Shu stood above them, arms crossed, towering with quiet arrogance. It was obvious, he held the upper hand.
"You're about to understand just how unstoppable the Mafia really is," he declared coldly.
Ikku glanced at Yumé. A sudden idea lit up in his mind.
"Yumé, come closer, I've got a plan."
Yumé stepped in, curious. As he heard what Ikku proposed, his expression shifted.
"Nice one! We don't really have any other options anyway."
"Exactly," Ikku replied. "Like Kenny said, we're gonna have to bet our lives if we want even the slightest chance to win."
"Then let's do it!" said Yumé, dropping into stance.
"Yeah! TURBO!!"
With that shout, Ikku activated his Brand. A crimson aura exploded from his body. His skin turned red, and his hair shot upward, charged by the sheer force of his energy.
That must be his Brand, Shu thought as he immediately readied himself. His spiritual energy just skyrocketed, he's way more dangerous than before.
Ikku vanished in a blur. Shu barely had time to react. He crossed his arms defensively, but Ikku reappeared behind him in a blink and smashed him with a thunderous punch that sent him crashing into the ground.
Shu groaned as he staggered back to his feet—just in time to see Yumé dashing toward him. Reacting fast, Shu touched a nearby car. It levitated instantly, then launched itself at Yumé like a missile. Yumé focused his energy into his arms to brace himself, but the impact still sent him crashing into a nearby building.
Ikku reappeared in front of Shu again, fists flying. A furious flurry of punches rained down, too fast to dodge, too powerful to block. Shu could barely hold on.
Just as Ikku raised his fist for the final blow, a cascade of rubble came crashing down on him. Rocks and debris buried him entirely.
But the rubble soon burst apart with a violent shockwave Ikku leapt high into the air, breaking free from his stone prison.
"You idiot," Shu sneered, amused. "You can't fight in the air!"
He raised both arms, ready to fire off another attack. But before he could release anything, Yumé rushed at him again—only to be stopped mid-charge by a sudden rain of debris slamming down on him.
"You really thought I hadn't figured out your little plan? Morons. GIGANTO BAKUDAN!"
A green beam shot out from Shu's hands and exploded against Ikku's body. He managed to brace himself just in time, but the blast still knocked him from the sky, his scream echoing before he hit the ground hard.
Shu looked around. His enemies were scattered, beaten. The battle was over.
"All that's left is to meet up with Demba. He's probably finished with the Angel of Death by now... Should I kill these brats just to be safe? Nah, not worth the trouble. I need some new clothes anyway before heading back to base."
He turned to leave. But the moment he took a step, a brutal punch came out of nowhere, slamming him across the street and straight through multiple buildings before he vanished into the rubble.
Dazed, Shu lay there for several seconds. Then rage took over as he pushed himself back up.
"THAT SON OF A—!! I'm not imagining things ! that was the Sonka! But I saw him buried under the rubble! That means... either he can teleport... or he created a clone. I'm betting on the second one. Those bastards are going to pay! I'll kill them all!"
But before he could act, Shu sensed a presence behind him. He spun around on instinct—and froze.
"Wh… What?! Y–You?! What the hell is someone like you doing here?!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Yumé stood on shaky legs, panting. His clone crawled out of the rubble, while Ikku was slowly pushing himself upright.
"Good job, Yumé… ha… haa," Ikku panted. "The plan worked… huff… but I don't think it was enough to take him down. I need a minute to recover… Think you can handle him?"
"Don't worry," Yumé replied. "He must be weakened. And I think Kenny will wake up soon—I can already hear something. Sounds like he's on his way."
They both turned toward the sound.
But it wasn't Kenny.
They saw Shu, suspended in mid-air… or rather, his unconscious body, flung like a ragdoll. It came crashing back down, smashing into the ground with a deafening thud.
Their battle marks vanished. The fight was officially over.
But Yumé didn't lower his guard. Something was off.
"What the hell just happened?" he asked, confused. "Why is Shu out cold?"
"I… I have no idea… ha… Maybe it was Master Zéno?" Ikku guessed weakly.
But the energy they were sensing wasn't Zéno's. It wasn't familiar at all.
From the wreckage, a figure emerged.
He walked slowly, hands in his pockets. He was massive, well over two meters tall. Long braids hung down to his shoulders, and his skin was deeply tanned. Despite wearing a hoodie and jeans, tattoos covered his neck and hands. A small teardrop was inked under one eye. He wore dark sunglasses and had a faint stubble on his jaw. His smile was crooked—eerie, even. But what stood out most was the aura he exuded.
Not overwhelming.Not hostile.But something far worse.
Wh–Who is this? Ikku thought, paralyzed. That spiritual pressure… It's not like Zéno's, not like the others we've faced. It's not intimidating… it's terrifying. This guy… this guy scares me to death. I can't even move. I need to warn Yumé, we have to run!
He turned to Yumé but saw the same fear in his eyes. Yumé was trembling, frozen, locked in place as the man slowly walked toward them.
When he reached Shu's unconscious body, he stopped. He looked down for a moment—then calmly raised his foot and crushed Shu's neck without hesitation.
Ikku and Yumé could only watch, frozen and powerless.
The man lifted his head and looked straight at them.
"I expected more from the Mafia," he said flatly. "Hey, kids. You with them too?"
Neither Ikku nor Yumé could respond. Their voices were gone, buried under fear.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" he smirked. "Guess I'll have to make you talk."
Back at the Mafia headquarters, the boss was watching the city feeds when the image of the mysterious man came on screen.
He froze.
Then, suddenly, he fell out of his chair, gripped his head in panic, and screamed:
"Shit… SHIT!! WHY HIM?! WHY NOW?! Get me the Angel of Death—right now!!"
"But Boss," a subordinate replied, "he's still fighting Demba—"
"I DON'T CARE! Tell Demba to stand down! That lunatic takes priority! Hurry up and connect me with Zéno!"
"At once, sir. But… who is this guy? I mean, he crushed Shu, but is he really more dangerous than Zéno?"
"You idiots… You haven't recognized him?!"
One of the henchmen stepped closer to the screen for a better look—and went white.
He collapsed backward, trembling.
"Move! NOW! Get the boss connected to the Angel of Death immediately, we're declaring a full-scale state of emergency!!"