's words. "Never realized how much of a prodigy you are when it comes to revenant, Fūshuku." His tone was reassuring and confident, not only to himself but to his brother.
Fūshuku chuckled softly under his breath. "Yeah, yeah, hop off." Kuroi snickered at the response from his brother before looking back at Kodak.
Kiko throws a couple of punches, the first aimed at Kodak's face, but he shifts his body midair. "(My control over my basic skills has skyrocketed, Wingless Flight, Meditation usage, Aura reinforcement, Shockwave, Blade breaker, and even Combat Sense. They've all leveled up from level 2 to level 5, but my kinetic and destructive energy cores are messing with each other, and I don't know why.)"
Kodak blocks another punch from Kiko, and he then sees her hand flying through the air. "Too easy."
"HEY, KODAK WE FIGURED OUT WHY-"
Kodak swung his head over to the left, hearing Kuroi's voice, and yet the only thing he met with was a punch straight to his face from Kiko. "KEUGH!?"
Kuroi winced as he saw a brutal punch land from Kiko onto Kodak's face. "Oops, sorry Kodak!" Fūshuku shakes his head in amusement. "You do know he's gonna be pissed right?
Kuroi shrugged his shoulders in response to Fūshuku's rhetorical question. "Yeah, but you can't lie it was pretty damn funny."
Kodak goes flying through the air before stopping himself midair. He rubs his face in pain and then glares at Kuroi as he sees him trying not to laugh. "KUROI YOU ASSHOLE!"
5 minutes later…
Kiko holds Kodak in a chokehold, while Fūshuki does the same for Kuroi. "Are you both gonna calm down now and stop blaming one another, or are we gonna get on with this training!?" Kiko and Fūshuku say simultaneously to the two troublemakers they held within a chokehold.
Kodak and Kuroi look across from one another. "Yeah, I think we're good." Kodak and Kuroi say with their voices muffled from the grip of Kiko and Fūshuku.
Kodak then stands up with Kuroi, after feeling the tight hold from Kiko and Fūshuki around their necks. "What did you want, Kuroi?" Kodak asks, thinking about how he yelled out to him in the middle of his spar against Kiko.
"Fūshuku and I found out why your output is plummeting despite your basic skills being upgraded," Kuroi explains to Kodak while Fūshuku and Kiko talk with one another.
"The reason for your output plummeting is that your body can't tell which is different; your kinetic energy and your destructive energy are messing with each other because you can't distinguish the difference between them. So we have to separate the cores and then improve them, along with your sensory with different types of energy."
Kodak nods towards Kuroi and gets into a meditation position. "(Improve my energy sensing along with my current skill set. Makes sense.)"
Kiko looks at Fūshuku, and her face lights up with a soft smile. "And I accept your apology, you stuck-up idiot," Kiko says, softly punching Fūshuku in the shoulder. "Thank you, Kiko. You have no idea how long I wanted to apologize for the dumb shit I did in the past."
Kiko nods and then looks over at Kodak. "He's been in here for 2 weeks, and yet, Kuroi and he have already been improving his skills drastically. He might be qualified for that stage of revenant users."
Fūshuku nodded his head, looking over at the level of control and output that Kodak was exerting now. "Look at him, Kiko. His output isn't lowering anymore and keeps climbing higher. But there's just one thing that just pisses me off."
"And what's that, Fūshuku?"
"KUROI TAUGHT HIM A FUCKING INTERMEDIATE SKILL!?!?!"
Fūshuku punches the ground, springing rubble into the air. "I mean seriously, you the fuck just skips past that shit!?"
Kiko shook her head and chuckled a bit to herself. "You should've already know that Kodak was able to advance that next level, I'm not surprised he knows at least one intermediate skill cause of Kuroi. Hell, I'd go as far as to say that I'm surprised that Kuroi didn't teach five more intermediate skills!"
Kodak dives deeper into the meditation, thinking back on why his attacks barely worked on Ryoko and Azar. "(That long fight with those two revenant users proves I have much to learn, I just need to keep moving, not just for my friends, but against the bastard that tore through my loved ones!)" Kodak's focus deepens as he feels the energy cores of both kinetic and destructive energy growing in power.
[Kinetic and Destructive Energy are being separated from each other!]
[Time remaining till completion: 3 Weeks!]
Kodak smiles to himself as he focuses even further, pushing himself to the limit. Kiko then looks over at Kodak, along with Fūshuku. "Looks like he's going through a stage of enlightenment," Fūshuku smirks at the energy coming from Kodak and shakes his head at Kiko's assumption. "I don't think it's that simple."
Kiko looks at Fūshuku confused. "How'd you figure?" She asks, wanting to know if Kodak was not going through a stage of enlightenment. Fūshuku then smiles as the energy coming from Kodak's body intensifies even further. "He's probably on the verge of becoming an S-Rank, thus allowing him to tap deeper into his abilities. He might be able to sense someone's spiritual body if he keeps climbing like this."
Kiko's eyes widen from Fūshuku's explanation. "(Looks like you got what you wanted, Kenji. Someone who became something just like you!)"
Kyoto, Japan 2:30 PM...
Kenzo watches Kodak's body at the hospital, seeing the energy from his body purifying and even getting stronger. "(His power is getting stronger!? His wounds are also slowly closing up!)"
Fumiko looks at Kodak's body, and a wave of relief washes over her, feeling confident that her friend will wake up soon.
Kenzo walks over to Fumiko, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I have to show you something, Fumiko." She looks back at Kenzo as she feels his gentle touch on her shoulder. "Okay, just let me say my goodbyes."
"Jeez, kiddo, you ain't gonna die. But cherish those you still have, cause you never know when they're ripped away."
Fumiko listened to Kenzo's words, thinking about how much he had been through. She then kissed Kodak's forehead, whispering into his ear. "Please keep fighting, not just for us but for the world."
Fumiko and Kenzo then walk out of the room, before looking at Kodak once more and then leaving. "Is it okay to leave him alone within this hospital?" Fumiko asks, worried about him. "What if Satsujin or Azar come to invade this place!?" Kenzo smirks at her question, quickly replying to Fumiko's worries. "You don't need to fret, Fumiko. We're safe here in Kyoto. But I am a bit upset you didn't accept my letter to you and Kodak."
Fumiko then thinks back to the note she and Kodak read after he woke up. "That was you!?" Kenzo then starts laughing, holding his sides in pain from the intense laughter. "S-sorry, I just can't believe you just denied me like that." Fumiko then smacks her hand against her forehead in anger. "MAYBE IF KODAK DIDN'T ASSUME THE WORST I'D BE HERE SOONER!"
Kenzo chuckled as they argued through the hallway. But their conversation was interrupted by a loud explosion of blue flames bursting from Ashiro's room. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"
[1st Flame Formation: Fiery Fury!]
Ashiro punches someone, sending them flying through the walls of the hospital. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE!?" Ashiro yells at the figure as blood drips down his forehead. The mysterious female figure then stands up, walking out of the destroyed walls of the hospital rooms. Her hair was a green color, complementing the all black t-shirt and sweats, and she seemed to be the same age as Ashiro. "Doesn't matter, just stay away from Kohaku!" The person yells back at Ashiro, angering him deeply.
Ashiro's jaw tenses in anger as he hears the words from this person. "SHE'S MOVED ON, SO I SUGGEST YOU DO THE SAME ASSHAT!!!"
[1st Flame Formation: Fiery Fury!]
[1st Vinestorm Formation: Briar Onslaught!]
Energy radiates from Ashiro's opponent, and the energy then bursts through the ground, taking the form of various roots and vines. "DIE, TENSAI!"
Ashiro watches as multiple thin vines whip at his face. Ashiro sidesteps the attack, only to be met by a thicker, rougher-looking root that slashes across his face. "GUGH!" Blood drips from his face as Ashiro's eyes burn with anger. The flames around his body increase as Ashiro touches his face with his flames, stopping any more blood from leaking from his face. "Incinerate."
Ashiro's power soars higher as he uses incantations to increase his power output with 'Flame Formations.' The flames burn brightly as her opponent feels a great sense of danger from Ashiro's flames. "(He spoke a single incantation and his power increased by this much!? What kind of monster needs this much strength!?)"
Ashiro then thinks back to the list of incantations Godai told him about during those 2 weeks he was unconscious after the fight against Azar, Ryoko, and his father, Satsujin. "(There are 3 words for each formation style of my innate technique, Element Energy. The flaming formations are the only ones I can use properly at this very moment. Incinerate makes my attacks stronger, but at the cost of using more energy.
Flare makes my attacks more aggressive, and the activation of my technique is nearly tripled, but my attack power lowers for the speed boost. The last incantation is named: Blaze, my speed and power are both increased, but my durability lowers in the process.)"
Ashiro then smirks as he wipes the remaining blood from his face, smearing it on his thumb. "Didn't think you'd be this obsessive and braindead after all these years, Azami." Thick roots from Azami pierce through the walls, stabbing Ashiro in the back, or at least she thought she did. Ashiro catches the roots, veins pop out from his forearms as he feels himself being pushed back slowly against the window, and a cracking noise could be heard from Ashiro being pressed against the window. "Damn, we haven't seen each other for years and this is how you treat a pal, I'm hurt." Ashiro then hears someone yelling. "ENOUGH!" Azami and Ashiro then look beside Fumiko, seeing Kohaku glaring at them. "I've had it with you both constantly fighting, especially you, Azami." Metal blades then form around Kohaku as a powerful light blue aura shrouds her body and the ten metal blades surrounding her.
[1st Quantum Blade Formation: Genesis Strike!]
Azami then smirked at the blades, overly confident in her abilities. "COME ON THEN YOU DAMN HUSSY!" The vines and roots flee from Ashiro as Azami gets ready to fight Kohaku.
[2nd Vinestorm Formation: Whipping Tenacity!]
The swords glow a light blue before speeding through the air at intense speeds. Azami swats at the swords, only to underestimate their speed and get slashed up by Kohaku in the process. Blood leaks from her wounds as it drips onto the hospital floor. Azami looks up, seeing the final blade fly at her, she closes her eyes. She awaited and even welcomed the pain that was about to fall upon her, but after a couple of moments of waiting for the worst, Azami saw the blade stop just short of her face. "What?"
Fumiko holds onto the blade's handle. "Jeez, all this over some boy. Kohaku, I thought you were smarter than this?" She teases her friend playfully before, conjuring up a moonblade and shattering it completely. "We can't be fighting amongst ourselves." She then turns around, glancing at Azami. "Even if we view our allies in a dark tone." Azami scoffs at Fumiko's words, and anger fills her mind as she glares at Fumiko intensely. Bloodlust emanates from her. "(You think just cause you saved those two, you'd be safe!"
[Skill: Rooted Impact Activated Strongly!]
Roots gathered around Azami's hand to strike Fumiko, anger and jealousy clouding her mind as she wanted to tear through the person in front of her.
Fumiko then swiftly disappears as the attack misses. Azami stands up, and her eyes dart across the room. "COME OUT YOU COWARD!"
Ashiro then speeds across the room, punching Azami in the same way. "YOU BACKSTABBING BASTARD!" His flames burn through the vines and roots, knocking Azami out cold. Kenzo then starts laughing at the severity of the situation. "Hahahaha!" He holds his sides in pain once more, before clearing his voice. "Ahem, anyway. This saves us the trouble of gathering the other members, except for Kodak sadly."
Ashiro then stood, his wounds healing as he walked over to the others. "Where is Kodak?" He asked, worried about the last time he saw Kodak so injured. Kenzo pats Ashiro on the back, reassuring him of Kodak. "He's fine, he's more than fine. He's most likely training with his avatar. I still sense his energy in building, it seems as though he's on the edge of becoming an S-Rank."
Ashiro smiled to himself at the good news he had just heard from Kenzo. Thoughts and wonders of what Kodak was trying to achieve inspired him greatly. "(S-Rank, the top rank of a revenant user. Godai explained it a little bit, but he knows more about the ranking system. I also wonder if there's anyone as strong as Kodak when it comes to the usage of revenant?)"
Ashiro pondered on the thought before asking his question to Kenzo after a couple of seconds of walking down to the parking lot of the hospital.
"Hey, Kenzo, are there any S-Rank revenant users besides Kodak?" Ashiro said, trying to get the old man's attention, wanting to know if his question would remain as such.
Kenzo thought about the question for a moment, thinking about the multiple different types of strong users that suddenly showed up. "Of course there are, Ashiro." Kenzo's tone and attitude show no signs of hesitation or lies.
Ashiro was interested in the topic of S-Ranks, prompting him to ask another question. "How many?" He was deeply curious about the topic concerning S-Ranks. Not just because of Ashiro's curious nature, but he needed to know for the sake of striving for that goal.
Kenzo scratched his head, thinking for a moment. "There aren't many S-Ranks. After that apocalypse that happened in your town and the one still going on in Shibuya and Seoul. I'd say there are only about 10 S-Ranks I've met. Your little group is part of that small percentage. While the others are people who have trained and cultivated ever since the first revenant user was born, which was rumored to be about 17 years ago."
Ashiro's eyes widened at the statement from Kenzo. "I'm an S-Rank!?"
Kenzo smiled at the shocked look on Ashiro's face. "This is only based on potential, but yes, you are an S-Rank."
Ashiro smirked, but a window shattering nearby interrupted that moment of self-confidence.
Kenzo let out a deep sigh of slight annoyance. "(Y'know that cost money ya brats!)"
Ashiro taps into 'Element Energy' and blue flames activate around his body. Fumiko summons her greatsword, and Kohaku creates multiple metal blades.
But to their surprise, it was Akari who fell from the window. Ashiro looked at her body and saw bruises and cuts. He rushed to her aid, picking her up. "Who did this to you, Akari!?"
Ashiro's tone was angry and fed up with the constant harm dealt to his loved ones. "(First all my friends almost died. My father turned on us and now someone's hurting an already injured Akari!?)"
A red light glows above Ashiro, prompting him to look up at someone he barely knew.