(Previous Context: Toki's Shadow Sword is pointed at Aoi's chest. Takuto is overwhelmed by a flashback of his mother's murder, identical to the current scene.)
Part 1:The Vicious Echo
Lying in a pool of blood on the ground, Takuto faintly lifted his head through the pain as he heard Toki's words.
Takuto: (In a severely weakened voice, almost pleading) "Don't... don't do it... to Aoi..."
At that moment, Takuto's vision was blood-stained and blurred.
The Dream of Ash
The old park path around Takuto suddenly vanished, replaced by a scene of fire-ravaged buildings.
In front of Takuto's eyes... his Mother was lying in blood. Beside her, a man with one red and one dark blue eye was pointing a sword at her chest.
Takuto (Childhood Past): (Terrified) "Mom!"
Takuto (Present): (From his fallen position) "This time... I won't let you kill her!"
The Phoenix Nova
CRASH!
The past scene fused back with the present. Just as Toki's Shadow Sword was about to touch Aoi's chest...
Takuto exerted all his strength, rising up from where he lay, and his body swelled with a terrifying surge of power.
Takuto: "HHHAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!"
An energy bomb exploded. The ground shattered, and the entire atmosphere within a 100-meter radius intensely vibrated with crimson Stellar Flow.
Takuto's Full Body form transformed into Step 4: Phoenix Nova.
Hair: All of his hair turned a brilliant Crimson Red.
Markings: The four red linear markings (two on the left, two on the right) appeared with greater intensity.
Eyes: His eyes glowed with the most intense Red, showing the flow of Cosmic Energy.
The pressure of Takuto's Aura caused Toki's sword-holding hand to tremble, forcing him to stop the stab on Aoi.
Takuto (Phoenix Nova) suddenly became calm after his fierce roar. The Stellar Flow emanating from his Full Red Hair and Cosmic Eyes exerted immense pressure on Toki and Ayano.
Toki: (Body trembling) "This... this power... does it even surpass ours?"
Ayano: (Eyes wide) "Impossible! His Aura is completely... utterly different!"
Takuto took a long, steady breath, his expression serene. The sound of his breath was audible to Toki and Ayano even amidst the overwhelming Red Stellar Flow.
Toki and Ayano suddenly felt a change. They felt a sense of 'nothingness' in their minds and looked around.
Toki: "What... what happened!"
When they noticed, the fallen Aoi was no longer on the ground. Toki and Ayano looked around and saw that Takuto had seemingly become two people.
Takuto (Original) stood still in the spot where he had awakened Step 4 (Phoenix Nova).
Another Takuto (Clone) was carrying Aoi, holding her gently, and softly placed her onto a nearby bench.
Takuto (Clone) then waved his hand over Aoi's unconscious body. Full Red Stellar Flow from his hand flowed into Aoi's body, rapidly easing the electroshock damage remaining in her system.
Ayano: "A Clone... but it can use Healing Power too! The energy shaping of his Stellar Flow has reached this level!"
His duty complete, Takuto (Clone) turned from the bench, taking a protective stance in front of Aoi, and slowly walked toward the Original Takuto.
Fusion
Takuto (Original) spoke first.
Takuto (Original): "Phoenix Nova....Stellar Echo..."
As the Takuto (Clone) reached the original, the Clone's entire body dissolved into a Full Red Aura and directly fused into the Original Takuto's body, vanishing.
Takuto's power became even more stable, and he glared coldly at Toki and Ayano.
Takuto's Cosmic Red Eyes fixed an icy stare on Toki. He said nothing, but the pressure from his Red Stellar Flow was so immense it seemed to heat the surrounding air.
Then... Takuto suddenly vanished from where he stood.
Toki: "Huh!" (Toki was astonished, as his Absolute Prediction gave no warning.)
A long crimson trail of Stellar Flow (flames) was left behind in the path Takuto took. The speed was so fast it had already broken the sound barrier.
Before Toki could even raise a defense, Takuto was already in front of him.
Takuto struck Toki's solar plexus with a normally powered right-hand punch.
Toki's Demon Eye warned him to dodge the attack, but the speed had utterly surpassed Toki's Reaction Time.
Toki: "(Impossible! This speed is... beyond my maximum velocity...)"
BLAST!!!
Takuto's punch instantly pierced Toki's Demon Flow Shield like ice and struck his Stellar Core directly.
Blood erupted from Toki's mouth, and his Demon Runes completely stopped glowing. Toki's body was sent flying backward at an incredibly high speed, leaving a deep furrow in the ground he passed over. Toki came to a stop near the edge of the 100-meter radius.
Ayano, witnessing the event, was filled with terror.
Ayano's body felt the overwhelming atmospheric pressure from the release of Takuto's power. Her Amethyst Gate (Purple Eye) was trembling, and her flesh was quivering.
Ayano: "(My powers... even my Stella Flow can't withstand his Aura! Is this... a God-Level power!)"
Ayano couldn't bear Takuto's presence any longer and sank to her knees. Her usual deceiving smile was completely gone, replaced only by genuine fear.
Takuto (Phoenix Nova), covered in his Red Stellar Flow, completely ignored the kneeling Ayano and slowly walked toward the far edge of the 100-meter zone where Toki lay.
The ground continued to crack from the pressure of the Aura along Takuto's path.
Ayano: (With a trembling voice) "How... how can such power... power..." Ayano was frozen, unable to move due to Takuto's Aura, staring as if at the fires of hell.
Part 2: The Begging Demon
Toki, with his Demon Runes faded, struggled to stand up from the furrow. Yet, like a beaten dog, he could only kneel before Takuto.
Takuto stopped as he reached Toki. Toki felt the direct pressure radiating from Takuto's Cosmic Red Eyes.
Toki: (Blood dripping from his mouth, voice trembling) "Plea... please... Takuto... Takuto Himura... spare my life... my life! I'll give you the Shadow Syndicate's secrets! Just let me..."
As Toki pleaded for his life, full of fear, Takuto was silent for a brief moment.
Toki took Takuto's silence as a sign of imminent forgiveness, and a small sense of relief entered his chest.
The Cold Revelation
Just as Toki felt a moment of relief, a more intense pressure erupted from Takuto's Phoenix Nova Aura. Then, Takuto's icy and terrifying voice seemed to freeze the very air.
Takuto: "Your eyes... those Demon Eyes (Void Oculus)... they aren't yours, are they, Toki."
Toki's face instantly crashed. Beyond fear, a hint of shame and guilty acknowledgement flickered in his eyes. Toki instantly knew that Takuto's power had penetrated his most private secret: the source of his Demon Eye.
Understanding that he would not be spared after all, Toki's expression became utterly hopeless.
The Blink
Toki was completely speechless due to Takuto's revelation and could only prepare to accept his fate.
The kneeling Ayano merely blinked with her Amethyst Purple Eyes as normal.
FLASH!!! (Due to the extreme speed created by Takuto's Phoenix Nova power, the scene shifted in a lightning flash.)
In the millisecond that Ayano reopened her eyes...
Takuto was still standing in front of Toki, but his right hand had moved at an incredibly high speed. His fingers were sharp like blades.
Takuto's hand was stopped in an extended position, precisely aimed as if to cut out Toki's eyes.
Red blood dripped from Takuto's right fingers, flowing from the severed organs.
Toki's body fell limp. His Demon Runes had completely vanished from his body, and only a large, bleeding wound remained where his eyes once were. The Demon Eye was utterly destroyed, both physically and in terms of power.
Toki: "RRRRRRAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Toki's scream was ear-shattering. It was the sound of horrific agony, a combination of power loss and the most intense physical pain.
After his scream, Toki collapsed onto the ground, alive but unconscious.
Takuto (Phoenix Nova) let the blood flow from his right hand, staring coldly at Toki's collapsed body. There was no pity in his Cosmic Red Eyes, only absolute judgment.
Takuto: (His voice was calm but shook the entire atmosphere) "Toki... goodbye forever."
Takuto completely ignored Toki's suffering and pronounced his verdict.
Takuto: "Your role ends here."
Takuto extended his right palm toward Toki.
His Full Red Stellar Flow focused intensely into his right palm. Suddenly, a small, incredibly powerful Red Stellar Flow Power Orb materialized in front of his palm.
Its size was only about a tennis ball, but the pressure emanating from it caused the surrounding air to scream loudly.
Takuto: "Fusion Core.....Strike"
With Takuto's roar of power release, the tennis-ball-sized Red Power Orb instantly transformed into an Earth-piercing Power Wave and shot toward Toki with a speed faster than light.
CRASH!!! WHOOSH!!!
The Solar Flare Cannon struck Toki's body directly, passing through him and plunging deep into the ground.
The entire area around where Toki lay was enveloped in a blinding flash of white from the intense energy explosion, and the earth trembled violently. Only a huge crater remained.
As the energy subsided, Ayano saw that not a speck of Toki's body remained; he was utterly incinerated into ash.
Takuto (Phoenix Nova), with his Cosmic Red Eyes, stared briefly at the huge crater where Toki was destroyed, then slowly turned back toward the kneeling Ayano.
Takuto's Red Stellar Flow still blanketed the environment, and Ayano's body was paralyzed by fear.
Takuto stopped in front of Ayano. Ayano's Amethyst Eyes were completely filled with terror. She tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Part 3: The Unspoken Mercy
Takuto stood motionless for a moment, then, amidst his massive Red Aura, he knelt on one knee. This brought him closer to Ayano's face.
Takuto extended his right hand with a soft gesture toward Ayano's face.
Ayano: (In her mind) "Is he... is he going to kill me... my eyes... like Toki's..."
The fear on Ayano's face peaked, and warm tears streamed from her eyes. Defenseless, Ayano closed her eyes.
Seeing the crying Ayano, a brief shadow of hesitation appeared in Takuto's Cosmic Red Eyes. His hand stopped just before touching Ayano's face.
Takuto gently wiped Ayano's tears with his thumb.
Ayano was astonished by the warm and gentle touch. She opened her eyes, gazing at Takuto with a face mixed with fear, confusion, and disbelief.
Ayano: (With a trembling, uncomprehending voice) "Why... why not..."
Takuto looked at Ayano with a gentle smile, even as the Phoenix Nova Aura streamed from his Cosmic Red Eyes. It was the painful, nostalgic smile of a childhood friend.
Takuto: "Senpai..." (He called her "Senpai" with genuine feeling.)
Takuto: "I... don't want to become a demon."
Takuto looked into Ayano's eyes and slowly continued.
Takuto: "No matter what happened in the past, Senpai falsely cared for me... and betrayed me. But... my life was already like a dead man's before I met Senpai."
Pain filled Takuto's voice.
Takuto: "Only after meeting Senpai... did I get a reason to live again. Even though it hurts to know it was fake... it's okay. Senpai brought me back to life."
Takuto temporarily suppressed his Phoenix Nova Power, expressing his feelings.
Takuto: "How... how could I kill the first person I ever loved in my life."
Takuto gently held Ayano's shoulder.
Takuto: "Therefore, Ayano Senpai... don't ever appear before me again. The next time we meet... we will be strangers... enemies."
The Final Farewell
Takuto (Phoenix Nova) stood up from in front of Ayano. His Red Stellar Flow slowly retracted into his body, and the Phoenix Nova (Step 4) form was deactivated.
Takuto took one step forward. Then, he looked back at Ayano one last time and...
Takuto: "Goodbye, Senpai."
He then continued walking toward the bench where he had left Aoi. He gently picked up the unconscious Aoi, turned away from Ayano's direction, and rapidly departed, vanishing into the shadows.
Ayano's Regret
Ayano remained kneeling until Takuto disappeared. She slowly hung her head.
Flashbacks suddenly surfaced in her mind. The first time she met Takuto in class, the brief, happy moments they spent together later. The images of Takuto suffering because of her betrayal flooded back vividly.
Warm tears flowed from Ayano's Amethyst Eyes. She touched the tears on her cheek with a trembling finger.
Ayano: (Whispering) "Am... am I crying..."
At that moment, standing on the rooftop of the tallest building far away in the park, a figure with Snow White Hair watched Takuto vanish with cold eyes.
Unknown Observer: (Muttering softly) "Takuto... so you chose to forgive rather than take the difficult path."
His Blood Red Eyes were filled with challenge and delight.
Unknown Observer: "Well... in any case, as my destined rival, you are quite capable. But... your Phoenix Nova can only play with me for now. To beat me... you still need more."
He nodded slightly and turned away.
Unknown Observer: "For now... see you later, Takuto-kun."
He vanished from the spot at an incredibly high speed, and the darkness once again covered the old park path.
[END OF CHAPTER 13]
[END OF ARC 1: AWAKENING: THE BETRAYAL'S SCAR]