In the quiet of his office, Kojin leaned back in his chair, eyes heavy with exhaustion. The last stack of paperwork lay completed on his desk, but the weight in his chest remained.
He exhaled deeply. If only things hadn't turned out this way…
His thoughts drifted.
If Olivia hadn't been killed, she wouldn't have become Ukina. She wouldn't have turned into a threat to humanity itself. And if not for my own lust for power, my hatred of weakness… my son, Saito—my eldest—wouldn't be the madman he is today.
The guilt gnawed at him, every single bit of pain
"Kojiin!"
A cheerful voice snapped him from his spiral. Alex bounded into the office with a grin, brimming with restless energy. "Heeey, lord Kojin! Got any missions for me? Come on, I'm ready!"
Kojin blinked at him, then gave a tired chuckle, rubbing his forehead. "You're a lively one, kid. But no. Nothing for you today. Go train."
Alex's face fell instantly into a childish pout. "Aww, come on! You said you'd teach me something new. Just one or two techniques! Pleaseee!"
"No," Kojin said firmly, "Besides, didn't you have an all-out fight with Kazuki yesterday? You better take a rest Alex. I don't want any of my soldiers getting themselves killed."
Alex sighed dramatically and turned to leave, but paused at the door. "Alright, alright, I get it. But hey—Sōn told me you've been stressed lately. I just came to try and lighten your mood, y'know?"
Kojin's expression softened. "Your concern is appreciated."
For the briefest moment, his vision blurred—and in Alex's place, he thought he saw Rampo's figure. As the boy left, Kojin allowed himself a small smile.
Later, Alex wandered the city streets, hands in his pockets. His gaze drifted upward at the steel towers scraping the sky. He sighed. "Is this how it's always going to be? Missions, training, fighting…? What's even more amazing is how the city rebuilt itself under a few months tho. Either way, I like it like that.".
His thoughts were cut off by a deafening explosion.
BOOOOM!
A skyscraper crumbled like sand, collapsing into itself. The ground quaked violently. People became wary and stated to run.
Alex's eyes widened as a massive figure emerged from the smoke—eight feet tall, armored in jagged black spikes, its crimson eyes burning like embers of hatred.
"What the hell is that? A shadow puppet," Alex whispered.
Alex gritted his teeth, he formed a Blade of Death in his hand, charging forward. But before he could strike, the puppet blurred—appearing behind him instantly.
CRACK!
A single punch sent Alex crashing through building after building.
The creature roared, a guttural sound that shook the entire city. Even from his office, Kojin felt the tremor.
Alex staggered to his feet, blood on his lips "Jesus! What the hell was that? A punch?!", he thought to himself. Behind the monster, dozens of Blades of Death formed in the air and rained down like falling stars.
The puppet turned, raised its spiked arm, and with a single swipe unleashed a violent gust. The blades of energy shattered, and Alex was hurled through another line of buildings due to the huge gust of wind.
"Damn it…" Alex coughed, his body screaming in pain. "I'll need to amplify my energy state…"
He began to charge up a tramendous amount of blue energy, aura flaring, but the puppet noticed this and lunged at Alex before he could finish. Its fist was already descending at Alex with tramendous levels of power and speed. Alex thought to himself with a look of shock om his face "Shit! I don't have enough time to prepare!"
And then—
BOOOOM!
The blow stopped. Smoke cleared.
Kojin stood there, one hand wrapped around the monster's fist, his black destructive energy burning. His dark eyes were cold, his voice became sharp.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" His grip tightened. "Don't you dare harm my people."
With one hand, Kojin unleashed a wave of destructive energy so immense it tore through the puppet's body and leveled entire blocks of the city. By then, citizens had enough time to run.
He glanced at Alex. "Go. Tell everyone not to interfere. Especially the team leaders. This is my fight."
Alex hesitated, eyes wide at the raw pressure rolling off Kojin. "…Yes, sir!" In a blur, he sped off.
The puppet's eyes glowed brighter. Its voice came as a guttural growl.
"Destroy Kojin. Destroy Kojin."
"So that's your purpose," Kojin muttered, walking forward as his destructive energy began to crackle around him. "Fine then. If you were sent to kill me… I won't hold back."
The ground shattered as both charged forward. Their fists collided with a thunderous impact that rocked the entire city.
BOOOM!
Shockwaves rippled outward, tearing skyscrapers apart. They exchanged blows at blinding speed, each strike exploding with enough power to erase entire mountains.
Kojin's kick sent the puppet soaring into the air. He followed with a leap, aura surging. "I can't fight here. If we continue, the city will be nothing but rubble. Let's take this somewhere else—"
The puppet smirked—an unnatural, sinister curl of its jagged mouth—and slammed its fist into Kojin, sending him crashing back to the ground. It dove after him like a missile.
Kojin hit the earth hard, the city quaking under the impact. As the puppet descended for a finishing blow, Kojin rolled to his feet, his aura burning violently. With one counter-kick, he launched the monster across a skyscraper, tearing the steel structure apart.
He flew after the monsterous shadow puppet, unleashing blade-like slashes of destructive energy. Each arc split through concrete and buildings, tearing apart blocks in their wake.
The puppet roared defiantly, returning fire with beams of dark energy that detonated towers, filling the city with fire and smoke.
Amid the chaos, Kojin's lips twisted into a dangerous grin. His eyes glowed with feral excitement.
"I've been holding back for too long…" His aura erupted around him, painting the battlefield in black light. "But you—" He pointed at the looming beast. "You'll make up for that. You big bastard!"
Their clash lit up the skies like the end of the world.
End of Chapter .