The next day, we all went our separate ways to visit the city. The girls stuck together as they had bonded through each other and through me. I left and went to turn in our applications for all of us at the Border Recruiting Center since it's a weekend. I left to eat some lunch at a stall nearby for some ramen.
I telepathically asked Igris, "Where are the two boys?"
Igris telepathically answered, "They're sitting down by a train station along with a young girl. Their floating companion was also there hooked up to the young girl's arm and an extremely large Trion cube was floating in front of the girl."
I looked amazed from Igris' description and said, "Make your presence known and open a portal through."
Igris accepted the order and said, "Yes, My King."
I obscured my face with a Shadow Mask before a Shadow Portal opened in front of me. I stepped inside to make first contact with Border.
Back to Osamu and Yuuma, they tried meeting up with each other before Chika, who was Osamu's childhood friend, joined in. They eventually got along with each other pretty well, which was enough for Replica to come out and introduce himself as Yuuma's chaperone. They went to an abandoned train station when Replica deduced Chika's problem of attracting Neighbors to her.
Yuuma said, "I suppose the only reason would be her Trion. From the looks of it, it should be huge."
Replica opened its mouth and a cord popped out as it said, "With this cord, we can measure Trion ability."
Chika was startled by the action and was unsure how to use the cord.
Seeing her strong reaction, Osamu grabbed the cord and asked, "Replica. Can you measure mine first?"
Replica replied, "Roger."
It started to make beeping sounds as well as its ears twitching from time to time, indicating the progress of the Trion measuring. Unknown to them, Border had already found out that Osamu was in contact with a humanoid Neighbor and sent their agents to detain or eliminate it. Trouble is brewing and a fight is imminent on the trio.
Replica stated, "Measuring done."
A subpar block of Trion displayed and Yuuma commented, "Ohh~ it's a bit smaller than normal."
Osamu looked a bit ticked off but he knew he shouldn't expect much.
He handed the cord to Chika and said, "Don't worry, it's alright. See?"
Chika hummed as she grabbed the cord, waiting for the results to finish. It took several minutes before Replica completed the scan. A huge block of Trion was displayed above Replica, nearly hitting the ceiling of the train station. Both Osamu and Yuuma were in shock at the sheer size. Even Chika was baffled at the revelation.
Yuuma gasped, "It's huge! It's much bigger than Osamu's!"
Replica said, "It's highly unusual. I don't recall ever seeing a Trion gland this big. She's got great potential."
Yuuma continued, "Amazing. No wonder Neighbors go after her."
Osamu argued, "Now's not the time to be impressed."
Replica offered a solution to seek protection from Border but Chika doesn't want to for it would only cause too much trouble for others. She believed that since she could evade them for this long, she would be fine in the future.
But before Osamu could continue to persuade Chika, footsteps could be heard heading their direction.
Two young men in their high school uniforms can be seen as one of them ordered, "Freeze. We're from Border."
They were members of Miwa Squad who were tasked by the Commander Kido of Border to conduct surveillance on Osamu.
The Captain of Miwa Squad, Shuji Miwa, was reporting back to Border HQ on his phone, "No question about it. We caught it in the act. It's a Trigger that doesn't exist in Border's system. Contact with Neighbor, confirmed. Commencing elimination."
Osamu was nervous and scolded himself as he thought, "Damn it! They saw Replica!"
Shuji Miwa looked as if he's ready to kill someone from his aggressive expression on his face while his teammate, Yosuke Yoneya, had a carefree smirk on his face unlike his captain. In the nearby abandoned rooftops, two snipers were perched to make sure that their target would not get away. They were Shohei Kodera and Toru Narasaka.
Without wasting any more time, Miwa said, "Trigger on."
Yoneya also started his trigger as well as they both changed into their Trion Combat Forms.
Osamu noticed the rank on their uniforms that had an "A" on their breast pocket.
Osamu cursed in his head, "They're...A-Rank agents!"
Yoneya asked who was the Neighbor before Miwa pointed at Chika accusing her of using the unidentified Trigger. Osamu knew that they had already misunderstood her for only measuring her Trion.
Osamu tried to explain, "Wait! She's not.."
Unfortunately for Osamu, Yuuma already stepped in between them and said, "No. No. I'm the Neighbor."
Miwa once again asked, "You're the Neighbor?"
Yuuma answered, "Yep. I am."
Miwa countered, "There's no mistake about that?"
Yuuma replied, "No. There's no mistake."
After Yuuma finished speaking, he was shot by a Trion pistol and hit back past Osamu and Chika.
Osamu looked back in anger at Miwa and shouted, "What are you doing?!"
Miwa calmly answered, "Since he called himself a Neighbor, I can't let him walk free. I'll kill every Neighbor. That's a Border agent's job."
Yuuma's voice rang from a distance as a green Trion shield blocked the fatal shot.
Yuuma helplessly said, "Hey. Hey. What if I was a regular human?"
Yoneya looked shocked and said, "You're kidding me! He avoided it that close?"
Yuuma patted the dust off him as he stood back up and asked, "Hey, you know Jin in Border? Can you ask him about me? We sort of know each other."
Miwa's face darkened as he muttered angrily, "Jin...? I knew he was in on this. Those Tamakoma Branch traitors!"
He continued as he put his hand on his Kogetsu Trigger, "Stand aside, Mikumo. We're following Commander Kido's special orders. If you continue to interfere....I'll remove you by force."
Osamu argued, "I'm not going anywhere. I-"
Yuuma stood in front of Osamu and said, "Step back, Osamu. It's me they want."
He held up his hand and continued, "I can take care of them alone. Trigger on."
Yuuma's ring lit up as it covered his body with a black suit Trigger like before. Miwa and Yoneya's faces changed as they took a stance with their weapons.
Yuuma asked Osamu, "You stay with Chika."
Osamu complied as he slowly backed up to Chika, "Got it."
Yuuma had a funny face as he apologised, "Sorry for involving you, Chika."
Yoneya saw that Yuuma was a tough cookie and asked Miwa if he could take him one on one. Unfortunately Miwa denied his request as he explained it would take the both of them to take Yuuma down.
Yuuma chuckled as he heard that only two of them could take him down as his Side Effect activated and smirked as he said, "You make the funniest lies."
Miwa's expression dropped after hearing Yuuma's rebuke. Kodera, who was listening in panicked a little before Narasaka calmed him down. Yoneya walked forward before lunging straight at Yuuma with his Kogetsu Spear. It extended towards Yuuma but he ultimately spun to dodge the attack.
Yuuma regained his bearings before saying, "Your surprise attacks are too easy to see."
Yoneya grinned slyly, "That's what you think."
A wound suddenly appeared on Yuuma's neck as his Trion started to leak out of it. Yuuma squinted his eyes as held his wounded neck to mend.
Yuuma whispered, "What? I'm sure I avoided that one."
The tense situation got worse as they were watching who would make the first move. Osamu called Jin on his phone for help but was only told to watch the situation and that it was under control.
Miwa ordered, "Watch his shots. He's killed a large-scale Neighbor before."
Yoneya smirked, "He won't hit me with something that big!"
Yoneya resumed his attack while Miwa got into position for support. The fighting escalates as Miwa and Yoneya unleashed a combination of well-coordinated attacks prompting Yuuma to dodge their attacks.
As they flanked Yuuma, he shouted, "Bound!"
A blue sigil appeared below Yuuma's feet as it propelled him so high in the sky that it punched a hole off the ceiling of the train station. Unfortunately for Yuuma, that was a trap laid by Miwa Squad, waiting for him as a sniper shot from Narasaka hit him. The shot ultimately severed his right arm as the Trion floating out of his body was an indicator.
Both Osamu and Chika looked worried and shocked at the injured Yuuma. Narasaka, on the other hand, didn't expect his perfect shot would be reacted so suddenly. This displays Yuuma's exceptional fighting prowess from being in combat in various worlds from the Neighborhood. Though Miwa Squad did notice that Yuuma was not fighting back and was very passive during their confrontation.
Osamu also voiced this doubt so Replica in his chibi form came out and explained, "There could be two reasons. One would if Yuuma focused on one, the other would take advantage of his blind spot. The other would be his concern for your position. You were finally promoted to B-Rank. But that could all be lost because of him. So he tried to negotiate peacefully, but they didn't listen to him."
Osamu was shocked to hear that despite everything that's going on, Yuuma was still thinking about his situation. During the time Replica was explaining, the battle had come to a standstill.
Miwa ordered, "Don't make this difficult, Neighbor. Just give up and die already."
Miwa put on an optional trigger to his pistol and shot at Yuuma, to which he used "Shield."
Much to Yuuma's surprise, the shots bypassed the shield and hit his body. The shots turned into heavy blocks that weighed down his body.
Yuuma asked, "It's heavy. What is this?"
Replica used a part of himself and analysed the block-like weight on Yuuma.
After a quick scan, Replica commented, "It's a Trigger that converts Trion into weights to restrain the opponent. Though it causes no direct destruction, it doesn't seem to interfere with Shield."
Miwa and Yoneya jumped in the air to finish off Yuuma but unfortunately a black shadow suddenly appeared in front and blocked the attacks. Yuuma widened his eyes as he went on guard immediately, even though it saved him. Osamu and Chika were the same as Yuuma. Miwa Squad equally so at the sudden interference.
Jin squinted his eyes as he murmured, "And here comes the anomaly. I hope everything goes peacefully. Even my Side Effect had limited success in their futures."
Igris had fully revealed himself with his sword out. His tall and imposing figure made everyone on edge.
Igris raised his head towards Miwa Squad and ordered, "These two are under my King's protection. Until then they are not to be harmed by anyone."
Meanwhile, the snipers reported this new development to Border HQ for further orders. Similarly to Miwa Squad, HQ was confused as they never detected a Gate opening in their area.
Commander Kido and the rest of Border's executives were called and immediately had a meeting about this new anomaly. In addition, Commander Kido has dispatched the rest of A-Rank Squads on standby to their location.
There were A-Rank Kusakabe Squad (04), Arashiyama Squad (05), Kako Squad (06), Katagiri Squad (08), and Kizaki Squad (Tamakoma First).
Miwa cautiously asked, "Who are you? Why are you protecting this Neighbor?"
Igris stood in between Miwa and Yuuma undeterred from the question and said, "I am but a Knight to my King. You shall meet him in a moment."
Before Igris could continue, Jin had leaped down from the rooftop nearby and held Miwa's shoulder from clashing against him. Jin knows they're outmatched by this "Knight" despite more people on their side.
Miwa shouted at Jin, "What are you doing, Jin?!! Are you also in on this?!!"
Jin looked at Miwa in a serious tone, "Don't escalate this, Shuji. He's not your opponent. I don't think I can beat him to be honest. My Side Effect tells me so."
Miwa widened his eyes as it was a well-known fact that Jin's Side Effect had been very helpful with Border's security against the Neighbors. For him to say that their chances of winning is very slim, means the situation just went from bad to worse.
Igris looked at Jin's eyes before looking back at Yuuma. His piercing ethereal eyes looked at Yuuma's red eyes before nodding to him. Igris felt Yuuma's fighting spirit despite his overwhelming disadvantage and that is something Igris admires in a warrior.
He lifted his cloak into the air before a purple portal could be seen on it. It wasn't long before I stepped through with my shadowy mask, looking at everyone. My very presence alarmed Jin as well as Miwa Squad. It felt as if they were submerged in a dense swamp and couldn't move. The very darkness itself is trying to suffocate them.
I made sure to muffle my voice as I spoke, "Igris, well done."
I turned to look at Jin, then to Miwa and said, "I suggest you don't interfere with my business. I have something to talk to these boys about."
Jin could only wait till my conversation with Yuuma was completed. He foresaw with Side Effect that if I interrupted Miwa was waiting for the rest of the A-Rank Squads before attacking this unknown "King" and his "Knight."
I looked at Yuuma and asked, "What's your name? From the way you're acting it feels as if you've been in many life-or-death situations before. I respect a warrior such as yourself."
Yuuma thought about it for a moment before responding, "My name is Yuuma. Kuga Yuuma. I came here to see if Border can help me. My dad told me so."
I looked at Yuuma and said, "You're a funny guy, Yuuma. I sense from your words that they hold true. I do have a request from you. I noticed your tiny friend inside your Trigger. Can you provide me with his blueprints?"
Yuuma looked confused at that and asked Replica to come out. A tiny version of Replica separated from Yuuma's Black Trigger suit.
Replica introduced himself, "Nice to meet you. My name is Replica. I am Yuuma's guide. Regarding your question, I can provide my blueprints for my type of creation but only Yuuma can make the decision."
Yuuma was conflicted for a while since Replica was a living remembrance of his late father but he thought of something and asked, "What can you give me in exchange for Replica's blueprints?"
I rubbed my chin before noticing a faint Shadow on Yuuma's Black Trigger and proposed, "Well perhaps you can answer a question for me. Your Black Trigger. How did it come about?"
Yuuma's expression visibly became sadder as his eyes dimmed for a moment before saying, "My dad. He turned himself into a Black Trigger to save my life. Even now, I'm not fully healed."
My smile grew as I knew what type of compensation can be made to Yuuma. An elixir from the Pool of Eternal Life would heal Yuuma and his "resurrected" father would be good compensation.
I offered, "How about a chance to meet with your old man and repair your body? How's that for an offer?"
Yuuma was visibly shocked at my offer before his Side Effect kicked in to see if I was lying or not. It took a moment before my words held true. His eyes started to tear up since the reason why he lost his old man was from his own recklessness.
Yuuma's eyes regained their clarity before agreeing, "Deal. Replica, organize the necessary blueprints."
Yuuma cancelled his Black Trigger form and asked, "Can you let me see my old man now?"
I looked at Yuuma and asked, "Hold out your hand. And keep them still."
Yuuma did as he was told and held out his hand with the Black Trigger ring. Yuuma was confused why he had to raise his hand but the next thing blew his and everyone else's minds.
I raised my hand towards the Black Trigger and announced, "Arise."
A black shadowy figure flew out from the Black Trigger before manifesting in front of me and Yuuma. A tall muscular man with slicked back hair can be seen as well as a Border uniform camouflaged by a Bagworm Trigger cloak.
A silly smile on his face could be seen as he kneeled in front of me and said, "Thank you, King."
I simply nodded and said, "It's always a pleasure to add such a kind-hearted warrior into my Army. I believe you have some unfinished business to do with your son. I'll leave you to it and here take this. This was a part of my deal with your son."
I threw a vial of elixir to "Yuugo" before watching the father-son reunion.
Yuuma looked at his old man in a shadowy form like that "Knight" and choked as he said, "That you, old man?"
"Yuugo" had a silly smile on his face as he scratched his head and said, "Sorry Yuuma. I'm glad you're doing well for yourself. And thank you for watching him over for me, Replica."
Replica answered, "It was my duty, sir."
"Yuugo" just walked in front of "Yuugo" before hugging him tightly to cover his tears. Despite how mature Yuuma acts, he's still just a fifteen year old teenager who lost his only relative. His guilt for not listening to his father, led to the tragedy that nearly ended his life.
"Yuugo" simply hugged his son in silence as he rubbed his back to calm him down. Osamu and Chika just looked and waited till Yuuma finished catching up with his dad.
During the time I was making a deal with Yuuma, the other A-Rank Squads had arrived and had taken fighting positions around the area. Miwa Squad snipers had also made arrangements.
While Jin was distracted, Miwa took it upon himself and said over the earpiece, "Start the operation!!"
Jin hurriedly said, "Wait!!"
Miwa sprinted towards me and bypassed Igris to launch an attack. Igris didn't care much for the weakling since I had given the order not to block the attack for him.
I looked over at Jin and said, "Your little attack dog really needs to be taught a lesson. Since the owner won't train him, I'll do it on your behalf."
I brought out the Dagger of Set from my Shadow World and blocked Miwa's strike with ease. I quickly kicked his abdomen with ease as he flew back and hit the wall of the train station, demolishing it in the process.
Seeing the other Border Agents quickly approaching, I smiled towards Jin and said, "I don't think you want more casualties right?"
I snapped my fingers in a joking manner. The Shadow Army finally appeared from the shadows and instantly outnumbered them a hundred to one. Jin's prediction from his Side Effect came true because of Miwa's impulsiveness.
Each squad member was trapped between the weapons of the Shadow Army, making them virtually at my mercy. Border HQ saw the footage of their agents and couldn't help but break a sweat. They knew they're facing an enemy that could decimate them at will and lost at the first encounter. All A-Rank Squads present froze as beads of sweat dropped from their foreheads.
Commander Kido closed his eyes and sighed as he called Jin, "We made a mistake. Use whatever necessary to appease this person and get our agents back alive."
Jin sighed and replied, "Okay. Okay, leave it to me."
I tilted my eyes to Jin, who was approaching and said in a joking manner, "So... you finish talking to your Commander?"
Jin raised his hands in defeat and said, "Sorry about that. I didn't think HQ was this foolish."
I laughed a bit and said, "Yes. Yes, they are a bit foolish but they did the right thing. After all, no one wants this place to become a battlefield, right? I told you from the beginning. I only wanted to talk with that young man. You can think of me as a world passer-by."
I raised my hand and ordered the Shadow Army to release the A-Rank Squads. The Shadow Army lowered their weapons before dispersing a majority back to the Shadow World.
I looked at Osamu and Chika, then to Yuuma and "Yuugo", and back to Jin, "I do have some demands for this transgression though."
Jin let out his worries and the future is moving forward to a more favorable direction, "Gotcha. What is it? I'll make sure HQ will comply."
I smirked and said, "Those two over there seem to be friends with Yuuma. I kind of like this young man, so I hope you people can take care of him. That young girl over there with the glasses young man seems to have a very high Trion level from what I'm sensing. Same deal as Yuuma. And finally, I'll be leaving "Yuugo" with his son. I'm sure Border would like another skilled warrior in their organisation."
Jin smiled brightly and said, "That should be easy. I'll personally take care of them or else they'll have to deal with me, the Power Elite."
I laughed at the comedic stance of Jin and said, "Seeing as you're such a funny guy and trying to calm the situation, I'll leave you with a gift. Bring yourself here and raise your weapon. I'm a benevolent king after all."
I thought in my mind, "Pffft, a benevolent king?!! Ha! Only to my girls and friends."
Jin saw the entire process of how "Yuugo" came to life and looked at his own Black trigger, Fujin. His own master, Soichi Mogami, gave his life to create "Fujin" to protect the people from invading Neighbors five years ago.
To think he could also witness his master's resurrection was definitely the best gift he could ever ask of. Jin didn't hesitate anymore and came to me face-to-face before holding out Fujin.
I pointed at Fujin and murmured, "Arise."
In front of me stands a middle-aged man with slicked back grey hair and a pair of sunglasses like Jin. He also was wearing a Border uniform like "Yuugo". He felt like a peaceful person that likes to avoid conflict.
"Soichi" kneeled down and thanked me for bringing him back. I nodded and let him follow Jin back to Border like "Yuugo".
I said to Jin, "It seems our time has passed. Perhaps we'll cross paths again in the future. Farewell."
I waved my hand as a grey Dimensional Wall appeared. Me and Igris crossed before the shimmering grey Dimensional Wall slowly closed. The entire atmosphere finally felt lighter. Despite my carefree nature, it gave everyone on site a sense of awe and fear from the power I wield. Communications between Yuuma and Border became more amicable thanks to Jin, "Yuugo", and "Soichi's" efforts.
Chika also planned to join Border to take control of her fear from Neighbors chasing her. Jin personally vouched for her at Border HQ due to the agreement with me and also because of her immense amount of Trion she holds.
"Yuugo's" and "Soichi's" appearance definitely made a sensation with Border HQ and its higher-ups. Whether it was the agents they passed through or their old friends, they were all looking at their shadowy forms. It definitely felt ethereal yet still solid for them to interact with their surroundings.
What they talked about after was none of my concern as I got back home and relaxed in the onsen. In the coming days, we'll be joining Border like any other trainee. Hopefully we all could move up to B-Rank and have fun.
Good way to exercise my skills against others and not just my generals. Though I'll probably go solo while the girls can make up a squad by themselves. On what name they plan to choose, I'll leave it up to them.