Chapter 112: Brawl

  THUD. THUD. THUD.

  The sounds of impact filled the moonlit street of Kah-Kamun like the rhythmic beating of a war drum. It was a visceral, bone-rattling percussion that shook the dust from the nearby buildings.

  In the center of the street, amidst the shattered cobblestones, two figures were locked in a fierce exchange of blows.

  Tanvir, the Quake Lord, a compact mountain of muscle and earth. And Clyde, the mysterious half-machine monstrosity, a blur of brass, flesh, and crackling yellow energy.

  They were trading punches with a ferocity that would have leveled a lesser man instantly. Each strike carried enough force to demolish a small house, yet they absorbed them, countered them, and returned them with equal violence.

  "HAHAHA!"

  Clyde laughed, the sound a grating, mechanical distortion that scraped against the ears. He weaved around a heavy swing, the gears in his chest whirring audibly.

  "Master is great!" he crowed, his single human eye wide with manic delight while his green visor tracked Tanvir's movements with cold precision. "I am going toe-to-toe with a Lord!"

  He gloated, his confidence surging with the electricity that arced across his brass-plated skin.

  CRACK.

  Tanvir grunted as an electrically accelerated right hook connected solidly with his jaw. His head snapped back, a spray of sweat and blood flying into the night air. But he didn't fall. He didn't even stumble. He simply rolled his neck, a sickening pop echoing in the quiet street.

  "Not bad," Tanvir rumbled, spitting a glob of blood onto the pavement. He wiped his beard with the back of his hand, grinning. "I got to admit, your Master is one good creator."

  His eyes narrowed, hardening into stones. "But not good enough."

  Tanvir stepped in, ignoring the sparks flying from Clyde's body. He planted his feet, drawing power from the ground itself, and launched a counter-attack—a right hook aimed squarely at Clyde's jaw.

  BOOM.

  The impact was like a cannon shot. The force of a multi-ton boulder connected with metal and bone.

  But Clyde didn't fly backward. He didn't crumble. He just sneered, his metallic jaw creaking under the strain but holding firm.

  "Is that supposed to hurt me?" he mocked.

  Before Tanvir could retract his arm, Clyde dropped low, crouching with inhuman speed. The pistons in his arm hissed as he drove a powerful, lightning-infused gut punch into Tanvir's midsection.

  OOF.

  The breath left Tanvir in a rush, his eyes bulging slightly.

  "Lady Lihua!" Samira shouted from the sidelines, clutching her hands to her chest. She and Zhu were watching from the relative safety of a nearby bench. "Should we help Uncle Tanvir?!"

  Zhu Lihua leaned against a streetlamp, her arms crossed, watching the brawl with the casual interest of someone watching a street performance.

  "Only if he dies," she said, not bothered in the slightest. "Then it's my turn."

  "Felt that one," Tanvir grunted, clutching his stomach. He stumbled back a step, wincing, but quickly shook it off, rolling his shoulders with a grimace.

  "That equipment," Tanvir asked, launching a powerful jab that whistled through the air, "looks familiar. Where did it come from?"

  Clyde weaved effortlessly, the gears in his spine whirring. "This is Master's creation!" he declared, delivering a straight punch to Tanvir's forehead with the speed of a striking cobra. "There is no way you would have seen it!"

  Tanvir ducked under the blow, the wind of it ruffling his hair. He countered instantly with a savage uppercut.

  CLANG.

  Clyde blocked it with his brass forearm, sparks flying from the impact.

  "Really?" Tanvir asked, his voice dripping with skepticism as he pushed against Clyde's guard. "Looks like a cheap copy of IT's machinery to me."

  "This is an ORIGINAL creation, you filth!" Clyde roared, offended. "Master would never copy! He gains! He innovates! He evolves!"

  He drove a knee into Tanvir's gut, the metal plating slamming into flesh with a dull thud.

  "Even that yellow one is no match!" Clyde shouted, sending Tanvir stumbling backward.

  "Okay, alright, original, got it," Tanvir wheezed, straightening up. He walked toward Clyde again, his hand pressed to his side, looking like he was in genuine pain.

  "Give it up," Clyde said, extending a hand that crackled with energy. "It seems like you are really an outdated model. Look how damaged you are."

  He smiled, a twisted expression of metal and skin. "Here is my proposal. How about you leave this place and work for my Master?"

  SLAP.

  Tanvir slapped the hand away with contempt. He spat a glob of bloody phlegm onto Clyde's boots.

  "I'd rather die," he growled.

  Clyde's human eye twitched. "So be it."

  He raised his fists, the yellow tubes on his chest glowing brighter, pulsing rapidly.

  "The age of Lords and God Silas is over," Clyde proclaimed, his voice rising to a fanatic crescendo. "My Master, the esteemed W, will be here soon. And ALL will bow before him!"

  He clasped his hands together, forming a massive, electrified hammer.

  "Uncle Tanvir!" Samira shouted, terrified.

  "JUDGMENT!"

  With a loud boom, Clyde brought his fists down like a hammer of god.

  CRASH.

  The blow struck Tanvir squarely on the top of the head. The force was cataclysmic. The cobblestones shattered, and Tanvir was driven straight down into the earth as if he were a nail being hammered by a giant. He vanished into a crater of dust and debris.

  "NO!" Samira cried, covering her mouth.

  But on the sidelines, Zhu Lihua remained leaning against the streetlamp. She inspected her fingernails, utterly bored.

  Clyde stood over the hole, chest heaving, steam venting from his joints. He turned slowly, pointing a shaking, triumphant finger at Zhu.

  "You are next!" he laughed, the sound echoing in the silent street. "Now I know I am stronger than a Lord! There is nothing to be scared of!"

  At that moment, the sound of multiple footsteps thundered down the street. Reinforcements had arrived.

  It was Mila, King Ahmed, and more than a dozen of Kah-Kamun's royal guard, their weapons drawn and ready.

  "Dear!" King Ahmed shouted, his eyes scanning the chaos until they landed on the bench. He ran toward his daughter. "Are you alright?"

  "Yes! Lady Lihua saved me!" Samira cried, pointing a trembling finger. "But... Uncle Tanvir!" She pointed to the gaping hole in the ground next to Clyde.

  "Tanvir?" The King’s face paled. "What happened to him?"

  "Buried him six feet under!" Clyde gloated, his mechanical laughter harsh and grating. "Lords are a joke under my Master's technology!"

  Mila’s eyes narrowed. She stepped forward, readying her greatsword with a fluid motion.

  "Your Majesty," she said, her voice steel. "Take the Princess and leave. This is dangerous. If what he said is true... I will deal with him."

  "NO!" Ahmed shouted, stopping her. "I do not permit that! Brother Bob has already lost too much. He will break if he loses you too!"

  "But..." Mila tried to protest.

  Zhu Lihua sighed. She pushed herself off the streetlamp and walked calmly in front of everyone, extending her arm to stop Mila and the guards.

  "What is the meaning of this?" King Ahmed asked, confused.

  "Don't worry," Zhu said, her voice bored. "The fight is not over."

  She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the crater.

  "HEY! They are all here! Isn't it about time you finish this charade?!" She rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic! You are too old for this!"

  "Shut up!"

  A muffled, grumpy voice called out from the hole.

  WHOOSH.

  Something jumped out of the crater, landing lightly on the undamaged pavement.

  It was Tanvir. He was dusting off his clothes and beard, looking annoyed but completely unharmed. There wasn't a scratch on him. None of the damage Clyde had supposedly inflicted was visible.

  "I was holding back because I wanted more information!" Tanvir shouted at Zhu, swatting dust from his shoulder. "I am not like that Blue One with her weird talk! I have finesse!"

  "What?! You, how are you alive?!" Clyde took a step back, his human eye widening in shock. "I saw you flinch! Getting injured from my strikes! I felt the impact! You should be dead!"

  "Oh, this?" Tanvir pointed to his jaw, where Clyde's punch had landed. He wiped his hand across his skin.

  Nothing but flakes of dried dirt crumbled away.

  "Dirt illusion," Tanvir said with a grin. "Neat trick, huh? Your attacks did nothing to me. Just broke some compressed soil I layered over my skin."

  "That can't be!" Clyde shrieked, refusing to believe it. "My data... my sensors said..."

  "Now that everyone is here," Tanvir declared, cracking his neck again—for real this time. "Time to show my cool side."

  He started walking casually toward Clyde, his hands loose at his sides.

  "Tanvir!" the King shouted, worry etched on his face.

  "Ahmed," Tanvir said without looking back. "Just watch. And believe in your old friend." He laughed, a low rumble.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "NO NO NO!" Clyde roared, his logic processing failing. "I am superior! Master made me to be!"

  He dashed forward, launching a powerful, desperate blow aimed straight at Tanvir's face.

  WHAM.

  Tanvir didn't block. He didn't dodge. He just took it.

  The brass fist connected with his face.

  Tanvir’s expression didn't change. He didn't even blink. He didn't flinch. He stood there, rooted like a mountain, while Clyde's fist vibrated against his skin.

  "What did you say again?" Tanvir asked calmly, staring into the glowing green visor. "Right. Is that all?"

  "NO NO NO!"

  Clyde went berserk. He started punching nonstop, a flurry of lightning-infused blows raining down on Tanvir's chest, face, and stomach. He gave it everything he had, his gears whining, his pistons firing at maximum capacity.

  THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD.

  But Tanvir still didn't move. He stood like an monolith rooted to the center of the earth, unbothered, undamaged, watching the machine-man flail against him with pity in his eyes.

  "Are you done?" Tanvir asked, brushing a speck of dust from his vest between punches.

  "NO!" Clyde shouted, desperation creeping into his mechanical voice.

  He pulled back, channeling every ounce of his remaining energy. The yellow tubes on his back glowed blindingly bright as they were drained dry. The light in his chest canister dimmed to a flicker as he poured it all into his fist.

  "DIE!"

  Clyde swung.

  BOOM.

  The strike hit Tanvir’s chest like a thunderbolt finding its target. The sound was deafening, a shockwave rippling through the air.

  Steam hissed violently from Clyde's joints as his body overheated, panels sliding open to vent the excess thermal energy. "Cooling down, huh?" he muttered, his vision static-filled. "But he has to be dead after that."

  "Once again..." Tanvir's voice rumbled from beyond the settling dust cloud, calm and unimpressed. "...is that all?"

  The dust cleared. Tanvir stood there, not a single bruise on him. He sighed, rolling his shoulder.

  "It's taking too long," Tanvir grunted, his patience finally at an end. "And there are plenty of ways to interrogate you once we have you in custody."

  He pulled his arm back, his muscles bulging under his coat. "So grit your teeth."

  "I feel no pain!" Clyde laughed hysterically, raising his hands. "There is no way—"

  UCK.

  Before Clyde could finish his sentence, a fist—impossibly heavy, impossibly powerful—connected with his lower jaw.

  It was an uppercut that defied physics. Clyde's head snapped back so violently it nearly tore from his shoulders. His feet left the ground. He was launched upward, a brass rocket screaming into the night sky, flying high above the Kah-Kamun skyline until he was just a speck against the moon.

  For a moment, he hung there, suspended in the cold air. Then, gravity reclaimed him.

  He fell.

  THUD.

  Clyde's body collided with the pavement, bouncing once before settling into a crumpled heap of scrap metal and flesh.

  Tanvir stood over the wreckage, raising his arm to the sky in victory.

  "WINNER! TANVIR! HOHOHOHO!" King Ahmed announced, clapping his hands with glee.

  "YEAH!!! SEE THAT?!" Tanvir shouted, pointing a finger at everyone present, his face beaming with pride.

  He marched over to Ahmed, and the two old friends clasped hands, launching into an elaborate, childish secret handshake that involved multiple high-fives and a hip bump.

  "Ugh," Zhu Lihua facepalmed, watching the two grown men celebrating like schoolboys. "No, definitely not better than that blue one. They're all the same." She sighed, shaking her head.

  Samira, however, finally laughed. The tension broke as she watched her father and Uncle Tanvir's childish bonding, the fear from her kidnapping melting away in the warmth of their victory.

  "Guards! Arrest him!" Mila shouted, taking charge of the situation.

  "Yes, ma'am!" The guards saluted, spears lowered, and began moving cautiously towards the motionless form of Clyde.

  Suddenly, a guttural, wet sound erupted from the wreckage.

  "URGH---ARGHHHHH!"

  Clyde screamed. His broken body twisted and convulsed violently on the cobblestones, metal grinding against stone. His limbs jerked at unnatural angles, as if something inside him was trying to break free.

  "What? What is going on?" Tanvir asked, his celebration cut short. He spun around, his guard going back up.

  Before he could take a step, Clyde went limp. The convulsions stopped instantly. His human eye stared blankly at the sky, and the green light in his visor flickered and died.

  A lone guard, closest to the body, approached cautiously. He knelt, checking for signs of life. He looked up, his face pale.

  "I... I believe he is dead, Your Majesty, Sir Tanvir," the guard stammered.

  "What?" Tanvir barked. "That can't be! I held back! I didn't hit him that hard!"

  He rushed over, shoving the guard aside to check for himself. He pressed two fingers to the patch of human skin on Clyde's neck. Nothing. No pulse. Not even the hum of machinery.

  "Or is he supposed to have one?" Tanvir muttered, looking at the complex tubing. "I don't even know what I'm looking for."

  "A safety measure," Zhu said, walking up behind him. She stared down at the corpse with a critical eye. "Self-termination."

  "Just like IT," Tanvir said, standing up and wiping his hands on his pants. "But this one is clearly not IT. A copycat."

  "A copycat... someone trying to play god," Zhu commented, her voice cold with disgust. "This is a serious offense against the natural order."

  "And the worst part is," Tanvir said, his voice dropping to a grim whisper only the Lords could hear, "I think I know where one of our missing siblings is."

  Zhu nodded slowly. "I heard it too... this man, he mentioned the 'yellow one.' That means whoever is behind his creation... has her."

  "Urgh... there is way too much going on right now," Tanvir grumbled, slamming his massive fists together. The sound echoed like a final gavel strike on the night's chaos.

  CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

  A rapid, uneven sound approached from the shadows behind them. It was the desperate rhythm of an ice boot hitting the cobblestones, followed by a grunt of pain with every step.

  "RAITO!"

  Zhu spun around instantly, her eyes widening.

  It was Yukari. She was sprinting—or trying to—ignoring the crutch she had discarded somewhere in the dark. Her injured ankle was encased in a makeshift cast of ice, but her face was twisted in agony as she forced her body forward.

  "Linlin!" Zhu leaped, crossing the distance in a single bound. She caught her stepdaughter just as Yukari stumbled, preventing her from hitting the ground. "What is going on?!"

  "I don't know," Yukari gasped, clutching Zhu's arm, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes were wild, darting around the scene. "But something is wrong. Where is Raito? Where is he?!"

  She looked at the devastation, at the dead man, but her gaze didn't linger. She was searching for one face, and one face only.

  "Something is wrong," she repeated, panic rising in her voice. "I have to see him. We need to find him!"

  Zhu placed a firm, grounding hand on Yukari's shoulder. "Your ankle is still injured," she said softly but firmly. "Calm down. We will find him together. I promise."

  She turned her head, her gaze locking onto Tanvir. "Now, where did you send the boy, Tanvir?"

  "Didn't he go to chase Kaden?" Tanvir asked, pointing toward the edge of the city where the darkness swallowed the road.

  Zhu nodded. She crouched down, offering her back. "Hop on," she said to Yukari. "We will find him together."

  Yukari didn't argue. She wrapped her arms around her stepmother's neck, holding on tight.

  "Hold on," Zhu said.

  With a burst of energy, Zhu leaped straight up, landing effortlessly on the nearest rooftop to get a better vantage point. The wind whipped past them as she scanned the horizon.

  "What do you mean you can sense something is wrong?" Zhu asked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing as she searched for movement in the dark alleys below.

  "I don't know, okay?!" Yukari shouted, her voice thick with fear. "This is the first time I've felt like this too! While waiting at the palace... I suddenly felt something cold gripping my heart."

  She raised her hand, showing the ring on her finger—the one that served as her Core. It was flickering, the usual bright, steady light dimming and pulsing erratically.

  "My ring... my new Core is suddenly losing its light," she whispered. "This is not normal. I have to see Raito!"

  Zhu's expression hardened. "Alright," she said. "Hang on tight. I'll pick up the pace."

  She launched herself forward, bounding from rooftop to rooftop, a red streak cutting through the night, racing toward the edge of the city and whatever darkness lay waiting for them there.

  With every leap, Zhu Lihua launched herself higher, the wind whipping her hair as she scanned the edge of the city. Yukari clung to her back, her knuckles white.

  "There!" Zhu hissed.

  They heard it before they saw it. A guttural, agonized scream that tore through the quiet of the night, followed by the wet, sickening sound of impact.

  Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

  "Punching," Zhu murmured, her face hardening. She didn't hesitate; she dropped from the rooftop, landing silently in the alley entrance.

  She set Yukari down gently. As they walked closer to the source of the noise, the scene unfolded in the pale light of a street lantern.

  Two shadows played against the wall. One figure was slumped on the ground, broken. The other was standing over him, delivering blow after blow with mechanical precision.

  "Raito?" Yukari whispered, her voice trembling.

  The lantern light flickered, illuminating the scene. Kaden lay in the dirt, barely conscious. His face was a ruin of bruises and blood, his teeth shattered, his features almost unrecognizable. His leg was a mangled mess. He wasn't fighting back; he was simply taking it.

  And the person holding him by the collar, the person raining down punches with a cold, detached expression... was Raito.

  "Oh, Yukari," Raito said, looking up as if he had just been interrupted while reading a book. He smiled, a bright, cheerful expression that looked horrific smeared with Kaden's blood. "What's up?"

  Yukari’s hand flew to her mouth, stifling a scream.

  "Kid, what are you doing?" Zhu asked, her voice low and dangerous.

  "Oh, this?" Raito gestured casually with his bloody fist. "He won't talk no matter how many times I asked him. So I had to be a bit rough."

  He turned back to Kaden, whose head lolled uselessly. "Hey. Talk."

  THWACK.

  He punched Kaden in the face again. The scholar groaned weakly.

  "Hey. Talk."

  THWACK.

  Another punch.

  "STOP!" Zhu moved in a blur, catching Raito’s wrist before he could land a third blow. Her grip was iron. "Do you want to kill him?!"

  Raito blinked, looking at her with genuine confusion. "No, of course not. I'm just interrogating. See? Once he talks, we will bring him to justice." He spoke as if nothing were wrong, as if this brutality were the most normal thing in the world.

  "You've done enough," Zhu said, her voice steel. "Let him go. Let the guards deal with the aftermath. You and I need to leave now."

  "What?" Raito’s brow furrowed. He tried to pull his arm back. "No way. This is my investigation. My case. I am almost done making him talk."

  He tugged harder, but Zhu held him in place effortlessly.

  "I said, you are done," Zhu commanded, her eyes flashing.

  "Fine," Raito sighed. He opened his grip, letting Kaden’s limp body fall into the dirt.

  Zhu released his wrist and stooped to pick up Kaden, slinging the unconscious man over her shoulder like a sack of grain.

  "Now, let's go—"

  SCHWING.

  Zhu leaped backward, a reflex honed by centuries of war saving her life. A crimson blade sliced through the air where her neck had been a fraction of a second before.

  "What is the meaning of this?" Zhu asked, her voice cold, dropping Kaden to the ground to free her hands.

  Raito stood there, Koenka extended, a look of mild annoyance on his face.

  "Tch. I missed," he muttered.

  "Raito!" Yukari cried out, tears streaming down her face. "What are you doing?! Please stop this!"

  "She is stopping me from doing what I need to do," Raito said simply, his voice devoid of affection. "So she must go."

  He readied Koenka again. The black flame uncoiled from the hilt, wrapping around the blade like a hungry snake, hissing in the silence.

  "Raito, stop!" Yukari shouted, trying to step forward, but her injured leg buckled.

  "He is gone," Zhu said, her expression grim. "Something is controlling him. Influencing him. I have to stop this madness."

  She raised her gauntleted fists, and they ignited with brilliant, orange fire.

  "You two... Mother, please stop! You are not supposed to fight!" Yukari screamed. She threw her hand out, trying to summon an ice wall to separate them.

  Nothing happened.

  "What?" Yukari stared at her hand, shocked. Her power wouldn't respond.

  "Raito, it's me! I'm Yukari!" she pleaded, her voice breaking. "Don't you know me? And that is Master Lihua, my stepmother! Please stop! This is not you!"

  Raito tilted his head, looking at her with dead eyes. "Of course I know you, Yukari. Why are you talking like that?" He pointed his sword at Zhu. "It's just that... she is getting in my way. So I have to cut her."

  "Raito?" Yukari whispered, heartbroken.

  "His morality... it's being degraded," Zhu realized, her eyes narrowing. "I have to be quick."

  She dashed.

  Raito swung.

  CLANG.

  Zhu caught the sword mid-strike, clamping her gauntleted hands around the blade. The heat of her fire warred with the cold of his black flame.

  "Kid, stop!" Zhu grunted, straining against his surprising strength. "There is still time! That power is not yours! Stop using it! It is corrupting you!"

  "You know nothing!" Raito shouted back, his face twisting into a snarl. "This is my own power! MINE!"

  The black flame flared, roaring to life.

  "Tch!" Zhu ignited her own fire to counter it, blasting a wave of heat.

  But the black flame didn't burn. It ate. It swallowed Zhu's fire, feasting on the elemental energy, growing larger and darker with every second. It was like a black hole opening in the alley.

  "What?!" Zhu gasped, surprised. She let go of Koenka and leaped backward, swatting away tendrils of black fire that lashed out at her like whips.

  Raito stood amidst the swirling darkness, the black flames dancing around him like loyal pets. He looked at his hands, a look of twisted ecstasy on his face.

  "Did you see that?" Raito whispered, looking at Zhu. "My own power. I am finally strong."

  "Strong?" Zhu spat, standing up straight. "What part of this is strong?! You tortured a man! And worst of all, you made Linlin cry!"

  "Well... call that retribution," Raito said, moving forward. He swung Koenka once more, the black flame extending like a spectral blade.

  Zhu dodged effortlessly, stepping to the side. The black flame missed her but struck a stack of wooden barrels behind her. They didn't catch fire; they were simply consumed, vanishing into nothingness as if erased from existence.

  "When I was tortured, in that prison, long ago... no one came to stop them," Raito ranted, his voice rising, overlapping with the crackle of the dark energy. "So why, when I do it, now everyone has a problem?! Answer me!"

  "Kid, this is not you!" Zhu shouted back, her fire flaring defensively.

  "SHUT UP!" Raito screamed. "You are just jealous! Now I am strong! I am finally stronger than anyone! I don't have to be the one watching from the sidelines! Now I can do anything I want!"

  "Then..." Zhu asked, her voice dropping, piercing through his rage. "Why do you need to be strong? To be stronger? For what purpose?"

  Raito stopped. The black flame flickered, just for a second.

  "That..." He blinked, confusion clouding his dark crimson eyes. "Because I need to protect."

  "Protect what? Who?" Zhu pressed, sensing the crack in his resolve.

  Raito flinched. He dropped Koenka, the sword clattering to the ground. The black flame dissipated into wisps of smoke. He moved his hands to his head, clutching his temples.

  "Who?" he asked himself, his voice small. "Why... why can't I remember? Who am I supposed to protect?"

  He squeezed his eyes shut. "Why do I want to become strong?"

  "MY HEAD! IT HURTS!" he screamed, dropping to his knees.

  Then, as if hearing a silent voice, he turned his head slowly. His gaze found Yukari, who was watching him with terrified, tear-filled eyes.

  "Yu—" Raito tried to call out, reaching a hand toward her.

  NOW!

  Zhu didn't hesitate. She dashed forward, a blur of red motion. She appeared behind Raito in an instant and delivered a powerful, precise chop to the back of his neck.

  Raito’s eyes rolled back. He slumped forward, unconscious before he hit the ground.

  "Raito!" Yukari shouted, hobbling her way to his fallen body as fast as she could. She collapsed beside him, pulling his head into her lap, checking his breathing.

  He was alive. But as the silence returned to the alley, broken only by Kaden's ragged breathing nearby, the mood was heavy.

  The fire incident had come to a close. The culprit was caught. But as Yukari looked down at Raito's peaceful, sleeping face, the victory felt hollow.