The air reeked of fire and death. Across the scorched room stood Satoshi—arms relaxed, rage clinging to him like a second skin. His whole vibe screamed one thing: you're already too late.
Jake flexed, the bones under his skin rearranging with a sick crack. "You shouldn't have come here," he growled. His voice was all static and bass, like it was layered with something… wrong.
Satoshi just cracked his knuckles and smirked. "You talk way too much."
Then—boom.
The entire place went up. A blinding blast of heat and energy swallowed the room, tossing demons like ragdolls. One second they were gaping, the next they were just—gone. Nothing but dust.
Speed vs. Adaptation
Jake didn't even get a full second to process what happened before Satoshi's fist slammed into his ribs. It sent him flying, crashing through the side of a ruined skyscraper like a wrecking ball. Concrete crumbled. Debris rained down.
But Jake was already regenerating. Ribs snapped back into place. Muscles bulked up. Pain? Muted.
He stepped out of the rubble, pissed but grinning. "Not bad."
His arms shifted, morphing into serrated bone blades. He charged, slicing through the air. But Satoshi was already moving—calm, almost lazy. Reading every attack like he'd seen it in a dream.
A knee to the gut. Jake wheezed.
Then Satoshi grabbed him by the face and slammed him into the ground hard enough to leave a crater. Jake's skull cracked—but fixed itself fast.
"You're fast," Jake muttered, standing again. "Let's see what you do with this."
The Mutation Gambit
Jake's body went full horror show.
Limbs sprouted. His back turned into a forest of bone. Dozens of eyes opened across his face. His muscles ballooned.
He lunged, swinging from every angle.
Satoshi dodged, but it was getting tight. One blade caught his arm—healed in seconds.
Then Jake's tendrils snaked out, wrapping around Satoshi's leg and burrowing in.
Satoshi's smirk faded.
Jake grinned. "Yeah. That's right. Feel that?"
The tendrils pumped destabilizing junk through his body. Satoshi's limbs started locking up. Movement slowed. His breathing staggered.
He was losing.
"For once," Jake snarled, "you're the prey."
Satoshi's eyes dimmed.
Then flared.
A molten red light ignited behind them. Not anger. Not even rage. Just pure, raw wrath.
Wrath Unleashed
A pulse of heat exploded off him.
Jake screamed.
His tendrils vaporized. The air caught fire. Satoshi's skin radiated blistering heat, but he didn't burn—he became the flame.
"You—" Jake started.
Didn't get to finish.
Satoshi unleashed a wave of fire that hit like a sun detonation. Jake twisted, tried to adapt—but couldn't keep up.
Fist. Jaw. Knee. Gut. Palm. Skull.
Each blow landed before Jake's body could even flinch. His regeneration was toast—literally. The heat kept burning the new cells as they formed.
Satoshi stood over him, fists bleeding—but not his blood.
"You heal fast," he said. "But you can't heal what's still burning."
Jake coughed, barely holding together. "That… was fun."
Satoshi just scoffed. "You're lucky I'm not here to kill you."
He turned and walked away.
Jake twitched in the crater.
The fight was over.
But the war?
Just getting started.
The Dark Clan's Shadow
The city smoldered.
Satoshi walked through the wreckage, the heat of his own body still simmering. Every muscle ached, but his mind was clear.
Then—
"You're stronger than I expected. But reckless."
The voice came from nowhere. And everywhere.
A figure stepped out of the smoke. Cloak stitched from old, weird fabrics—some soaked in dried blood, others ancient and fragile.
Satoshi tensed.
The figure's face was mostly hidden, but those violet eyes glowed faintly. Jagged, ritualistic marks scarred their skin. Not fresh. Not healing. Just… there.
"You made a mess," the figure said.
Satoshi cracked his neck, flames curling around his fingers. "You gonna talk in riddles or actually say something?"
They took a step forward—no footsteps. Just a glide.
"The Dark Clans are watching. You've got power. Potential. But without direction? Power like that eats its wielder alive."
Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "Translation: you wanna kill me."
A quiet laugh. "Not yet. But others will."
The figure raised a hand. Shadows coiled around their fingers like snakes, drawing symbols in the air that faded instantly.
"You made noise back there with Jake. Real noise. That kind of thing… it attracts attention."
Satoshi didn't blink. "Let them come."
"Oh, they will."
They turned to leave, fading into the smoke. But just before disappearing, they called back:
"When it all hits the fan, you'll have a choice—hunter or hunted."
Then gone.
Satoshi exhaled, the heat of his breath warping the air.
He wasn't sure what he'd just met.
But it didn't feel like an ally.
Inside the Manor
With Jake out of the way, Satoshi pushed deeper into the manor.
The place reeked of rot and secrets. Every creaking floorboard felt like a warning.
Then—
A figure stood ahead.
Taller. Leaner. Cold.
Silver hair. Crimson eyes. Armor that pulsed faintly. No movement wasted. No expression given.
"Farther than I expected," he said. "But you're bleeding. And that power? Flickering."
Satoshi rolled his shoulder. "Who are you?"
"Rael. But names won't matter when you're dead."
This wasn't Jake. This guy was a tactician. Precise. Patient.
Satoshi didn't have time for that.
But he had no choice.
Rael moved first. Fast.
A punch to the gut. A crack to the ribs.
Satoshi barely stayed upright.
He kicked. Missed.
Rael smirked. "Too slow."
Then—time stopped.
Satoshi couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
Rael circled him casually. Adjusted his arm.
Time resumed. SNAP.
Pain exploded in Satoshi's shoulder. He screamed.
Another hit. This time to the throat. Then a knee. A boot to the face.
Still—Satoshi stood.
Rael tilted his head. "You don't get it."
Time froze again.
Rael walked up. Grabbed Satoshi by the throat.
Drove his hand through Satoshi's chest.
Time resumed.
Searing pain. Blood. Cold.
Satoshi dropped.
So this is what dying feels like.
Then—
An ember.
Then fire.
Not heat. Not light.
Destruction.
Satoshi's eyes opened.
Rael turned. The manor trembled.
Time stopped.
Then shattered.
Satoshi stood, body whole. Different. Eyes burning like dying stars.
Rael backed up. "That's… impossible."
The air caught fire.
And the real fight?
It was just getting started.