MUGEN Voltage

Ch. 21: Paint It Red

After an encounter with R.E.D.'s mysterious agents, Iro Harada was captured and implanted a strange worm-like apparatus through her belly button, before leaving her for dead. Eventually, minutes after the encounter with the agents, Iro slowly stands up, as these words come out of her mouth.

"I must... eliminate... Kaminari Kouya.."

Iro proceeds to stand up and slowly walk away from the premises, as if nothing had happened. However, one can notice something... unusual about her motions.

-Apartment 8:51 PM-

It took Iro almost an hour and a half before she finally arrived back to the apartment, where she was greeted by Old Man Osamu, who took note of her arriving late.

"Iro? You were late for dinner. What happened?" Said Old Man Osamu. "Oh, and have you seen Kouya too?"

However, Iro doesn't answer. Immediately, Old Man Osamu notices Iro's unusual body movements, as well as her stained, muddy clothes and the strange blank expression on her face, and ask what was going on.

"Iro...? Are you okay?" Said Old Man Osamu, walking toward Iro's direction.

However, Iro then proceeds to swat him away, sending him to the nearby wall and knocking him out cold.

Iro didn't pay attention to Osamu's predicament and simply took a seat and proceeded to set up a canvas and paint a portrait of Kouya and his friends... plus Shisui. Clearly, something was up.

-Outside the Apartment 9:11 PM-

Meanwhile, outside the apartment, Kouya and the rest were walking towards his apartment, talking about stuff, with nary an idea about what was going on inside.

"Do you really need permission from that old man before we leave?" Said Risa.

"Yeah... he can be kinda strict at times." Kouya replied. "I'm pretty sure he means well, though, so I'm not complaining."

Suddenly, Kouya felt a strange pain from his left arm. He looks at his arm, only to find a strange cut across his forearm.

"That's strange... I don't remember having my arm cut." Said Kouya.

"Huh? What are you-" Risa replied.

However, Risa suddenly gets interrupted when she receives a cut of her own, this time, across the shoulder.

Music: "When It Cuts" by Ill Niño (Confession; 2003)

"Kouya, I think we're under attack!" Said Risa.

"Tch... they got Iro-san, haven't they?!" Kouya replied.

Kouya, with nary a second thought, immediately rushes toward the apartment, leaving the rest of Mugen behind.

"Wait! Kouya!" Said Risa. "Guys, let's follow him!"

Rock, Shiki, Nina and Shisui all nod in unison as they proceed to follow Risa's lead.

Kouya's apartment is on the third floor of the complex. Thus, he immediately goes for the elevator... only to find out that it's currently out of order.

"Damn it! Wait for me, Iro-san!" Said Kouya.

With no other choice, he rushes to the stairs, using his Lightspeed to get across quickly.

However, once he reaches the second floor, he was suddenly blocked by an R.E.D. agent.

"What?! You again?!" Said Kouya.

Kouya immediately rushes toward the agent, only for him to vanish from his sight. Shocked, Kouya looks behind him and saw that the agent was already behind him.

"What the...?! A Teleporter?!" Kouya thought.

Kouya ends up getting another indiscriminate cut, this time toward his leg, slowing him down. He kneels down and clutches the wound.

The agent teleports quickly toward him, but before he was able to land, Kouya immediately slams his other hand on the ground, surrounding himself with lighting bolts. The surprise attack catches the agent off guard for a few seconds, which Kouya follows up on by tripping the agent by his legs.

"Tch...!" Said Kouya.

As soon as the agent was down, Kouya immediately stands up and rushes for the next floor.

"Risa... I'm leaving him to you." Kouya thought. "I'll handle the rest.

Meanwhile, Risa and the rest of Mugen were rushing on the stairs to the second floor, ignoring all the indiscriminate cuts they get as they keep on running. Once they reach the second floor, they try to run down the hallways, only for the agent to immediately teleport toward them and grab Shiki by his hood.

"Shiki!" Shouted Risa.

Rock immediately rushes to Shiki's aid. He then throws a punch with his concrete fist toward the agent... only for the agent to teleport out of the way. Rock ends up getting an indiscriminate cut on his chest and falls down.

However, behind him, was Nina, who has her twin currents ready, as she unleashes her attack on the agent.

"HYDRO HELIX!" Shouted Nina.

Nina launches a Hydro Helix at the exposed agent's back...

"FLAME UPPER!" Shouted Risa.

... which Risa follows up with a Flame Upper, launching him to the ceiling...

"Hmph..." Said Shisui.

... ending with Shisui wrapping her strings around the agent and throwing him to the next corner.

With the agent successfully dispatched, the five teens immediately rush to the third floor.

-Apartment 9:22 PM-

As all this was happening, Kouya had just reached the third floor. Upon reaching the door to his apartment, he immediately punches the door away, and saw Iro sitting along her canvas, giving him a chilling death glare, while Old Man Osamu is still knocked out cold.

"IRO!!!" Shouted Kouya.

Kouya tries to run toward Iro's direction, but Iro then starts furiously slashing red paint all over her canvas, forcing him to slow down. Iro didn't budge, and kept on slashing and slashing. By the time he was close to where Iro is, he was full of cuts and scratches all over his body.

It was then that Risa and the rest reach Kouya's apartment. Overwhelmed by the arrival of all the others, Iro was unable to see what was behind her, as Shiki binds his shadow to hers, constricting her movement.

"I... can't... move!" Said Iro.

This prompts Risa to rush toward Iro's direction and deck Iro in the face with a fiery knuckle sandwich, or as Risa likes to call it, a...

"BURNING BLAZE!" Shouted Risa.

As Iro was unable to move, she ended up taking the full brunt of Risa's Burning Blaze, punching through her canvas and sending her flying across the room.

As soon as Iro was defeated, the rest immediately rush to Kouya's aid. Shiki unbinds his shadow from Iro's and follows through.

[music fades]

Risa stares at the unconscious Iro for a while, before asking the others.

"Guys, what do you think caused her to snap like that...?" Said Risa.

"... It's them..." Shisui replied.

"What?" Said Risa.

TO BE CONTINUED