A group of Ascendants stalked behind Olorun, their laser blasters humming to life.
One of them adjusted his visor. "Target acquired. Should we—"
"No, no." Hunk raised a hand without even looking at them. "It's fine."
The Ascendants hesitated.
Another soldier whispered, "Did he just say it's fine?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Dude, this guy just tried to assassinate him!"
"Shhh, shut up! You wanna question the boss?!"
Olorun, ignoring them, lunged forward.
"FINGER KNIFE!"
His pinky fingers became blades of death, slicing forward at blinding speed.
His hands became a blur, stabbing into Hunk's torso, chest, shoulders, and arms, moving so fast that it looked like multiple arms were striking at once.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Each hit pierced skin, Olorun's attacks coming relentlessly.
Then—he stopped.
Breathing heavily, he stepped back, panting.
Hunk glanced down at his body. Dozens of small punctures oozed blood.
A moment of silence.
Then—
"Hahaha..."
Hunk smirked.
"I'm impressed." He wiped a trickle of blood from his chest. "I didn't expect a mere assassin to have such speed."
His eyes locked onto Olorun.
"Your Shichishini… I really am impressed."
Before Olorun could respond—
GRAB.
Hunk's massive hand clamped around Olorun's left arm.
A vice grip.
Olorun's eyes widened. He yanked back—
Nothing.
Hunk squeezed.
CRACK.
"AAAAAGGHH!"
Olorun screamed.
A jolt of searing pain shot up his arm, bones on the verge of shattering.
Desperation.
His right hand shot forward—
"FINGER KNIFE!"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
He stabbed again and again, striking Hunk's chest, ribs, even his throat.
Nothing.
Hunk barely flinched.
Olorun gritted his teeth. "How the hell are you not dead?!"
Hunk grinned.
"My body's extremely durable."
He tightened his grip. Olorun's vision blurred from pain.
"And if I actually focused my strength… your fingers would snap like twigs."
Then—
Hunk spun.
WHOOSH!
Olorun's body whipped through the air, yanked along like a ragdoll.
Hunk's muscles bulged.
Then—
THROW.
Olorun launched into the sky, spinning uncontrollably.
His stomach flipped.
His mind barely processed the next moment.
Hunk's fist.
The size of a boulder.
Rising.
Waiting.
Then—
CRACK.
Hunk's punch slammed into Olorun's chest, caving in his ribs.
A shockwave exploded outward.
Olorun's body shot upward—
CRASH!
He smashed through a skyscraper, glass and steel shattering.
Silence.
A single chunk of debris dropped from the broken tower.
Hunk scratched the back of his head. "Ah, damn."
He sighed.
"I broke Hunk's Tower."
The Ascendants stared.
One finally muttered, "Bro just named the tower after himself."
"Shut up and sound the alarm!"
"Yes sir! SOUND THE ALARM!"
The sirens blared.
Olorun lay in a heap, coughing. Blood dripped from his lips.
His chest ached like hell.
His hands trembled.
He looked down at his ribs. Something was definitely broken.
"Tch…" He spat out blood.
Then, through gritted teeth—
"Damn. That bastard hits hard."
Meanwhile The alarm blared through the prison halls.
Eleo's ears twitched. "Oh no! How'd they know?! I didn't see anyone sound the alarm!"
Tony, arms crossed, looked around lazily. "Me either… Welp, time to go."
Just as they turned to leave—
A hand shot out from the bars, grabbing Eleo's arm.
"WAIT! Before you go, let me out! I'm begging you!"
Eleo and Tony turned to see a shadowed figure lurking behind the iron bars. His face and body were completely hidden in the dim cell.
Tony immediately yanked Eleo away. "And why should we?"
The prisoner's voice was firm. "I'll be in your debt."
Eleo put his hands on his hips. "Alright! Join my crew then!"
"…Huh?"
Tony leaned in. "Uh, Eleo, are you sure about this?"
Eleo grinned. "I'm positive."
The shadowed man hesitated. "Do I really have to?"
Eleo smirked. "Oh? So you don't wanna be free?"
The prisoner immediately backpedaled. "O-okay, okay! I'll join!"
Eleo clapped his hands. "Good! Now… uh… how do we let him out?"
Tony pointed at a glowing red button on the wall. "Oh, there's a button right here."
Eleo scratched his chin. "Mmm… as the leader, I shall push the button."
Tony scowled. "Wait a minute! I was the one who had the idea to steal the mayor's boat! I should push it!"
Eleo gasped. "How about… Rock-Paper-Scissors?!"
Tony cracked his knuckles. "Alright, bring it on."
The prisoner gritted his teeth. "COULD YOU TWO HURRY UP?!"
Eleo turned to him. "Hey! Do you want to be free or not?!"
The prisoner groaned. "Fine, fine! Just get on with it!"
Eleo and Tony squared up.
"Rock, paper, scissors—SHOOT!"
Eleo: "**Rock.**"
Tony: "**Scissors.**"
Tony **staggered back dramatically.** "GOD DAMN IT!"
Eleo burst into laughter. "HAHAHAHA! I WIN!"
Tony fell to his knees in defeat as Eleo smugly pressed the button. The cell doors slid open, releasing everyone.
The shadowed figure stepped into the light.
He was tall—**6 feet exactly**—with **blue hair that fell messily around his face.** His **cold black eyes** were sharp, piercing, and filled with an intimidating presence.
Then—he dropped to one knee before Eleo.
"Thank you for releasing me."
Eleo blinked. "No problem, uhh…?"
The man stood up. "Kenji."
Eleo grinned. "Nice! I'm Eleo! And this is Tony!"
Tony gave a lazy salute. "Yo."
Kenji nodded. "Nice to meet you. Now…" His voice darkened. "I need to find my swords."
Eleo jumped in front of him. "WAIT! You said you'd join my crew!"
Kenji **pinched the bridge of his nose.** "I already agreed."
Eleo **beamed.** "Great! So, Kenji, will you join my crew?!"
Kenji **twitched.** "I JUST SAID I WOULD!"
Tony **cackled.** "Oh, this is gonna be fun."
A paper magically appeared:
Name: Kenji
Age: 16
Height: 6'0"
Race: Human
Kenji sighed deeply. "I already regret this."
Eleo threw an arm around him. "WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, KENJI!"
Kenji **tensed up immediately.** "…Get off me."
Tony smirked. "Too late, buddy. You're stuck with us now."
Kenji cracked his neck. "Alright fine, can we get my swords now?"
Eleo grinned. "Sure! I bet we're gonna have to fight some crazy strong guys for 'em!"
Kenji pointed to a door just a few steps away. "No. They're literally in that storage room right there."
Eleo blinked. "Oh."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Ink CANNON!"
Eleo fired a massive ink blast straight at the door, obliterating it into splinters.
Tony burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Nice job, Eleo!"
Eleo smirked. "Thanks."
Kenji sighed, already regretting every decision that led him here, but he stepped inside.
Inside the storage room, a scrawny nerd stood there, holding Kenji's swords with a trembling grip. His badge read: Fukushū.
Kenji narrowed his eyes. "Alright, Fukushū. Either hand over my swords, or you're getting punched in the gut."
Fukushū, panicking, immediately threw the swords. Kenji caught them effortlessly, examining his blade. The handle was covered in purple polka dots. He exhaled sharply.
"Did you—"
Fukushū barely had time to squeak before Kenji buried his fist into his stomach. The nerd folded like a piece of paper.
Eleo and Tony cackled.
Fukushū wheezed on the ground. "Y-you bastard! Y-you'll pay for tha—"
Kenji drove his foot into Fukushū's face, knocking him out instantly. He then casually spat on the floor.
Tony clapped. "Damn! That was clean!"
Eleo gave a thumbs-up. "Haha, nice kick!"
Kenji, sheathing his sword, nodded. "Thanks."
The three ran out into the hallway, alarms still blaring all around them. Kenji glanced around. "Okay, now let's get out of here before—"
Eleo cut him off. "Wait, wait, we gotta steal the mayor's ship."
Kenji stopped dead in his tracks. "What."
Tony nodded. "Yup."
Kenji stared at them both, vein popping out of his forehead. "Are you two INSANE?"
Eleo dramatically pointed ahead. "As leader, I say we get the ship!"
Tony immediately saluted. "Agreed."
Kenji dragged a hand down his face. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
Eleo smirked. "So that's a yes?"
Kenji sighed in absolute defeat. "…Fine, sir."
Eleo, Tony, and Kenji strode through the dimly lit hallway, their footsteps echoing against the metallic floor. The alarms still blared, red lights flashing as if the entire building was about to explode.
Then—
BZZT!
From seemingly nowhere, three towering robots dropped from the ceiling, landing with a heavy THUD. Their glowing red eyes locked onto them, and each one aimed massive laser blasters directly at the trio.
"STOP, INTRUDERS!" their mechanical voices boomed in eerie unison.
Kenji's brow twitched. "Tch. Annoying." He unsheathed his sword in a flash.
"KEN-SLASH!"
A single arc of cutting wind tore through the air. FWOOOSH!
SLICE.
All three robots split apart mid-sentence—their upper halves sliding off as sparks erupted from their torsos. BOOM! They collapsed in a smoking heap before they could even react.
Kenji sheathed his blade and kept walking. "Let's go."
Eleo and Tony high-fived.
Tony grinned. "Damn, that was sick."
Eleo nodded. "Yeah! I was about to take 'em out, but I guess I'll let Kenji have his moment."
Kenji rolled his eyes. "Shut up."
The three continued until they reached an elevator. The metallic doors dinged open.
Inside stood five armored figures, blasters raised.
"FREEZE! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST BY ORDER OF THE ASCENDANT FORCE! SURRENDER NOW, CRIMINALS!"
Eleo tilted his head. "Wait, wait… Criminals? That's a little harsh, don't you think?"
One of the Ascendant soldiers stepped forward. He had a ridiculous curled mustache under his helmet. "Hah! Trying to steal the MAYOR'S SHIP and you don't think you're criminals?! HAHAHA! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!"
Another soldier crossed his arms. "It's our duty to make sure scum like you don't run free!"
Then—
CLANK.
A noise from behind.
Kenji turned and froze.
More Ascendants stepped out of the shadows, their Lazer blaster gleaming under the flashing alarms. But that wasn't what caught his attention.
Right behind them stood a hulking, scaly figure.
It was at least 7 feet tall, its muscular frame packed with raw, prehistoric power. Its razor-sharp claws scratched at the ground, and its rows of serrated teeth dripped with saliva.
Kenji's eye twitched. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
The Ascendant Captain smirked. "Oh, this? This is our pet."
Another soldier grinned. "We haven't fed him in a while."
A third cracked his knuckles. "And lemme tell ya, he's VERY hungry!"
The dinosaur let out an earth-shaking roar. ROOOOOAAAAR!!!
Kenji took a step back. "We're fighting a freaking DINOSAUR?!"
Eleo grinned ear to ear. "COOOOL! I wanna fight it first!"
Tony rubbed his chin. "If we let it eat them first, then we don't have to fight as many guys."
Kenji glared at him. "That's NOT how this works!"
The Ascendants all aimed their blasters. "YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN! SURRENDER OR BE OBLITERATED!"
Eleo cracked his knuckles. "Heh… looks like we gotta punch our way out."
Kenji sighed. "I knew this would happen…"
Tony grinned wildly. "Let's make this FUN!"