They showed up without warning—three guys, each one radiating way more power than that "tough guy" we flattened last week.
Their leader stepped forward, cracking his neck.
"Heard you beat one of ours," he said. "We're here to return the favor."
I didn't waste a second.
I shot forward and swung.
He ducked the punch—and slammed one of his own across my jaw.
"I'm not that weakling you dropped last time," he said, then drove a fist into my stomach, sending me crashing into the dirt.
⸻
Kaito turned to check on me—
WHAM.
His opponent landed two clean shots while his guard was down.
"Focus on your own fight, rookie," the guy growled, ramming a fist into Kaito's ribs.
Kaito stumbled, shook it off, and grinned.
"My bad. I'll give you my full attention."
He launched a jab—blocked.
Right hook—blocked.
Counter incoming—
Kaito ducked and spun—360° kick to the ribs.
The guy's guard slipped.
Kaito feinted a jab, dipped low, and sprang up with a brutal uppercut.
"Boom."
He grabbed the guy's head, slammed it into the ground, and channeled a DU Blast through the impact.
"Night-night."
⸻
But it wasn't over.
As Kaito turned to go look for the ramen—
GRAB.
A hand latched onto his ankle.
The guy wasn't done.
He yanked Kaito down and landed a kick under his chin—then two body blows, fast and mean. Then—
FWOOOM—!!
A huge DU Blast at point-blank range.
But it never landed.
Renji—calm, laughing—slapped the blast away with one hand.
"You talk a lot for someone who can't finish a fight."
Kaito groaned. "I had him…"
Renji smirked. "Sure you did."
The gang guy growled. "What happened to the other one?"
"Him?" Renji nodded. "He's over there, taking a nap mid-fight. Weird hobby."
The guy hesitated. "He knocked him out that fast…?"
Too late.
Renji vanished.
Reappeared behind him—
Body blow to the ribs.
"Too slow."
DU Blast incoming.
Renji dodged—countered with a kick to the stomach—
Then a blinding Wing Chun combo.
He finished with a DU Blast to the chest that launched the guy into the wall.
Renji walked up, grabbed his collar, leaned in with a grin:
"Don't die on me yet."
BOOM.
The guy dropped.
"Didn't know trash like this still existed," Renji muttered, turning toward my fight. "Yo, Enro. Mind if I tag in?"
"Nah," I said, cracking my neck. "I got him."
⸻
But the real problem was—
the ramen.
Kaito stood up, groaning.
"YO! The ramen's getting cold!"
He sprinted over.
"Enro! Renji! Go get the ramen! I'll hold him off!"
Renji raised an eyebrow. "If you fight him, he'll kill you. You're too weak."
Then he laughed.
"Or were you talking about yourself? 'Cause I don't see myself losing to this guy."
He turned to me.
"You think he survives this?"
I looked at Kaito.
"He will. There's this… mode he has. It only comes out when he's pushed to the edge."
Renji blinked. "Has it happened before?"
"Yeah. Once. When we were kids."
⸻
[FLASHBACK — YEARS AGO]
A younger Kaito. Bloodied. Standing in front of a monster twice his size.
Eyes glowing.
Aura cracking the ground beneath his feet.
⸻
BACK TO THE PRESENT
And me and Renji—we spotted the ramen. But there was something in front of it.
A monster.
Kaito squared off with the gang leader.
"Let's finish this."
They vanished—
But only one came flying out of the blur.
Kaito.
The gang leader kneed him in mid-air, grabbed his face—
BOOM.
DU Blast to the stomach.
Kaito slammed into the ground, unmoving.
The gang leader sneered.
"Is he dead already?" He laughed.
He turned to walk away.
But froze.
⸻
Something was behind him.
A pressure. A presence.
Heavy.
Unreal.
He turned slowly—and stumbled.
"Wh-What… is this…?"
The air shimmered.
Standing behind him—
Kaito.
Aura blazing.
Eyes blank.
Power overflowing.
"The only dead person here," Kaito said, voice low and trembling with energy,
"is going to be you."