Ikku trembled. Every muscle in his body quivered with fear. Deep down, he knew, he didn't stand a chance against this man. His mind was clouded, paralyzed, lost in panic. He didn't know what to do… until his eyes landed on something.
His armband.
That worn piece of cloth, soaked in sweat and time, was more than just fabric. It was a promise. His promise. A vow made under the stars. And then, the memory came flooding back him and Jack, one quiet night, sitting around a crackling fire.
— "I'm doing pretty well, aren't I, Jack?"
— "Don't celebrate too soon, Ikku. You haven't done anything yet."
— "You're right… I guess this mission's gonna be way harder than I thought. But I swore on this armband I'll make it, no matter what. I won't give up."
Jack had smiled then. That rare, faint smile that said everything he needed to say.
— "Ikku… The hardest part about having a goal isn't the obstacles. It's having the will to keep chasing it, no matter how many obstacles. It's not just about being motivated… It's about staying motivated."
The memory lit a fire in Ikku's soul. His gaze shifted. Fear evaporated. Replaced by something stronger will. Pure, unshakable will.
While the others remained frozen in terror, Ikku stepped forward, feet steady, fists clenched.
He took his stance and roared with all his might:
— "TURBO!!!"
His aura exploded like a violent storm, red and raging. Energy surged from his body like a tidal wave.
Kolio raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
— "I like that look in your eyes, kid."
— "Kenny! Yumé! Carla!" Ikku shouted. "Get out of here! Get on Kenny's back and go find Master Zeno! He's the only one who can help us!"
— "What about you?!" Yumé cried.
— "I'll hold him off."
— "Don't be stupid, Ikku!" Kenny snapped. "That guy's a walking disaster! You're not gonna make it out alive!"
— "A disaster, huh? So what? Jack's a disaster too and he's number one. This guy's only number three. He's not stopping me. I'll survive. I swear it. Now GO!"
Before they could answer, Ikku charged.
His punch flew straight at Kolio but Kolio caught it effortlessly.
Ikku didn't back down. He launched a flurry of attacks from every angle, testing Kolio's defense. But the man dodged and countered every blow with chilling ease, clearly amused.
— "Not bad at all, kid," Kolio chuckled.
— "You haven't seen anything yet!"
Ikku leapt from rooftop to rooftop, shifting direction constantly to blur Kolio's vision. He dove in from behind, aiming a fierce blow but Kolio spun around, caught his arm midair, and hurled him through a building.
Kenny watched in awe for a moment, impressed by Ikku's movements. Then, without hesitation, he shifted into his giant panther form.
— "Get on now !" he roared. "We can't waste this chance Ikku gave us !"
Carla stood frozen, worry in her eyes.
— "Ikku…"
— "Trust him!" Yumé shouted. "He's stronger than we think!"
Carla hesitated… then nodded. She and Yumé climbed onto Kenny's back, and the panther sprinted off at lightning speed.
Kolio didn't chase. He simply stood there, watching them vanish with a half-smile.
Behind him, rubble exploded as Ikku burst out of the debris, still burning with energy. He landed in front of Kolio, panting, yet full of resolve.
— "It's been a long time since I've seen someone with that much determination," Kolio said. "Tell me your name."
— "Haa... haa... Nemuri Ikku… haa... Remember that name… haa... Because one day, it'll be written in history as the man who fulfilled Millennium!"
— "Millennium? That old legend?" Kolio laughed. "Interesting… But to pull that off, you'll have to beat me."
— "Tch... I don't even see you as an obstacle. You're just a speck of dust in my way !"
— "Hahahahaha! That's the spirit, kid! Come on then show me you're not all talk !"
— This is it. I have to give it everything I've got. If I want to live… I have to be ready to die. You think you're a calamity? My whole life has been a calamity. I'm not backing down anymore!
Ikku lunged again. This time, Kolio responded with full force. Every one of Ikku's strikes was deflected, every counter a thunderous blow that sent him flying. But Ikku kept coming. Over and over. Bloodied, battered, nearly blind he always got back up.
— "You've got guts, I'll give you that," Kolio admitted. "But will alone isn't enough. And you're about to learn that the hard way."
They both stepped forward, ready to end it. Ikku's time was running out.
— One minute left before Turbo ends. After that… I won't even be able to move. I've landed zero damage. I have no choice...
Kolio stepped within reach.
— "It's over, kid."
And then… time changed.
The air shifted.
Everything slowed.
— This feeling… Kolio thought. It's the same… when two high-level fighters clash, time sometimes compresses. But this kid ? He's not strong enough to make me sweat. So how...
Suddenly, Ikku vanished.
Kolio blinked. Confused. No way that was teleportation…
Then… his vision twisted. The sky and ground were tilted.
Nohe was tilted.
His head was being driven downward.
By a hand.
Ikku's hand.
Reality snapped back.
CRACK.
Kolio's body slammed into the earth. Then an eruption of lightning and fury:
— "DEUS TURBO!!!"
Ikku stood above him, wreathed in wild red energy and electric blue bolts. His eyes glowed crimson, hair spiking upward like a flame.
Before Kolio could even move, Ikku launched him skyward with a devastating kick. Then, like a flurry of ghosts, Ikku attacked from every direction blow after blow, each one sending Kolio ricocheting through the air until one final strike sent him plummeting back to earth.
BOOM.
Dust. Silence.
Ikku collapsed beside the crater, his body limp.
— That's Deus Turbo... I activate it while already in Turbo. It's like Turbo... inside Turbo. My power's multiplied again, but the time gets halved, thirty seconds, tops. And after that, I'm totally paralyzed. I doubt it was enough to kill him... but maybe it knocked him out long enough for Master Zeno to arrive. The victory is ou..
His breath caught.
Kolio was walking out of the crater.
Shirt shredded. Muscles inked with tattoos. Barely scratched.
He walked straight toward Ikku, calm, composed, unreadable behind his sunglasses.
Ikku barely managed to lift his head.
He hadn't expected Kolio to rise so easily.
— "That was incredible, Ikku," Kolio said. "You've got guts. But… bad luck, crossing paths with me."
A sudden noise, something slithered from below Kolio's feet.
He jumped back, dodging a chain that shot up at him, followed by another, and another. He dodged effortlessly.
Ikku turned his head.
Carla stood nearby, her chains glowing with tension.
— "Car…la… why…?"
— "You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you ?" said Yumé, appearing in front of him.
— "Tried to talk 'em out of it…" muttered Kenny, stepping up beside him. "But we couldn't let you take all the glory."
— "I…idiots…" Ikku groaned with a faint smile.
The chains stopped. Kolio paused, facing the full group.
— "So you came to save your friend. I admire that. But do you really think this changes anything?"
— "We're not scared of you anymore," Kenny declared. "We'll find a way to beat you."
The team took their stances.
— "Carla, stay back. Cover us and protect Ikku," said Kenny. "Yumé, I'll go in first, support me from behind."
— "Right!" the others shouted.
Kenny transformed once more into the giant panther. Yumé's aura flared bright, his eyes glowing fiercely.
Kolio advanced… one step at a time.
And then...
THUNK.
A black sword embedded itself in the ground, between him and the team.
— "A black blade ?" Kolio murmured.
The moment they saw it, the team exhaled. Yumé's aura faded. Kenny reverted to human and dropped to the ground, exhausted.
— "Just in time," Carla said.
— "We're saved…" Kenny breathed.
— "That was close…" Yumé added.
— "Fi…nally…" whispered Ikku, before passing out.
A voice rang from above.
— "Well done, kids. What you just did… was extraordinary. Forgive the delay, now let me take over."
Kolio looked up.
Atop a crumbling rooftop, stood a man with arms crossed, his long coat dancing in the breeze. An eyepatch covered half his face. Not a single scratch on him.
Kolio grinned.
— "Now this, I wasn't expecting," he said, amused. "It's been a long time… Angel of Death."