NOVEL NEXT Episode LXXXII: Kori’s Family Reunion
Jax, Felix, Lionel, and Kiyoshi bolted towards Tokido's position. Jax was the first to arrive, discovering Tokido in a battered state, his body marred by bruises and smeared with blood. "What happened, brother?" Jax demanded anxiously. Tokido responded in a weak whisper, "They are back." Confused, Jax asked, "Who's back?" Before falling unconscious once more, Tokido managed to utter a single word: “The Ko...���
Tethyus attempted to establish contact with Strix but received no response. He turned to Jax with concern etching his features. “Something is wrong.” Meanwhile, Lionel, Felix and Kiyoshi watched from a distance as they waited for Jax to rise. Kiyoshi broke the silence with an ill-timed question: “Is he dead?” Lionel and Felix shot him irritated glances.
Suddenly a voice sliced through the tense atmosphere like a knife: “Nice to see you again, Jax Mitsuko.” The source of the voice emerged from the shadows—it was Yoji Kori. Yoji had medium-length black hair dipped in white dye at the tips. His oval face sported a pointed nose and thin lips beneath silver eyes. His muscular arms were visible beneath his black coral gi adorned with a cyan blue belt and Kirin logo on its back.
“Yoji Kori!” roared Jax as Yoji laughed maliciously.
Lionel suddenly pieced it together: “The Kori clan...this must be about the family rivalry that father warned me about."
As Yoji taunted them further and three more figures stepped out from behind him—the rest of the Kori clan—Jax’s fury ignited into action. He propped up Tokido against a tree before unleashing his dark blue aura which transformed him into Tethyus - the lightning blue hippogriff. He charged at Yoji.
Kiyoshi, not wanting to be left out, began to unleash his shadow purple aura. Despite warnings from Lionel, Felix and Kitaro, he darted towards Yoji. But he was intercepted by one of the Kori brothers.
“Who are you?” demanded Kiyoshi.
“My name is Takuji Kori,” replied the man before driving his knee into Kiyoshi’s gut with such force that it knocked him out of his spirit guardian mode and shut down his spiritual aura.
Jax remained focused on Yoji who smirked at him: “You can start at any time.” Jax needed no further invitation and launched himself at Yoji who blocked the punch as he powered up in a black aura. The resulting clash sent a shockwave that pushed everyone back several yards.
In the midst of the chaos, Felix skillfully evaded an attack from another Kori brother, albeit not without a scratch on his cheek. Regrouping, Kazuhiro announced ominously, "It's time for you guys to return to your tournament."
Kazuhiro bore striking facial similarities to his older brother but sported a single ear piercing. His medium-length black hair was streaked with green dye and he had a tattoo of a Rook chess piece on his face. He donned a standard green gi with a yellow belt and a Kirin logo emblazoned on the back. His hands transformed into ice of an eerie green hue.
The air crackled with electricity as Felix and Lionel's fists clashed, the moonlight reflecting off their glowing hands. Across the clearing, Yasushi stood calmly, his eyes flashing purple as he faced off against Lionel's brother, Kiyoshi. Yasushi's unique features were on full display, from his ice cube earrings to his chess piece tattoo. His blue hair shimmered in the moonlight and his gi was emblazoned with a Kirin logo.
In a blur of movement, Yasushi attacked Lionel, the force of his blows creating shockwaves that echoed through the trees. Lionel dodged and weaved, but couldn't escape Yasushi's devastating blue ice punch that knocked him unconscious.
Meanwhile, Felix unleashed a series of kicks at Kiyoshi, each one filled with raw power and precision. Kazuhiro watched with admiration before remarking to Takuji, "We should have entered this tournament. We would've easily taken the title." Yasushi nodded in agreement, giving a thumbs-up.
Takuji laughed: "If we joined, they'd accuse us of cheating because our skills are just too superior."
As Jax lay injured on the ground, he found himself surrounded by members of the Kori clan. Yoji stepped forward, taunting Jax with memories of what they had done to his brother Tokido earlier. Just as they prepared to attack, Tokido appeared out of nowhere, fully conscious and ready to defend his friends.
The Kori brothers sneered at their cowardice as they made a hasty retreat. Kazuhiro scoffed, "They had to run so they wouldn't get utterly destroyed by us again!"
Yoji's expression turned dark and vengeful: "Don't worry, we'll pay them a little visit at the tournament and make sure they regret ever crossing us."