Hello everyone! This is the start of a new chapter! Chapter 8! I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter! Without further ado, let's start!
Normal POV
Kamui had lost his fight with Tetsu but it had been a well fought one as Misaki went up to fight Asaka. Aichi had been watching their fights despite the pain he was feeling in his head as Kai checked on him.
" Tokura will win this and you'll have to fight Ren. Can you really do it?" Kai ask
" Yeah..."
" I'll find a way to keep you calm during that. So just concentrate on your fight." Kai said
Aichi nodded as Misaki was soon clinching her win against Asaka. When she did, the crowd cheered loudly as he winced again.
" Aichi!"
" I'm fine..." Aichi assured as he looked over to Kai, " Can you... do that again? Before I go up..."
" 'That'?"
Aichi made a motion on his ears as Kai immediately understood and cupped his hands over Aichi's ears again. Aichi took a few deep breaths to calm himself before nodding to Kai. He then stood up and went outside with Kamui and Shin to congratulate Misaki. That was when he felt a familiar wave of power.
" I know I felt it... Ren-san's Psyqualia..." Aichi thought
" Brother Aichi, are you really gonna be okay?" Kamui ask
" Yeah, don't worry... I'll get this over with quickly." Aichi assured
" Don't push yourself too hard." Misaki said
" I won't."
Aichi went up to the table as he placed his deck on it, briefly replying and ignoring Ren's taunt about Psyqualia's power before the match was declared to begin.
" Stand up, Vanguard!"
" Stand up the Vanguard!"
Ren then activated his Psyqualia to taunt Aichi again with his images as Aichi pushed them away.
" Aichi-kun, you could see it too, couldn't you? My road to victory... You, too, will be brought to your knees as everything goes my way. Did you recall it a little bit...? The power of Psyqualia..." Ren said
" I don't need to be reminded of it..." Aichi said
Is that so? But I know how to torment you even more... Let's see how long you can last with this many people surrounding us. After all, you can't handle their noises.
" ... For a non-Shaman, he caught on to this quickly... Kai-kun's act of closing the curtains yesterday must've been related to this... Someone reported what happened to me to Ren-san... It's true that it hurts, but it's nothing I can't handle..." Aichi thought
Ren drew his card as he rode Blaster Javelin and added Blaster Dark to his hand, ending his turn.
" Draw! I ride Marron! Wingal Brave moves! Gancelot's skill!" Aichi declared, returning Gancelot back to the deck to add Blaster Blade to his hand, " Call! Knight of Friendship, Kay! I attack Blaster Javelin!"
" No guard."
" Drive trigger check." Aichi declared, flipping the top card as it came out blank, " Wingal Brave boosts! Knight of Friendship, Kay attacks!"
" I guard with Abyss Freezer."
With that, Aichi's turn had ended as Ren drew his card for his own turn.
" Swallow everything up in darkness, my avatar! I ride Blaster Dark! Call. Skull Witch, Nemain. Counterblast." Ren declared as he discarded a card from his hand to draw another two, " Call. Demon World Castle, DonnerSchlag, attack Knight of Friendship, Kay!"
Aichi had no choice but to let the attack through as Kay was placed into his drop zone.
" I attack Marron with Blaster Dark." Ren declared
" No guard!"
" Check the drive trigger." Ren declared as the card he flipped was a blank, " And now, I think I'll let you taste it again... The power you turned your back on! So... picture it... Blaster Dark... mowing you down with his sword!"
As Ren's Psyqualia activated to make him see and feel the image, Blaster Dark's attack sliced Aichi as he screamed in slight pain before he was back in reality, clutching the area he felt the slice before moving his hand to his deck.
" D-Damage check..." Aichi declared as his card also turned up blank
" With a boost from Gururubau, I attack with Skull Witch, Nemain." Ren declared
" No guard!"
Another damage fell into Aichi's damage zone as he clenched his teeth.
" It appears that my Psyqualia is growing stronger. And for that purpose..." Ren said
" His imagination has gotten stronger too...!" Aichi exclaimed
" You've never felt so powerless and humiliated, have you? This power really is wonderful, don't you agree? This is Psyqualia, the power that you rejected." Ren chuckled
" ... I didn't really reject that power. It's definitely strong, but it's also why I don't want to lose myself to it like you have, Ren-san. That's why I'll..." Aichi said as he drew his card, " Stand up, my avatar! I ride Blaster Blade! I'll refuse to use it, for the sake of not losing myself to it and I'll fight with everything I've got! Counterblast! DonnerSchlag exits the field! And I call."
Aichi place Marron behind his Vanguard while Bedivere was called to his left rear guard circle.
" Marron, please! With his boost, Blaster Blade attacks! Drive check! Critical trigger! I give the power to Bedivere! And I give the critical to Blaster Blade!" Aichi declared
" Do you really think you can win against me when I'm using Psyqualia?" Ren ask
" You had trampled on Kai-kun's feelings, when he desperately tried to bring you back. That's just wrong." Aichi said
As the attack went through, Ren's damage check revealed blanks. On Bedivere's attack, he drew a heal trigger and healed one damage point, bringing his damage to 3.
" You really thought you dealt me three damage this turn, didn't you? But I've already foresaw this from the beginning. Now I know that it's not Psyqualia that you're rejecting. It's me." Ren said as he drew his card, " Cursed dragon, come out and muster your dark power! I ride Phantom Blaster Dragon!"
" With Blaster Dark in its soul, Phantom Blaster Dragon gains another 1000 power..." Aichi muttered
" Call. Here I go, Aichi-kun. Phantom Blaster Dragon's skill... Damned Charging Lance. Nemain, Gururubau, Darkside Trumpeter!" Ren declared
The crowd started cheering loudly as the pain in Aichi's head returned and he started wincing, holding in gasps of pain while Ren retired his three rear guards.
Interesting... The power fills up inside my body just as it does with Phantom Blaster Dragon...
" Ren-san's Psyqualia power keeps increasing in power...!" Aichi thought
" Then I put a Phantom Blaster Dragon here too." Ren declared as he placed the card in his left rear guard circle, " And now, I'm going to move. I attack with my Vanguard, Phantom Blaster Dragon!"
" I guard with... Alabaster Owl...! Starcall Trumpeter...! I also intercept with Bedivere...!" Aichi declared
" Check the drive trigger. Second check. I got a critical trigger. I give all the effects to my rear guard Phantom Blaster Dragon. Phantom Blaster Dragon... attacks Blaster Blade!" Ren declared
" ... No guard!"
" Picture it..." Ren said as he activated his Psyqualia
Aichi was dragged into another image as Phantom Blaster Dragon now stood over him and grabbed him before slowly crushing him while he struggled to break free. Ren appeared behind him.
" Can't move, can you? What do you think, Aichi-kun? Frustrating, isn't it? You want to get stronger, don't you? There's only one way to do that." Ren taunted
Aichi's Psyqualia forcefully activated as the image and voices of the cards started to appear.
" N... No!"
He broke free from Phantom Blaster Dragon's grip as he fell onto the ground.
" Why? If you used it, you could be strong again... Aichi-kun, don't you want revenge for last night? You remember, don't you? I trampled him, made him look stupid and pathetic... He could do nothing but surrender... I'm talking about that loser, Kai." Ren taunted again
" Don't... talk about Kai-kun... that way...!" Aichi growled
" How passionate. Burning anger is good... But it's pointless. Right now, you have no power. No matter how much you crave revenge, you can't gain it. Right?" Ren ask
Before he knew it, Phantom Blaster Dragon's sword had came down on him as Aichi was back in reality again, screaming in pain once more.
" Aichi!"
Kai's eyes had widened by that time as the aura around Aichi was growing by the minutes. Miwa's sweat dripped nervously as he also continued to observe the growing aura. Keijin just stared at it critically as he grunted in slight frustration.
" Grandson..."
" ... Damage check..." Aichi declared as the first came out as blank, " Second check..."
The second damage turned up blank as well.
" Turn end."
Aichi shook his head to rid the pain he was feeling as he panted.
" Stand and draw...! See the king in his younger days, as he blazes a trail with his knights! I ride... Alfred Early! Next, the King of Knights' sworn ally stands at his side! I superior call Blaster Blade! Exit the field, Phantom Blaster Dragon!" Aichi declared
Phantom Blaster Dragon was put into the drop zone as Ren scoffed.
" Silly. You'll never beat me with weak units like that." Ren said
Being already on the edge of losing control, Aichi felt his Psyqualia activating from the myriad of emotions he was feeling as he quickly shook it off.
Impending danger and anger are the keys to activating his Psyqualia... And if you use Psyqualia... you'll become what you were. That's right. You'll become what you most detest. That being said, you still won't win. Psyqualia has told me that victory is mine. I can control everything, from the direction of the fight and what happens to you.
" He's going to target my emotions... at this point of time when they are the most frazzled..." Aichi thought
" I'm sure Kai feels bitter, too. His friend won't avenge him, or even try to get stronger... But I guess there's nothing for it, huh? In the end, both you and Kai are insects. You're powerless against me. Being crushed by me is inevitable." Ren taunted
He's gonna lose.
How pathetic.
Why is he even in the Nationals?
With the combination of the voices in his head, Ren's taunting and his Psyqualia leaking out, Aichi finally cracked under the pressure. Kai gasped out a little as he saw the aura reeling back into Aichi.
" Aichi... Did he control it...?" Kai thought as he squinted his eyes, " But that..."
" Kai. He didn't reel it in to regain control." Ophy said
" Ophy..."
" He's losing control. He's been tormented by Ren's Psyqualia, his taunts and the voices in his head. If we let this go on any longer, everything will burst from his body all at once. He'll give birth to an Oni like we've never seen before." Ophy said
" No..."
" ... I'm not going to take anymore from you." Aichi said as he pulled a card from his hand and his Psyqualia activated, " Light isn't the only thing standing beside him. Darkness also stands beside the King of Knights. Stand, my avatar! I call... Blaster Dark!"
" Blaster Dark?!"
" But that's from..." Kamui exclaimed
" Shadow Paladins!" Misaki exclaimed
Kai felt a sweat drip down his cheek as the aura that was reeled back had came back out, stronger than before.
" Aichi...!"
" I have a bad feeling about this..." Misaki said
" Yeah. The last time Brother used that deck, it changed him. But we've confirmed that he only did that to..." Kamui trailed off
" No... It's different this time..." Kai muttered
" With a boost from Wingal Brave, Blaster Blade attacks." Aichi declared
" Guard! Death Feather Eagle..."
" With a boost from Marron, Alfred Early attacks your Vanguard." Aichi declared
" No guard."
" Twin drive... First check. Second check... Draw trigger. I give the power to Blaster Dark." Aichi declared, drawing another card
Ren's damage check revealed a blank. Aichi's eyes had a dark look as he glanced over to Blaster Dark and placed his hands on the card.
" You'll lend me your power again, won't you? It's your turn to attack now. Let's use our power to make Ren-san feel helplessness... and despair." Aichi said
His Psyqualia swirled in his eyes as the aura around him intensified. Ren was dragged into his image as he was sliced by Blaster Dark before he looked up at Aichi after going back to reality.
" There you go, Aichi-kun. You've become what you hated the most. So you finally used Psyqualia, eh? But you're still going to lose this fight. That's what Psyqualia tells me." Ren declared
" Have you ever fought against another person that possess Psyqualia? This is a fight without precedent. Neither one of us knows what's going to happen. You may be the one who'll feel despair and humiliation." Aichi said, his face void of emotions
Kai gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist, walking over to the door.
" Kai?"
" I can't stand watching this..." Kai muttered as Ophy slithered around him, " Ophy, lend me your power."
" ... Alright."
" This isn't a suitable medium, but... it's enough to draw out power to reach him." Kai thought, taking out a small snake pendant around his pocket
In an instant, Ophy integrated with the pendant as snake arms acted as an extension of Kai's own arms, slowly slithering towards Aichi, avoiding the frantic Zenki and Goki.
" ... Stop! Aichi!" Kai shouted
Aichi flinched as he turned his head to Kai.
" Kai-kun...?"
" Listen to me, Aichi Sendou! That's not the real you! Remember your fight with me, Aichi! Don't lose your true self!" Kai shouted
Aichi clenched his eyes shut afterwards as the pain of the voices in his head and Psyqualia started pounding it.
" No! At this rate, I'll...!" Aichi thought
A cold feeling reached out to cup his ears, but a familiar beat was heard from it. Aichi slowly opened his eyes enough to notice the snake arms on his ears.
" This is Kai-kun's..." Aichi muttered
" If you aren't the real Aichi-kun, then who is? Hungry for power, seeking to become stronger than anyone... That is certainly the true Aichi-kun that's lurking within you. Yes, the same as me!" Ren said
" The true me..."
He started to reject Psyqualia again, struggling to push it down as his aura turned smaller.
" Aichi..."
" ... Final Turn!"
Ren drew his card after his declaration as his Psyqualia flared.
" It seems that what Psyqualia showed me... was absolutely correct. Crying out in despair in the chaos that is silence... The power of shadowy darkness, obscuring all vision, is mine. I crossride... Phantom Blaster Overlord!" Ren declared
The crowd roared in another bout of cheers as Aichi focused on the beats coming from the snake arms.
" Phantom Blaster Overlord's skill adds another 2000 power. As long as there's a Phantom Blaster Dragon in the Soul, this power will last forever! Call... With a boost from Grim Reaper, Phantom Blaster Overlord... Persona Blast! And counterblast... another additional 10000 power and an extra critical!" Ren declared
" 28000 power! And a 2 critical! At this rate, I..." Aichi muttered before shaking his head, " No! I will guard! Lien! Kay! Llew! Margal!"
" You don't want power? Then you're powerless to stop me. Realize your own stupidity. First check... I got a heal trigger. I add 5000 power to Phantom Blaster Overlord! And I heal one damage. Check... I got a draw trigger. The power will be added to Phantom Blaster Overlord and draw." Ren declared
" I don't believe it..." Aichi exclaimed
" It's over!" Ren sneered
Aichi was once again dragged into his image as Phantom Blaster Overlord destroyed his guardians and was now lifting his sword against Aichi.
" It's like I said... The powerless fall into despair, and... those with power get all the glory." Ren said
The sword plunged through Aichi as he screamed in pain again and held onto the table for support.
" But it's... not over yet... Damage trigger... check!" Aichi declared as his first check appeared as blank and he placed it in the damage zone, " Second check..."
As soon as he flipped the card, his eyes brightened up while Ren's eyes widened.
" What?!"
" Heal trigger! I add the power of 5000 to Alfred Early and heal one damage!" Aichi declared
" ... Turn end..."
" I can still fight... But which of my selves... is going to fight?" Aichi wondered
His Psyqualia activated again as he reached out for the top card of his deck to draw. He remembered what had happened yesterday at the Foo Fighter building as he smiled a little.
" No... We're one and the same, so we're fighting as one." Aichi said as he drew his card, " This is... Right, yeah... The real me is... Light and darkness become one... and then true power is born! I ride Majesty Lord Blaster! Blaster Dark! Attack Fatalita!"
Fatalita was sent to the drop zone afterwards.
" With a boost from Wingal Brave, Blaster Blade attacks Phantom Blaster Overlord!" Aichi declared
" No guard."
Ren then checked for a damage trigger but it was a blank.
" I don't like this... Light and shadow... Using both knights..." Ren said
" They're both me. Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark are both my avatars. The me that thirsted for power and the me that hated the thought... Both of them are me! With a boost from Marron, Majesty Lord Blaster attacks! Majesty Lord Blaster's skill! Blaster Blade and Blade Dark go to the Soul!" Aichi declared
He briefly remembered how both cards of light and darkness from Suiko merged to become Majesty Lord Blaster and smiled again.
" Majesty Lord Blaster gets 10000 power! On top of that, Majesty Lord Blaster's skill! Thanks to the power of Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark in the Soul, Majesty Lord Blaster gets 2000 power and an extra critical!" Aichi declared
" How...? Royal Paladins and Shadow Paladins are supposed to oppose each other... Yet both sides are giving him power?!" Ren exclaimed
" This is the power of Majesty Lord Blaster. This card told me that though the two sides are usually in opposition, true strength lies in recognizing that fact." Aichi said as he dragged Ren into an image, " The me that's addicted to Psyqualia is a nasty guy who looks down on people, but that's not Psyqualia's fault. That kind of person was inside of me. I tried to reject that part of myself. But even that is the real me. So I'm done rejecting you too, Ren-san."
" What?"
" It must be the same with you. There are two Ren-sans. Just as I've accepted my two selves... I accept you, too, Ren-san. Because I think that's what true strength is!" Aichi said
" ... Stop it!"
Ren forcefully ejected himself from Aichi's image.
" Ren-san!"
" Shut your mouth! No more! Guard!" Ren declared, throwing down three cards for a total of 33000 guard, " I don't need your acceptance. Go ahead and reject me. I don't accept anyone, either!"
" ... Twin drive..." Aichi declared, flipping the top card as it revealed a blank, " Second check..."
He flipped the card and smiled.
" Picture it. Two fighters recognizing each other as comrades, helping each other, understanding each other! ... Critical trigger! I give all of the effects to Majesty Lord Blaster!" Aichi declared
" ... Comrades that help each other..." Ren muttered as he remembered his time with a young Kai and Tetsu, " Comrades..."
Aichi observed through his image as Ren went through his memories of his former self, smiling to himself.
" He never forgot his former self, either..." Aichi thought
Majesty Lord Blaster's absorbed the dark aura surrounding Ren as he turned and saw Aichi.
" Ren-san..."
" Aichi-kun..."
Aichi grabbed his wrist just as Ren was falling back as he saw an image of Kai's younger self telling him to return. In reality, Majesty Lord Blaster's attack hit as the last damage fell onto Ren's damage zone.
" I lost..."
Aichi was declared the winner as he kept his eyes on Ren before finally seeing a genuine smile from him for the first time.
" Brother!"
Aichi turned behind to see Kamui and Misaki running up to him while Ophy had returned to Kai's side.
" You did it, Aichi!" Misaki said
" At last... At last, we... Team Q4 won! I... I..." Kamui cried out
Aichi glanced behind Kamui to see Shin grinning and giving him a peace sign as he smiled at Kamui's cry.
" Kamui-kun..."
Behind their backs, Kai also genuinely smiled after seeing that Ren was finally back to normal.
" Aichi, you saved Ren... Thank you." Kai muttered
Stepping back, he allowed the three to receive their medals and trophies before they exited the stadium together.
" What are you going to do now?" Misaki ask
" I'm probably gonna go see Gouki and the others." Kamui said
" I... I think I have some business to attend to." Aichi said
Kai looked over to where Aichi was looking at as he noticed Keijin waiting beside a car.
" ... Let's go." Kai said
" Huh? O-Okay..."
He said his goodbyes to everyone as he followed Kai to where Keijin was, hiding behind Kai's back.
" You have a lot of explaining to do." Kai said
" Yes, yes."
They entered the car as Miwa immediately slipped into it with them, grinning.
" Miwa!"
" I couldn't ignore this!" Miwa said
Kai sighed as the car drove off to Keijin's mansion. Aichi yawned as they drew nearer to the mansion.
" Jeez, I almost panicked there! Your spirits were going crazy too! I really thought I'd have to fight a real Oni!" Miwa exclaimed
" Sorry..."
Aichi patted the spirit balls of Zenki and Goki to calm them down again as they soon arrived at the mansion.
" Follow me." Keijin said
They exited the car and followed Keijin to another room. As soon as he opened it, they were greeted with the sight of a shrine at the back of the room with a candles illuminating the path they walked on.
" This is..."
" This is the old shrine of the Asakuras. It contains the greatest technique of our ancestor, Hao Asakura. And it now also contains important mediums for you, Aichi." Keijin explained
" Huh?"
" Zenki and Goki were spirits that safeguarded this technique from outsiders. Seeing that they were passed onto you by our ancestor, it seems you were meant to have this. But first, I had to make sure that you were ready for it because of the great power you were trying so hard to control. However, you've succeeded the worst of its trial and it's time." Keijin said
Miwa helped Aichi to carry the trophy and medal in his hands as Aichi walked forward to Keijin as he opened the doors of the shrine. Taking out an old, crusted book, he handed it to Aichi.
" This is... a book?" Aichi wondered
" The Chou Senji Rakketsu. The book contains spells used by our ancestor. In fact, many others not from our bloodline in the past had mastered the spells. That's why I'm not hesitant to allow your friends to see it as well. They might need its strength one day." Keijin said
" But we..." Miwa said
" Kid, you've used a good Oversoul with your spirit just now. But you didn't have a good medium." Keijin said
" Oh... yeah."
" But you knew the concept. Your black snake must associate with something related to it. A mere pendant of a snake isn't enough, it has to be something more significant for a snake. And you, your spirit is fox, you'll need something associated with a fox." Keijin said
" If you just say it like that... How do we even do that?" Miwa ask
" Where did you spirits come from?" Keijin ask
" Huh? Well... handed down, I guess." Miwa said
" Then your parents must have had something for your mediums. They just wanted to test whether you two are ready to use them." Keijin said
" I can ask but Kai..." Miwa said
" ... I don't know if my parents had left it for me... They... died in a car accident..." Kai said
Aichi gasped inwardly and turned to Kai in his shock.
" I never saw their spirits either, so maybe they'd passed on without my knowledge." Kai said
" Kai-kun..."
" Try to remember again. I'm sure they had left something for you. You just don't want to remember." Keijin said
Kai remained silent as Keijin got Aichi's attention again and directed it to the shrine.
" Go on and take that." Keijin said
" R-Right..."
Aichi walked towards the shrine and removed the thing that was inside and looked at it.
" Beads?"
" Not just any beads. Anna-sama used these beads to make Zenki and Goki her spirits when they had to fight Hao-sama in the last Shaman Fight many, many years ago. It will become your medium for Zenki and Goki. Those 1080 beads had been catalysts of desires of souls when Anna-sama had summoned an Oh-Oni when she lost control in the past. They are yours now." Keijin said
" ... Okay..."
Aichi unraveled the beads as he looked at the bright white beads connected to each other by a string.
" Whether you'll use them to similarly subdue Zenki and Goki like she did with the book's spell, is up to you. But as far as I see it, they aren't hostile to you like they had been when they were guarding the book." Keijin said
" Of course I won't do that. Zenki and Goki have been really good, other than a tad bit overprotective..." Aichi said
" A tad bit...?" Kai muttered as he remembered the time he had Zenki's battle axe in front of his face
" Oh, but..."
Aichi looked at his third spirit.
" Can you show it to us?" Keijin ask
" Okay..."
He nodded and spoke to the third spirit as it went into an Oversoul form.
" ... God class spirit...!" Keijin exclaimed
" Huh...?"
" Aichi, do you know what this guy is?!" Miwa ask
" H-Huh?"
" This is the God class spirit, Shamash!" Keijin exclaimed
" S-Shamash?"
" It was used in the previous Shaman Fight by the Iron Maiden Jeanne... Although it's widely used for its torture devices, it's a God class that can heal and revive the dead as well!" Keijin exclaimed
" Aichi, you're majorly powerful if you can handle all three at once!" Miwa exclaimed
" Ah... I..."
" If you don't feel comfortable with the torture devices part of its power, then don't use it unless you feel like you have to." Kai said
" Right..."
" Let's see, Shamash's medium, huh? It was the headpiece of the Iron Maiden, but it's never been seen for some time now." Keijin said
" Then maybe something similar to Shamash...?" Miwa wondered
" Uh..."
Aichi then noticed the book that Shamash carries around as he blinked.
" Shamash... Justice and Sun... A book? Maybe a book associated with Shamash?" Aichi ask
" That's it!"
" I have much history in the library. I'll have someone look for it and bring it to you." Keijin said
" Okay..."
Keijin went off to order someone for the book as Aichi looked at the old book in his hands.
" The Chou Senji Rakketsu, huh? I heard it is pretty powerful spells, but..." Miwa said
" Do we really have to use it one day?" Kai wondered
" I hope we don't. But... I'm willing to train and become stronger if I have to." Aichi said
" Then I'm gonna join too! It seems interesting too!" Miwa said
" ... I think I will too. I want to grow stronger with Ophy." Kai said
" Kai-kun... Miwa-kun..."
" We're buddies, Aichi! And we're here to help you in a time of need!" Miwa said
" ... Yeah!"
" Don't say it like we're going to have to fight with our spirits so soon." Kai said
" Come on! It's just a matter of speech!" Miwa said
Kai sighed as Aichi looked forward to his extended time with Miwa and Kai as Shamans and friends.
And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!