Chapter 25: The Chains of Lament

Yuzo got to his feet slowly.

I didn't think the chain would move that fast. I have to be very careful.

Yusaro extended both arms.

Two chains shot out at the same time toward Yuzo.

This time he was ready.

He dodged them. But Yusaro controlled them in motion, changing their direction without stopping. The chains slammed into the ground, the walls, leaving cracks and holes all through the hall.

The pace kept building.

Faster and faster.

Yuzo decided to activate his stellar ability.

He knew he needed to get close to attack. He just needed the right moment.

With his speed he started looking for the opening. Yusaro kept going, launching the chains over and over, waiting for Yuzo to wear down.

Then Yuzo saw it.

He moved in at full speed toward Yusaro to strike.

But the chains covering his body stopped him before he got there.

-Did you really think it would be easy to hit me? -said Yusaro-. You're weak. And from what I can see... you don't have much real combat experience.

The chains began coiling around Yuzo's arms and legs, lifting him off the ground little by little.

Mozir stepped forward.

-We have to get in there, otherwise-

Then Yusaro's presence expanded.

Light violet. Dense. Carrying something that wasn't just power.

It was bloodlust.

Heliya felt a chill run through her entire body. Eldren went rigid. Naiden looked on without knowing what to do. Renir had his hand on his sword, ready. Joshido didn't move, tense, watching everything.

-There's no way you're getting out of these chains -said Yusaro-. Now I'll finish you.

And then the hall changed.

Yuzo's presence expanded all at once.

Red. Alive.

With his stellar ability, Yuzo broke the chains holding him.

Nobody could believe it.

But nobody less than Yusaro.

He stood there looking at the broken pieces of chain on the ground, unable to understand what had just happened.

Yusaro looked at him from where he stood.

-I underestimated you a little. I didn't think you'd be able to break free from my chains.

A pause.

-But that won't happen again.

His presence rose.

-Chains of punishment... manifest.

The chains covering his body changed. The black faded away and in its place came a red scarlet that pulsed like it had a life of its own.

Yuzo looked at them, not understanding.

-What's happening? Why did they change color?

-Every time they change color, their ability changes -said Yusaro-. The black ones move fast to trap the enemy. The red ones...

A brief pause.

-I'll show you what they do.

He extended his arms.

The chains came at Yuzo, but slower than before. Yuzo noticed right away and dodged them without trouble.

Yusaro attacked again.

Yuzo dodged again.

Then something grabbed his leg.

A chain he hadn't seen coming.

That's what he wanted. Distract me with the slow ones so I wouldn't see the other. I fell right into his trap.

The chains launched straight at him.

Yuzo used his stellar ability at the last moment and barely got out of the way.

The chains hit the wall.

The sound was dry and brutal. Where they had landed there was a massive hole that sent dust and chunks of rock raining to the floor.

Nobody spoke for a moment.

From the throne, Kaosuru watched with a calm smile.

The group looked on. So did Yuzo.

If those had hit me... I'd probably already be unconscious.

Yusaro didn't wait.

The chains came again, faster this time. Yuzo moved, dodging one after another, but one of them grazed his cheek.

A small cut. But enough to remind him he couldn't let his guard down.

I have no other choice. I have to push my speed even further.

And so he did.

In an instant, Yusaro lost track of where he was. His eyes searched, but Yuzo was never where he expected. Moving too fast to follow with the eye.

-It doesn't matter how fast you are -said Yusaro without moving-. My chains can detect enemy presence near me. They protect me on their own.

Suddenly Yuzo appeared right in front of him.

He threw the strike.

The chains reacted before it landed, coiling around his arm and stopping it cold.

Yuzo gritted his teeth.

Looks like the speed I'm using isn't enough.

Joshido watched him with his eyes fixed, not moving.

Think, Yuzo. Think.

The chains kept coiling, reaching his other arm.

But it wasn't enough.

Yuzo pushed his speed further.

And began running in circles around Yusaro.

What came next nobody expected.

The pressure his speed created was so intense that everyone present had to fight to stay on their feet. Seeing anything became nearly impossible. Everything around them trembled, pushed by a force that had no clear name but could be felt in every bone.

-Whatever you're planning isn't going to work -said Yusaro, same calm as always.

Until he tried to move the chains.

And couldn't.

His own chains were coiled around him, pressed tight by the pressure Yuzo's speed was generating. Yusaro looked down for a moment.

He smiled.

-You really think using my chains against me is going to work?

He tried again.

Nothing.

The smile disappeared.

The pressure from Yuzo's speed was too much. The chains simply couldn't move.

And then something else appeared.

A circular energy the same red color as Yuzo's presence began forming around Yusaro, spinning with him, growing with every lap. The entire hall trembled. The walls cracked. The floor shook under everyone's feet.

Yusaro understood.

If this keeps going... I'm going to fall.

He couldn't allow that.

He pushed his presence with everything he had and with visible effort managed to move several chains, launching them at Yuzo to stop him.

They got close.

And shattered into pieces.

Yusaro's eyes opened wide.

-My chains... can't take that speed.

The chains holding Yuzo's arms began to crack, breaking apart little by little like glass.

The intensity kept growing. It wasn't just the hall anymore. It was everything. The air, the walls, the floor, all of it vibrating under the force Yuzo had unleashed.

-Someone stop him! -Kaosuru shouted from the throne-. He's going to destroy everything!

Mozir had his feet planted on the ground, fighting to hold his position against the pressure, barely able to see through the intensity surrounding everything.

-Yuzo wants to blow this place to pieces.

-Someone remind him we're still in here! -Eldren shouted, struggling against the pressure pushing at him.

Heliya tried to connect with Yuzo telepathically.

She couldn't.

The speed was too much. His mind was unreachable.

Naiden squeezed his eyes shut, wishing it would all end soon.

Renir, fighting the same as everyone else against the pressure, turned to Joshido.

-Do you know how to stop him?

Joshido, unable to see well and struggling just like the rest against the intensity, kept his eyes fixed toward where Yuzo was.

-No. It's the first time I've seen him using that speed.

The chains holding Yuzo's arms couldn't take it anymore.

They broke.

The floor cracked further with every passing second. The walls gave way. The ceiling showed fractures spreading like roots.

Yusaro refused to accept it.

He tried to move the chains one more time.

Nothing. Same as every time before.

Yuzo spoke from the center of it all.

-This fight is over.

The red circular energy surrounding Yusaro kept closing in. Lap by lap, tightening, leaving no room to escape.

Yuzo went to land the final blow.

But the speed he had been using was too much to control in that moment. His body shot off in a direction he didn't intend, straight toward where Kaosuru was.

Everything happened in an instant.

Kaosuru saw it coming and knew he wouldn't have time to move. Without hesitating, he grabbed the two hooded figures standing on either side of his throne and placed them in front of him.

The impact was brutal.

Yuzo crashed into them with the full force of his accumulated speed. The area around the throne exploded. The rock, the floor, the nearby walls, everything gave way at the same time with a crash that shook the entire hall from top to bottom.

And then the dust covered everything.

A dense, heavy silence settled in.

-What happened? I couldn't see anything!

Eldren's voice broke the silence, muffled by the arm he was using to shield his eyes from the dust.

Nobody answered.

-Why won't anyone answer? What's going on?

Silence.

Eldren opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the dust still floating in the air. And as the image cleared little by little, his expression changed.

-Don't tell me...

Joshido said nothing.

His fists were tight and his eyes were locked on the spot where Yuzo had fallen, waiting for the dust to finish clearing. Not moving. Not blinking.

Then a laugh came.

Low at first. Then clearer.

-It was only a matter of time before this happened.

Yusaro.

From the rubble emerged Kaosuru first. Dust on his clothes, the expression of someone not used to things not going their way.

-I'm surrounded by useless beings.

And then, from that same rubble, Yuzo appeared.

It showed on every part of his body. The impact had been hard. There was no hiding it.

Heliya looked at him.

-He took a lot of damage. He won't be able to keep fighting. We need to get him out of there.

Kaosuru moved away from him without looking at him.

-Yusaro! Finish him right now! Torture him until there's nothing left!

Yusaro smiled.

Not a normal smile. Something darker than that.

-It'll be a pleasure.

-Yuzo, watch out! Move! -Mozir shouted.

But Yuzo barely had the strength to stay on his feet.

Looks like I still have a long way to go with controlling my speed. What a problem.

The red chains reached him before he could do anything. They coiled around his body, tightening, covering every part of him until there was no space left.

Yusaro extended his arms.

-Chains of lament... manifest.

The color changed.

The red scarlet faded, shifting into a dark violet that pulsed with something that didn't seem like just power.

-It changed color again?! -said Naiden, unable to believe it-. Another ability? This is dangerous.

Renir watched everything in silence, looking for the right moment. If he went in now the chains would grab him too. He had to wait.

-Flames of eternal torture.

The chains began to cover themselves in flames of a light violet that burned without making a sound.

-These flames -said Yusaro with a calm that sent chills- won't burn your body. But you'll feel like they are.

The flames reached Yuzo.

And Yuzo screamed.

The pain had no physical explanation. It wasn't the pain of a hit or a wound. It was something that came from inside, that filled every part of him with nowhere to hide.

And then the illusions began.

His father. His mother. Standing in front of him, arms open, waiting.

Yuzo tried to reach them.

But every time he moved forward, they moved further away. Like the distance between them grew no matter how much he ran.

When he finally got close enough to touch them, his parents turned to ash that the air carried away without a trace.

From the outside, the others watched the flames cover every part of Yuzo's body.

Kaosuru smiled from where he was.

-Good. Keep going until there's nothing left of him.

And then the chains shattered.

All of them. At the same time.

Kaosuru frowned.

-What's happening?

Yusaro didn't understand either. His eyes searched for an explanation.

And then he saw it.

Joshido was standing in front of him.

No warning. No words. Just a direct hit to the face that sent Yusaro crashing into the wall with a force that shook what was left of the hall.

Renir blinked.

-When? When did he move? He was right next to me... how did I not see him?

-You... -said Kaosuru through his teeth, barely holding back the irritation-. Don't get involved or the same will happen to you. Or worse.

Joshido didn't look at him.

Didn't hear him.

Every bit of his attention was on his brother.

He broke the remaining chains off his body, lifted him and carried him back to where the others were without saying a single word.

Yusaro got to his feet slowly.

He wiped the blood from his lip.

-That was a good hit. -His presence began to rise-. I'm going to kill you and everyone with you.

Joshido set Yuzo down with the others.

He turned.

His presence rose all at once, making itself felt in every corner of what was left of the hall.

-You have my word that I'll finish this in an instant.