Editing BlazBlue:Phase Shift 3 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 3===

— “You’re a real goody-two-shoes, o’ mighty hero!”

The source of the voice had been there for some time, standing on the rubble, next to Hakumen.


Under the dim moonlight, a slender man in a long coat suddenly came out. Under the hood pulled down over his eyes, he showed his mouth like that of a reptile.


— “All those years with the Susano’o Unit made you a pussy, huh, Jin Kisaragi?!”

Terumi laughed, his voice as unpleasant as the soundless presence of a crawling snake.
He'd snarled out a name that Hakumen had long left in the past. A name that should only be known by a select few, and cannot exist now.


Immediately, a chill came down Hakumen's spine.


— “...you scumbag.”

— “Eh, don’t get me wrong! I don’t know any more than that. It ain’t like I’m predicting the future!”


Terumi hurriedly waved both hands at the intimidating Hakumen, mocking his tone of voice. He then tucked back his chin, and his smile grew even wider while his red tongue poked out.

— “You get me? I'm here, and you're over there... we're standing in slightly different places. I don't know how things will end this time... you're from the other side of this world, so I bet you know a lot more than I do.”

— “This time—?”


The use of his old name and the odd invocation of an “other side” put Hakumen on edge.

He held his head down, feeling his mind overrun with noise, like he had seen something he should not have. The feeling seeped into Hakumen's memories like a drug being pushed through a syringe.


None of this was memories, or Hakumen's experiences... but information. Fragments of data, recorded and managed by something other than Hakumen's brain.

Numerous scenes grazed his head like noise, showing tens of thousands of images in rapid-fire.


Building burnings…

Freezing rooms…

Someone's face…

He did not recognize any of it.

Even though he should have.


— “Hehehehe... hey, buddy, tell me something. How many times have you been here? Huh? How many fuckin' loops does that make?”

Terumi's voice and words sent noise into Hakumen's mind. The scene within the noise seemed to overlap with the hooded man in front of Hakumen: the same height, same build, same expression... and the same black clothes and black hat.


— “Ha…”

Inside his mask, Hakumen’s mouth moved on its own, sending out noise.

He'd spent so much time with the girl named after a flower, only to never know her ultimate fate.

— “'''''Hazama—!!'''''”


Exhaling a low, heated breath, Hakumen reached for the nodachi on his back. The rising bloodlust within swayed his long silver hair, and his steps sent cracks into the rubble beneath his feet. An ordinary person would be immediately frozen into fear by such a sight.

But Terumi just stood and watched.


— “You’re out for blood… that’s what I wanna see!”

Terumi smirked at every reaction from Hakumen. He pulled both hands out of his pockets and spread his arms lightly, trying to provoke him with a sarcastic invitation for a hug.

— “Gonna kill me or no?”

If Hakumen kicked off the scaffolding and swung down the nodachi with all his strength, the blade would easily cleave Terumi in two. All this could end in only ten seconds.

— “C'mon, do it already. The way I am right now, I don't stand a chance! I know you've got this in the bag, so ''take the shot and'' '''''fucking kill me!'''''”

Terumi sneered behind his hood.

Hakumen looked from a position where he could finish him off with a single slash. Terumi was telling the truth; he could easily kill him now.

The whole time, Terumi did not move once. With his hands lightly open, he waited for Hakumen to make his move.

The bloodlust was like a flame erupting from his body. Hakumen gripped the hilt of his nodachi tightly so he could pull it out at any moment, and after putting all his weight into his legs for a massive leap...

he stood up, sheathed his blade and turned his back on Terumi.


— “That’s it? No killing?” Terumi asked, audibly disappointed.

Hakumen, with his back turned to the voice that had just tried to irritate him, replied with a low swing in the air.

— “If ‘what I know’ is correct... you're essential to defeating the Black Beast.”

— “Heh... guess I don't have to worry about you killing me for a while.”

— “Wait until this is all over.”

— “Huuuuh? Don't say that, Hakumen! We're on the same ''siiiide!''”


Even without turning to look, Hakumen could see the smirk on his face. How could he make ‘being on the same side’ sound so trivial? He could not wait to leave Terumi’s “side”.

Just as Hakumen was about to jump off the rubble-covered heights, Terumi’s voice rang out behind him.

― “It's the future, ain't it?” His voice was sharp, like a knife to the throat.

Hakumen did not feel fear; only disgust. He clenched his fist tightly.

— “My mission is to defeat the Black Beast. Nothing more.”

— “...I get it.”

Terumi no longer smiled. Hakumen looked over at his unsightly gait and dismissed him with a bored demeanor. Through his eyeless mask, he stared at Terumi.

— “But I’d rather not let ‘that thing’ decide my future.”


The man who once saved him was branded a god with neverending "dreams of destiny" — and he wanted no part of those dreams. Thus, Hakumen kicked the debris beneath his feet and left. The ground remained dimly lit by the crescent moon's distant light.

Like a pale white shadow, he disappeared into the forest.

With an aside glance, Terumi carved a smug grin onto his mouth again. He shoved his hands into his pants' pockets and shot a shady glare at the moon.

— “You know what…? You got a point, Hakumen-chan.”

Terumi also crossed the pile of rubble and made a quick exit.