Chapter 54 - Eiji HoshinoHollow NightIn, hold, count to four, out. Come on. I can do this.

  Mizuko suddenly looked up at me now, her cool blue eyes bereft of any kind of fear. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she was enjoying this.

  “Still, If I go, so does Reaper,” She reminded, as if I hadn’t been ruminating over all of this a million times already. “Wouldn’t you rather be rid of Katoru and Kurogane?”

  Her stare snapped briefly to a point behind me, and I had to fight hard to resist following her gaze. In situations like these, even the oldest tricks in the book can prove effective.

  But after a few tense moments, I judged it was safe to take my eyes off of her, at least for now. I’d seen what Katoru’d done to her – even with the makeshift first aid she’d given herself, Mizuko wouldn’t be leaping into somersaults anytime soon.

  Taking a deep breath, I turned around and I scanned the scene, my stomach knotting. The tarmac beneath our feet was ripped open, jagged cracks running like veins through the concrete. Some parts had caved in entirely, leaving deep craters, still steaming from the sheer amount of energy – EXS - unleashed.

  Buildings that once towered over us in their silent oppression were just crumbling shells now. Windows were shattered, and gss littered the streets like stars fallen from the sky, glittering coldly under the dim light of the Night’s moon.

  The mpposts, which used to line the street in neat, familiar rows, now looked bent and twisted, like metal skeletons trying to crawl out of the wreckage.

  My unsettled gaze nded on the remains of a storefront nearby. The sign was charred and hanging by a thread, the walls splintered like something massive had crashed through them. There were deep gouges in the pavement, marks where ice had spread, frozen solid in some pces, shattered in others. In a way, it was a testament to Mizuko’s power, but also to whatever the hell she’d had to fight to be pushed this far.

  As if answering my thoughts, twin plumes of dark smoke rose up from further down the avenue. From where I was, I could just about make out his trademark threadbare shirt, as well as the newly pced splotches of red growing underneath. To think that just yesterday we’d all been fighting alongside each other, and now...

  This wasn’t just mindless destruction, or colteral damage—it was a warning. A stark reminder of what could happen if we kept cshing like this, unchecked.

  The Hollow Night had a way of making you feel insignificant, like the world itself was indifferent to the chaos unfolding within it. You could lose everything here, and the Hollow would swallow it without so much as a whisper.

  I knew that feeling all too well already.

  This wasn’t just some back-alley scuffle. This was war—silent, unspoken, and fought in the shadows of a world that didn’t even know it existed.

  And that realization hit harder than any blow. Because if fights like this continued… there wouldn’t be much of the Hollow Night left standing.

  I shifted my gaze back to Mizuko, knelt over and still eying me. Her ice had melted away in pces, leaving damp patches on the cracked street, but the chill lingered in the air, biting at my skin.

  “No,” The words left my mouth automatically, in response to her question. “I’m not here for either of you, really.”

  Her eyebrows shot up, and, instantly, any sembnce of amusement vanished from her face. I swallowed hard, tightening my grip on my hammer.

  I needed to pick my next words very carefully.

  “Mizuko,” I began with as much resolve as I could muster, “I need to know where your sister and Cunningham are.”

  The moment the names left my mouth, something changed in Mizuko. Her eyes, which had been calcuting and sharp, darkened with a dangerous edge. Her lips curled back in a silent snarl, and I saw her fists clench so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

  “You…” she hissed, barely above a whisper. “You’re after them.”

  I blinked, momentarily thrown off. “Wait, no, that’s not what I—”

  But she wasn’t listening. In an instant, the air around her seemed to drop another ten degrees. The chill that had lingered before now transformed into an icy storm, swirling around her like a vengeful spirit. I could feel the cold biting into my skin, cwing its way into my bones. The cracks in the pavement beneath her feet glistened, frost creeping out from the damp patches left behind by her earlier attacks.

  “I won’t let you touch them!” she screamed, her voice breaking as sharp splinters of ice surged toward me, jagged spikes forming in midair like frozen spears.

  Instinct took over. I dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the barrage as it shattered against the ground where I’d been standing. I could feel shards of ice scrape past my arm, leaving shallow cuts, but I didn’t have time to focus on that. I rolled back to my feet, heart pounding, and swung my hammer up defensively.

  “Mizuko, stop!” I shouted, my voice lost in the howling storm of her fury. She was already unching another attack, this one even more desperate, a blinding wall of sharp crystalline daggers. They shot toward me in a wild arc, her emotions reigning.

  I didn’t want to hurt her. This wasn’t what I’d come for. But she wasn’t giving me a choice.

  I gritted my teeth and swung my hammer. The force of the strike collided with her ice attack, shattering it into glistening dust that scattered through the air. For a moment, I thought she would relent, but when I looked up, she was still preparing another attack, reckless and furious.

  I couldn't risk it. I reacted on pure reflex.

  My hammer swung down, heavier than I’d meant, and I connected with her shoulder. The force sent her sprawling backward, crashing against the ground with a pained gasp.

  I froze.

  I hadn't meant to hit her that hard.

  But before I could take another breath, I heard footsteps—rushed, urgent, closing in fast. I barely had time to turn when Nakamura came charging in from the alley, his eyes wide with rage.

  “Hoshino!” he shouted, his voice full of accusation. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Nakamura, wait—”

  But he wasn’t listening, either. His gaze flickered to Mizuko, lying on the ground and clutching her shoulder, and then back to me. And in that moment, I could see the decision solidify in his mind.

  “You’re trying to kill her!” His gauntlets curled into tight fists, fury radiating off him. “I knew it! You’re no different from the rest of them!”

  “No, I’m not! This isn’t what it looks like!” I tried to expin, stepping back as his body pulsed with an orange surge, but I could see the mistrust in his eyes.

  It was too te.

  Before I could say another word, he lunged.

  Nakamura’s gauntlet-cd fists sparked with kinetic energy as he flew past me, his muscles twitching, ready to explode into motion. His eyes, wild with anger, stayed locked on me.

  “You think you can take her down just like that?” Nakamura barked, his voice raw with emotion. “I won’t let you!”

  Before I could speak, he span around on his feet shockingly quickly and lunged once again. It was like watching a coiled spring release. He moved faster than I anticipated, his trench coat fring behind him like an orange banner as he closed the distance.

  I barely managed to dodge to the side as his right fist, glowing with some kind of charge, whistled past my face.

  His momentum carried him forward, but instead of stumbling, he spun on his heel with grace, building up more speed as his gauntlets sparked violently. He was like a whirlwind of power, every step, every move feeding his growing energy.

  I had no time to waste.

  With a quick burst of light, I unched myself backward, my hammer spinning in my grip. “Nakamura, listen to me! This isn’t what it looks like—”

  “I’m done listening!” he roared, charging again, this time even faster. His fists collided with the pavement where I stood seconds before, shattering the ground. Dust and debris flew into the air as his body whipped around, his movements getting faster, stronger, more precise. Each blow hit harder, and I could’ve sworn his momentum – or maybe his kinetic energy - was compounding with every missed strike.

  Realising that I needed to stay ahead, I shifted into my light form, my body shimmering and becoming intangible just as Nakamura’s fist shot past me. I could feel the air ripple with the force of his punch. If that had connected, they would’ve had to scrape me off the walls.

  I floated backward, reforming into my tangible state just a few feet away, but Nakamura was already rushing me again. His body was a blur, the gauntlets glowing bright orange from the stored kinetic energy, crackling with raw power.

  He wasn’t thinking. Like Mizuko, he was just attacking, overwhelmed by emotion.

  And that’s what I had to exploit.

  “Stop running!” he growled, and this time he didn’t miss. His left gauntlet grazed my side, sending a jolt of force through my body. I gritted my teeth as the blow sent me skidding across the cracked street, my shoulder smming into the wall of a nearby building.

  Pain bloomed in my ribs. He was getting stronger, faster. But you can’t throw haymakers with force like that behind them without burning through your energy reserves with every hit.

  “I’m not running, Nakamura,” I said, slowly getting to my feet. I gripped the handle of my hammer tight, feeling the prismatic core hum as it stored up the energy from each of his missed attacks.

  “I’m just waiting for you to run out of gas.”

  His eyes narrowed, but I could see the frustration boiling beneath his scowl.

  “Shut up!” he yelled, unching forward again, his fists moving faster than I could follow. He was a blur of punches and kicks, each one more powerful than the st. Every step he took cracked the earth beneath him, and I was forced to stay on the defensive, ducking and dodging as best I could.

  But I was thinking.

  With each step he took, he was feeding me more and more information about how his power worked. I could see how his movements built up his kinetic charge, the way his speed and strength increased exponentially the longer he kept moving. But I could also see the strain it was putting on him. His muscles were twitching unnaturally, his breathing getting heavier. And his strikes, though powerful, were becoming more erratic, less controlled.

  “Keep going, Godzil,” I muttered under my breath. “Just a little longer.”

  He was close now, charging at me with everything he had. His gauntlets were glowing white-hot from the energy build-up, sparks flying as he wound up for a massive punch.

  And then—he swung.

  But I was ready.

  In one fluid motion, I shifted into my light form just before his fist could make contact. He stumbled, his momentum carrying him forward as his punch missed completely.

  Now!

  I reformed behind him, my hammer glowing bright with stored energy. In one swift motion, I swung the handle up, releasing a concentrated bst of light straight into his back. The impact was immediate—his body jerked forward, and he crashed into the ground, skidding across the broken pavement.

  But it wasn’t over. He was already struggling to get back to his feet, his gauntlets flickering with the st vestiges of stored kinetic energy. His movements were slower now, less precise. He was reaching his limit.

  “Nakamura,” I called out, my voice firm. “You’re running on fumes. Stop this.”

  “Shut up,” he spat, staggering to his feet. His body was trembling, his gauntlets sparking weakly. He was still trying to charge me, but his movements were sluggish, his legs barely keeping him upright.

  I sighed, gripping my hammer tightly. “You’re not giving me a choice.”

  Before he could react, I dashed forward, closing the distance between us in a fsh of light. With one powerful swing, I brought the hammer down, not on Nakamura, but on the ground in front of him. The prismatic core released a pulse of kinetic energy, and the shockwave sent him flying backward, his body crashing into the side of a nearby building.

  He groaned, trying to stand, but his body gave out, the strain from overusing his power finally catching up to him. He colpsed onto the ground, his gauntlets flickering off, the energy completely spent.

  I stood over him, breathing heavily, my hammer resting against the cracked pavement.

  “You’re strong, Nakamura,” I said quietly, watching as he struggled to move. “But strength alone won’t win every fight. Not here. You have to think.”

  For a moment, there was only the sound of his bored breathing, and then—finally—he went still.