Arc: Danger
Chapter 9 – The Circle of Shadows
The air reeked of smoke. Roofs lay in ruin, trees were ablaze, and terrified faces peered from behind cracked walls—once again, destruction had paid the village a visit.
At the heart of the village stood Fushiken, the reanimated warrior bound to Kazan Kaga's dark system. His eyes held no emotion, only the silent hunger of the abyss.
Facing him stood Bokuro, Kitsui, Nensudo, and the new squad—Yamakaze, Tatsuto, and Gekjin. Behind them, Master Yusugo, injured during the previous encounter, rested inside the village temple.
"We meet that phantom again," Gekjin muttered, staring at Fushiken.
"This time, we won't lose," Bokuro said, his voice a mix of anger and newfound resolve.
Fushiken smirked. "Emotions won't save you… not until you learn to control them."
Kitsui, eyes burning with determination, stepped forward. She was no longer the same girl. With a flash of blue light, her emotion-script summoned a blade pulsing with radiant energy.
"You won't understand my power this time… I've changed," she declared.
Nensudo activated his fear-based emotion script, spreading a thick mist of dread across the battlefield.
"Let's see how deep your scripts really go," Fushiken murmured, opening his own blackened book. The pages fluttered, each one laced in darkness.
Tatsuto dashed in first, lightning-fast. "Fushiken!" he yelled, aiming a direct strike to the chest.
But the strike halted mid-air. A dark barrier rose up, deflecting it like paper.
"Children's toys can't harm me," Fushiken said, flicking Tatsuto back with a flick of his hand.
Yamakaze, driven by fury, slammed the ground, sending tremors rippling through the earth. As the others attacked, Kitsui and Gekjin charged with precision—speed and strength combined.
Fushiken staggered slightly but recovered instantly.
"Not afraid anymore?" he asked.
Bokuro stayed silent. His eyes closed, his breathing steady. Around him, energy gathered—guilt, anger, sorrow—all swirling into a single emotional barrier.
"I can't destroy you… but I can hold you!" Bokuro shouted, activating his strongest defense yet.
For the first time, Fushiken's expression turned serious. "Interesting…"
Kitsui leapt into the air, slicing down with blazing light. "My feelings will flow in your death!"
Fushiken tried to block with shadow chains—but they cracked under the pressure. A deep cut appeared on his shoulder.
"You've changed…" he muttered.
Nensudo spread a wave of emotional fear that clouded Fushiken's speed. Gekjin followed with a raw surge of power, tearing through the enemy's shield.
"Now!" Kitsui shouted.
The six Scriptors moved as one—each channeling their emotions into a single, unified strike.
A massive impact shook the field.
Dust erupted. Light flashed.
Then… silence.
As the dust cleared, the battlefield lay scattered. The squad was on edge—wounded, but standing. Fushiken had stepped back, expression dark.
"This…" he said, "this battle is becoming… interesting."
And then it happened.
Fushiken opened a new page of his script.
From it, a surge of pure black energy spread, swallowing the battlefield in a ring of shadows.
"Now… I'll show you the taste of true darkness."