The Village Disciples

Tanjo's heart pounded erratically as his analytical gaze fixed on the floating redhead in front of him. Tanjo was the target of this rogue for the second time, and the boy was still afraid of the power he possessed. What was worrisome were the enormous feathery wings that fluttered behind the redhead and the greater length of his hair.

Their last encounter was not too long ago, so how could the rogue grow his hair to a noticeably longer length? They had also returned to the mountain range that was damaged amidst their battle, which revived discomforting memories for Tanjo. 

Tanjo felt anxious just looking at the redhead's hair and wings, but it was nothing compared to the fear his gaze caused. His irises are red pentagrams, while the rest of his eyes were black—blacker than any night. 

Yuso was back, with a goal in mind. The Crimson Stalker, as the people he terrorized called him, returned Tanjo's gaze, but he proved to be far more assertive and venomous. His Shirugeto had not yet spun, but at any moment, Yuso could activate the curse and whisk away the boy's insignificant life. 

"Few live to elude my grasp and live to remember it, boy." Yuso declared, clenching his fists. 

Gritting his teeth, Tanjo used the yellow Aura Sense to fuel himself. It was hazardous to take on the redhead directly because Tanjo had no idea how much stronger he had become since their last fight. However, this did not imply that Tanjo did not have more experience of his own.

"Who the hell even are you!? I'd ponder why you are so adamant on killing me, but I can tell you have no structured reason!" Tanjo barked, sliding his feet on the stone below him. 

Yuso hummed. "I had hoped my name would have ventured far enough through the nation where even you would have heard of me. But, if this is to be your final day on this planet, I have no qualms with opening your naive eyes." 

Yuso's Shirugeto proceeded to spin in a clockwise motion, shining brighter than before. 

"I am Yuso; Successor of Lucifer. I am bound to no one, no thing, and no morals—I will purge everything that reflects the presence of the gods, no matter the cost." The redhead revealed, stretching his right arm forward and opening his hand. 

Tanjo angled his knees, preparing to leap away.

"And you, boy, possess the Aura Amalgamation—I remember seeing it with my own eyes. That alone puts you at the top of my list to kill." Yuso explained, his palm glowing. 

Irony abounds in the teenage boy's current situation as he momentarily recalls placing Yuso at the top of his own list, a list to save people. Yuso just wanted to kill Tanjo; Tanjo just wanted to save Yuso. 

"This fight was inevitable, then." Tanjo stated, his countenance becoming determined. 

*BOOM!*

Yuso discharged a red beam of light toward Tanjo, forcing the boy to utilize the speed of his currently yellow Aura Sense and evade the attack swiftly. After the first beam of light, Yuso fanned his wings and charged toward Tanjo, engaging in an intense session of combat once again. 

Bouncing around the demolished mountain range, the two kept shooting light beams at each other and occasionally exchanging punches or kicks. Tanjo had to strategically transition between Aura Senses to avoid getting struck. Red will support his punches and kicks with enough strength to retaliate, purple will enable him to be agile enough to weave around strikes, blue will do the most damage, and yellow will maintain the proper distance between the two of them through speed.

"Your attempts are commendable, but you're still clearly underdeveloped as a warrior." Yuso commented during the fight, successfully landing a kick that knocked Tanjo deep into the remains of a mountain. 

*CRASH!*

Tanjo seethed in pain, feeling jagged rocks pressed up against his back. If it were not for his body being strengthened by his red Aura Sense, the boy would have certainly endured fatal impalements. Not to mention how many of his bones would have been shattered upon impact. 

"Out already? I'm unimpressed." Yuso's voice echoed from above, making the boy tilt his head upward. 

Picking himself up from the mountain's rubble, Tanjo immediately leaped into the air, encasing his body with the red Aura Sense and tackling the redhead mid-air. Slowly, Tanjo was beginning to learn Yuso's fighting style. With every punch and kick that the Crimson Stalker launched, Tanjo learned and adapted, managing to dodge more of the attacks. 

"Just calm down, damn it!" Tanjo hollered, ramming his knuckles into Yuso's cheek. 

Yuso was unaffected by the punch. 

"Oomph!" Tanjo gasped, feeling his opponent's fist in his abdomen.

*WHOOSH!*

The boy shot up into the sky, passing the height of the clouds with his cloak flapping furiously. Tanjo cleared his mouth of saliva while he regained his balance in midair. Before long, Yuso had taken Tanjo by surprise by seizing his left arm and swinging him about before throwing him with tremendous force in a general direction. 

'Even with the yellow Aura Sense, I'm struggling to keep up…! I can only learn from what I see!' Tanjo thought, his body flailing through the air. 

Tanjo was thrown for thousands of kilometers, passing every square inch of the Three Great Nations before coming to rest in the nearest ocean. His body sank like a boulder, making a splash in the large body of water. Tanjo shot to the surface of the sea, taking in sharp breaths as soon as his head cleared the ocean, pumping his legs as quickly as he could compose himself.

"Where am I now!?" Tanjo queried rhetorically, kicking himself out of the water and up into the air. 

It was obvious that he was in the middle of an ocean, but due to his frantic spinning in the sky, the boy was clueless as to where he had been launched from. Achieving lightspeed was something Tanjo could barely do, but was mostly capable when the situation truly called for it. Going against Yuso, however, required such speeds. 

Going at the speed of light was difficult for Tanjo, who lost his balance easily and was unable to move correctly. He was still in his first year, and anything past the speed of sound was already a feat of its own. 

Tanjo, on the other hand, was not allowed to be a typical first year. 

His body was burning, his muscles aching. Tanjo was not tired, but he was physically debilitated. 

"I could use the Disruption of Reality… but I still have little control over it." Tanjo murmured, kicking his legs to remain suspended in the air. 

Suddenly, Tanjo sensed a familiar individual. 

'He's here—!'

*SMACK!*

Yuso suddenly appeared above Tanjo, slamming a hard blow into his body and sending him plummeting into the water. Tanjo could only watch as the surface drew further and further away until, eventually, his body crashed through the ocean floor.

The space all around him was hot. Tanjo could swear he felt himself pass through layers of magma and what felt like lava. After violently passing through several layers of the earth, Tanjo's body came to a halt after coming into contact with a hot and dense stone surface. 

"...That hurt so much more." Tanjo groaned, laying flat on his back. 

Yuso flew down the large hole that Tanjo made in the planet, crashing down and stomping on the boy. Tanjo wanted to hurl as he felt his stomach press inward. Blood spilled from his lips, trickling down his chin. 

"You are certainly capable of taking a beating. Where are your tactics now? Still wishing to save me from my actions?" Yuso patronized the boy, leaning down, pressing his foot against Tanjo's stomach. 

Tanjo stared at Yuso with a blank expression, something within his mind clicking. 

'...Damn it all to Hell, I guess.'

*KRSSSHHH!*

Tanjo startled the Crimson Stalker by releasing his Disruption of Reality suddenly. In a hurry, the boy let numerous blue rift tendrils lash out toward Yuso, ripping through his black kimono and impaling him in a matter of milliseconds. Beyond that, the sheer power of the Reality Disruption that escaped Tanjo's body propelled Yuso back to the surface, past the water. 

Painfully, Tanjo stood on his feet. 

"It worked… luckily. I kind of just forced a shit ton of it out…" The boy spoke to himself, looking up. 

The Disruption of Reality. What could Tanjo do with it? Simply use it as a blunt attack? Use it just like his Aura Sense? There had to be something the boy could do with the spatial rifts. They could disrupt reality, as the name explains—but to what extent? Disrupt reality in what way?

Hesitantly, Tanjo touched his injured body, panting heavily. 

*KRSSHH!*

The boy felt the Disruption of Reality progressively engulf his body and sink into his skin. What if Tanjo felt drawn to use the rifts for a desire? Would they produce the result he desired? Tanjo had an epiphany at this point. Tanjo's body started to feel completely relieved of all the suffering that Yuso had previously caused him. This was made possible by the Disruption of Reality.

Once Tanjo's pain vanished, he inhaled with a grin. 

"Yes—AH!"

Just as Tanjo felt better, an agonizing burning sensation appeared within his body. He was not acclimated to the use of the Disruption of Reality, especially in the way he utilized it. 

Kronos did mention that pain would accompany such great power. 

"...Brush it aside, Tanjo… You have to keep going!"

Tanjo was back in the fight.

XXX

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I don't have much to say except for welcome to Volume Seven! Stay tuned for more!

Have a Great Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_