Intimidated by the gleaming blade and the surge of fighting spirit, Hypno caught his breath.
However, he instantly shook off the pressure. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he spoke to Ryuga.
"Heh... hehehe... Ryuga Renjou. You are certainly one of the Special War Potentials, and you were one of the catalysts who brought this situation about. But to be honest... I am glad it was you who came here."
"........."
Hypno stared at Ryuga with a bold, cryptic smile. Ryuga offered no particular reaction, so Hypno continued.
"You are a threat, certainly. However, you are nothing compared to Hugo Clay. That boy has a strength that exceeds our imagination—a knack for causing unpredictable complications. Compared to him, you are a much easier opponent to handle."
"I see. I’m inclined to agree. However, there is one thing you seem to have forgotten. Whether your opponent is me or Hugo, you don’t have a snowball's chance in hell of winning."
"Is that so? Humans have hearts. They have pasts. I know all about you, Ryuga Renjou. That is exactly why I can prepare measures like this!"
As he spoke, Hypno’s body began to distort.
Ryuga’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the villain’s form mutate through a shimmering haze, as if he were draped in a mirage.
"Hmph... It’s been a long time, Ryuga."
The distortion vanished, and a completely different figure stood in Hypno's place.
No, it wasn't just his appearance. His voice, his presence—everything had shifted as if he had become an entirely different person.
His inorganic, silver body had reverted to human flesh, and he wore a traditional, kimono-like garment. His frame was a size larger than Hypno’s naturally slender build, and he appeared slightly older.
Ryuga stared silently at the transformed Hypno.
The man who had taken on this new form smiled back at him.
"You could show a little more joy, couldn't you? Well, Ryuga? My son..."
"........."
Ryuga knew the man speaking to him very well.
He was fully aware that the person in front of him was merely Hypno in disguise. Consequently, he felt not a shred of nostalgia.
However, as Ryuga’s eyes narrowed at the sight of his father's face and the sound of his voice for the first time in years, Hypno spoke again.
"You seem a bit shaken, don't you? Well, that is only natural. When one's deceased father suddenly appears before them, even your heart is bound to waver."
Yuji Renjo—that was the name of the man Hypno had become.
He was the guard who had once risked his life to drive away the Mad Dragon to save his children and the people of the castle. He was the father of Ryuga and Yui.
A man who should have been reduced to nothing by a bolt of lightning, leaving not even a single strand of hair behind, now stood right before Ryuga’s eyes.
Whether through hypnosis or a complex illusion, Hypno was using his abilities to recreate Yuji’s voice and presence with haunting accuracy.
"I told you, didn't I? Humans have hearts. They have pasts. When you come face-to-face with your dead father, your heart will waver, even if your mind knows it’s a fake. Furthermore—!"
"…!"
As Hypno spoke, he swung his katana. A Wind Sickle manifested and tore through the air toward Ryuga.
Ryuga was surprised to see the technique, but he managed to block the wind blade. Cloaked in Yuji’s presence, Hypno spoke again in a perfect imitation of the man's voice.
"Why the surprise, Ryuga? I’m the one who taught you that technique, wasn't I?"
"…I see. So that’s how it works."
Hypno, who had never undergone formal training with a blade, had imitated the technique with extreme ease. Ryuga wasn't sure if the villain had studied the move beforehand or if he had gained a portion of the target's abilities through the transformation, but it was clearly another layer of the deception.
Hypno’s illusions—or his hypnosis—gained power based on the target's state of mind.
If a victim believed illusionary flames were real, their body would suffer actual burns. If they recognized the trick, they would feel no heat at all. The stronger the opponent’s heart, the more powerless Hypno became.
Therefore, his priority was to shatter his opponent’s resolve.
A sudden reunion with the dead, the familiar voice, the display of secret techniques—it was all designed to make the heart doubt what the mind knew to be false. By doing so, he created a situation where he held all the cards.
"Ryuga... surely you aren't thinking of striking your father? There's no way you would consider killing the man who raised you and taught you the way of the sword with your own hands... right?"
This was perfect. The more Ryuga wavered, the more Hypno’s power would grow.
The more Ryuga began to see him as his true father, the more Hypno could reproduce Yuji’s true strength—perhaps even exceeding the original. Hypno smirked inwardly at the thought, but the answer that came from Ryuga was, in a sense, exactly what he should have expected.
"Don't ask me questions."
"Wha...? Ghu!?"