Inside Rio's consciousness, a chaotic war was raging. While Neroli, the ghost woman, struggled to fully suppress Rio's soul, the monster known as Mouchi wasn't waiting for them to settle their differences.
With a roar that shook the very foundation of the kitchen, Mouchi swung a massive, obsidian-like fist. The blow connected squarely with Rio's chest, sending him soaring through the air like a broken doll. He smashed into a heavy cupboard, splintering the wood into a thousand pieces.
"Gah! What the..." Rio coughed, his vision swimming. A strange, pulsating warmth spread through his veins. "I feel like... like my wounds are knitting themselves back together. Is this her power?"
"Kill that piece of trash!" Neroli's voice screamed inside his skull, filled with frantic rage.
"Why the hell should I do what you say?" Rio spat out a mouthful of blood, struggling to stand.
"If you don't fight him, your pathetic little friends will be the next ones he tears apart. Do you want their blood on your hands?!"
Rio looked at Gyau and Kawsoki, who were paralyzed with fear in the corner. His jaw tightened. Blue sparks of static electricity began to crackle around his limbs. With a burst of supernatural speed, Rio lunged forward, his fist glowing with a faint electrical charge.
He struck Mouchi with everything he had, but the monster didn't even flinch. Mouchi's oversized hand shot out, catching Rio's fist mid-air with effortless ease.
"Neroli..." Mouchi's voice was a guttural growl that vibrated the floorboards. "I've been waiting for a chance to crush you."
Inside Rio, Neroli let out a frustrated shriek. "Damn it! This brat's body... I can't synchronize with it! I can't draw out my true power!"
"You're pathetic, Neroli," Mouchi mocked, his grip tightening until Rio's knuckles began to pop.
"You're testing my patience, you overgrown cockroach!" Neroli roared through Rio's mouth. "You only survived in this house because of my mercy!"
"I don't care about your mercy," Mouchi sneered. "I only care about fighting the strong. And right now... you're just a weakling in a human shell."
"Fine! Boy, listen to me!" Neroli pleaded with Rio. "Let me take full control for just a moment. Let me save us!"
"No way!" Rio groaned through the pain.
"I said GIVE IT TO ME!"
"I SAID NO!"
Driven by a mix of fear and adrenaline, Rio swung his other fist at Mouchi's face. But the impact was pitiful. It was like a toddler punching a professional heavyweight boxer. The monster didn't even blink.
Mouchi's eyes flashed with boredom. "Enough of this."
In one swift, brutal motion, Mouchi grabbed Rio by the head. He slammed him into the floor and dragged him across the jagged remains of the kitchen tiles. Before Rio could even scream, Mouchi hurled him upward, crashing through the ceiling and onto the upper floor of the manor.
But Mouchi wasn't finished. The monster leaped into the air, descending like a falling meteor. He landed squarely on Rio's chest with a sickening CRACK.
The sound of shattering bones echoed through the silent house. Rio's ribs collapsed, and a fountain of crimson blood erupted from his mouth, mixed with white foam. He lay there, twisted and broken, his eyes glazing over as the regenerative warmth finally faded away. He couldn't heal anymore. His body had reached its limit.
In the cold silence of his mind, Neroli's voice whispered with a dark, bitter satisfaction.
"I told you... without me, you are absolutely nothing."