Editing City Series:Volume4b Chapter 11 (section)

===Part 6===

'''7:21 PM

Flames exploded.

The Storm High strike had negated the Flame High strike.

A solid sound rang out and the undying flames surged into the air as a flare.

Two powers clashed.

Flames.

And emptiness.

Those contrasting powers collided and maintained equilibrium.

“Seaaaaahhh!”

Even greater flames flew.

In response, the emptiness intercepted them with an unarmed hand.

They clashed.

A solid sound rang out and the flames danced.

With a roar much like a wave, a cascade of flames struck the roof of the main castle tower.

The roof burned in an instant.

It was a great conflagration.

The fire burned down Osaka Castle like flowing water.

“!”

More than a third of the giant structure was turned to ashes and annihilated in an instant.

It was a great power, but it had no effect on Shoui.

The flames flew once more.

The emptiness caught it.

A rumbling shook the air.

It did so again and again.

Each time, fire blossomed in the darkness of the night.

And that was not all.

Something white began to fall from the dark clouds in the sky.

It was snow.

As the continuous rumbling shook them, the dark clouds produced snow.

Countless red flowers blossomed within the falling snow.

Red flowers bloomed in the darkness.

And white flowers bloomed in the darkness.

An empty party began in the fire and in the strength.

Two prophecies coincided.

Emptiness was born from Shoui’s heart with no Rhythm and it swept away the memory of death.

Within the rumbling and the falling snow, Shoui and Nakamura’s attacks and Words coincided.

Nakamura was slightly faster.

“A woman becomes the queen.” / “A queen smiles at him.”

“A sage reminisces.” / “A sage resigns himself.”

“Run without looking to another’s path.” / “Fall into indecisiveness while looking to another’s path.”

“Choose your own path and sprint.” / “Choose your own path and hesitate.”

“The true path lies in the future.” / “The true path lies in the past.”

More red flowers bloomed in the darkness.

But one thing had changed.

Nakamura’s Words had vanished while Shoui’s Words continued.

He recited them.

To search for his own Words, he reached for everything he had gained.

He pulled in his own current and raised his voice.

“————!!”

[[Image:City_v04b_423.jpg|thumb]]

With that roar, the Storm High pierced the nothingness.

Within the chilly and still air, a field of destruction appeared inside all of that grand power.

In that field of destruction and annihilation, nobody took the middle road.

Nothing would live and nothing would die.

It all existed to protect.

“Everyone…!”

And with those Words, Shoui brought his fist to Nakamura.

It was a quick barrage.

A series of offensive and defensive blows shook the night air.

There was no hesitation in their actions and more snow fell as if to guide them.

White flowers scattered as if to answer the desire of the dark sky.

Shoui simply recited his Words as the white snow fell through the heavy darkness.

And his voice caused the fire to scatter and brighten the darkness.

His punches cried out.

His emptiness collided with Nakamura’s flames.

They were both fast.

Blow after blow rang out so quickly it sounded like one continuous noise.

And he sped up his Words to accelerate that further.

''I have no companions.

''She vanishes.

''A hand that can hold onto no one remains

''A hand that fosters destruction remains

''That hand pleads for no one to leave

He clenched his pleading right hand.

The ogre’s fist collided with Nakamura’s kick.

And as he sensed the impact and the noise simultaneously, Shoui remembered everything up to this point.

He had lost his Words.

He had lost his promise.

But he had made it this far.

…''Why is that?

He sought the answer in everything.

In the darkness and the flames.

In the sky and the snow.

In the wind and the noise.

And in himself…

The impact reverberating from his fist to his head cleared his thoughts.

He remembered some important Words.

They were an important person’s Words.

''!!

As the winter wind cried out frigidly, he definitely heard a crying voice inside himself.

That crying voice spoke words yet said nothing.

And as it did, it simply waited, drew near, and never gave up.

Those were the Words of the most important person in the world.

…''Yeah, that’s right.

Shoui nodded in his heart.

And with that mental understanding, his body freely moved before he even told it to.

He felt like he was moving with no distinction between thoughts and actions.

He felt himself inside a tension and speed he normally could not feel.

It was supported by a barrage of impacts and noises.

His thoughts linked to everything he had.

His sight.

His hearing.

His touch.

His arms.

His legs.

His body.

His head.

His conscious and subconscious.

They all supported his punches, impacts, and defenses.

And he thought.

He sensed more than ever before and looked to the dance partner in front of him.

That boy was moving in the same way.

His speed sensed everything.

His thoughts felt everything.

And he thought.

…''I’m protecting her…aren’t I?

He was aware of the girl behind him with something other than his 5 senses.

He could not allow her to stand before him.

So he moved to protect her and thought.

…''Can they hear this?

He made a combination blow.

…''Are they listening to this?

And he defended.

He thought his Words while moving as he wished.

Who did he want to hear what?

Shoui knew the answer to that.

He moved.

He saw the answer in his movements.

In that high-speed current, he saw what was behind his enemy.

A sea of light and an abyss of darkness.

They were Osaka’s nightscape and the night sky.

He made another combination blow, continued to defend, and found himself oddly focused on that scenery.

White flowers scattered and red flowers blossomed to decorate it.

“!”

Shoui moved even more.