Alex found himself standing alone in a dark hall. The atmosphere was terrifying—thick shadows clung to the walls, and the floor was drenched in a pool of blood. Each step he took echoed ominously, his footsteps mixing with the unsettling silence.
Suddenly, a voice whispered his name from the darkness.
It was haunting… entrancing.
Alex's eyes widened as his body began to move on its own, drawn toward the sound. Why can't I control myself? he asked in panic. What is this…?
As he continued forward, a massive glass barricade came into view. Behind it, a black aura pulsed and twisted ominously.
Alex froze in place. His heart thudded in his chest.
The black aura began to shift… as though it sensed him. Then, a sharp crack! echoed through the hall—the glass started to fracture. Alex instinctively stepped back, eyes wide in horror.
A face began to form within the dark energy—a demonic face, twisted and terrifying.
"Where are you going?" the demon asked with a sinister grin.
Alex bolted.
The glass shattered violently, and the aura burst free, spreading like smoke in all directions. It twisted, forming massive black hands that lunged for him.
"HELP!!" Alex shouted, struggling to run as the hands reached out to grab him.
From within the spreading darkness, a towering demon appeared, its presence radiating overwhelming power. Its claws extended.
"There is no escape," it growled before thrusting its arm forward to stab him—
Alex shot up from bed, gasping for air. Cold sweat ran down his forehead.
"A... nightmare?" he whispered, looking around his room. "What kind of dream was that…?". Alex looked at the time and saw it was 3:30 in the morning. He rested back on his bed and took up his phone. "Whatever. I'll just play some games to make me fall asleep again."
Later that morning, around 10 a.m., everyone gathered in a large hall.
Tomoa stepped up to the front, clapping his hands to draw attention.
"Everyone, listen up. This hall is the location for the first round of the assassination exam," he announced. "I'll now explain the rules."
The crowd went silent.
"For each round, two participants will be matched to fight one another. The winner moves on to the second round, which will be held in front of a city audience. All matchups will be randomly displayed on the screen."
Sughi glanced at Diablo, smirking.
"Think your team is ready for this? They're stronger than they look, and they have lots of potential. But you think they'll last long?" asked casually.
Diablo yawned, stretching lazily. "I'm not worried. They've got this."
Sughi chuckled. "I'll admit, they're not bad. But there's no way they're winning this, not when my teams around."
Diablo simply waved him off. "Too sleepy to care," he muttered, walking out of the hall. Sughi turned to him with a wierd smirk "Always tryna act cool huh. Edgy guy."
Meanwhile, Alex clenched his fists in anticipation. "I hope I get to fight in the first round…"
Just then, the big screen in the hall flickered to life, beginning the selection process. Everyone stared up at it, waiting to see who the first fighters would be.
The screen stopped.
Match: Deo vs. Shouya
Deo pumped his fist. "Huh? Im first up? Wow, wasn't expecting to be in the start this early!"
Rin turned to Shouya, a little concerned. "Be careful out there. Remember, you don't know what your opponents are capable of. So just keep your chin up." Shouya replied while walking to the center of the fighting stage "Whatever, I'll keep note of that."
Kenji had a troubled look on his face, while Alex sighed, slightly disappointed.
"Guess I'm not up this round…" he muttered.
Deo and Shouya walked to the center of the arena as Tomoa addressed them.
"The rules are simple. Fight until there is a clear victor. However, you are forbidden from killing each other. Understood?"
Rin leaned closer to Kazu. "I hope Shouya doesn't lose contro. He didn't finish his processing before getting here."
Kazu nodded. "Let's just hope he stays focused. Do your best out there," he called to Shouya.
Tomoa raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Deo threw off his lab coat dramatically and grinned. "Let's have some fun! Shall we?"
Suddenly, two massive hands sprouted from Shouya's back.
"Yeah, let's have fun. But don't go too overboard." He said in a calm and firm voice.
Gasps echoed through the room.
Alex's eyes lit up. "What the…?"
Serena stepped back, shocked. "What kind of ability is that?"
Shouya raised his arm—his monstrous hands firing a barrage of sharp spikes. Deo moved immediately, dashing and weaving at incredible speed.
Spikes rained down like hail, but Deo nimbly avoided them, flipping into the air and launching two daggers while moving twice the speed of sound.
Clang!
Shouya's giant arms formed a sturdy shield, blocking powerful blows from deo who tried to close the gap between them.
Deo grinned and began circling Shouya at blinding speed—so fast only the wind from his movements could be seen.
Shouya took a deep breath, exhaling calmly.
Deo launched a flurry of punches and kicks from all directions, these blows from deo were shaking the ground, but Shouya's hands kept morphing into shields, blocking every strike with calculated defense.
Then—BAM!—Shouya caught Deo by the leg and hurled him into the wall. This caused the wall to break open.
CRACK!
Deo groaned but stood up, brushing himself off.
"You've got good defense, I'll give you that " he admitted, "but it won't last long."
Shouya was abit intrigued by deo's statement.
With a wave, he began firing spikes faster than before. Deo dodged, then caught one mid-air, using it to parry the incoming barrage. He closed in and threw a set of shuriken—only to have them multiply mid-air.
Shouya once again raised his massive hands to defend, forming a dome-like shield.
Alex watched in awe. "Wow, deo's just attacking relentlessly while that shouya guy is just blocking everything. Wonder how this fight will turn out."
Kazu stood next to him, arms crossed. "Shouya's ability allows him to mutate any part of his body. He can change their shape, size, and use them for both attack and defense."
"Sounds powerful," Alex said. "But… is there a limit?"
Kazu's smile faded. "…Yeah. But I'd rather not talk about what happens when he crosses it."
Deo panted, fatigue starting to creep in. "I can't win like this…"
From the sidelines, Sughi tossed something to him.
"Deo! Take it." he called. "I fixed your nanotech watch—upgraded it, too!"
Deo caught it and activated it. His rocket boots whirred to life with more power and energy that could easily level entire buildings if not controlled properly "Wow! This is more power than before!" Deo exclaimed
With a grin, he looked up. "Alright, Shouya… get ready."
Rin scoffed. "A glowing watch? That's not going to beat him…"
Kinto sighed, uneasy. "I don't like how this is going to end…"
The watch transformed, unfolding into a sleek robotic arm. It whirred and then fired a concentrated beam of energy.
BOOM!
It moved so fast, Shouya didn't even react in time.
His eyes widened "Huh?!"
And then—Deo charged forward at an insane speed, the ground cracking under the sheer force of his movement "Now, you're finished!" He exclaimed with a confident smirk on his face.
TO BE CONTINUED