#sk2021

Continued from here.

Episode Thirteen (8)

"̷̩̹͋”Ì̵̩͠'̵̫̇m̵̙͌̏ ̴̰̦̈́̀ṣ̵̫͂t̷͎̄͐o̷͔͔͌͒p̴͎̯̾p̷̝̰̏̕ḯ̴͕̰̆ng̴̬̈́ ̵̲̭̓yo̷͓̘͐̚ù̷͕ ̴͍͚͘r̵͙̞͘͝î̶̡̳g̴̖͆̾ḧ̴͚́̉t̴̀ͅ ̴͔̓̈́h̶͈͐̈́é̵̝̚r̶̮͗e ̴̨͋͝Z̷͆ͅė̵̠̩̋k̶̮͒̆e,̷̱̃́ ̶̞̯͋o̷̦̙̊̈́n̶͕̘͐͑cę̶̏ a̴̖͚̓n͍̙̉d̶̤̼̐̌ f̶̗̻̌͛or̵̺̆̾ ̷̧̛̖͑a̶͕͆͘l̶̻͂̈́l̴͍͋̔!̵̻͚̊͠”

"I̵̹͙͉̫͊̏̍͝n̷̤̼͉̅̏͘͘to̵̳̘̹̼̾͐͋́ ̵̤̗͆tḧ̶̡̳̯́͊͠e ̷̟̲̝̹͗́̕sw̶̛̖͉̓͂̉o̵̢̱͓͘̚r̴̺͊̓̈d̴͎̤͓̰̓̐̀̇ Ạ̶̧̧̨̌͐m̷̳̭̗͗͑̓i̶̼͆͛͝d̴̜̭̎å̴̛̝̠̳͖̒͠m̷͚͍͇̈̒̋a̶̧̭̮̒̇̕ŕ̵̨͊̈́͆u!̷̰͍̮̔͘͝"̵̠͙̆͆̎͛ͅ

"̶͎̓̉̀Grē̴͚̣̈͐ȁ̵͈͕̳̀͒ţ̶̪̍̋ ̶̺̤̒S̴̢͍̬͠pi̴̻̓͂͝r̷̛̫̻̝͑̕i̴̪̮̠̊̒͗ṱ̵̩̈́̌ ̶̳̫̄͊̕ò̴̧̠̕f͈̠̗̉ ̴͔̩͂Fȋ̷̩̬r̷̛̜̠̓̂e̴̘̰̠͒̐̔ ̴͙̮͐c̷͆̒ͅom̴̝̗͕͛é̵̘̖̖͐ ̷̫̮͝f̷̲̫̙̅̈o̶̲̝̥͑̅̇ȑ̵̤̙͔̑̓t̴͚͔͗͑͒h!̵͓̾͝ͅ ̶̥͈͌E̶̥̪̅͆͋m̶͚̠̲͗e̴̹̐r̵̩͘g̴̣̣̤̑̔ė̴̬̝͕̀̆ ̵̪̠̭͝ẁ̴͉̣͗ī̷̯̝t̴̼͍̥̑h̴͎͚̒͊͐ ̴̰̦̲̎t̴̮̋͌h̵̢̪̄͝e̴̫̗̾̑̐ ḫ̶͊͝e̴͚͚͌a̶̡͖̬͠r̵̦̈́̄͘t ő̵͈͂f̴̣͕̬̉ ̴̠̩͖͘th̷̞̻̽ė̵̦̝̘̿ Ḱ̶̤i̴͇͂̓̿ng̷͇̱̿ ̴̨̭̯́ǫ̵̘̜̅̾f̶̝̹̗̈́ ̴̡̋̈́͆S̴̟͒̀p̝̳̱̉i̵̠̫͝r̷͓͔̄̈́̆i̴̯͊͗̇ẗ̶̙̣̟́̀́s̴͓̦̻͗!̵̧̺̏ ̴̛̛̻̖̍Ĝ̴̻̲̿ẹ̷́͜t̶̜͌͑ ̴̡͍̤͗̋r̵͔̈́̈́e̴̛͔͆͘ad̵̺̼́̆͋y̶̢͈̎ ̷̪̗̀to̶̺̚ ̶̲̓̃̚m̵̢͙̌̑ȩ̶̙̈́e̷͖͆̚ţ̴̗͈͋̓͗ ̷̟̅̃̚yơ̴̥̾u̴͈͎͗̎r̴̥͘ ̴̬͐ẹ̵̢̍͠ͅn̴͚̔ḍ̷̾̀̀.̷͙̇.̴̭̗̈́.̴̪̊͛̃.̴̫͇̗̀ ̷̲̥͘͠m̴̲̑ỳ̶̜̜̗͘ b̴̥̌̋r̴̜͍̂o̴̯̥̎t̶̤͚̅͒h̵̲̠̜͑ẽ͔̺ŗ̵̎!̵̛̼͓̋̃"

“I’m stopping you right here Ḥ̷̢̡̢̯̼͉͖̫́̊́̈́͆͛̈̅̒̄̿̔͋͠a̶̻̠̬̩̹̟̫̗̼̦͛̈̅͒̏̆́͛ó̵̡̬̳̰̔̐͌́̉̈́!! Once and for all!”

“I think this is what it might feel like to be Shaman King.”

“So here we are at the end and no one has come to help you!”

"̴̲̹̜͛N̸̜͐͊̌ó̵͍͖̼ ̸̙͑õ̵̳̺̚͘n̵̹͑͗͝ę̴̧̮͋̇͘ ̸̯̹̅͌̒w̸̢͌̔̚a̵̠̺̜͗̀̕n̸̢̯̤̒ţ̴̬͊̃s̷̟͙͚̍̓͗ ̵̦̹̖͝y̸̛͕̍̓͜o̸̮̘͑̈́ů̴̦͓͐ ̴̡̘͉́̈́H̸̡̡̬͑͑a̴͓̠͛̄͒o̵̫͖̐̌̕!̶͖̝͔͊!̶͖̦͗ No one supports you!”

“Even if you defeat me today – others will rise to fight you. You’re wrong Ḥ̷̢̡̢̯̼͉͖̫́̊́̈́͆͛̈̅̒̄̿̔͋͠a̶̻̠̬̩̹̟̫̗̼̦͛̈̅͒̏̆́͛ó̵̡̬̳̰̔̐͌́̉̈́!! You’re the one who’s finished!”

Hearing his little brother’s desperate angry voice spewing such vile words laced with pure hatred involuntarily brought tears to his eyes. Hao watched helplessly as the beautiful golden blurred apparition before him took on a very recognisable shape. He felt an intense acute pain in his chest cavity as the radiant glow before him moulded into his own Spirit Ally: an enormous bright yellow beast that resembled The Spirit of Fire.

Flickering disorientating images raced in front of his eyes. He desperately tried to focus on the two familiar faces in the heartbreaking scene. A black and orange tracksuit. The other with longer hair. Red armour.

The images began to grow darker. The attire of the one that looked like just like him became greyed. He saw the desperate look in his eyes. He recognised the sadness and the pain emanating from his heart and soul.

Then he saw the giant samurai.

His little brother’s pearlescent oversized sword.

The same one they had worked tirelessly side-by-side to achieve.

Together.

He looked down at his bare feet briefly before examining his own attire.

The same tracksuit as his desperate opponent.

Yellow.

The exact same radiant colour as his own giant Spirit he was standing on.

He felt helpless…

Afraid…

Confused…

A splitting unbearable pain struck his head. His neck. His chest. His soul.

Breaking him in half.

Breaking him in two.

Breaking his heart.

*******

“All hail The Shaman King!!!”

Hearing the Patch Chieftain’s desperate voice, Yoh lifted his head quickly. He could not understand what he was seeing. This place. This strange room he was standing in. He had never seen it before.

He frantically looked around, confused to see the sorrowful and heartbroken faces of each one of his friends surrounding him.

He froze.

“Ryu?” he gasped, amazed to see the face of his loyal friend looking back at him.

The bandit shaman did not respond. And then suddenly, without warning – he collapsed to the floor.

Dead.

He watched with wide desperate eyes as Tokageroh swiftly appeared – only for his ghostly apparition to do something he’d never seen happen before.

Ghosts…can’t die…

…can they?

Unable to move, scream or intervene in any way,

Yoh watched helplessly as one by one…

Each one of his friends…

Along with their Spirit Allies…

Succumbed to an instant death.

“That’s not Hao-sama.” cried the little girl by Yoh’s side. “Hao-sama is no longer here.”

He hesitantly looked up.

That familiar acute pain struck his heart once more.

What he saw was not his kind, selfless and merciful twin brother…

It was an evil, twisted, murderous demon.

Without hesitation, he instantly formed his beautiful angelic “White Swan” oversoul.

And in one swift strike…

He beheaded the demon masquerading as his twin.

Sending it back to the pits of hell where it belongs.

“Hao…” he softly cried as he allowed his heartbroken tears to fall.

“I will find you again… Hao…

…I promise.”

Continue here.

Enter “Alt” Universe here.

In the grand scope of things it might be considered a small “filler” arc BUT I want to see it all played out so I can cry because it’s the first chapter I ever read in a Shonen Jump magazine in, like, 2005, and therefore it’s the mini-arc that got me into Shaman King.