NOVEL NEXT Episode XCVII: Kori Death Games Pt. VI
Kiyoshi finally emerged from the forest, scanning his surroundings for any hint of an ice ring. Sensing a surge of energy from the north, Kitaro murmured, "Go north." Without hesitation, Kiyoshi shouted in agreement and darted off in that direction.
Meanwhile, FJ's body began to fade right before everyone's eyes. Rin-Rin dashed towards him as he lay in the ring. Yasushi cracked his knuckles menacingly and sneered at Rin-Rin. "So, you are my next victim," he said with a chilling laugh.
Rin-Rin's expression mirrored that of someone who had just walked into a horror film. Yasushi continued to taunt her, promising to make her death quick so she could join her boyfriend. Yet before he could finish laughing at his own cruel joke, his body began to disappear as well.
"I got the last laugh out of you," retorted Rin-Rin as Yasushi demanded to know what she had done to him. It turned out that FJ had poisoned Yasushi before collapsing; apparently, Yasushi was severely allergic to toxic gases which left him weakened.
"It wasn't me at all," explained Rin-Rin calmly before knocking Yasushi down with a mere flick of her finger. Lionel commented on the unexpected turn of events while Yasushi threatened revenge through his brothers even as he laughed weakly.
Yoji smirked and ordered Takuji to end Rin-Rin so they could start the real fight. Takuji grinned as he leapt onto the stage and presented Rin-Rin with two options: surrender or die alongside her boyfriend. Defiantly, Rin-Rin chose neither option but before she could defend herself, Takuji stabbed her with an ice sickle dyed red.
Rin-Rin felt dizzy; her vision blurred then cleared repeatedly yet she managed one final act of defiance – slapping Takuji in the face and dislodging the ice sickle. She collapsed immediately, dying from blood loss. Her body disappeared just like FJ's had.
Lionel, Jax, and Tokido were devastated by Rin-Rin's death. They felt helpless and guilty for not being able to save her. Lionel expressed his disbelief at the brutality of the death games and how only three of them were left to fight for the island.
"This family is no joke," remarked Tokido grimly. Lionel volunteered to go next, determined to save their island. As he jumped onto the platform, Takuji laughed at his pink penguin spirit guardian.
Lionel transformed into Zebeon instantly while Takuji promised to go easy on him because he considered his spirit guardian a joke. The two squared off with Lionel waiting for Takuji to make the first move.
Takuji lunged at Lionel but missed each time as Lionel dodged his attacks effortlessly. Even when Takuji mixed in kicks with his punches, he couldn't land a hit on Lionel who retaliated with a punch that sent Takuji sprawling on the ground.
"Damn you," cursed Takuji as he got up only to be blinded by Lionel's neon flash attack. With Takuji temporarily incapacitated, Lionel seized the opportunity and landed several hits on him before being caught off guard by an ice punch followed by an uppercut from Takuji.
Lionel recovered quickly from his fall and brushed off the dirt from his clothes nonchalantly. "Just warming up," he said confidently as he cracked his knuckles while Takuji ignored him and charged at him again.
This time around, Lionel was prepared for Takuji's onslaught; he weaved through all of Takuji's attacks before landing a powerful neon uppercut that sent Takuji crashing into a cage lined with sharp ice picks that tore through his gi.
Undeterred, Takuji ripped off the remains of his gi and declared the start of the real death games. He launched another series of attacks at Lionel who blocked all but one kick that caught him off guard. Lionel was sent flying and came to a stop near the cage, he got up and shrugged it off as a "lucky shot."
"The next one won't be so lucky for you," warned Takuji. In response, Lionel dismissed his threat confidently. Takuji then initiated his special move: Ice Blood Horn Attack. His fist glowed with a blood-red hue but was encased in an icy shell.
Takuji threw punch after punch at Lionel who effortlessly dodged each one until Takuji's fist connected with the ice cage instead, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. Seizing this opportunity, Lionel landed a punch on Takuji's gut which sent him flying upwards.
As gravity pulled Takuji back down, Lionel executed his special move: Neon Flash! A brilliant pink flash emitted from Lionel's hand momentarily blinding everyone around the cage.
"What impeccable timing for a flash," Yoji commented, shielding his eyes. "This is the most powerful flash I've ever seen from Lionel," Jax observed. "It's certainly unique," Tokido agreed, squinting against the bright light.
As Takuji descended, Lionel landed a kick squarely on his back, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground. Lionel quickly regained his footing and adopted a defensive stance. Takuji rose slowly, showing signs of pain.
"Now you are going to die. I was merely toying with you earlier to make your demise easier," Takuji threatened. "But why are you perspiring so heavily?" Lionel inquired, noticing the sweat trickling down Takuji's face.
"What are you talking about?" Takuji retorted defensively. "Your face is drenched," Lionel pointed out calmly. Takuji remained silent but glared at him furiously.
Meanwhile, Kiyoshi continued his journey towards the death games. After an hour of travel, he spotted a vast open field in the distance along with a white blotch far off. "I wager that's where they are," Kiyoshi suggested, pointing at it.
"Hmm, I don't detect anything over there," Kitaro disagreed skeptically. "It wouldn't hurt to investigate," Kiyoshi proposed optimistically.
Upon reaching their destination though, they found only an abandoned old structure reminiscent of a classroom instead of their intended target. "Well isn't that just fantastic," Kiyoshi grumbled sarcastically.
"I did warn you," Kitaro reminded him smugly before spotting a pink flash in the distance and identifying it as Lionel’s Neon Flash - an unmistakable signature move unique to him alone.
Kiyoshi and Kitaro immediately headed toward this new beacon of hope while elsewhere; Takuji transformed into his spirit guardian and charged at Lionel. A flurry of colorful strikes were exchanged before Lionel unleashed his super move, Neon Cyclone, on Takuji's arm while Takuji retaliated with a blood-red icicle shaped like a Kirin’s horn aimed at Lionel’s gut.
The resulting carnage left both combatants severely wounded and in immense pain. Jax was visibly moved to tears, helpless in the face of Lionel's impending demise. Lionel, despite his blurry vision and altered breathing pattern, managed to smile at Jax and Tokido.
"Kiyoshi is near, stronger than ever. Thank you for being my friend till the end," he whispered gratefully before launching his final attack: Master Move: Final Neon Flash Explosion!
A massive pink aura ball emanated from Lionel's body causing an explosion that rocked the entire island. Everyone shielded their eyes to avoid permanent damage while the force of the blast disintegrated Lionel’s body into tiny pink stars that ascended into the sky.
Once the dust settled after about 15 minutes, all that remained of their battleground was rubble and debris where once stood a ring. Amidst this destruction, Takuji stood laughing maniacally despite being reduced to one knee due to energy exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Kiyoshi felt the ripple effect of this massive explosion as it caused an earthquake-like tremor across the island. He narrowly avoided falling into a fissure created by this upheaval but managed to finally locate his friends amidst all this chaos.
Facing Takuji now with nothing but his straw hat as a barrier between them, Kiyoshi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.