The Village Disciples

Kaminari Nozomu and Seijun Hotaru drifted side by side, their Aura Senses blazing brightly amid the vastness of the universe they now reside in. Reiwa Takuetsu remained impervious by default, but the two dragon vessels were coming closer to dealing long-term harm to the hulking tyrant. Reiwa's upper body armor was completely gone, indicating that Nozomu had managed to penetrate the magic that protected it.

"Seijun, before he comes back, listen to this." Nozomu spoke, his lightning cackling ferociously. "Reiwa's armor was shielded by a layer of magic, and through speed alone, I overwhelmed it. Now, we need to do the same for his actual body." 

The fiery vessel snorted, "If it was that easy, we would have done that by now!"

Nozomu hummed, reflecting on what the tyrant used throughout their fight. Reiwa had a wide array of moves, each being quite lethal if he was not holding back so significantly. The Aura Amalgamation was the pinnacle of Lucifer's attacks—weaken his four Aura Senses, and Reiwa would certainly be knocked down a few levels. 

"He has four Aura Senses at his disposal, meaning that even if we crack one, he has three more," Nozomu spoke, glancing at his childhood friend. "However, if Reiwa fuses his magic into a four-phase combination, utilizing all four at once, we can shatter his Aura Amalgamation on the spot."

The Aura Amalgamation was a menacing ability. To be powered by four of the Aura Senses simultaneously meant excessive expertise in every category that mattered: speed, physical strength, intense output of magic, and pliability. To think that Tanjo has the chance to become as monstrous as Reiwa stumped Nozomu immensely. 

Seijun huffed, rolling his right shoulder. "I assume he uses a two-phase combination for all physical attacks—whether it's yellow and red for speed and strength, or blue and red to deal maximum damage—we can most likely make him cut ties with two right then and there."

Not to mention, both of the vessels also had magic that was not just their genetic Aura Sense. The Tansu Beasts Kanden and Moeru provided the two men with an extra variant of magic that could be utilized throughout the fight. The divinity of the dragons amplified with the Aura Sense was a combination to be feared. 

"I'm not deaf!" A roaring voice rang through the two vessels' ears, alerting them instantly. 

Reiwa charged toward Seijun, aiming his right fist at the man's gut. Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on the tyrant as he noticed that Seijun managed to catch his fist. Even the vessel of Moeru had started to excel in terms of power and speed. Even now, Reiwa could only smirk, enchanted with the idea of fighting two competent opponents. 

"Kami, it's only one—!" Seijun attempted to call out to his ally before being struck down with Reiwa's second hand. 

The wielder of lightning reflected on those words. Only one. Reiwa was only utilizing one Aura Sense for his punches. Seijun must have focused all of his attention on how much magic was fluctuating within Reiwa's arm when he latched onto it. The fact made Nozomu's mind spin—Reiwa was truly holding himself back, only using one of the four main Aura Senses to fight with his bare hands. Occasionally, the tyrant would even involve the forgotten green Aura Sense to mold various offensive weapons. 

'We have to chip away at him one Aura Sense at a time…' Nozomu thought to himself, the muscles in his jaw flexing subconsciously.

"Kami, was it?" Reiwa asked rhetorically, tilting his head toward the white-haired man.

Hearing such a cruel man mention his nickname made Nozomu want to vomit. His voice tainted the affection and familiarity that typically accompanied the name, which was in stark contrast to the endearing sound of his childhood friends using it. 

"I'm not looking for recognition." Nozomu barked, clenching his fists. His white cloak had multiple holes and tears, burn marks discoloring the white fabric. 

Reiwa's lips were pulled into a straight line, a look of annoyance spreading across his features. "I'm taking the time to acknowledge you, and you reject it?"

The tyrant straightened his posture, his twelve green wings stretching outward. Reiwa's form was a nightmare to behold—he was the definition of muscular, while also flexing beastly wings that could rip through any material. Lucifer truly was the devil of the multiverse. 

With a growl, Nozomu unfurled his dragon-like wings and charged toward the tyrant, delivering a barrage of punches and kicks. Every time Reiwa blocked, Nozomu tried to detect the potency that the hulking man had. Seijun was not bluffing when he declared Reiwa only put one Aura Sense into his limbs during their fight. That explains why Nozomu was able to overwhelm Reiwa with sheer speed, as he did not employ the yellow Aura Sense until he forced the lightning wielder to stop.

'Then I will just go faster again!'

*ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM!*

Nozomu repeatedly launched punches at an expedited rate, his fists landing against the tyrant infrequently. The vessel forced himself to punch faster, hoping to leave lasting damage on Reiwa. Suddenly, Reiwa was capable of catching both of Nozomu's fists, halting the assault. 

"Maybe I shouldn't hold back so much!" Reiwa exclaimed, grinning sadistically as he held Nozomu's shaking hands. 

*FWISH!*

Without warning, two fiery boots were pressed against Reiwa's back with an incredible amount of force. Seijun had managed to sneak up on the tyrant, seizing his green wings and kicking his spine, which prompted Reiwa to relinquish his hold on Nozomu's hands. The vessel of Moeru shifted his body to throw a sharp punch at Reiwa's face, opening a brief window of time for Nozomu to add on with a punch of his own, disturbing Lucifer's stability. 

'He's currently using two Aura Senses, with yellow being one of them! I assume his main one is red, enabling him to take the brunt of our hits without exhausting himself so quickly.' Nozomu contemplated, still punching the tyrant viciously. 

To free himself from the incessant punches, Reiwa wrapped his fingers around Seijun's arm and looked at Nozomu, opening his mouth widely.

"Hah! 

The universe became rippled as Nozomu found himself flying backward, pushed by the force of Reiwa's shout. The white-haired vessel could not prevent his body from entering a different universe as he crashed through the fabric of reality, leaving Seijun alone with Lucifer. 

"You son of a bitch!" Seijun shouted, opening his hand.

As Reiwa looked back at Seijun, a small dragon made of fire was expelled from the fiery vessel's palm, latching onto the tyrant's face with its mouth. Reiwa instinctively grabbed the small dragon and crushed it with his left hand, freeing his head. As the hulking man was freeing his face, Seijun yelled as he curled his free hand into a fist and drove it into Reiwa's jaw, causing both of their bodies to vibrate. 

That was when Reiwa ignited a third Aura Sense within his body. Purple. 

"Nice punch, Container."

Lucifer hastily punched Seijun across the face, splitting the skin of his cheek instantly. Not a millisecond later, the tyrant lodged his knee in Seijun's abdomen, then a second punch to his neck. After the three rapid strikes, Reiwa gripped Seijun's left arm and spun around, tossing the vessel through the same ripples that Nozomu was thrown into. 

Nozomu was quick to locate Seijun, flying to his side. "What happened?"

Seijun coughed, letting his injuries heal. He was confident that both he and Nozomu were rising in power, but when compared to Reiwa, their pace was akin to a snail trying to race a cheetah. The tyrant was not utilizing all of his Aura Senses but remained on top. 

"He… activated a third Aura Sense. I felt it." Seijun said with a groping voice, fear permeating through his voice. 

The fact that they kept ending up in universes that permitted sound was astounding. 

Nozomu looked toward the ripples in space, watching Reiwa enter the new universe. "It just means that we're one step away from being able to breach his Aura Amalgamation."

Seijun clamped his left hand down on Nozomu's shoulder, his brown eyes glinting with hope and caution. 

"Let's just hope his third isn't our last." The fiery vessel spoke with worry, letting go of his childhood friend's shoulder. 

Reiwa with one Aura Sense was capable of defending himself from two full-powered Tansu Beasts, destroying multiple galaxies with one blast, and being thrown through the fabric of numerous universes. Reiwa with two Aura Senses was capable of matching Nozomu in speed and ripping through reality with just a scream. Neither of the vessels could imagine what the tyrant with three, or even four, Aura Senses would be like. To add to the list of unfortunate realizations, they had failed to breach even one of Reiwa's Aura Senses as of now. 

"This is where our little fight must conclude." Reiwa asserted, cracking his neck. 

Reiwa had forgotten about his staff long ago, leaving the weapon in one of the previous universes they fought in. The tyrant merely found the staff to be a tool for entertainment, regardless of its destructive capabilities. All Reiwa truly needed were his hands. 

After floating silently in a purple and blue part of the universe, Nozomu took the liberty to charge at Reiwa once more, pushing his speed to new limits as he revolved around the tyrant boldly. While Nozomu challenged Reiwa's yellow Aura Sense, Seijun decided to conjure a red Genso-Kyu, which immediately became engulfed in flame.

*BRRRSHHH!*

'I'll contest his red or blue Aura Sense. Maybe both if he has them activated.' Seijun thought to himself, preparing to discharge a blast. 

*KABOOOOOOM!*

Reiwa noted Nozomu's physical combat, along with Seijun's long-distance attack. With disinterest inducing his movements, Reiwa employed his third Aura Sense, which was purple, and contorted his body to dodge both the fiery beam infused with light and a kick launched by Nozomu. In retaliation, Reiwa clutched Nozomu's leg, pulled the man closer, and slammed his head against the lightning wielder's. Nozomu was temporarily stunned as his brain rattled inside his skull, his body limp as he hovered in space. 

Seijun moved the direction of the beam to strike Reiwa, only for the tyrant to face the attack head-on. Blocking his face with his forearm, Reiwa flew toward Seijun, taking the brunt of the beam against his skin. Surprisingly, the tyrant started to feel his arm burn from the beam, his red Aura Sense waning inside him. 

"Go down, asshole!" Seijun hollered, adding to the potency of his Genso-Kyu. 

Reiwa persisted, steadily closing the gap between the two of them. Seijun was ultimately vulnerable, his maximum output proving to be fruitless against the tyrant's potent form. Eventually, Seijun's Genso-Kyu started to pulse uncontrollably, growing brighter and gradually unstable. 

'It's reminiscent, in a way… This is how Oritsu Ketsueki fell to me. With him trying to strike me down with Genso-Kyu…' Seijun reminded himself, feeling his arms shiver from the intense magic flowing through them. 

*CRACKLE!*

Unexpectedly, a plethora of lightning bolts wrapped around Reiwa's body, holding the tyrant still. Kaminari Nozomu was still conscious, pulling with all of his might. 

"Keep going, Seijun! More!" 

Reiwa's eyes widened as he was subjected to endure Seijun's beam for an extended amount of time, Nozomu's lightning restraining his movement. The tyrant's green wings struggled to flap, furling under the pressure like a captured bird. With Seijun's beam still lasting, Reiwa could feel its potency increase, progressively dealing more damage to Lucifer's body. The Aura Senses that Reiwa employed to shield himself quaked within him, threatening to shatter and leave the hulking tyrant exposed to the two Tansu Beasts' elements. 

'They're… forcing me to use all four Aura Senses! I can't use green since it will overclock my body dramatically, especially in these conditions.' Reiwa was enveloped in a mental dilemma, feeling his body start to burn up. 

The tyrant's heart pumped, his blue eyes dilating. His crimson-red hair swayed wildly due to Seijun's bright beam. Every second that Reiwa endured the beam, he felt more inclined to unleash all four Aura Senses at once. Never before had Reiwa done such a thing, but it was the first time his power had been challenged. 

'If me using the full power of my Aura Amalgamation is what they want, then I will deliver.'

In that moment, the space around Reiwa crumbled, with any atoms that existed around him warping irreversibly. Seijun's beam of light and fire deformed, dissipating weakly. Nozomu's lightning that entangled Reiwa's body diminished like dust in a breeze. Panic and uncertainty brimmed within both Nozomu and Seijun as their bodies were pulled closer to the tyrant.

Reiwa activated his fourth Aura Sense: blue. The powerhouse of the four Aura Senses. 

*SHATTER!*

A blinding light swallowed them all. 

XXX

That's the chapter! Let me clarify something: Reiwa has infused all four Aura Senses into moves like Genso-Kyu—but never before has he filled HIMSELF with all four at maximum potency. An Aura Sense is a field of magic that is expelled in the form of malleable light that is also used as energy to enhance the force a physical body can utilize/discharge for various purposes. The green Aura Sense, as Reiwa has said, would overclock his senses, so using it for anything other than forming an aura print would be quite stupid. The only person to ever use it for more is Doryoku, but he had no Aura Sense, only what the green ring gave him—so, ultimately, he had nothing to truly exhaust. Stay tuned for more!

Have a Great Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_