The mob of over five hundred criminals roared back, a tidal wave of violence surging toward him.
Kane didn’t move.
Not until they were on him.
Then—
CRACK!
BOOM!
Two punches.
Just two.
And the wave collapsed.
Bodies flew backward, hundreds dropping at once, groaning, broken, silenced.
The prison floor shattered beneath the sheer force of his blows.
Aria’s whip dangled at her side, her lips parted in disbelief.
Marcus still had his gun raised, but his fingers trembled, unable to pull the trigger.
“…He might even be as strong as Tom,” Marcus whispered.
Aria nodded slowly, awe in her eyes.
But Kane turned, glancing over his shoulder with a sharp grin.
“Compared to Tom… I’m just a little kid.”
The words sank heavy into their hearts.
“That guy…” Kane muttered, fists tightening.
“That guy is a monster.”
The scene shifted.
He was battered but unyielding, his eyes sharp.
“Zero!
Where are you?!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the chaos.
From the shadows, a figure emerged—calm, poised, draped in black.
His movements were unnerving, like a puppet walking under its own twisted will.
Touya lunged.
His fist flew—
But the man dodged effortlessly, his expression eerily polite, almost aristocratic.
“Such fire,” the man murmured, voice silky, yet tinged with mania.
“But anger alone cannot cut through chaos.”
Touya attacked again.
Again his strikes met nothing but empty air, his frustration growing.
Each counter he took was precise and cruel—knuckles grazing his ribs, a strike at his jaw, a blow that nearly buckled his knees.
The stranger’s laughter echoed, twisted, contagious.
“Fascinating… Truly fascinating.
Your rage blinds you, boy.
Look at you—scrambling for control in a world already claimed by chaos.”
Touya gritted his teeth, chest heaving.
Then it struck him—his movements, his voice, the madness in his eyes.
His heart froze.
“…Zero.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
The criminal stopped mid-step, tilting his head, lips curling into a mocking grin.
“Is that what you call me?” he said, bowing in a disturbingly refined, gentlemanly manner.
His voice dropped into a whisper, sharp and venomous.
“My name… is James.
And I want to see how this chaos will end.
Or if it will end at all…”
He threw his head back, laughter spilling out, manic and thunderous.
Before Touya could respond, Zero’s fists blurred, and Touya’s body was sent crashing into the wall.
Pain flared through every limb, blood dripping from his mouth as he slid down, gasping.
Zero’s voice echoed, twisted with glee.
“I’ll see you later.”
He turned, walking into a raging mob of prisoners, his voice carrying above the madness like the proclamation of a king:
“I am the Madman of Chaos!
But who are you?”
The words seared into Touya’s soul.
Broken and bloodied, Touya let out a faint laugh, pushing himself up just enough to watch Zero vanish into the riot.
His lips curved into a grin.
“He’s even better than I realized… You may have taken me by surprise this time… but next time…”
His eyes blazed with determination.
“…Next time, I’ll win.”