'No. No. Nonononono!' Kūgo thought in horror as he strained his senses in all directions, unable to feel nothing but the spiritual energies of Koga and Jin behind him.
However, he also felt even more Shinigami rushing to their location, staring in sadness at the burning manor in front of him before cursing as Cross turned back into a necklace.
Putting it on and spinning around, Kūgo picked up both Koga and Jin, racing low across the ground like a bullet as he felt the Shinigami arriving at the estate.
His legs burned as he strained them to go as fast as he could, gritting his teeth as he felt the Shinigami's fading away.
As soon as he got out of range, the ground imploded as Kūgo leapt upwards, coating his entire body in Bringer Light before carving through the sky like a neon-green meteor.
'How? How did they get past Dad's threads? There should be a secret pathway that only those of the family know about.'
"Hey, wait! Stop or we will attack!" Kūgo's eyes widened as he heard shouting behind him, turning around and cursing at the sight of the Shinigami reinforcements rushing through the air after him.
He could have chalked it up to coincidence that they managed to find him, but the fact that they were able to find in just under a minute after he managed to get out of their range…
'Yeah, something is definitely not right here.' Kūgo thought with a frown as he spun around whilst throwing Koga and Jin high into the air, ripping Cross from his neck and making it transform into its sword form as he watched them all look up.
"Rising Currents!" Kūgo chanted as he swung Cross in a wide arc, the air in front of him rippling before a storm of sharp airblades shot out, the Shinigami quickly looking right before the few at the front were cut into ribbons.
Kūgo didn't care for the shock and horror from the Shinigami as he rushed forward, Cross of Scaffold glowing brightly with energy as he ducked under the panicked slash of the first Shinigami he stopped in front.
"Funnel!" Kūgo chanted while swinging his blade upwards, the Shinigami's face stuck in horror as a crimson line slowly appeared down his middle before a monstrous tornado erupted from his body and tore up the ones near them.
The Fullbringer didn't care for the few that leapt away from his attack as he dove out of his tornado and caught both Koga and Jin as they fell back down, dismissing the energy platforms and falling to the floor at a blistering face while suppressing his energy as much as he could.
Landing in an alleyway with a loud thud, Kūgo rushed out of it while ducking and moving around the people walking past, who were probably surprised to see two floating bodies rushing past them.
However, the Fullbringer didn't have time to think about that as he dove into the back door of a building in the alleway in front of him, taking deep breaths while crouching low as he felt the Shinigami all spreading out.
He didn't know how long it was, but his body sunk in relief as he felt the Shinigami finally rushing away, taking deep breaths while sitting down next to the still unconscious Jin and Koga.
"Hah…hah…I need to get back home."
"Hey, man. I took Tsuki back home, but you need to explain wh-What happened?!" Shiki's expression instantly shifted to concern as Kūgo stumbled into the room, still tired as he dropped Koga and Jin onto the sofa in his living room.
"Shinigami…attacked the house. Dad…dad got taken." Kūgo whispered as he fell to his knees, Shiki's eyes widening in panic as he shook his head.
"That's…that's impossible. They said…they said you guys were okay." That drew Kūgo's attention as he looked up to his friend, frowning as he saw the man pacing around with the panicked look on his face.
"What…what do you mean by 'They said you guys were okay'? Did…did you know this was going to happen?" Kūgo asked with a growl as he stood up, Shiki stopping his pacing before sighing as he saw the glare in his friend's eyes.
'Former friend now. Lying will probably make him kill me.'
"I…I didn't know it was going to happen, but I did hear rumours of it from my former colleagues."
"You said you weren't talking with your former colleagues. You said you couldn't talk to Shinigami anymore ever since your powers disappeared. Did…did you lie to me, Shiki? Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't lie to me." Kūgo spoke with a slightly pleading tone in his eyes, his eyes widening as his friend simply looked away with a frown on his face.
"…Some of my powers began to return a few weeks ago like being able to see and talk to spirits and being able to interact with them. That's all."
"I can't believe you! Then, were you the one who showed them the secret passageway?" Kūgo asked as the necklace around his neck began to glow, Shiki frowning before Kūgo's eyes widened as the man pointed at the wooden badge attached to the side of his physical body that was sleeping at the dining table.
"That's how. It's…it's a surveillance device disguised as a tool to help Substitute Shinigami. It limits your powers while also allowing us to track and monitor you at all times."
"So…so, you've been treating me like a prisoner? You…you've not only been weakening me for the past two months but also decided to defile my privacy by secretly monitoring me like a fucking lab rat?!" Kūgo exclaimed and Shiki's eyes widened as the Fullbringer's Reiatsu made the room tremble.
"L-Listen, Kūgo! I didn't have a choice, okay?! A non-Shinigami that's on the same level as a lieutenant showed up in the town under my jurisdiction and I didn't know if you were friend or foe! So, I asked my leaders and they told me to do so so we can make sure what you are!"
"Oh, so you never trusted me from the start, huh?! I see how it is! You know, I thought you would have been the different one out of all the Shinigami that didn't trust me, but now I see you bastards care only about yourselves!"
"I don't care about myself! I care about the safety of those weaker than me that I know I can protect so if it means I lose one friendship in order to make sure you're not a threat, then yes! I would do the same thing over again!" Shiki shouted back, Kūgo freezing in his place before Shiki's eyes widened as he registered his words.
"W-Wait, Kūgo. That's…that's not what I me-!"
"Fuck off." Kūgo cut him off, Shiki blinking as the man stared at him with a cold gaze.
"What?"
"For the sake of what little friendship is left between us, I'm giving you the chance to fuck off right now before I lose my patience and cut your neck open."
"H-Heh, you…you don't mean tha-!" Shiki froze as he felt pain on his neck, slowly reaching up and touching his neck before pulling his hand back to reveal scarlet stains on his fingers.
"That's the one and only warning you have left. Get out of my fucking house."
"…Fine. I'll do that." Shiki muttered as he walked past Kūgo, the Fullbringer looking forward as he heard the door close and Shiki's energy slowly walking away.
"FUCK!" Kūgo roared while sending his Reiatsu in all directions, the energy harmlessly passing over the resting forms of Jin and Koga while the walls of his apartment cracked & trembled.
"Hah…hah…hah…fuck."
"So…that's why you hate Shinigami?" Riruka asked with a sorrowful look as all of Xcution had sat around to listen to the story, Kūgo sighing as he nodded while rubbing the necklace around his neck.
"Yeah, that's why I hate them."
"And what happened to Jin, Koga and Shiki?" Chad asked and Kūgo gave a sad smile as he shook his head.
"When Jin woke up and I explained everything to him, he thought it was my fault that Dad was taken away and cut off all ties with me and everything to do with me."
"Wait, what? But you didn't know about anything." Riruka spoke with a frown and Kūgo nodded.
"I didn't, but I know Jin enough that when he decides on something, he won't change his mind. After Koga woke up, the two of them left and I haven't seen them since. Shiki on the other hand vanished a few days later, but from the Shinigami that I felt around him, he was probably taken back to the Soul Society for questioning."
"I see. You know, I knew your life was a shitty one, but I didn't think it was that bad." Jackie spoke with a frown and Kūgo gave a chuckle before shrugging.
"I don't like talking about it. Besides, it's in the past and Dad left me a bit of money to start a new life, which is what I did with the hideout. I bought this apartment complex and up until a few years ago, I was renting out most of the rooms apart from the ones that we used to make the hideout."
"Hmm, you know, I thought that you were a guy that hated Shinigami for no reason, but I see you are much more complex than I initially thought, Sir Kūgo."
"I thank you for the praise, Giriko. So, Chad, now that you know everything there is to know about me, what are you going to do now?" Kūgo asked while turning to the tall teen, who frowned as he looked at the leader before Kūgo raised an eyebrow as Chad stood up.
"I want you to meet Ichigo."
"Did he…did he not listen to the story?" Yukio whispered to Riruka with a confused look on his face, who looked just as confused and concerned while Kūgo frowned as he looked at the teenager.
"And what, then?"
"Well, if you still don't like him after meeting him, then we'll cut ties and we won't bother the other ever again."
"And I do end up liking him somewhat?"
"That's for you to decide. All I ask is that you talk to him and give him a chance. You'll find that he's not like the others." Chad said with a nod and Kūgo looked up at the teen before shocking everyone as he sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"You going to keep asking me until I do agree?"
"That was the plan."
"Hah, fine. Let me meet the guy." Kūgo muttered and Chad smiled and nodded as he took out his phone before scrolling to Ichigo's number and pressing it.
"Yo, Chad. What's up, bud?"
"Hey, can you meet me at the Spot? I have someone here who wants to meet you."
"Hey, Chad. I'm guessing this is the guy that wants to meet me?" Ichigo asked with a stoic look aimed at Kūgo, who looked composed while Chad nodded as the three of them stood under a crossing bridge that had cars driving to and fro over their heads.
"Yes. Ichigo, this is Kūgo Ginjo, the leader of the Xcution group I've been training with. Kūgo, this is my friend Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami."
"His best friend." Ichigo corrected and Kūgo snorted as Chad smiled.
"My best friend, yes."
"That's right. So, what did you want with me?"
"Nothing much. Just simply wanted to see the friend that Chad would defend to the point that he nearly wanted to fight us." Kūgo said and Ichigo blinked as he looked at Chad, smirking as he saw his friend nodding.
"You're my best friend. If anyone talks bad about you, they have to deal with me."
"Same, bud. Same. So, now that you've meet me, what do you need?" Ichigo asked and Kūgo raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.
"Why would you ask a stranger what they need? Don't you have your own concerns to worry about."
"I do, but when I see someone in need, it wouldn't see right to not give them a helping hand."
"What if it means you'll have to break your moral code? What if that help is that stranger wanting you to kill someone?"
"Then, I'll talk them down from it. Whatever someone did to you doesn't mean that you need to take their life for it."
"What if that person killed the one person you cared about in the world?"
"Then, it is a shame that you lost your loved one, but killing that person won't bring them back. In fact, if you knew that your loved one didn't want that to happen, you would be doing nothing more than spitting on the good memories that you have of them." Ichigo answered with a smile and Kūgo looked at him with a frown.
"You're unbearably naive."
"Heh, I think I am…but I also believe that naivety is something the world needs with all the negativity in society nowadays. Otherwise, we'd all just be grumpy bastards that want to beat the shit out of each other."
"Hmm, you're all right, Kurosaki."
"Same to you, Ginjo, but if you try and hurt Chad, I'm going to find you and I will beat the shit out of you."
"Ha! You can try. Chad, I can see why you like this idiot so much."
"Oi! Who the hell you calling an idiot, eh?!
"Sure thing. Does this mean…?" Chad trailed off and Kūgo stopped in his tracks before reaching out and patting the teen on the back.
"Yeah, see you for training tomorrow."
"Hey! I wasn't finish shouting at you, bastard!" Ichigo exclaimed as he stomped forward and Chad smirked as Kūgo simply rolled his eyes before vanishing with a flash of light green, the Shinigami grumbling as he couldn't feel the man nearby.
"That's the boss?" Ichigo asked after calming down, Chad smirking as he nodded and the orange-haired teen shook his head as he put his hands in his pocket.
"He's a real piece of work."
"Yeah, he is."
"Hah, but he's a cool guy if anything else. Anyway, I have a few tickets for the karaoke bar in the southern district. Wanna go?" Ichigo asked before chuckling as Chad took one of the tickets and began walking away.
"Wait, we're not singing the theme song to Don Kanonji's show again, okay Chad? Right? …We're singing it again, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are."
"…I'll take the high notes."
A loud boom echoed across the empty rooftop Chad was upon as he pulled his fist back, the smoke from his explosive punch dissipating to reveal his virtual foe lying on the ground with a hole in its chest and its HP flashing red with a zero.
"That's your twentieth win for the day." Yukio said with a hum as he sat a few meters away, Chad nodding with a hum as he pulled his fist before blinking as the air next to him ripped open, cubicle-like objects pulsating on its side before Kūgo walked through with his hands in his jacket pockets.
"So, think he's ready for the final step?" Kūgo asked as the techno-portal closed behind him and Chad looked over to Yukio as the Fullbringer nodded with a hum.
"Yeah, he's beating most of my monsters without even trying so he needs another challenge."
"And since Jackie isn't here and Tsuki is busy with Riruka and Giriko on another grocery run, that means there's only one other person to train with you." Kūgo said with a grin as he took off his necklace, Chad watching with a frown as it glowed before the Cross of Scaffold's sword form appeared in his grasp.
Not saying anything as Brazo Derecha de Gigante adorned Chad's right arm, Kūgo looked at ease as he turned his gaze to Yukio sitting on the sides.
"Yukio, give us both 100% HP, a five minute timer and make the rooftop a bit bigger."
"Sure thing." Yukio said with a bored shrug and pressed a few buttons on his handheld, the building under them growing out more while Chad gave a relieved sigh as he felt his stamina returning.
"You ready?" Kūgo asked with a smirk as he placed one arm behind his back while pointing the tip of his blade at Chad, who nodded as he turned his left side to face Kūgo with his right fist held up while letting his left arm rest at his side.
"Ready." Chad nodded and Kūgo nodded towards Yukio while taking a deep breath.
"Three…two…one…begin!" Yukio said before blinking as both Chad and Kūgo lunged forward, a sparking jab clashing with a torrent of wind that sent out a devastating explosion in all directions.
Chad frowned as he leaned out of the way of a stab at his chest, his body feeling loose and free as he ducked and weaved around the quick thrusts of Kūgo's blade at his body.
The Fullbringer leader looked impressed as he enhanced his speed a bit, watching the quick footwork of Chad as the teen spun around a stab at his side before quickly leaning back as Chad's right arm came around for a hook.
However, he was surprised as a blast of spiritual energy erupted from Chad's right fist instead of his explosion, the shock wave of the blast pushing him towards the ground before he rolled with the force and leapt away from Chad's follow up stomp to his chest.
The teen didn't let that dissuade him as he lunged after his opponent, Kūgo grunting at the heavy cross to his face before wincing as he felt a hard punch to his side from Chad's left fist.
Not wasting any time, a blast of wind erupted from Kūgo's chest and sent both men flying back just as Chad let out an explosion from his left hand, the blast knocking both men through the air before they both flipped over to his feet & lunged back into the battle.
For the first time in a long while, Kūgo was smiling happily as he parried a jab to his face, using his elbow to slap the underside of Chad's right arm and sent the energy blast from it up to the sky before Chad grunted as the man shoulder-bashed him back.
"Funnel!" Kūgo chanted as he swung Cross in a wide arc, a storm of razor winds rushing towards Chad only for Chad to clasp his hands above his head and bring a hammer fist down upon the tornado with a growl.
Immediately, the explosion and energy blast from his fists clashed with the tornado of sharp winds and despite the cuts it caused on his knuckles, Chad grinned as the power from his attack sent the blast curling back towards Kūgo.
The man simply grinned as he swung Cross in a wide arc and Chad's grin turned to a frown as the combination of his and Kūgo's attack was sniffed out by another tornado forming around the man, Kūgo chuckling as he tapped his blade against his shoulder.
"What? You didn't think that would be enough, did you?" Kūgo asked with a grin, Chad sighing as he stood in the air while bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"I was hoping it would."
"Buddy, I'm not even trying against you. Besides, how bad would it look for the leader of the group to lose against the newbie?"
"When the newbie is as strong as I am, not that bad." Chad answered with a shrug and Kūgo smiled in amusement before nodding as he began walking up to him.
"Is that so? Then, let's take it up to the next level." Kūgo said with a smirk and as his body was being covered in a light green aura with winds rapidly spinning around his legs, Chad frowned as his right arm began to give off a dark scarlet hue.
'This might be harder than I thought.' He thought with a frown before his eyes widened and he quickly leaned out of the way as he felt something blasting past his face, a loud ding drawing his attention to his health bar before his eyes widened as he saw that it had gone from 100% to 60%.
"…What?" Chad whispered in shock as he slowly looked back at Kūgo, who grinned as the man stopped in the air a few meters away from him.
"Come on, then. Let's see how well you can dance." With that declaration, Chad's mind went into overdrive as his mind unconsciously covered itself in a bright orange hue, explosions erupting from all over his body as he lunged back just as Kūgo appeared in front of him and tried stabbing him in the eye.
"That could have hurt me!"
"No, all injuries inside the virtual world will be healed the moment Yukio puts your health back at 100%. That's why his world is the best for dangerous training. Now, think of this as no longer just training. This is now a life-or-death battle and I'm going to kill you, so you need to kill me first."
"I can't bring myself to do that." Chad said with a frown and Kūgo shrugged as he rolled his neck.
"Then, dodge." Before Chad could ask, his head leaned back before he could even process what he did, his leg coming up and unleashing a devastating explosion that Kūgo diverted to the side with another wind blast.
"Good! Keep going!" Kūgo exclaimed as he rushed forward and Chad frowned as he did the same, explosions helping with accelerating his movements as he used everything he could to dodge the man's attack.
His body ached all over and it felt as if he had a severe headache that made him want to stop, but there was no stopping the adrenaline pumping through his body as he dashed around Kūgo at a blistering pace.
The man himself looked happy as Chad dodged his attacks while countering with his own, the explosions from the teen's left fist being snuffed out before they could go off while the energy blasts from his right were parried away from his body and off to the side.
'Forget a few years. A few more months of training and I might have to actually try to beat him.' Kūgo thought with an excited smirk as a blast of wind pushed another of Chad's explosions to the sky, but this time, the Fullbringer leader followed it up with a blast of wind aimed at Chad's feet.
The teen's eyes widened as he felt himself stumbling forward before his vision went black as he felt a painful force slamming into his chest, Kūgo smiling apologetically as he caught the teen that looked as if he was coughing his lungs up.
"Hehe~ Sorry about that. Didn't think with that last attack. Are you okay?" Kūgo asked and Chad simply nodded, not daring to speak lest he throw up everything that he ate for the morning.
After it finally felt as if all his organs were in the right place, Chad took a deep yet raspy breath as he stood upright, his eyes flickering to his health bar before wincing as he saw the scarlet 5% flickering at him.
'Oh, he was definitely not holding back.'
"Was that last one…a real attack?"
"If you wondering if I actually tried with that last one, I did. Why? Should I cut back?" Kūgo asked before raising an eyebrow as Chad shook his head before the teen looked at Yukio.
"Yukio, heal me please."
"Okay, but remember that you only have one more left." Yukio warned and Chad nodded before taking a relieved breath as he felt his wounds vanishing, Kūgo smirking as he watched Chad floating backwards.
"You sure?" Kūgo asked as he swung Cross with a flourish before pointing the tip at Chad once more, the teen nodding as he raised both fists and steadied his footing.
"Yeah, you were the one who said I needed more death battle experience, right?"
"Hah, fine. Yukio, start us off."
"Fine. Three, two, one…begin."
A/N: And we have finally started off with the next arc!
I wasn't actually going to write a chapter today since I wrote one yesterday, but I decided to just write one for the fun of it, so here you guys go!
Next chapter: Meeting the Archer.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!