10 - Swan Song

“Tsunehiro is probably dead too...”

While everyone was scattered around the city trying to find any clue on Tsunehiro’s whereabouts or even his remains, Kouta laid idle on his ‘bed’.

“And Sakuto...”

“And soon it’ll be all of them...”

“I thought I’d finally have a purpose.”

He reached for the ceiling with his hand, as if trying to grab the air by its throat.

“Sakuto...”

“What would you do...in my place?”

“What would you do, if you were finally given happiness, only to lose it again?!”

"Dunno." Sakuto said. Kouta jumped up a little in bed, either this was an uncomfortably realistic daydream or he had gone insane. "I'd make sure to do something though."

"Like what?" Kouta said, his voice a little shaky.

"I don't know. Revenge?" Sakuto shrugged. "No matter how things go, you'll feel better about it, won't you?"

Getting those words off of his chest seemed to have done something to him. He clenched his fists and for the first time in a while got out of bed. He put on his combat clothes and headed for the exit.

“About right now...he should be there.”

"The man who took your life."

“Watch me from the heavens, Sakuto. I’ll do what I have to...”

“...as your big brother.”

By the time he left the gym, he had already let go of anything that connected him to his life. There was only revenge on his mind. The weather outside was sunny, hot sunny, almost scorching hot in fact. The sky was crystal clear, resembling the surface of a supremely expensive diamond.

And Kouta’s soul presence broke its limits.

...

“That damn drunk is asleep...I was right to call the day off. I have to carry this whole lecture by myself.”

“There’s a surprising lack of soulfuls in the lecture hall, though.”

“Greetings, everyone.” The old lady said, greeting the classroom with a severe lack of enthusiasm. “Today, aside from the first ever lecture at the soulful academy, is also a special lecture. Now, unfortunately, due to personal issues, Diego Solano could not attend, but we expect this time to be spent with quality nonetheless.”

The classroom was filled with circular rows of seats and tables, all staring at a large pair of whiteboards and a small desk. The walls were painted white with a hue of pink, and the lights illuminated the room brightly. There were no windows.

“Ugh, I only came here to see Diego...” A girl among the students said.

“Will he show up another time?!”

“This sucks already...”

“Everyone, I am sure we can try our hardest to be a little understanding. There have been certain...events taking place recently that have greatly impacted him. Please, be a little considerate.” William explained.

“We didn’t publicly disclose Hwang’s death yet.”

“But he promised it to us!”

“Please, retain silence in the classroom.” William continued. “This is an environment where we must all act mature and respectful. I am not obliged to teach you basic compassion.”

He felt the unnatural soul presence approach closer and closer to the building.

“What’s that?”

“Maybe someone wants to visit? Could just be Diego making a late appearance...”

“Now then, let us begin today’s lecture.” William said. He looked to be very calm despite the annoying nature of the students.

“How do we use our powers?” A girl said from the crowd, her speech was disrupted by her chewing gum terrorizing her mouth.

“Well, if you would let me explain first.” William began. “Although, I do not sense any soul prowess emanating from you. You are likely unable to do so.”

“But I’m a soulful!” The girl said.

“You might be a dormant soul in that case.” William replied. “Who knows?”

“Hey, asshole! She’s a soulful!” A guy with obviously oiled black hair next to him said, chewing the same expired gum.

“What makes you believe so?”

“You tryna argue with me? I said she’s a soulful.” The guy said. “You don’t even know what you’re doing. You’re not a real soulful.”

“I believe we are distracting ourselves from the lecture.” William said.

“Maybe it’s a good thing Diego isn’t here.”

“Hold on, what the hell is this presence? It’s not Diego, it’s not-”

He heard a loud crashing noise outside. It was paired with gunfire released by the armed guards, and screams of help released by those brave enough to shoot at the man responsible for the ruckus.

And at last, Kouta entered the classroom.

“Everybody, get out!” William yelled, reinforcing his body with all his soul prowess.

“Oi, who the fuck are you to think you can order me and my girlfriend around?” The guy said. It didn’t matter though, his words carried no substance as a few seconds later he would be disintegrated completely.

Seeing the elemental finally pushed Kouta over the edge. He could finally pull it off, there was enough hatred in his heart to fuel his soul to its brim and spew all of his feelings out...

“ ✦ Divine Acclamation ✦ ”

“Shit-!”

In just an instant, everything crumbled down. The whole academy building was destroyed completely, leaving nothing but a layer of broken apart stone and concrete and shattered glass. Nobody in the classroom survived that catastrophe except for William, who could barely move.

And on top of the destruction, Kouta stood, about to exclaim the name of the man he wanted to see the most.

“ ✦ Point Zero ✦ ”

“Diego Solano!!!!!!!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. After his towering rage came to a halt, he locked eyes with William.

“Where is he?!” He yelled, summoning his sword and swinging it in the air. The massive release of energy would’ve cut William’s body in half had he not dodged it. Simultaneously, the gravity around him strengthened tremendously, to the point where he was pinned to the ground.

“Bring him here!”

“God...fucking...damn it...!” William cussed to himself, getting his phone out. He called the emergency line...

“Academy’s under attack!”

“Sir, please wait until we redirect you-”

“Get the Heisei in here!” William yelled before his phone was destroyed. Kouta rushed at him with no remorse in eyes.

He grabbed William by his uniform and tossed him into the air, attempting to remotely dismantle him with prowess releases. William took advantage of his momentum and dodged the fatal attack by using a gust of wind to push him away. He strengthened the wind, gaining great speed and constantly flanking around Kouta.

Stolen from NovelBin, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Kouta became even more enraged. He strengthened the gravitational effects of his acclamation, completely shutting William down and planting him face first on the rubble. With more concentrated strengthening, his body was crushed. Kouta approached him, kept him pinned on the ground with his foot and ripped his head off, throwing it away in disgust.

“One down...”

“How is he not here?!”

He looked around, carefully observing the sight for a minute or so. In the distance, horrified spectators watched the disaster unfold, most of them immediately calling emergency services which wouldn’t do anything. Kouta had no hesitation in destroying a few more chunks of the area in order to gain Diego’s attention. He tried to think as much as possible.

His train of thought, however, was quickly derailed. He sensed a new addition to the battlefield - four new additions, actually. The Heisei’s secondary division joined the battlefield!

The difference between the secondary division and the spearhead was quite large, but the secondary division was by no means weak. The four of its members rushed at Kouta, struggling through the harsh conditions. And Kouta made them even harsher.

He lifted his blade, and large chunks of the rubble floated upwards. The soldiers lost their footing. One of them, a tall and skinny man, rushed at Kouta, swinging his sable at him, but it was to no avail. Kouta parried all the attacks and prepared to deliver a lethal blow, but it was interrupted by another one of their fighters - a younger girl, rushing at him from behind.

The girl planted an array of small saw blades on his back, wounding him pretty badly. Kouta turned back to kick her away, and by the time he did that, the tall man grabbed him by the neck from behind.

The other two members of the secondary unit, a woman with curly hair, and an older man, were hiding inside a small bubble that the woman maintained. It appeared to somewhat reduce the effects of the acclamation. The man kneeled down and clasped his hands.

“O, Lord...”

“Strike the sinner down.”

While Kouta was attempting to escape the rear naked choke, he felt a sharp piercing sensation in his chest.

“Show me your guidance...”

“And lend me your hand.”

As the incantation came to an end, Kouta’s chest began to hurt more and more.

“Relax man, you got it.” Sakuto’s image told him, giving him a reassuring look. “Sensei has put us through worse.”

“Huh...?”

“It’s not like you to hold back like this.” The image continued. It smiled. “You’re full of hatred, aren’t you?”

“Yeah...”

“So why are you keeping it bottled up?” Sakuto asked. “Harness it. Focus it all in your mouth and spew it out.”

“Hah...you always know what to say, don’t you?”

“So watch me, Sakuto.”

“Watch me and be proud of me.”

Kouta grabbed the tall man’s wrist and crushed it with his strength, before throwing him over his shoulder and into the air - and cutting him into pieces with an onslaught of prowess releases.

“No!” The young girl screamed, rushing at Kouta. Kouta withstood her attacks and punched her in the face - sending her flying through the debris. He lowered his blade.

The debris that was raised came crumbling down - some of the larger parts crushed the girl. Her soul presence was extinguished, and Kouta knew that there were only two more to go. The woman rushed at him in desperation, but Kouta's strengthened gravity both slowed her down and broke her legs. Kouta grabbed her and slammed her face into the ground, before throwing her away.

As she tried to stand back up, Kouta was already right in front of her. He cut her down with this weapon and started to relentlessly beat her body to a pulp - each punch packing tremendous force. She was turned into mush.

And finally, Kouta turned to face his final target. It seemed that the old man’s soul expression had some type of debuffing effect. Kouta coughed up a little blood and felt dizzy, losing his focus for a moment. The old man took notice and smiled.

“O, my dear lord...”

“Please save me from peril.”

“Purify the impure-”

Kouta was already right next to him.

He held him down with his foot, and the man growled in terror. Kouta used his other foot to stomp and crush his skull.

“Were you watching this?”

“How did you like it, huh? Your brother, taking on the Heisei’s dogs all at once...”

“If only you were next to me right now...”

Suddenly, another soul presence asserted itself in the area. It was the hunter that smelled blood in the water, and didn’t waste a second swimming towards it...

“Who the hell are you?!” Kouta stared at the man. He was not Diego, and neither was he affiliated with the Heisei. It was a man that wielded a weapon with four gemstones on it - the fourth one being a profoundly beautiful gray.

Most importantly, the man did not waver at all from the intense gravity. He walked through it, towards Kouta, as if the gravity wasn’t even there...as if he was immune to it.

“I cannot believe this...” Otto said to himself. “Mukawa...”

“He didn’t just have a gift for me. He presented a solution to me, a divinely strong power that was somehow laying dormant in that body he found...”

“And now, I have the opportunity to grab the fifth piece of the puzzle, which doesn’t lack in value at all.” Otto continued. His soul presence flared up significantly. A darker gemstone filled the fifth and final empty slot on his blade.

“How incredibly strange.”

“While I can only use multiple replicated soul expressions at once when my divine acclamation is active, the result of the adaptation is an exception... this soul expression holds a far deeper connection to me...”

“I said, who the hell are you?!” Kouta asked. “Where is Diego Solano?!”

“What Mukawa gave me access to is nothing short of a divinely strong power!” Otto exclaimed, ecstatic about his discovery. “That being-”

“Sakuto Hitori’s soul expression - the ability to adapt to and overcome any and all phenomena!”

“What...?” Kouta seemed shocked at the revelation. “What name did you just say?!”

“What did you do?”

“What the fuck did you do to my brother?!”

Otto struck the ground with his blade, causing a large blast of ice to knock Kouta into the air. From there, a pair of flying slashes continued the job - scarring Kouta further.

“The ability...to adapt?”

“Does that mean my gravity is powerless against him?!”

Kouta rushed at Otto with his blade, screaming in rage. Otto repelled all of Kouta’s attacks with ease with his swordplay. It was evident that he was on a different podium of strength, even compared to Kouta, who at the moment seemed invincible. He quickly slashed a line on the ground with his sword, and a barrage of small explosions knocked Kouta away once more.

“He’s fighting so efficiently while defending his soul?! How much soul prowess does this guy even possess?!”

“And what was that, Ausra’s soul expression? That’s what he took away from engaging in combat with Ausra and Ichika!”

Kouta tried to rush in again, but was met with a devastating attack. Kouta’s sword shone with a powerfully bright light, which turned into a burning beam of light that cut off Kouta’s right arm. Otto approached him more, and as Kouta tried to attack, Otto countered and slashed his legs open.

“All my excitement aside...I needed to stop this madman regardless. He did both what is useful for me, and what is useful for my cause.”

“But I can’t help but feel pity for him.”

“Kaito Kamiki...these are your games that pushed him to this.”

Kouta, watching blood pour from his wounds, tried to attack one more time, but got stabbed in the stomach. Another attempt to advance resulted in his other hand being cut off.

“Shit-”

He let an attack slip through and got stabbed in the chest.

“Fuck...”

“Sorry guys, he got me...”

“Hey, at least I made a difference in this war, right? I killed one of them, wiped out the Heisei, and...their shitty school project was destroyed.”

“I gotta go home now.”

“I can properly thank you for trying to help me.”

“Sakuto, you would’ve been a real beast...”

”But it’s okay.”

“I’ll meet you up there, alright?”

The blue gemstone on Otto’s sword sparked, and a pair of massive ice spikes instantly erupted from the blade. Kouta’s body was torn apart. Slowly, the heaviness of his divine acclamation started to release.

“Five out of five.” Otto said. He watched Kouta’s body fall on the ground. “I’m sorry, but this had to be done.”

The release of the acclamation had another, much more dangerous and unexpected effect. All the mass that was lifted into the sky through gravity nullification started to rain down, squashing everything underneath. Otto reacted to it in time, shielding himself with a thick layer of ice.

Once the catastrophe was truly over, Otto escaped the scene.

“No...no!” An elderly woman broke down crying, watching the spectacle unfold from the sidelines. A few of the men next to him tried to calm her down, but even they were trying to hold back tears.

“What the fuck was that? What happened?! Where’s my boy?!” A man in his 30s yelled.

“I didn't see anyone...my son was there...” Another woman broke down.

A few more gasps were heard from the audience.

“Who the hell did this?” A younger lady yelled, rushing into the scene. Now that the terror had stopped, ambulances and police cars, even some military vehicles could access the site. There was nothing left but utter devastation.

“It ended...”

Asami sighed, tidying up the many desks in the room. In the cold and desolate room, there wasn’t too much potential for decorations or lively themes. There was nothing much inside except for basic desk equipment and a small expandable bed with something scary on it. The one who was in charge of the group himself wasn’t in particular a fan of flashy colors or artistic expressions.

“Mukawa, please don’t tell me you went there...”

A small blush decorated her pale face as she adjusted her glasses.

“I want you to be here instead.”

She turned around and what she saw had her heart plummet into her feet out of fear. She quickly rushed to open a small hatch on the desk and repeatedly hit a small blue button.

“MUKAWA!!!!!! HE’S AWAKE!!!!! MUKAWA!!!!!!!!”

She repeatedly smacked the button, screaming in a cute but absolutely petrified voice. The entire place was resonating with loud bell sounds, akin to a bell one hears playing when they ring their older relatives’ door.