Yugo loved his Myths equally. There was never a day where he would’ve said he preferred one over the other. They both provided things that the other did not. For example, the Minashire Monitor provided Yugo with most of his strength. The Historian, meanwhile, gave him his System and the knowledge to use his strength well enough to beat any opponent he ever faced. Just as they had their pros, so too did they have their cons. And because Yugo had two Myths he’d formed Contracts with, he had double the cons.
The Historian, for example, made Yugo a Class B Shifter. It was a minor complaint, but Yugo was proud of the appearance he’d given himself! As for the Minashire Monitor’s con, Yugo knew she didn’t mean any malice by imparting it unto him. On the contrary, she likely felt it necessary so that Yugo or any other inheritor of her power could truly appreciate the Minashire Monitor and her role in Minashire’s functioning. Still, having the ability to feel death and despair didn’t make Yugo’s life any easier. Nor did it make it any easier to keep that seal of his in place. It acted as a beacon, pointing Yugo toward the nearest site of chaos so that he could jump in and solve the issue before it grew. In a world without the Mamoru Clan, it would act like a relay radio not unlike what the Silent Hand were currently using to relay information about Oni Village’s partial annihilation. Of course, there was no world without the Mamoru Clan – not yet, anyway. There were always signals going off, pointing him toward sites of chaos on an almost hourly basis.
“I’m sorry!” Ibaraki cried, genuinely this time. He was on his knees, finally free from Zelos’ control. “I didn’t do that! I tried to fight him, but–”
“Now isn’t the time!” Shuten Douji interrupted, pulling his brother to his feet. “We need to protect the Village.” He turned to the two Silent Hand Oni who’d been relaying information to the group. “Men, to me!” He glanced over at Yugo. “Will you fight alongside us?”
“Of course we will,” Yugo nodded. “We’ll follow right behind you.”
“Lead the way,” Rui added, his voice no longer carrying echoes of Fallen Star.
Shuten Douji and his men took off without a second word, speeding through the forest as Yugo and his Seekers followed close behind. The heat from the burning Village radiated through the forest now as fire burned through the thick foliage. Yugo was glad they didn’t need to worry about the Wild Men for the time being, but if he knew Zelos as well as he thought he did, there was a reason for that. He hadn’t offered to follow behind Shuten Douji and his crew for no reason. While Somnia and Archie were both alert, Rui was the only one who knew what was about to happen.
“He’s going to possess Shuten Douji,” Rui confirmed, speaking soft enough for only the Seekers to hear. “He’ll use them to kill us, then have the Wild Men target the Village so that we can’t protect it.”
“You sure?” Archie questioned.
Rui chinned ahead. “Look at him.”
Indeed, Shuten Douji moved with a sluggishness unfamiliar to Yugo. Ibaraki and the other Silent Hand hadn’t noticed as their attention was focused on protecting their home. Under any other circumstance, Yugo would’ve had The Historian warn Ibaraki. Taking him out while Zelos was nearby, though, was a recipe for disaster. He had to trust that Ibaraki would be quick to react.
The change occurred at about the halfway point between the Wild Man Colony and Oni Village. It happened without warning. One second, Shuten Douji was trudging along the path toward his home, and the next he had his spiked club in his hand and was swinging it at his brother. Ibaraki was blessedly quick to react, dodging the attack long before it could connect. At the same time, the two Oni that’d been trailing Shuten Douji pinned him to the ground with swords made of Fire-Attuned Aura. They wouldn’t last longer than a few seconds, but it gave them enough time to head out as Ibaraki instructed.
“Zelos is a fool if he thinks he can outsmart the Silent Hand,” Ibaraki scoffed. “Shuten Douji warned us of his possession the moment it started.” Ibaraki pushed down on the swords as his possessed brother growled like a monster beneath him. “I’m going to hold him back. You guys get the villagers to safety. Once they’re out of the way, we can start looking for Zelos.”
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“Will you be alright?” Somnia asked.
Ibaraki gave an unsure smile. “I will so long as you all don’t take your time.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Archie reassured. “We’ll make sure no one gets hurt!”
With that, Yugo led the Seekers toward Oni Village. As they continued the trip, however, Yugo found himself in an uncomfortable dilemma. Staying to help the people in Oni Village meant leading the villagers to one of the Silent Hand tunnels. There was no telling whether Zelos – and by extension, the Mamoru Clan – knew they existed. If they did, it made no difference whether they knew. If they didn’t, this rescue mission would potentially be the worst option for the Oni on the whole. There was a third option, one that made the most sense and put the least people at risk. There was only one problem. One he’d been putting off from the moment he started the Seekers.
“Zelos won’t just let us do whatever we want,” Rui noted. “He’s going to target every human or Contracted human in the Prefecture. This entire destruction tactic is a diversion meant to make that easier for him. If we want to solve this problem, we need to kill Zelos.”
Yugo hadn’t been sure what to expect out of Rui after learning Zelos, one of the Four Horsemen, was so close by. Would he be blinded by bloodlust like Somnia? Would the trauma of his past paralyze him with fear? Would Fallen Star’s desire to beat and be the best fill him with excitement? The answer, Yugo found, was far more complicated. Complicated in a way that only he could truly relate to.
Rui was in shock. He had been from the moment Zelos made himself known. Perhaps all three emotions – fear, rage, and anticipation – played out in his mind. Perhaps none of them were present at all. All Yugo knew definitively was that neither he nor Rui himself knew how Rui was feeling at the moment. What Yugo knew that Rui didn’t, however, was that shock didn’t last forever. It’d go away, and it’d be replaced by the strongest emotion left over – fury. In any other circumstance, Yugo would encourage that – especially on someone like Zelos. He needed to be realistic, however. Just because Rui got angry didn’t suddenly make him invincible. Not even Somnia could bridge a gap this wide.
I’ll make sure you get strong enough to act on your fury, Rui. I promise you. I’ll make you strong enough to rip the Horsemen apart. I’m sorry I haven’t taken you there, yet.
Speaking of apologies, Yugo came to his decision. He’d do that third option. When the battle ended, he’d explain everything.
”We won’t find Zelos here,” Yugo said, cursing himself for how unsure he sounded. He took a deep breath. He felt Rui turn to him in his peripheral vision as they zipped through the forest, but he didn’t say anything. Deep down, Yugo wished Rui had.
“Zelos prefers to keep distance between the people he controls and himself. He wants us to spread out and look for him so his actual hiding place is obscured.”
“...How do you know that?” Rui asked, in a tone that oozed shock.
Yugo knew how to manage his emotions, but hearing Rui’s tone made his blood boil. None of this would have been necessary if his family hadn’t… He stopped, took a deep breath, and turned to Rui. The others stopped behind him, making no effort to hide the confusion in their faces. More rage built up inside him. Thankfully, he knew just who to vent it on.
“I’ll explain everything when we’re done here. I promise.” He looked over his Seekers. “I have… a lot to share with you. For now, I need you all to head back and help Ibaraki take down Shuten Douji. I’ll take care of Zelos, alright.”
“Hey! You didn’t answer my–” Rui barked, but Yugo didn’t get to hear him finish.
He teleported to where he knew Zelos would be: the Wild Man Colony. Just as he’d suspected, the incapacitated Wild Men who’d once littered the ground were now nowhere to be found. The entirety of the crater was empty, save for a single man sitting on a makeshift wooden chair at the very center of it. The Minashire Monitor thrashed about in her mind, channeling outrage and disgust as if to urge Yugo to kill the man. Not that he needed her encouragement. The Historian, meanwhile, had been silent. He knew the Myth well enough to recognize that as his focused state. Just like Mina, The Historian wanted Zelos dead.