The Village Disciples

There was nothing for a moment. It was peaceful. Nothing was present, neither sound nor sight. Tanjo and Yuso continued to fixate on one another, their stares clashing as fiercely as they had when they attacked. But rather than circling over the sea, engaging in fierce combat, and destroying even more territory, they were imprisoned in a dark abyss. In one instance, Tanjo connected the abyss to all the times he had been transported to other realms or places akin to foreign lands—by Regashi, by Aphrodite, by Kronos, or even by Ms. Tassei. This time, the boy noticed something strange: Yuso, the Crimson Stalker, was still there, appearing to hover in the distance.

The two were caught off guard by a flash of light. The void distorted, becoming discernible structures. A wind swept over their skin, reawakening their senses to the outside world. Tanjo's sense of falling intensified when he noticed towering, dark objects flying by him. 

*KRSHHING!*

At first, it was the sensation of connecting with a cold object, followed by the thunderous sound of glass shattering, with little fragmented bits bouncing off his body. Unfortunately, the situation was not over. 

*CRASH!*

He plummeted through several solid surfaces, accompanied by even more glass. Eventually, he no longer felt anything. 

Then all of the world's light returned to Tanjo's eyes, presenting him with a beautiful sight of an asphalt ground. 

*RUMBLE!*

The boy rose to his feet, finding his balance and brushing off any lingering debris that clung to his torn gray cloak. Shaking his head, Tanjo craned his head upward, his eyes immediately becoming overwhelmed with the site before him. People were everywhere, screaming and running in contrasting directions. Vehicles swarmed the asphalt, their wheels spinning as the people within them attempted to either plow through the halted traffic or drive in reverse, hoping to avoid the damage that occurred. 

The damage that occurred. 

Tanjo slowly looked at the ground, noticing the ruptured road he stood on. His cloak was stained with blood. Around him, vehicles of varying forms and colors were flipped onto their sides and upside down, with shards of glass littering the ground. The people inside the totaled vehicles were visibly unconscious in their seats, motionless, and bleeding. 

He landed in a city. 

'Oh, no…' Tanjo thought, shifting his body to glance behind him.

A skyscraper that once stood tall was now toppling over; several stories of the building were wiped out entirely. Tanjo grew terrified as he remembered the sensation of falling through glass and solid surfaces, connecting it to the falling structure. 

He had crashed through the skyscraper.

People continued to flee the scene, a handful frantically sifting through the debris to find their friends and relatives. It was gruesome—all of it. Tanjo's apparent fall led to the death of hundreds, perhaps more. 

The skyscraper was still falling, and Tanjo had to step in. Hastily, the boy stretched his arms outward and formed a red barrier that wrapped around the tall building, securing every inch of the skyscraper. 

"Where the hell can I put it? This entire place is too crowded! I can't crush it down, especially if people are still inside the building!" Tanjo fretted, racking his brain for ideas. 

*BOOM!*

Another part of the city was enveloped by an explosion, with dozens of populated buildings being torn apart and leveled. 

Tanjo's eyes focused on the distant explosion, recognizing the cause of the detrimental damage. It was Yuso, who flew through the air, high above the city. His wings flapped mightily as he dipped down, soaring through buildings. 

'He's… killing everyone!' Tanjo thought to himself in fear. 

Yuso flew across the lengthy road Tanjo was standing on in seconds, aggressively tackling the boy to the ground. Tanjo's grasp on the building was released, allowing it to collapse flat on the earth below.

A huge cloud of smoke engulfed the city, steadily rising into the sky. 

*CRASH!*

Tanjo was thrown through the fallen skyscraper, his body dispersing the smoke as it flung through the air. Not wanting to waste time, the boy tapped into his Aura Amalgamation, feeling his body surge with potent magic. 

"Where are the warriors!? Where did all of these buildings come from!? Why is the technology so… developed…" Tanjo started to rant, his eyes flashing with anxiety.

After absorbing the previous events and recalling the sight of automobiles, skyscrapers, and distinct asphalt roads, Tanjo settled on a single conclusion. Nowhere in the Three Great Nations has a civilization like this—even Shanti, despite its size, was constructed on primitive buildings and dirt paths for public transportation. This was not the same Earth he was born on, not the same planet he grew up on, not the same world he fought on. 

*HUUUMMM!*

An ear-piercing sound rang in Tanjo's ears, distracting him. Keeping himself in the air by pumping his legs, the boy turned around and watched as aerial vehicles ripped through the sky. 

Unbeknownst to Tanjo, these were military aircraft. 

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

The aircraft fired missiles toward Tanjo, each of which locked onto him. The boy had no desire to battle the inhabitants of this planet, but with Yuso continuing to wreak havoc, he had no option but to repel the military. 

"I'll use a little bit of magic… just a little—the warriors inside the aircraft should survive!" Tanjo vocalized his thoughts, forming a purple Genso-Kyu and aiming it at the military's air force. 

*BOOM!*

Unfortunately, the purple beam of light emitted by Tanjo's Genso-Kyu swept through the aircraft, annihilating the flying machines and pilots within them. 

"...They didn't have an Aura Sense…" Tanjo murmured, his blue eyes widening. 

Now that Tanjo took the time to think about it, nobody in the city had an Aura Sense. Not even a hint of magic resides within their bodies. They were utterly vulnerable, bereft of a military force that harbored any magic. 

*SMACK!*

Tanjo was pulled out of his stupor as a fist rammed into the side of his face. Yuso had returned, a murderous gleam in his Shirugeto eyes. To counter the force of Yuso's punch, the boy extended his right arm and—*BOOM!*—discharged a beam that prevented him from being knocked backward. Afterward, Tanjo angled his body to successfully land a solid kick to the Crimson Stalker's stomach. 

Yuso clenched his teeth painfully and took the brunt of the kick, refusing to be moved. 

"You'll have to hit harder than that, boy."

*CRACK!*

The Crimson Stalker struck Tanjo across the face with his right fist, dislocating the teenager's jaw and sending him spiraling down into the panicked city. 

Coincidentally, after landing on the ground, Tanjo spotted massive armored vehicles driving through the chaos of the city, a long barrel extending from the front of their reinforced bodies. They were tanks, crushing everything their tracks managed to roll over. A man on the top of the tank was stationed before a smaller gun, aiming it at Tanjo venomously. 

"America will not stand for your terrorism!" A loud voice came from a speaker belonging to the tank in the front, the long barrel of the armored vehicle trained on the boy. 

'America? Is that the name of the city?' Tanjo queried to himself, staring the tanks down. 

Before the tanks could discharge their shells—*CRUSH!*—Yuso dived down and stomped on the tank in the forefront, easily flattening the armored vehicle. The tank's armor crumpled like paper against the Crimson Stalker's feet. The people driving the tank were instantaneously crushed.

"Your fight is with me, not them." Yuso asserted, glowering at Tanjo.

A stern voice echoed throughout the area, garnering Yuso's attention, "Fire at the redhead!"

The barrels and guns of the tanks shifted toward Yuso, preparing to shoot at the Crimson Stalker. Effortlessly, Yuso lifted his left hand and swiped at the tanks—*BRSH!*—a thin streak of light slicing the tanks in half. 

"Bastard!" Tanjo shouted, leaping toward Yuso and launching a punch.

*KSHHH!*

Yuso conjured a pentagram to prevent Tanjo's attack, only for it to be destroyed by the boy's knuckles. Tanjo reeled his left arm back, a multi-colored Genso-Kyu developing in his palm, before thrusting his arm forward—*KABOOM!*—and creating an explosion of light powerful enough to knock Yuso through the entire city. 

From the beam, holes were punched through the buildings in its path, forming ruts in the asphalt and cement ground. It was nearly impossible to prevent collateral damage when fighting a rogue such as Yuso, who could cause a horrific amount of damage by himself. 

If Tanjo could not rely on the Disruption of Reality, his Aura Amalgamation would have to be his savior. Yuso was strong, incredibly so. The Crimson Stalker was also immensely psychotic, destroying anything that crossed him. 

"...This isn't looking good."

XXX

There's the end of this chapter! Tanjo and Yuso have arrived in America! Though their arrival isn't exactly welcomed, they continue their fight throughout a massive city—guess which one—and hope to end their battle as swiftly as possible! Stay tuned for more!

Have a Great Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_