Maki turned slowly toward the creatures, her calm gaze a stark contrast to the surrounding chaos.
Maki, in her head: Hmmm… probably one of the prototypes in question. When you gotta go, you gotta go.
Without the slightest warning, the abominations rushed at her from all sides. Tentacles whipped through the air, long, deformed arms swooped down violently, while horns sought to pierce her. The assault was savage, coordinated, almost frenzied.
But Maki remained perfectly calm. Her body moved with pinpoint precision: she dodged, pivoted, and slid between attacks as if she could read their intentions in advance. No hesitation, no wasted movement.
With a sudden, sharp movement, she slammed her fist into the ground. A colossal shockwave rippled out instantly, cracking the asphalt and sending up a cloud of debris. The monsters, reacting purely on instinct for survival, crossed their limbs, hardened their bodies, and braced themselves to absorb the impact. The force of the wave repelled them nonetheless, hurling them several meters backward with a deafening crash.
When they finally stabilized, a distance had opened up between them and Maki. The dust settled slowly, and in the midst of the tense silence, she straightened, upright and unflappable, ready to continue the fight.
The monsters, now lined up side by side, froze for a brief moment before simultaneously unleashing violent waves of aura. The air vibrated, the pressure became suffocating, and in a fraction of a second, the ground trembled with extreme brutality. The surrounding buildings groaned, cracks spread through the asphalt, and a veritable earthquake shook the neighborhood. Even at a safe distance from Maki's battlefield, Yamero felt it. His body reacted instinctively, his muscles tensed, his senses sharpened. This power was no ordinary thing.
Yamero, in his mind: Such power…
…Maki has surely crossed paths with other prototypes, of the same kind as Momoshi.
I'll help her—
Before he could even finish the thought, a flashing warning shot through his nerves.
An attack.
A spear shot straight toward him, piercing the air with a deadly whistle. Yamero tilted his head slightly, dodged effortlessly, then caught the spear in mid-air. The impact made his arm vibrate, not from brute force, but from the strange energy coursing through the weapon.
He looked down at the object.
The spear was perfectly crafted, with impeccable medieval elegance. Yet, there was nothing ordinary about it. A dense, unstable alchemical energy emanated from it, a signature Yamero could feel in his very bones.
A subtle smile stretched across his face.
"Interesting…" Suddenly, a female figure appeared nearby, walking calmly through the still-suspended dust. She wore streetwear, her hood open, revealing a white t-shirt beneath a light jacket, paired with black pants. Her gaze was cold, confident. She held a second spear, identical to the one Yamero had just grabbed, resting casually against her shoulder, as if the situation posed no danger to her.
And right behind her…
An enormous man emerged from the shadows. An abnormally massive build, over two meters tall, a veritable mountain of muscle. His overwhelming presence was palpable even without him moving. A long scar ran across the right side of his face, from his forehead down to his eyelid, giving him an appearance as brutal as it was terrifying.
Yamero slowly relaxed his shoulders, still holding the spear, and looked up at them, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.
Yamero took a step forward, the spear still clutched in his hand, his gaze fixed with icy contempt.
"Well?" he snapped. "What kind of gang are you?
"More of that whore Griselda's lackeys, I bet." The young woman let out a low, arrogant laugh, tilting her head to the side as if amused by the situation. Her fingers tightened around her spear as a cold glint crossed her eyes.
"You talk a lot for someone about to die," she replied calmly. "Don't you think so, Aldrod?" Behind her, the giant smiled slowly and cruelly. His muscles tensed as he opened his mouth, his deep voice resonating like a rumble.
"Indeed. You know what prey are like, don't you?" When the situation becomes desperate, they start looking for ways out…
They shout, they chatter… just to buy themselves a few more seconds.
Yamero tilted his head slightly, a predatory smile stretching his lips. Far from backing down, he seemed almost… delighted.
"That's excellent," he said, amused. "At least you've got your egos nice and inflated before the fight even starts." He slowly cracked his knuckles, his aura beginning to fill the air.
"Honestly?
It's not bad at all."
The ground vibrated as each unleashed their aura. Pressures collided in the air, invisible yet crushing, making the debris around them tremble. The atmosphere became heavy, suffocating, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
The young woman narrowed her eyes, a hungry smile on her lips, savoring this confrontation.
"Interesting… I have a feeling you're going to entertain me and Aldrod. It's been a long time since we've faced a worthy opponent.
The others… they were just small fry. We slaughtered them, then ate them." A shudder of disgust ran through Yamero. "Holy shit…" he thought. "Fate really decided to send me to face cannibals. Fuck you, fate." He raised his head, his gaze hard, and said aloud:
"Eat?" Wait… you mean you actually ate human beings?
The young woman slowly ran her tongue over one of her fingers, as if to provoke further. Her smile widened.
"Indeed.
Anyone unworthy of us is devoured.
Aldrod and I will split the bill."
Behind her, Aldrod burst into a hoarse, horrifying laugh, echoing like the growl of a hungry beast.
Yamero raised her hands and held her head, shaking it slightly, a mocking sneer on her face.
"Seriously?
Fish, animal flesh, fruit… isn't that enough for you anymore?
You've decided to change your diet, is that it?" Aldrod took a step forward, his aura becoming even more oppressive. His smile grew more cruel.
"Yes." Human flesh is far more delicious…
And above all, much more nutritious.
Yamero's smile slowly faded. In its place remained only a cold stare, filled with silent anger.
"Very well," he murmured. "So today, your meal is going to stick in your craw."
The young woman inclined her head slightly, as if she were introducing herself at a macabre ball, then declared with unhealthy pride:
"My name is Delta. I'm part of the 75th Regiment of the project orchestrated by Sir Oswald, Madame Griselda, and Sir Har'arm.
We were sent here to Japan to sow chaos as it should.
But you should already know that, shouldn't you?" Yamero sighed softly. He slipped one hand into his pocket, the other raised nonchalantly, as if the whole situation bored him profoundly.
"Let's just say… I've heard about your deranged leaders' plans for the world, yes.
And incidentally, I ran into one of yours not so long ago." Aldrod's gaze became more piercing.
"Who?" he asked in a deep voice. Yamero gave a wry smile.
"Momoshi." You must know him.
Delta's eyes lit up with a strange, almost sickly gleam.
"Ah... that bastard Momoshi.
And... he lost to you?" Yamero raised his chin slightly, his arrogance on full display, almost provocative.
"Come on, you little devil...
No one wins a fight against me." A heavy silence fell for a fraction of a second... before Delta began to tremble with excitement. A high-pitched laugh escaped her, followed by cries of ecstasy, her aura becoming unstable, almost frantic.
"Ahhh...
So it's true...
You're the perfect meal for this magnificent day.
Just thinking about it... makes my mouth water." Yamero felt a deep disgust rise in his spine. His smile vanished, replaced by a grimace of repulsion. At least Momoshi had class… he thought bitterly.
Unlike those cannibals. Ugh.
He raised his head, his gaze hardening, his aura thickening.
"Very well… If you think of me as a meal, then let me warn you about something.
I'm the kind of dish that kills you before you even take the first bite."
Yamero didn't waste a second.
His arm whipped through the air, and the spear he held sliced through space at an astonishing speed, tracing a deadly line straight toward Delta.
But…
no dodge.
No reaction.
As it approached, the spear began to disintegrate, piece by piece, as if reality itself were rejecting it. The point vanished, then the shaft, until nothing remained before it even reached its target.
Delta gave a condescending, almost amused smile.
"You really thought you could hurt me with my own weapons? I have the ability to summon them… and to decide their disappearance with a single thought." At that precise moment, the air behind Yamero compressed violently.
Aldrod.
He appeared before him in a fraction of a second, his fist already charged with raw, bestial energy, and brought him down straight towards his abdomen with murderous intent.
But Yamero had anticipated it.
His elbow rose in a sharp, swift motion. Impact.
The shockwave vibrated the air around them. Yamero blocked the attack without flinching an inch. His teeth clenched, his muscles tensed, and then, in a fluid, almost instinctive sequence, he seized Aldrod's hand, pulled it slightly towards him…
And struck.
A shoulder blow of crushing force slammed into the giant's chest.
"Tch…!" Aldrod was thrown backward like a cannonball, plowing through the asphalt before being launched into the air. Yet, despite the force of the impact, he managed to stabilize himself mid-air, his feet striking the ground heavily several meters away, cracking the road beneath his weight.
A deep, raspy laugh escaped his throat.
"Hahaha… Interesting… very interesting…" Yamero slowly raised his arm, his hard, cold gaze fixed on his two opponents. His aura grew denser, pulsing like a beast ready to devour anything in its path.
"So this is your elite? Alchemical toys and steroid-enhanced muscles?" Delta, for her part, seemed delighted. Her smile widened, her eyes shining with an unhealthy excitement.
"Oh , The more you struggle, the more delicious things become."
Delta slowly raised her spear to the sky. Her gaze was cold, calculating, almost gloating. The weapon vibrated, responding to his intention.
The space above them cracked.
One… then two… then dozens of portals opened in the darkened sky, spewing an unstable, metallic glow.
Delta's heart pounded faster.
"Show me what you're really made of."
"Squadron rain." Her voice rang out like a verdict.
Instantly, a storm of weapons descended.
Spears.
Halberds.
Pikes of all shapes and colors.
They ripped through the air at monstrous speeds and crashed to the ground with cataclysmic force. Each impact caused an explosion, sending up waves of fire, rubble, and dust. The surrounding buildings collapsed one after another, their structures crushed like paper.
In the heart of this deluge, Yamero moved.
He wasn't fleeing.
He was dancing.
His body moved at breakneck speed, slipping between weapons, brushing against death with every heartbeat. He crossed the field of ruins, abruptly changed direction, disappeared, and then reappeared elsewhere, always out of range.
His mind was perfectly calm.
No perfect trajectory. No truly murderous intent… She was testing.
The spears continued to rain down, hammering the ground until it was completely obliterated. When the last projectile finally crashed down, the city was nothing but a desolate wasteland.
Half of Tokyo had vanished.
All that remained was a desert of dust, smoking craters, and unrecognizable ruins.
Delta watched the scene, her breath slightly heavier. A pang of frustration pierced her chest.
"...He wasn't as impressive as I thought, after all." Her voice was meant to be detached, but deep down, a doubt was beginning to creep in.
Aldrod, arms crossed, stared wordlessly at the cloud of dust. His instincts, however, refused to be calmed. He sighed slowly.
"Things are never what they seem." A bitter grimace crossed his face.
"Perhaps we celebrated too soon... What a disappointment, if it really ended like this." Silence fell again.
Then...
A voice.
Muffled.
Distant.
But perfectly clear.
"Speak for yourself..." The dust began to disperse, pushed back by an invisible pressure.
"...I'm just getting started." Delta's eyes widened slightly.
Yamero appeared in the middle of the field of ruins.
Standing.
Motionless.
Unharmed.
Not a single scratch. Not a trace of blood. His t-shirt billowed slightly, a result of the aura he now emanated.
A proud, almost defiant smile stretched across his lips.
In his gaze, there was neither fear… nor anger.
Only absolute certainty.
Delta felt a shiver run down her spine.
No damage… after all this?
Aldrod, for his part, clenched his fists.
"…This guy still hasn't started fighting."
And somewhere, buried beneath their cannibalistic excitement, a feeling was born that they hadn't felt in a long time.
Apprehension.
Aldrod and Yamero hurled themselves at each other with a roar of raw power.
The impact of their first collision cracked the very air.
In a fraction of a second, their bodies vanished and reappeared across the field of ruins, exchanging thousands of blows in mere seconds. Fists, elbows, knees, open strikes… each impact was accompanied by a deafening shockwave.
Their auras clashed violently.
Two wills.
Two monsters.
With each collision of energy, invisible waves rippled for miles, grinding the ground, pulverizing the last remnants, ripping through the earth as if two continents were going to war.
Aldrod roared with pleasure.
"HAHA!" His blood boiled.
"Now that's something that deserves to be called a fight!" Yamero, however, remained silent. His gaze was cold, focused. He is powerful… but predictable.
Suddenly, Aldrod found an opening.
His fingers slammed shut around Yamero's ankle.
"I've got you."
With insane force, he hurled him violently through the air. Yamero tried to steady himself, contracting his aura—
But Aldrod was already there.
He appeared above him, his fist charged with overwhelming energy, ready to annihilate him.
At the same instant, behind Yamero—
Delta raised his spear, his eyes gleaming with unhealthy excitement.
"Die."
A beam of alchemical energy shot from his weapon, hurtling straight toward Yamero's back.
Space seemed to freeze.
Yamero inhaled calmly.
"…Too slow."
His body vanished in a swift movement, without a burst, without a trace.
A mere void.
The next instant—
Aldrod's fist slammed into Delta.
Wh—?! Her cry was muffled by the impact.
At the same time, Delta's energy beam pierced Aldrod, exploding against his chest with a deafening crash.
GRAAAH!
Their own power had just turned against them.
Before they could react—
Yamero appeared between them.
His aura filled the space.
He grabbed Aldrod's face with one hand…
Then Delta's with the other.
His fingers dug into their flesh with terrifying pressure.
"You're noisy…" His voice was low.
"…but terribly ineffective." He dragged them violently across the ground at an astonishing speed.
Their bodies plowed into the earth, leaving a trail of continuous destruction, the ground tearing beneath them like wet paper.
Delta screamed in rage and pain.
Aldrod groaned, unable to catch his breath.
Then—
Yamero hurled them away.
Their silhouettes were expelled like projectiles, disappearing in a cloud of dust and successive explosions.
Yamero remained motionless.
He shook his hand slightly, as if to dispel a nonexistent embarrassment.
"Honestly."
A cold smile spread across his face.
"You'll have to do a lot better than that if you really want to eat me."
And for the first time in a long time…" Delta and Aldrod realized they were no longer the predators.
They had just triggered something
that was completely beyond their control.