Time: Approximately 7:13 PM. Location: An old road leading toward the Shadow Syndicate's rendezvous point.
Scene 1: The First Flame
As Takuto, Kaori, and Sora rushed toward the hidden base, a violent explosion of Orange-Red flames erupted a few meters ahead of them. The flames were wilder and more volatile than the usual Flame Eye power.
Sora: (His eyes turning crimson) "This Stellar Flow... it's the Flame Eye (Crimson Hearth)! But the power is incredibly strong!"
In the center of the flames stood Hino, dressed in black. Her eyes were a mix of sadness and madness. All three immediately sensed that the Orange-Red Aura emanating from her body was surging with much higher momentum than Sora's stable Aura.
Hino: (Shouting) "Don't take another step! I will stop you right here!"
Sora: "You... Hino?"
Sora immediately turned to Takuto and Kaori.
Sora: "I'll face her."
Sora: (Firmly) "Her power is about half a stage higher than mine right now. But I can hold her off. Takuto! Kaori! Don't waste time! Go ahead!"
Kaori: "Sora-sama! But..."
Sora: (Intensely) "Go! Aoi needs your help, doesn't she?"
Takuto glanced at Hino, knowing that the mission to save Aoi was more important. He nodded.
Takuto and Kaori rushed past Sora, deftly avoiding Hino, and continued their advance at full speed. Sora took a ready stance to confront Hino with his crimson flames.
As Takuto and Kaori neared the rendezvous point, a cold Neon Yellow Aura suddenly appeared in front of them. It was Hayate.
Hayate: "Yo... we meet again."
Hayate: (With cold eyes) "Just as I thought... the strategy of splitting up. But your plan ends here."
Takuto: (Gritting his teeth) "Hayate!"
Hayate's gaze fixed on Kaori.
Kaori turned to Takuto, determination blazing in her eyes.
Kaori: "Takuto-kun! You go on ahead... I'll face him."
Takuto: "But Ichinose-san!"
Kaori: (Tightly) "Just as Sora-sama bought us time, I must buy you time to reach Aoi! It's time to use your power. Go!"
Kaori moved toward Hayate with extreme speed.
Takuto gave a final, solemn nod to Kaori's resolve. His heart was now consumed solely by the mission to save Aoi.
Takuto used Step 1 (Phoenix Gaze), bypassing the battle between Hayate and Kaori, and entered the park where he had his last date with Ayano, alone.
The focus abruptly returned to Sora. The distance between him and Hino was only a few meters. The air around them vibrated with the heat of the Orange-Red flames.
Hino stared at Sora, her face contorted with anger, pain, and sorrow. The Flame Aura emanating from her body was shapeless and wildly radiant.
Hino: "Hellfire Surge!"
Large Orange-Red Fireballs shot continuously from Hino's hands toward Sora with intense pressure. Each fireball possessed greater momentum and power than Sora's current level.
Sora did not run; he only used strategy.
Sora: "Refractive Shield!"
Sora shaped his flames into dispersed, protective walls. Hino's Hellfire Surges struck the flame walls and exploded, but Sora's precise control redirected the explosive energy to the sides. Nevertheless, Sora's body was constantly battered by the surging heat from Hino's stronger power.
Sora: (In his mind) "My Refractive Shield won't last long against her power. I need to strike her with a more precise method. Simple fighting won't work!"
Hino disliked Sora's cold composure. She stopped throwing fire orbs, created a Fire Lotus as a hidden weapon, and lunged fiercely at Sora.
Hino: "Scorched Earth!"
Flames erupted from beneath Hino's feet, cracking the ground and attempting to trap Sora within a high-temperature perimeter.
Sora leaped backward, sustaining a minor flame wound on his chest from Hino's attack.
Sora looked directly at Hino. "Hino... why did you join the Shadow Syndicate? Do you really think it can change your past?"
Hino gritted her teeth. "Shut up!" She hurled a fireball.
Sora dodged. "Do you think you can save your little sister?"
Hino: "Shut up... you! What do you know about me!" She hurled another fireball.
Sora countered with his own fireball; the two collided and dissipated.
"BOOM!!"
... (After the explosion)
Sora stood slightly swaying amid the smoke and dust. A fierce composure remained on his face. He knew that Hino's attacks were wasteful of energy because they were consumed by rage.
Sora: (Taking a slow breath) "Calm down, Hino. Your energy flow is irregular. If your emotions are too much, you won't be able to control your power."
Hino: (Gritting her teeth) "Do you think your cold words can stop me! You Crimson Aegis always want to control everything. That's what you did when my sister died!"
Sora: "This isn't control! This is a strategy for survival! We are trying to protect you from going down the wrong path."
Sora: "We are trying to help you from losing control again."
Hino completely rejected Sora's words, and her anger transformed into madness. She stopped thinking, gathering all her remaining Stellar Flow with reckless abandon.
Hino: "The Shadow Syndicate promised me! My sister can come back only if I stop you!"
Hino: "Die here!"
Hino initiated a suicidal attack. Her body transformed into a massive wave of Orange-Red flames, surging through the air toward Sora like a powerful pressure wave.
Hino: "Desperation Burst!"
This attack lacked finesse, but its raw power was immense. It was enough to shatter Sora's regular Refractive Shield.
Sora was forced to dodge, and Hino's flame wave grazed his left shoulder. Blood streamed from the wound, and the clothing on Sora's shoulder was scorched.
Sora leaped backward, showing a slight fatigue.
Sora: (In his mind) "I can't control her with words anymore. I'll run out of time to help Takuto. It's time to use Step 2!"
Hino was already gathering flames to attack Sora once more. Her eyes glowed with killing intent.
Sora stepped back, ignoring the blood dripping from his wound, closed his eyes, and forcefully pulled Stellar Flow from his Core. The Orange-Red Aura around his body suddenly stabilized and shifted to a high-temperature Golden-Red.
As Hino furiously prepared for another strike, she saw Sora's transformation.
A precise flame-shaped marking brightly appeared under Sora's left eye. Simultaneously, half of his hair transformed from dark black to a brilliant Orange-Red. Furthermore, his left eye was completely covered and illuminated by flickering flames.
Sora: (His voice echoing and intensifying) "Blaze Ember - Step 2: Transformation into the Fire God!"
Hino felt a wave of fear looking at Sora's transformation. Yet, her insane objective prevented her from retreating. She didn't know the power, but she needed to stop Sora, who would destroy her only hope.
Hino: (Her voice trembling but shouting) "Die! Desperate Nova!"
Hino gathered all her remaining Stellar Flow into both palms. An Orange-Red Fireball, ten times larger and filled with unstable power than before, rapidly formed. It was a sphere of pure destructive intent.
Sora used the power of his Blaze Ember Step 2 to prepare his final attack. The flames glowing in Sora's left eye intensified, and he extended his right hand forward.
Sora: "Phoenix Piercer!"
The attack that emerged from Sora's hand was not as large as Hino's, but it was a clear, precise, highest-temperature, flash-like beam of flame, like a supernova. It was aimed to pierce directly through the center of Hino's massive Desperate Nova.
Hino's Desperate Nova (the massive Fireball) and Sora's Phoenix Piercer (the precise flame beam) accelerated fiercely, rushing toward a collision through the void between them.
... (Hino's Desperate Nova and Sora's Phoenix Piercer rushed fiercely toward a collision through the void between them.)
As the two attacks began to meet... in that split second, everything suddenly stopped in Hino's mind. Her raging flames became like a frozen film, showing her past.
Scene 2: Flashback: The Loss and The Lie
The scene shifted to a destroyed room. Hino, in her teens, lay wounded. Beside her, her younger sister (Akari) lay motionless with severe burn injuries. Hino's inability to control her Flame Eye power had created this tragedy.
The uniforms of the Crimson Aegis members came into view. They coldly restrained Hino, ignoring Akari.
Agent: "This power is dangerous. Stress makes him unable to control his Stellar Flow. Isolate the injured."
When Hino awoke, she was in an Aegis control center. She asked about Akari, but the agents shook their heads.
Aegis Agent: (In a cold tone) "Hino... We're sorry. We couldn't save your family and sister from the fire caused by your Stellar Flow. You need to control your power."
Hino pressed her chest and cried out in agony. Her guilt and sorrow overwhelmed her.
The scene shifted to a cemetery. Hino was kneeling before her family's graves, saying her final goodbyes. She cursed her uncontrollable power.
Just then, a person dressed in black stood behind her. (Shadow Syndicate)
Syndicate: (A soft but compelling voice) "Don't be sad, Hino. All cold organizations like your Crimson Aegis can offer you is control and the acceptance of death."
Syndicate: "But we can offer you hope. If we possess the Phoenix Gaze, we can reverse time. If you join us, I will bring your beloved family back to you."
Hino looked at the person, her face stained with tears. Her sorrow transformed into a desperate hope, and she accepted the person's offer.
🔥 The Aftermath
Hino's eyes snapped open. The only thing in her thoughts was her family's face. Her Desperate Nova had met Sora's Phoenix Piercer directly.
Boom! CRACKLE!
A massive white beam of light exploded as the two attacks collided. Hino's Desperate Nova was large, but it could not withstand the precise heat and piercing power of the Phoenix Piercer emanating from Sora's Step 2 power.
Sora's attack passed precisely through the center of Hino's massive fireball. Hino's power was shattered from its root.
Sora's attack passed precisely through the center of Hino's massive fireball, and pierced through Hino's chest.
Hino hung suspended in the air for a moment, then gently fell to the ground, a look of mixed sorrow and relief in her eyes. A small pink hair clip in her hand was clutched tightly by her fingers, preventing it from falling.
In front of Hino's blurry eyes, the smiling image of her sister (Akari) appeared. This was the peace she had desired.
(Flashback: Hino and her sister Akari are playing in the park. Not far away, their father and mother watch with smiles.
Mother: "Hino! Akari! Let's go home!"
Akari: "Yes, Mommy... let's go home, onee-chan."
Hino: "Okay, Akari, let's go home."
Hino: "Akari, wait, onee-chan wants to give you a present."
Akari: "A present? What is it?"
In Hino's hand is a small pink hair clip. Akari: "Wow, it's beautiful!"
Hino: "Okay, Onee-chan will put it in your hair." The pink hair clip suits Akari perfectly.
Akari: "Nai... do I look good, onee-chan?"
Hino: "Yes, my little sister is the prettiest."
The two link arms and run toward their parents.
Akari: "Mommy, what did you cook tonight?" Mother: "I cooked Akari's favorite curry."
Akari: "Yay!! Mommy, can we play together like before after dinner?"
Father: "Of course, after dinner, Daddy, Mommy, and Onee-chan will play together." The family of four links arms and walks together. The path home is brightened by the sunset, filled with the warm laughter of a family.)
Sora approached Hino, wounded and breathing unevenly. His Step 2 power vanished, and his hair and eye reverted to their original form.
Sora: (In a very weak voice) "Hino... your journey of being lied to is over. Rest well with your sister..."
The hair clip in Hino's hand fell to the ground. She smiled for the last time, and her body stilled. Hino was dead.
Sora looked up at the dark sky with a mix of guilt and duty.
Sora: (Whispering to himself) "Takuto... Kaori... I hope you're okay..."
Though his body was completely exhausted, Sora looked at the fallen Hino one last time, then slowly and with great difficulty, continued toward the path Takuto and Kaori had taken.
[END OF CHAPTER 9]