"How is everyone faring?"
The crowd looked around in confusion.
But Taro's expression shifted instantly.
His eyes widened.
Then narrowed.
"Kimado." He muttered.
A low chuckle echoed through the air.
"Oh, Taro." His voice was carried a hint of amusement. "I'm touched that you still remember my name."
"How could anyone ever forget you...?" Taro's fist tightened.
"Not after everything you've done. Especially after killing my brother and my son."
The place fell silent for a brief moment.
Followed by a soft chuckle from Kimado.
"Oh, you still remember that?"
Taro only scowled further. "How could I ever forget?"
"Come on, you and I both know those two brought that fate upon themselves. Especially your son."
Kimado's tone dropped slightly with a darker edge.
"He took something precious from me. Then, despite knowing exactly what he'd done, he had the nerve to attack me."
"What did you expect me to do? Stand there and let him kill me? And your brother got in my way trying to play hero to save him."
"Shut up you bastard!" Taro's voice rang through the street. "You're only trying to justify murder."
His eyes burned with anger.
"His attack would've never killed you, and you knew that. You could've stopped him. Instead, you chose to kill him."
"Oh. You think I'm that much of a heartless person that I wouldn't care about what's precious to me? Huh Taro?"
"If you really cared about them then why did you bring them to battlefield in the first place?" Taro asked out...
But there was no response.
"That's what I thought." Taro's expression darkened.
"Everywhere you appear is a battlefield to you."
"Kill. Destroy. Conquer. That's the only solution to every problem you have."
"To you, every battlefield is a chess board and we're nothing but chess pieces to be cleared away."
The crowd listened in stunned silence.
"You conquered my world..." Taro paused, a smirk crossing his lips.
"But it won't be checkmate in this world for you." A gold arm guard flickered to his left arm and a sword in his right hand.
"Even if I fall during this war..." He paused, raising his sword.
"The prophecy shall come to pass." His smirk widened, voice echoing with conviction.
"The five elemental gods will be born reborn into this world and with their power... they will defeat you."
The place fell silent for a moment, the air filled with tension...
Then Kimado gave a few low chuckles...
Followed by a burst of laughter, echoing throughout the world.
"I see your tongue is still as sharp as ever." The laughter slowly faded.
So you've already accepted my declaration of war."
Taro's eyes narrowed as Kimado continued.
"Then let the people of Earth hear this clearly... I won't hold back... I'll fight this war with everything I have."
His voice became colder.
"So prepare them, Taro. Prepare them for what's coming. Because when I arrive..."
Brief pause
"None of you will be spared."
The voice faded as silence returned to the streets.
Taro stood motionless, staring up at the sky as his eyes slowly widened in realization.
Kimado broadcast everything.
The entire Earth had heard their conversation.
Every citizen.
Every government.
Every Bizarre Inhabitant.
They now knew that a war was coming.
Taro sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, damn. Looks like I've got an explanation to give. Saw it coming but I can't help feeling a bit uneasy... Ugh, very uneasy"
A sense of gut-wrenching dread settling amongst them...
Spreading out, enveloping the city...
And further beyond, reaching almost everyone around the world, gripping their hearts.
Someone stepped forward, turning to Taro, his frame visibly shaking.
"I knew it."
Taro looked at the man.
"I knew this was going to happen." The man's voice trembled. "You're the reason we have our abilities, aren't you?"
Taro said nothing, his gaze turning to John and Luke before turning back to the man.
"I'm sorry for not telling anyone sooner. I knew no one would believe me so I kept it to myself and waited for the right time."
Then he looked toward crowd.
"But now..."
The place went silent.
So silent that even the slightest tap of a foot on the ground would be noise to their ears.
"Now I think you've all realized that I'm not from this world. The only people who knew about me is those two." He said pointing at John and Luke.
He took a deep breath, his expression hardening.
"Listen... I know you're afraid." He stated plain fact.
"And I know you're not ready for this." He continued, voice calm.
"But we don't have a choice anymore." He stepped forward.
"That man wants to take this world from you. But don't let his words fill you with fear."
"Fight."
"Fight for your homes. Fight for your families. Fight for your future."
His voice grew louder.
"Your lives depend on it. The fate of this world depends on it."
He clenched his fist.
"Don't let my escape to this world be in vain. As long as you have the courage to take that first step...
...you can still change your future."
He looked across the crowd.
"I believe in you. I believe in your future. And even if I die..."
A pause...
With a smile...
"I have nothing to fear because I believe in all of you."
For a while, no one spoke.
Then in front of the crowd, a man clenched his fist.
"I..." He managed to utter, his eyes twitching.
The fear wasn't gone... No.
But there was something else beneath it... Determination.
"I want my children to grow up and live a happy life." His stepped forward. "I'll fight back. I'll fight to protect their future."
"Yes. I'll also fight." Someone else also stated—a woman—her eyes glowing yellow.
"That's right." A guy stated, also stepping forward. "We won't allow him to win over us."
Taro's words seemed to reach far beyond the crowd before him. Across the world, Bizarre Inhabitants began feeling something they hadn't felt in a long time—determination.
— —
Up on a cliff, a certain dark skinned figure in an armed forces uniform laid on his back, hands at the back of his head, cap covering face.
Compared to the boiling energy brimming within a certain crowd at a certain place, this man's posture whispered peace... like he could care less about whatever was going on.
But then, he lifted one hand, taking the cap off his face.
A small smile zipped his lips as he opened his eyes, slowly sitting up.
"A war, huh?"
He groaned, stretching his arms.
"Hey dude, did you hear that?" A voice—along with disturbing noises—came from the radio device hanging on his chest.
He lifted one hand to press the PPT button. "What's going on over there?"
"The guys are in a frenzy. Get down here." The noise then cut off.
The guy chuckled softly, turning to the edge of the cliff as an arm guard materialized on his left arm out of a gust of wind.
Air currents warped around his legs and arms in a spiraling form as he stepped off the cliff, falling smoothly from the sky.
His smile widened slightly. "I guess our war has been child's play all along. Was it fate that all countries unite to face the real threats in a real war...?"
He glanced up at the sky, eyes glowing silver. "I wonder."
— —
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" A certain meathead erupted into roars of laughter as he balanced himself upside down on one hand as an abnormally huge dumbbell was trapped at the back of his knees.
"Why do you sound so happy?" A bored voice came a guy lying on a bench, reading manga.
"Why, you ask?" The meathead grinned from ear to ear as he dropped the dumbbell.
The ground beneath is fissured, forming a crater as the earth trembled slightly.
The meathead got up, wiping sweat from his face. "I was getting bored fighting weaklings who claimed to be criminals."
His eyes glowed red as he curled his fingers and with every bend, his bones creaked, the air around them booming slightly.
"But maybe this idiot declaring war is exactly what I've been waiting for."
— —
Taro smirked, curling the fingers of his right hand into a fist and raised it up.
John and Luke both grinned, doing the same.
Taro closed his eyes for a moment... then he opened them, his irises glowed gold as he raised his voice.
"FIGHT... FOR PEACE."