The beast let out a guttural roar, long and bone-chilling, and surged forward. Its massive form moved with terrifying speed, long claws scraping against the alley walls.
Asumi froze. She barely had time to react before the collision was inevitable.
The armored figure planted its feet firmly, radiating calm power, its glowing green lines flaring with intensity.
And then the impact came.
The beast slammed into the armored humanoid with a force that sent a shockwave down the alley. Asumi was caught in the middle of the push, her body thrown violently against the cracked pavement. Pain shot through her shoulder and side as she skidded across the street, dirt and pebbles biting her skin.
She rolled to her feet, trembling, heart pounding. Her wide eyes tracked the combatants as they faced each other, circling, each movement precise and threatening.
The armored figure struck first. A sweeping kick met the beast's massive shoulder, spinning it sideways, yet the creature barely slowed. It lunged again, claws tearing through the air, swiping with deadly intent.
The armored humanoid blocked, pivoting fluidly, sparks and dust erupting where claws met metal. Every strike from the beast made a resonant clang against the armor, but it did not falter. Green lines flared brighter with every block and counter.
The beast roared and smashed a fist into the ground, sending a crack racing through the pavement. The armored figure leapt back, landing lightly, energy humming along its limbs. With a blur, it darted forward, delivering a series of precise punches and elbow strikes aimed at the beast's midsection.
The creature staggered, growling, but its sheer strength kept it upright. It swung again, catching the armored figure's side, sending it spinning into a brick wall. The impact cracked the mortar and chipped the concrete, but the armor held firm, green light glowing defiantly.
Now the alley was a storm of motion.
The beast lunged, jaws snapping, claws slashing. The armored figure twisted, using the momentum to deliver a spinning kick that connected solidly with the beast's ribcage. Bones cracked audibly, yet the creature hardly slowed, roaring louder than before.
With a low growl, the beast slammed both fists into the ground simultaneously, sending a shockwave rolling toward Asumi. She barely scrambled back, hitting a dumpster, coughing from the dust.
The armored figure didn't hesitate. It leapt high, spinning over the beast in a graceful arc, and landed with both feet driving into its shoulders. The collision rattled the alley again, but still, the beast rose. It lunged, claws extended like scythes, and the armored humanoid countered with a sharp, sweeping strike, parrying each swipe with unyielding precision.
Metal clanged against claw. Muscle and bone against energy and steel.
The beast's movements were raw, brutal, and primal. The armored humanoids were calculated, flowing, almost like a dance. Every strike sent sparks, dust, and debris flying, leaving gouges in the alley walls.
A massive swing from the armored figure caught the beast's arm, twisting it and sending it crashing into the side wall. Rocks and bricks tumbled down. The beast roared in frustration, recovering instantly, its glowing eyes narrowing.
With a sudden burst of speed, it charged, knocking the armored humanoid off its feet and into the opposite wall. Green energy flared as it slammed down, but it rose again without hesitation, fists clenched, ready to fight.
The fight continued relentlessly. The alley shook with every collision. The armored figure moved with perfect precision, using flips, spins, and heavy blows to counter the beast's raw power. The beast relied on ferocity and sheer force, smashing anything that got in its way.
Clash after clash, strike after strike, the two titans fought as though the night itself had warped to accommodate their battle. Each hit sent reverberations through the walls, dust and debris swirling in a storm of fury and light.
The fight raged on, the alley a battlefield of torn brick, splintered wood, and flying debris. The armored humanoid moved with fluid grace, dodging the beast's lunging claws and retaliating with strikes that sent shockwaves of green energy through the air. The creature's roars shook the walls, each swing carrying enough force to crush a car—but it was losing ground.
With a sudden burst, the armored figure leapt high, spinning over the beast's head and landing behind it. The green lines along its armor flared brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat accelerating. It stepped back deliberately, spreading its arms, and lowered its body into a wide, grounded stance.
The air seemed to hum. Energy coursed visibly through the armored plates, coalescing at the circular emblem on its waist. The beast paused mid-roar, sensing the power shift.
The humanoid's stance widened, knees bent, shoulders squared. Its fists clenched, and it tilted its head slightly—focused, calm, and utterly lethal. A thin glow spiraled up from the emblem, snaking along its torso, then down its arms, until the armored figure's fists radiated with blinding green energy.
Without warning, it lunged.
The beast swung with every ounce of its strength, but the armored humanoid twisted gracefully, letting the strike pass through an opening, and delivered a crushing blow directly into the creature's chest. Sparks and green energy burst outward on impact. The force drove the beast backward, skidding along the alley floor, scattering rubble.
Before the creature could recover, the armored figure moved with unnatural speed, wrapping its fists around the beast's torso in a grip that radiated intense energy. Green light enveloped the beast, crackling and writhing over its body like molten fire.
The beast thrashed violently, roaring in rage and pain, but the armored humanoid held firm, energy constricting around its prey.
Then the first sickening sound—bones cracking under the pressure of its grip. The beast's torso compressed unnaturally, screams tearing from its throat. The armored humanoid leaned in, and a low, guttural hum filled the alley.
The green lines along the armor surged like serpents, tearing and consuming the beast's flesh. Muscles shredded and sinews pulled into the radiant glow, flesh and bone disappearing in bursts of neon brilliance, sizzling and snapping with every motion. The creature flailed, its roars weakening, limbs thrashing uselessly against the unyielding predatory grip.
Piece by piece, it was consumed—pulled into the armored figure as if devoured. The sound of tearing, cracking, and sizzling echoed through the alley, a grotesque symphony of annihilation.
Finally, the beast collapsed entirely. Its form contorted grotesquely before being completely absorbed into the humanoid's glowing aura, leaving nothing behind but scorched concrete and the faint stench of burnt flesh and iron.
Asumi, frozen in terror a few feet away, could barely process what she had seen. Her knees buckled, bile rising, eyes wide with horror. The sheer brutality—the animalistic consumption of a living creature—overwhelmed her senses. She fell backward onto the cracked pavement, unconscious before her body even hit the ground.
The armored humanoid straightened, energy lines still pulsing with a predatory glow, standing alone amid the ruin. The alley was silent now, save for the faint hum of the armor and the echoes of what had just occurred.
The sunlight was weak as it crept through the blinds, casting slivers of light across Keith's small studio. He stirred, stretching stiff muscles and blinking against the early morning glow. The events of the previous day—or rather, the lingering unease from the alert—still weighed on him, gnawing at the edges of his mind.
When he opened the door to the hallway, he didn't expect to see anyone. But there she was.
Asumi stood against the wall outside his room, arms crossed tightly, her hair slightly disheveled. Her eyes were wide, haunted, and the faint tremor in her shoulders betrayed her exhaustion. Even in the soft morning light, the dark circles under her eyes were stark.
She hadn't moved when he stepped out, simply waited, as if she'd been there all night, silently watching, waiting for him to wake.
"Morning…" Keith said cautiously, his voice low.
Asumi's lips parted, but no words came at first. She took a shuddering breath, finally replying, her voice barely above a whisper:
"Keith… last night… I—" She stopped, swallowing hard. "I saw something. Something… terrible."
Keith's stomach tightened. He stepped closer, concern written across his face. "What do you mean? What happened?"
Asumi shook her head slightly, her hands clutching her bag strap like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. "I don't… I don't even know how to explain it. I was walking… something was following me… then there was this… armored… thing… and the beast… it—"
Her voice caught, and she fell silent, staring at the floor. Keith felt a chill run down his spine. The intensity in her eyes, the visible shaking, told him enough. Whatever she had seen, it wasn't normal.
Asumi's eyes flicked up at him, still wide and haunted. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak again but couldn't. For a long moment, neither moved. The apartment felt smaller somehow, the quiet heavy with the weight of the night before.
Keith exhaled slowly, his mind racing. He knew better than to ask too many questions—some things, he had learned, couldn't be explained easily. Yet he felt the pull to protect her, to make sense of the terror she had faced.
Finally, Asumi gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "I waited for you… I didn't know what else to do."
icked up at him, still wide and haunted. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak again but couldn't. For a long moment, neither moved. The apartment felt smaller somehow, the quiet heavy with the weight of the night before.
Keith exhaled slowly, his mind racing. He knew better than to ask too many questions—some things, he had learned, couldn't be explained easily. Yet he felt the pull to protect her, to make sense of the terror she had faced.
"You don't have to do this alone," Keith said.
He waited for a response, but Asumi only gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
Keith gestured toward the stairs. "Come on. Let's go downstairs. Robert can probably help—or at least give us some advice."
Asumi hesitated for a moment, then allowed Keith to guide her down the narrow staircase, her trembling hand brushing against his as they descended. Together, they reached the workshop below, the familiar smell of oil and metal grounding them in a fragile sense of normalcy.
Old Man Robert looked up from his workbench as they entered, wiping his hands on a rag. "Morning, Keith. You've got company," he said, his voice calm but curious as he glanced at Asumi.
Keith nodded. "Yeah… she needs someone to talk to."