Chapter 21: Flame and Fury

Reiji crouched low behind the stack of crates, his eyes locked on Shinya's figure across the warehouse yard. The tension between them was palpable, hanging in the air like the smoke that drifted lazily from a nearby chimney. Shinya's voice was low and sharp, the words biting with frustration.

"What the hell are you doing here, Reiji?"

Reiji swallowed hard, trying to think of how to explain. He hadn't meant to get caught up in this. He had come looking for answers about the drug that had been tearing through the underground—and maybe a lead on Chuuya. But now, with Shinya here, things felt even more complicated.

Before Reiji could answer, a loud crash echoed from deeper within the warehouse district, followed by the unmistakable sounds of a fight—grunts of pain, heavy thuds, and the crackle of SP powers being unleashed.

Both Reiji and Shinya froze, their instincts kicking in at the same moment. Without another word, they crept forward, staying low and moving silently toward the sound of the battle. As they drew closer, the scene unfolded before them.

It was Chuuya.

He stood in the middle of the warehouse's wide-open courtyard, his red hair whipping around him as he fought against a swarm of SP users. His movements were a blur of speed and precision, every punch landing with bone-crushing force as his gravity manipulation sent his enemies flying in all directions.

But there were so many of them.

At least twenty SP users surrounded him, each one wielding a different kind of power. One man's body was grotesquely swollen, his muscles enhanced beyond normal human limits as he slammed his fists into the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth. Another shot long, razor-sharp bones from his arms, flinging them at Chuuya like deadly projectiles. Yet another manipulated gusts of wind, whipping up a sandstorm that clouded the battlefield.

Reiji felt his heart race as he watched the scene unfold. Chuuya had already taken down at least ten of them, their bodies scattered around the courtyard, but more kept coming, and Reiji could see the toll it was taking. Chuuya's movements were becoming more frantic, more aggressive. His eyes burned with fury, but something was missing—his usual controlled focus had been replaced with blind rage.

"He's losing himself," Reiji whispered, more to himself than to Shinya.

Shinya, crouched beside him, narrowed his eyes. "What's going on with him?"

Reiji didn't answer right away. He knew what was happening. Chuuya had lost sight of everything but his anger. His companions—people Chuuya had cared about in his own way—had been killed by the drug. And now, he was out for blood, driven by nothing but revenge.

But this wasn't the way.

Without another word, Reiji shot to his feet, his resolve hardening. He couldn't just stand by and watch. He had to help Chuuya, to remind him of who he was.

"Reiji—wait!" Shinya hissed, but Reiji was already moving.

Reiji darted into the fray, flames sparking to life in his hands as he activated the Vongola Ring. The orange Dying Will Flame ignited, coating his gloves in a fiery aura. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance between himself and the closest SP user, his fist connecting with the man's jaw in a searing punch.

The battle raged on around them, and though Chuuya continued to fight with the same brutal intensity, Reiji could sense a shift. Chuuya was still angry, but he wasn't completely lost in his rage anymore. Reiji's presence seemed to have grounded him, at least a little.

Meanwhile, Shinya watched from the sidelines, his frustration mounting. This wasn't part of the plan. Reiji had just thrown himself into the middle of a fight that he wasn't ready for, and now Shinya was stuck trying to figure out how to keep them both alive.

He quickly sent out an SOS signal through his communicator, alerting his team to the situation. But backup wasn't coming anytime soon. He'd have to hold out until then.

Shinya's eyes darted back to the fight, and his breath caught in his throat as he saw Reiji and Chuuya fighting side by side. Despite the chaos, there was a strange rhythm to their movements, an unspoken understanding between them. Reiji's flames cut through the battlefield, while Chuuya's gravity manipulation kept their enemies off-balance. They weren't close, not yet, but the way they fought spoke of a deeper connection.

Shinya cursed under his breath. He couldn't just stand here and do nothing.

With a grimace, he stepped forward, joining the fray. His gun was already drawn, and with precise shots, he took down two SP users who were trying to flank Reiji and Chuuya. But his bullet supply was limited—he couldn't rely on it for long.

In the chaos of the battle, Shinya's gaze landed on Reiji's hands, watching as the flames from the Vongola Ring enveloped his gloves. The ring, Shinya thought. The flames.

His hand instinctively went to the Cloud Ring on his finger. He hadn't used it yet, hadn't even been sure what it could do. But now, watching Reiji wield his flames with ease, something clicked.

Shinya narrowed his eyes, focusing on the ring. He called out to it, willing the flame to appear. And, much to his surprise, a deep purple cloud-like flame flickered to life in his palm.

The Cloud Flame.

Without hesitation, Shinya directed the flame toward his gun, watching as the weapon absorbed it. The change was immediate—the gun felt sturdier, more durable, like it had been reinforced with the power of the flame.

Testing it out, Shinya fired a shot into the crowd of SP users. The bullet, coated in the Cloud Flame, struck one of the attackers with a force far beyond what his normal rounds could do. But that wasn't all. As the bullet hit, it seemed to multiply, splitting into three more bullets that struck nearby targets with the same devastating effect.

Propagation.

Shinya's lips curved into a grim smile. He could work with this.

With renewed energy, Shinya moved back into the fight, his gun now a far more versatile weapon. He used it not just for shooting but as a makeshift baton, reinforced by the Cloud Flame to block incoming attacks. When his normal bullets ran low, he sent out bursts of flame instead, creating makeshift flame bullets that tore through the enemy ranks.

Shinya fired another shot, his gun now brimming with the power of the Cloud Flame, its propagation effect allowing him to hit multiple targets with a single round. As he fought alongside Reiji, the two of them moved in unison, their attacks complementing each other.

Reiji's Dying Will Flame burned fiercely, its heat cutting through the chaos of the battlefield. Each punch sent waves of force through the air, but something began to shift. Unbeknownst to either of them, their flames weren't just burning brightly—they were reacting to each other.

As Shinya unleashed another barrage of flame-coated bullets, his Cloud Flame flared unexpectedly. The purple glow flickered and pulsed, matching the rhythm of Reiji's orange flame. Though neither of them noticed, their flames were resonating, creating a strange and powerful energy around them.

The synergy between their flames continued to grow as they fought, amplifying their strength without either of them realizing. The battlefield seemed to pulse with the combined energy of their flames, but Reiji and Shinya remained focused, unaware of the unique connection forming between them.

Back at the Vongola mansion, deep within the forest, the pedestal of rings stood in silence—until now.

Inside the darkened room where the pedestal of the Vongola Rings rested, the five remaining rings with one empty ring slot encircling the empty central slot sat motionless. But as Reiji and Shinya's flames resonated on the battlefield, one of those five rings began to glow softly. The Storm Ring, nestled in its slot, pulsed with a faint red light, as if responding to the distant call of battle.

Back on the battlefield, a subtle red aura flickered around Chuuya Nakahara. The resonance between Reiji and Shinya's flames had sparked something within the Storm Ring, though neither of them noticed it. Chuuya's gravity manipulation surged with newfound strength, making his every movement more powerful, but also more chaotic. His attacks became wilder, more reckless, sending shockwaves through the air that rippled far beyond his intended targets. The ground beneath him cracked and trembled as if even the earth itself was struggling to withstand the weight of his power.

Chuuya's punches hit harder, but the unrelenting force of his attacks seemed to be spiraling out of control. The enemies surrounding him crumbled under the invisible weight of his enhanced gravity, but Chuuya's movements grew more rampant, driven by rage rather than focus. His mind clouded with fury, and the storm that had fueled his power now threatened to consume him.

Then, just as Chuuya was on the verge of losing himself completely, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind—sharp, commanding, but steady.

"Control your power, idiot. You're the Storm that brings destruction to your enemies, not to yourself or those around you. Get it together."

Chuuya's eyes widened as the voice suddenly echoed in his mind, cutting through the chaos of his rage. He had no idea where it was coming from or who it belonged to, but the sharp command forced him to pause, if only for a split second. It wasn't enough to quell the fury burning in his chest, but it stopped him from losing himself completely in the storm of his emotions.

"If you lose control now, you'll destroy everything. The Storm doesn't lash out blindly. It destroys with purpose."

Chuuya clenched his fists, his anger still boiling, but the voice—whoever it was—had gotten through to him. He didn't understand the full meaning of the words, but they kept him from slipping into complete madness. His focus narrowed to the enemies in front of him, the ones responsible for this chaos, for everything that had led to his companions' deaths.

He was still angry, still furious, but now his rage was directed at his enemies alone.

The red aura around Chuuya pulsed, amplifying his gravity manipulation, but instead of spiraling out of control, it honed in on his foes. His punches hit harder, his movements became more fluid, and his enemies crumbled under the relentless force of his attacks. The Storm Flame, though Chuuya didn't recognize it for what it was, fed into his power, making his every strike more devastating.

But the anger never left.

It stayed, seething inside him, fueling his desire to crush those who stood before him. He didn't care where the voice had come from or what its true purpose was. All he knew was that, thanks to it, he was still able to fight. His rage was still there, a fire burning in his core, but now it had direction. The rampage he had been teetering on the edge of was now controlled, focused entirely on the enemies in his path.

Chuuya's attacks became sharper, his gravity manipulation more precise. The battlefield trembled under the weight of his fury, but none of it touched his allies—only his enemies felt the full brunt of his power. Whatever the voice had meant by "destroying with purpose," Chuuya didn't know. But for now, it was enough to keep him grounded in his anger, without losing himself completely to the storm inside him.

Unbeknownst to Chuuya, the Storm Flame was now feeding into his gravity manipulation, making him even more of a force to be reckoned with.

At the Vongola mansion, the Storm Ring's glow intensified, signaling its awakening and waiting for the moment it would be claimed.

The battle reached its peak, the air filled with the clash of powers and the roar of combat. But now, with all three of them working together, the tide was turning.

Reiji and Chuuya fought side by side, their movements almost synchronized as they tore through the remaining SP users. Chuuya's gravity manipulation sent opponents crashing to the ground, while Reiji's flames cut through them with precision. Shinya's gunfire provided cover, each shot enhanced by the Cloud Flame, creating a barrage of bullets that overwhelmed their enemies.

Finally, as the last of the SP users fell, an eerie silence settled over the battlefield.

Chuuya, breathing heavily, stood in the wreckage of the battlefield, his fists still clenched. But unlike before, the rage that had driven him seemed to have drained away, leaving only an empty, hollow feeling in its place. His breaths were slow and quiet, his mind replaying the fight over and over. His enemies were defeated—he had avenged his fallen companions—but the satisfaction he thought he would feel wasn't there. Instead, a deep sadness crept in, wrapping around his heart like a vice.

Reiji, standing nearby, watched Chuuya carefully. The gravity manipulator hadn't said a word since the last enemy hit the ground, his face a mask of emotion. But Reiji could see it—the weight of the loss, the pain of betrayal. Chuuya had fought with everything he had, but now that the battle was over, it was clear the victory was bittersweet.

Chuuya finally broke the silence, his voice low and hoarse. "Do you really think you can stop this?" He didn't look at Reiji, his gaze fixed on the ground, as if speaking more to himself than anyone else. "In the end… my companions were victims too. I couldn't save them. Not from this."

Reiji didn't respond right away. He couldn't. There was nothing he could say to erase the pain Chuuya was feeling. Instead, he watched as Chuuya's hands slowly unclenched, the tension in his body easing, but only slightly. The anger that had driven him had evaporated, and now, all that was left was the raw grief of losing those who had been close to him.

Chuuya's head lowered, his eyes dull with sorrow. "They were trying to get stronger… for me," he whispered, barely loud enough for Reiji to hear. "And in the end, they died for it."

Reiji's heart tightened in his chest. He didn't have the right words. This wasn't something that could be fixed with promises or empty reassurances. All he could do was be there, standing beside Chuuya, allowing him the space to grieve in his own way.

The courtyard was silent except for the distant crackling of debris, and Reiji remained still, his own thoughts heavy as he glanced at Chuuya, who was desperately trying to keep himself together. His breath was steady, but Reiji could sense the sadness welling up, threatening to overtake him now that the anger had faded. He could almost feel the weight of Chuuya's loss, the deep ache that came from knowing his companions had perished because of the very power they sought.

From the side, Shinya observed the two of them. He remained quiet, his sharp gaze moving between Reiji and Chuuya, but his mind was already processing the scene. Shogo had to be behind this. The illegal drug, the sudden surge of chaos in the underworld, and now Chuuya's fallen companions—it all pointed to a larger, more insidious plot. Shinya's jaw tightened as he mentally cataloged everything he had seen and heard so far. He needed to find more concrete evidence to link Shogo to this operation, but the pieces were slowly falling into place.

As Shinya was lost in thought, the faint sound of police sirens began to rise in the distance. The faint wail of the approaching sirens cut through the air, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the group.

Shinya's eyes flicked up, his expression hardening. "Looks like backup's here." He turned toward Reiji and Chuuya, both still lost in their own worlds. "We don't have much time. We need to get out of here before they cordon off the area."

Chuuya didn't respond immediately, his shoulders still slumped as if the weight of the world was pressing down on him. But after a long moment, he gave a slight nod, his eyes still cast downward. It was clear he wasn't done mourning, wasn't done processing what had just happened.

Reiji, sensing the urgency in Shinya's voice, glanced back at him, then over at Chuuya. They needed to move, but there was no rushing this. Chuuya had fought like a demon, driven by rage and loss, but now that the battle was over, the reality of what he had lost was sinking in.

As the police sirens grew louder, the three of them moved out of the courtyard, leaving behind the carnage of the battle, but not the memories of the losses suffered.