"Assassination" (039)

Enrokonai City, known for its inhabitants being the vast majority of duelists. In the center surrounded by tall buildings lies a fairly large building named 'Dueling Academy' which produces the best of the best to protect anyone and everyone, with new and inspired duelists enrolling every year the number of villains also rises.

The Academies' main goals are to mass-produce heroes to make the world a much better place and to bring down all evil that lies In the shadows.

Dueling Academy offers a rating system that pushes every student to the limit of their abilities and adds fire to their beat.

The top three Duelists are each given a title, with the first being 'King,' the second being 'Devil,' and the first being 'Silver,' as well as the title of Champion of Dueling Games.

These three Duelists regularly duel with other Duelists to defend their titles, and they also serve as the face of the Academies magazine and newspaper.

Aside from the Academy, a storm brews as we look at a hidden top villain who appears to have the ability to manipulate reality to his will thanks to a red gem; he seeks out strong opponents to use as puppets, making them do everything he asks exactly how he wants it; get on his bad side, and he will make your life a living nightmare...

- Spiritual Realm (Zero Dimension/World), Saturday, 2:03 pm -

"Darling, as much as I hate to say it, but my severed heart has reached its height, and your death will not be forgotten while you're standing here in front of me..." The Spiritual Hoaxers pointed their arms forward and began charging crimson aura in unison.

Ayuka, Alpha, and Nina were all prepared to face them, and the red lasers were fired immediately, blazing right at the three females.

Ayuka went on the defensive, erecting an ice wall from the earth to deflect the incoming attacks, some of which pierced through.

Alpha darted past Ayuka with a rapid action, then cut the blade forward and unleashed a massive burst force, which caused all of the Spiritual Hoaxers to feel pressure pressing against their body, and one by one began to explode into crimson particles.

They were defeated, but a full army remained alive, and there seemed to be no end in sight, so the two girls began to feel nervous as they sliced through them, killed them, and exterminated them.

"It doesn't help that they keep coming at us... Every time we launch a more powerful counterattack, we become more and more exhausted..." Ayuka, who was under a lot of pressure, explained.

"That may be true, but the only way we'll be able to stop this guy is if we destroy everyone." Alpha cut ahead, beating another line of Spiritual Hoaxers, and Ayuka kicked back, driving her sole into a Spiritual Hoaxer's mask, crushing it, and knocking him back.

At that point, the youngster who had been struck appeared to be knocked out. "Alpha, hold your horses! Stop chopping their bodies! At the very least, we can save a couple of those folks if we shatter their masks!"

"It's a lot simpler to say than to do! We'll be the ones slain if they keep coming at us with hardly enough time for us to aim."

"I know, but try your best to only cut or shatter their mask when you sense an opportunity!"

After saying that, Ayuka dove beneath a Spiritual Hoaxer's sword, struck him in the stomach, and then kicked him in the face, knocking the guy's mask off.

She then defended the following cut by connecting her arm with the handle of the opponent's blade, punching the mask, and knocking the person to the side.

One of the Spiritual Hoaxers sneaked up behind her and cut her with her sword as she was doing so. Ayuka had no option but to use her own blade to eliminate the female opponent, who was then kicked to the side.

Alpha, on the other hand, had to confront a far larger number of individuals and, standing in the center of the fallen people, hacked off all of their masks with a single circular sweep of her spinning blade.

"So you've discovered a way to defeat them without killing them? Very remarkable, but what difference do their lives make? It's not even worth spending your valuable time on them. They're merely a collection of people who can be influenced." Genpaku chuckled as he stated.

"Say it out loud to your own mask!" When Alpha dashed through a long line of people, tearing through their masks and closing in on Genpaku, he stepped forward.

She screamed after exchanging eyes with Genpaku. "I'm sure you'll like a location like Hell!" Alpha swiped her blade from one side to the other in mid-air, unleashing a wind that distorted in the wrong directions.

While she was doing so, she sliced the walls, the ground, and everything else on the items, shattering the majority of them into tiny pieces.

Nina was astounded by the havoc Alpha wreaked with only one strike, so she assumed they'd win. However, it seemed improbable that Genpaku would merely murder himself, given his body appeared to be unharmed in the least.

Instead, he was able to use Alpha's ability to shock her with an unexpected event.

"How-" But, before she could complete her sentence, Genpaku swung his palm forward, unleashing a frightening wave that sliced Alpha's skin and sent her flying through the air towards the machine, where she was electrocuted just as she collided with it.

Her two friends were taken aback when they saw her collapse on all four limbs, smoke billowing from the electrocution.

"Alpha! Can you stand up?" Nina attempted to help her, but Alpha wasn't in the best of health. "I'm all right... It's only a small zap." Despite the fact that her body had been severely damaged, she said.

Genpaku and Ayuka exchanged looks as he reached for his card and tossed it forward.

Ayuka braced herself, but as soon as the card sliced into her, it vanished, leaving Ayuka puzzled. "What the hell is going on?" The card slid back up and struck her in the jaw in less than a second, then Genpaku arrived and kneeled Ayuka, right into her stomach.

She was launched into the air, stopping in front of Nina and clutching her stomach, before kneeling onto one leg and inflicting pain.

"I'm very certain you'll never be able to have children as a result of that penetration." His choice of words irritated and offended Ayuka, so she breathed to calm herself.

"Perhaps a better question... Do you ever stop speaking in the most disturbing sentences?"

While Ayuka kept Genpaku occupied in fighting, Nina and Alpha were taken aback. "How did he get your ability to work for him?"

"... M-Most likely by absorbing its energy and then transferring it to his own... Alternatively, he might have just replicated it with his own Ability."

Genpaku then tossed three cards onto the floor, summoning three black tophats that were bouncing up and down.

"Let's play a game of guessing..." Ayuka was confused as Genpaku tossed a card under the center tophat.

"Huh! Don't give me something illogical!" Ayuka yelled at him, harshly.

"The regulations are straightforward! As you can see, I threw one card under the tophat; they'll swap, and after they're done, you'll have to guess under which hat the card is beneath... If you guess correctly, I'll heal all three wounds, including your clothes... You will, however, be caught in an explosion if you guess incorrectly."

"It's a really simple game... It's a one-in-three chance of getting the proper thing, so pay attention!"

"Do you think this is some kind of sick joke?" Genpaku, on the other hand, simply grinned and began mixing the hats together. The hats were exchanged in 8 seconds, and Genpaku let Ayuka decide.

"As you may have guessed, everything is finished. Remember, it's only worthwhile if you correctly guess the hat!" Ayuka felt irritated as a result of it. "... All right... In the middle..."

Ayuka braced herself when she heard the wrong buzzing. "If you're wrong, you'll pay the price."

Ayuka spotted three explosives hovering on her side, forcing her to cover her face and accept a huge explosion that destroyed the ground and buildings and created a whirlwind.

"Ayuka!" Nina tried to dash, but Alpha stopped her. "Take a break! You're going to get yourself assassinated!"

Ayuka was standing with her arms shielding her face as the explosion and smoke subsided. She was burned and bleeding, and her garments were cut.

At the same time, the card looked to have been hidden under Genpaku's hat, so he snatched it, irritating Ayuka. "I never said beneath those three caps it was certain!" He chuckled, then extended his left arm in front of him.

"Flare Cannon," A fiery beam flew through the tip of Genpaku's hand, which Ayuka quickly deflected by allowing her blade to bear the brunt of the blow.

And as a result of the impact, her body was flung back over the ground.

Ayuka's soles continued to dig through the earth while she pushed back, but instead of slamming against the wall, she deflected the beam into the ceiling.

And as a result, the beam pierced it and fell through the rubble.

She swiftly bent forward, thrusting her right hand into the ground, gathering white energy, and her eyes became silver at the same time, stunning even Genpaku.

Ayuka's clothing began to exhale the cold, and her heartbeat became increasingly rapid. "Ha..." Her aura began to wave over her body, exerting a significant amount of strain. "Na..." Her red top ripped, exposing her black tank top beneath. "...Tsu..."

Her strength increased fourfold in an instant, but she was in excruciating pain, and the strain was destroying her body. "What the hell is going on?" After dropping her blade, Ayuka slowly bent forward, surprising her enemy.

The floor beneath her sole broke as her sword rebounded on the ground, and her figure vanished from the scene. She appeared in front of Genpaku in a fraction of a second, rendering him speechless.

And she shattered Genpaku's skull with her enhanced, and her terrifying loud crash resonated throughout the arena, causing even more havoc than before.

After the windblast, Genpaku's body slammed against the wall, causing seven more shockwaves to pass through it, shattering it in a circular pattern seven times, and Ayuka's veins were nearly bursting with blood.

But, just when she thought she had defeated her foe, the actual Genpaku came behind her and kicked her in the side of the face, knocking Ayuka into the ground and shattering it even more.

He stamped his sole against Ayuka's chest the following second of his laugh, relentlessly pressing it against it.

Ayuka was in excruciating pain and couldn't breathe. "I'm curious as to how terrible it is for a female to have her chest trodden on! I'm sure it hurts even more on women's bodies than it does on men's!" Genpaku laughed, unable to let Ayuka breathe.

"Honestly! Just by mimicking your physique, I could do it! But why would I do that? I wouldn't be able to tolerate you now since you're so battered! Having a firmer body, on the other hand, would be intriguing! Is that correct, precious darling?"

Ayuka's irritability was increasing, just as she had predicted. "... q-quit speaking..." Her words were exerting pain, and Genpaku raised his arm far over his head to seize the Reality Jewel.

"Yet, I believe I'll utilize it for a greater cause... stealing your own abilities so that you can become a normal human being."

"I'm curious as to what it's like to have the same power as the Holy Light herself..." And, when Ayuka continued to gaze at him with one eye closed as he was laughing, she eventually spotted a dark figure behind Genpaku.

"That'll do it! Whoopsie!" When the second figure flickered behind Genpaku, Codey's body flipped over Genpaku, but before that, kicking him in the face just for fun. Finally the Reality Jewel quickly came into touch with Codey's palm.

"Welcome from the future!" Risa's mouth curved into a smile as she released a long and broad slash into Genpaku's back, causing him to bleed, and just when he believed that was the end, the third and last figure arrived.

"I'd like to see you die..." Genpaku's eyes trembled as he heard a masculine voice, and his mind was quickly filled with terror and a strong sense of Spiritual Symbolism.

("W-What exactly is this? W-Which one is it?! T-Their Symbolism of Spirituality... W-What is it about it that makes me so afraid... Who! H-How is it possible?! I'm supposed to be unstoppable! Is it more than normal, or does it have any limits?! W-Who is it, exactly?!")

But the instant Genpaku saw blue whirling flames right in front of his face, he gazed slowly and shook on the spot. "... just so you know... I never take lightly injuring my allies and those I care about the most... so take this as a warning..."

The boy's eyes blazed brilliantly, and a tremendous inferno formed when he unleashed blue flames, bursting and totally igniting Genpaku, while the scorching fire pushed Genpaku's pupils to explode into the blood and merge with it. His flesh was totally melting when the enormous explosion launched him into the air, slamming him against the wall and setting off a gigantic flame trap.

It erupted into a whirling fire tornado that swept through the room, breaking the ceiling in the process.

He was being drawn into the fire tornado due to its intensity and speed, and its blue flames continued to flash about, prompting him to scream in pain.

With Codey and Risa standing close, Tim rolled over Ayuka's body and landed next to her head.

Upon seeing him, alongside his friends, she finally made a gorgeous smile.

Tim's clothes were charred by the flames, yet he didn't appear to mind as he sighed. "Grab them and take them..." Tim grabbed Ayuka, Codey grabbed Alpha, and Risa grabbed Nina as they all fled through the open ceiling, leaving their destruction in their wake.

Their first two missions were successful: they were able to locate their friends and take the Reality Jewel.

But... now that Codey holds the legendary Reality Jewel... just what does that mean?

To be continued...