(N.T. Light)
Kaoru remained on the ground, paralyzed. He was watching Iker approach with a calm that was frighteningly imposing.
"Do you know where the other girls with Potentia are?" said Iker without changing his tone of voice. "The real portals of this world…do you know where they are?"
What… what is this lunatic talking about? What else is going to happen today? thought Kaoru, sweating cold.
The conversation was getting stranger by the minute. Iker stopped for a moment, waiting for the man in front of him to speak. But the deafening silence persisted.
"Not going to answer anything?" said Iker, after closing his eyes and letting out a long sigh.
Strong gusts of wind began to form around Iker's clenched fist. They quickly expanded, becoming visible and filling the room.
The businessman seemed to surrender, he sat down, body rigid, sweating profusely. He stared at Iker in terror. A man who had always had total control over himself now found himself in a situation where he felt utterly powerless.
The winds gathered in Iker's fist, the concentration of air so dense it could be seen. But even then, Kaoru couldn't escape. He was lifted by the neck, as if an invisible hand had grabbed him, but with far greater strength.
His neck was being squeezed, not enough to kill him, but enough to leave Mr. Kaoru gasping for breath. He struggled in the air, pulling at the thick mass of wind around his neck, to no avail.
"If you decide to cooperate, I'll stop. I don't like unnecessary torture." explained Iker, his tone unchanged. His words carried no irony, no sarcasm.
The torture continued. Iker observed the glowing man, suspended by the neck, waiting to see if he would show any sign of cooperation.
From a corner of the wreckage, something shot toward them, lighting up the scene. It was concentrated fire, moving fast, launched directly at them.
Iker sensed the flames approaching immediately. He leaped aside, agile as ever, his body and mind perfectly coordinated, fully aware of what kind of attack it was. He quickly cut off the mass of wind, ending the chokehold, and Kaoru crashed to the ground.
Damn… Okay… Vacchiano's thoughts were in disarray. After falling, he grabbed his neck, feeling the pain and nausea. His mind grew more and more confused with every passing second.
So they decided to show up, thought Iker, turning his attention toward two tall female figures standing amid the debris.
"Almost hit him," murmured Hitomi, her hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled. Her hand, which was slowly lowering, had just released the fire attack.
"MR. VACCHIANO, ARE YOU OKAY?" Megumi shouted as she began running toward Kaoru.
"GET OUT OF HERE! HE'S DANGEROUS!" he warned when he saw them. Struggling to stand, he staggered toward the models as fast as he could.
Kaoru and Megumi rushed toward each other, but the enemy's position caught her attention. Iker had his hand raised, eyes fixed on them, winds forming once again in his palm.
Once more, Kaoru found himself caught by the air's grip, as terrified as before. This time, Hitomi wasted no time, she quickly lifted her hand to cast another burst of fire.
Iker, with calm precision, redirected the wind toward the flames. The two forces collided, yet there was no explosion, nor did the fire vanish. The two Potentia intertwined, dancing around the battlefield, their energy spreading through the burning walls. The battle had just intensified within the fiery barrier.
This is it… Today's the day I die… thought Kaoru, staring at the wall of fire shaped by the breath of wind.
Though still terrified, he now seemed resigned to his fate. He was still drenched in cold sweat, but no longer frozen in place.
"SIR, WE NEED TO MOVE BACK!" urged Megumi, placing her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. The urgency in her voice contrasted with the gentleness of her touch. Even in desperate moments, Megumi never lost her grace.
"MEGUMI…" he exclaimed, snapping back to reality and regaining focus.
With his attention on her now, Megumi grabbed Kaoru's arm to pull him away from danger.
I can't believe he used wind to create a wall of fire… I had no idea that was possible, thought Hitomi, staring at the blaze surrounding them. The situation felt strangely familiar.
"COME AND FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE! THAT TRICK, YOUR FRIEND ALREADY USED IT, AND SHE DIDN'T BEAT US!" shouted Hitomi, unshaken.
"You're talking about Yesenia? She's driven by violence and vengeance. She doesn't measure consequences, that's not my case." replied Iker, his voice calm and steady.
He wasn't lying, he truly was in control. He didn't act on impulse, at least not in battle. His body was relaxed, ready to move as needed.
While they exchanged words, Megumi hurriedly pulled off Kaoru's gloves, revealing his glowing hands.
"Hey, are you seeing what's happening here? I don't think this is a good time to start undressing me." he said seriously, almost incredulously, looking at Megumi.
Megumi let go of Vacchiano's hand. Few people could wipe the smile from her face, but at that moment, Mr. Kaoru had managed it. His comment made her look at him with disdain.
"Sir, could you just trust me? I know how to handle your situation," she requested. Undressing? she repeated in her mind, unsure how to feel, but definitely irritated.
"You do?" he asked, skeptical, but knowing that at this point, he didn't have many options, and everything was so strange that almost anything seemed possible.
The fight between Hitomi and Iker raged on. Wind and fire collided in bursts of speed; Hitomi knew that one mistake could be fatal.
Iker easily dodged Hitomi's Potentia of fire, analyzing her movements, as if studying his opponent. She managed to evade his attacks too, but it demanded far more effort from her.
If I lose focus… I'm done for… thought Hitomi, realizing the battle was getting deadlier by the second.
"What… What's happening? Hitomi can't hold on like this." Kaoru muttered, increasingly terrified as helplessness consumed him.
"Sir, I need you to clap your hands to release your energy." Megumi requested.
Upon hearing those words, Kaoru turned sharply toward her. His pupils widened, his expression frozen in disbelief at the woman's composure. Rage surged through his body; indignation and frustration took over.
"ARE YOU SEEING WHAT'S GOING ON? HITOMI COULD DIE, AND YOU'RE ASKING ME TO CLAP MY HANDS? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" he shouted, grabbing Megumi's shoulders, trying to shake some sense into her.
"I'm sorry, sir." replied Megumi, pushing his hands away. "But the only one not understanding anything here is you. Can't you listen to me just once without getting angry?"
Kaoru noticed the confidence in Megumi's voice and fell silent, staring at her. His expression softened, his anger cooling slightly. Willing to trust her, he raised his hands and held them parallel.
His face showed curiosity, but also doubt. Unsure whether to believe her or not, fearing this was some strange prank from a rookie model, he slowly brought his hands together.
The battle raged on, frantic. Hitomi was starting to find gaps in Iker's composure and defense. With a leap, she found the perfect speed and angle to hurl her Potentia of fire toward him.
For the first time, she hit him. The fire scorched his arm, burning through his shirt. It wasn't a huge flame, nor did it cause serious damage, but it was the first successful strike. Iker remained unfazed, calmly patting the flame out with his hand, as emotionless as ever. His expression didn't change, though Hitomi was clearly growing tired.
After Kaoru clapped his hands, nothing happened. His blood began to boil again, he felt deceived.
"Nothing happened…" he murmured.
"With strength." said Megumi, starting to lose patience with Mr. Vacchiano's half-hearted effort.
Kaoru stared at his glowing hands. Everything that day was already so absurd that he decided it was better to just follow her instructions.
This time, he put all his strength into it, clapping his hands with a loud, echoing snap. The light concentrated in his body surged toward his hands and began to pour outward, illuminating the entire area.
The light grew brighter and brighter, leaving Kaoru's body and flooding the place. It was almost impossible to see anything ahead.
For the first time, Kaoru Vacchiano was truly astonished. The past few days had been surreal. First, the strange glow in his hands, spreading to his whole body. His fashion show was destroyed by powerful winds, along with most of the mall's structure.
Then, sudden attacks, a stranger trying to kill him with powers straight out of fantasy films. And on top of that, he discovered his coworker had similar powers.
And to make his day even more unbelievable, or perhaps better, he himself possessed some kind of mysterious energy. He was stunned, bewildered. His mind, once full of skepticism and criticism, was silent before everything unfolding around him.