Rika sat frozen in shock. Tears streamed down her face, her body trembling violently as she stared at the figure she had always considered her mother, now trapped in Dio's grasp. Dio looked at Arya with a serious expression, his voice deep and commanding.
"Take the jasmine flower from the heart of the tree. If you don't, your time here will run out," Dio ordered.
Arya glared at Dio, but before he could react further, Dio began chanting a mantra in ancient Javanese. The figure of Rika's mother, caught in his grip, suddenly let out a piercing wail. Her body shook violently as a black aura enveloped the area. However, before the mantra could be completed, a massive surge of energy erupted, throwing Dio backward. He quickly turned to identify the source of this powerful aura.
"What is this?!" Dio hissed.
Arya stood, his aura blazing uncontrollably, his eyes burning with fury. Behind him, Rika was still sobbing, hugging her knees. Arya took a step forward, his gaze fixed on Dio, anger radiating from his entire being.
"What are you doing?!" Arya shouted, his tone seething with threat. His body trembled as he struggled to contain the overwhelming power coursing through him.
Dio narrowed his eyes. "Hmmm… So, this is the reason you could enter this world."
Arya didn't respond. He lunged at Dio, his first punch nearly landing on Dio's face, but Dio managed to block it at the last second. A fierce battle erupted. Arya threw punch after punch, but his overflowing energy made his movements erratic and difficult to control. Dio, though more trained, started to struggle against Arya's ever-growing power.
"If this continues, he'll die," Dio muttered as he grabbed Arya's arm firmly, attempting to contain the wild surge of energy.
"Why are you angry with me?!" Dio asked, trying to remain calm despite the pressure from Arya's increasing strength.
Arya shoved Dio away with all his might. "Do you think I can just sit here and watch a little girl cry because her mother is treated like that?! Don't you have a heart?!"
Dio responded sharply, "Have you lost your mind?! They're not human—they're just shadows meant to deceive!"
"Human or not, no one deserves to be treated like that!" Arya retorted, his rage flaring even higher. His energy radiated wildly, creating cracks in the ground around them.
Meanwhile, the figure of Rika's mother, gravely injured, slowly crawled toward Rika. Her hand reached out, trying to touch her daughter. Dio quickly noticed and created a barrier of light between them using intricate hand gestures.
"Don't block them!" Arya roared, his anger boiling over. He leaped with incredible speed, delivering a hard blow to Dio. Dio staggered backward, nearly losing his footing.
"Have you completely lost it?! They're not mother and daughter!" Dio snapped, countering Arya's attack with full force, sending Arya sprawling to the ground.
Arya, now battered and bruised from the fight, paused for a moment. "What do you mean?" he asked, the fire in his eyes still burning.
Dio approached, his breaths heavy. "Are your eyes blind? There's no way they share blood. Use your brain—she's just an illusion created to deceive you and that girl!"
Dio's words echoed in Arya's ears. He struggled to grasp their meaning, his mind clouded by emotion. Meanwhile, Rika, still sobbing, listened to their argument. Her eyes turned to the figure of her "mother," who continued reaching for her despite the barrier of light. Her heart was torn with doubt.
The fight was far from over, but the truth just revealed began to shake the convictions of both Arya and Rika. Slowly, Rika began to recall fragments of her childhood.