Later, at the shadowy Dämmerung Park, Udo walked along a sombre pathway. The overhead streetlights flickered sporadically, casting dancing shadows on the ground. His hands were tucked nonchalantly into his pockets, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Where is this dude...?" he muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the darkened surroundings.
Suddenly, a swarm of origami bees erupted from the nearby undergrowth, their papery bodies seeming to glow in the low light. They encircled Udo, buzzing around him in a whirlwind of activity.
"The hell?" he exclaimed, squinting as he watched the paper insects flit about.
Then, one by one, the origami bees began to disappear. Udo's gaze followed their movement until his eyes landed on a man standing a few feet away from him. The man was dressed in a crisp black suit and tie, his eyes locked on Udo with an unnerving smirk on his face.
With a flamboyant flourish of his arms, the man declared, "Tada!"
"You've been following me for a while now, haven't you?" Udo questioned, his voice steady despite his bewilderment.
The man chuckled, tilting his head slightly. "Well, aren't you a vigilant one?"
"Who the fuck are you?" Udo demanded, not at all amused by the man's theatrics.
"Please, address me as Akira," the man replied smoothly. "Professional Origami Artist."
Udo's eyes hardened. "Been seeing your weird paper shit everywhere I go. What the fuck do you want?"
The smirk vanished from Akira's face, replaced by a glower. "I could kill you right now for ridiculing an art form I've had a passion for since I was six...," he mused, then the corners of his mouth curled upwards in a smile. "But I'm not going to do so, as that would be going against the order."
"Order?" Udo repeated, furrowing his brows. "What order?"
Akira's smirk returned full-force. "I was given the order to capture you, Mr son of Iche..."
Udo's eyes widened, fear gripping him. "Wh...who gave the order?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot say," Akira replied cryptically.
The fear was quickly replaced by anger, Udo's fist clenching at his side. "How much do you know?"
Akira's smirk widened. "Glad you asked." He extended an arm towards Udo, beckoning him closer. "Come with me, Udo, and you'll get your answer."
Udo recoiled, taking a step back. "You got me fucked up if you think I'd ever let you take me anywhere."
"Well then..."
A dark purple aura erupted around him. Udo's eyes widened. "What the...Fiend Vibration?!"
Akira clasped his hands together, "Kalo: Orizuru," he announced, and dozens of paper cranes sprang up around him. "I guess I'll have to take you by force."
Udo was paralyzed with fear and uncertainty. What was he to do? He had to use his Fiend Vibration or else he was done for. But he couldn't risk it. What if there was someone nearby who could detect vibration? He'd get caught. But what other choice did he have? If he didn't fight back, this man would capture him anyway.
As he stood there, torn, Akira made his move. He raised his hand and with a swift wave, sent the paper cranes zooming towards Udo. But just before they could reach him, they were intercepted by a barrage of arrows. The onslaught was unexpected, catching them both by surprise.
The next moment, the arrows sped through the night air, meeting their targets with uncanny precision, successfully intercepting the paper cranes before they could reach Udo. Akira blinked, taken aback.
"Arrows? Hold up..." Udo muttered, squinting into the darkness.
"Late to the party I see..." A voice floated over.
Bowen emerged from the shadows, landing smoothly in front of Udo. "Bowen!? How did you find us!?" Udo asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Bowen shrugged nonchalantly. "Got a lil' curious..." He quickly passed over the paper Akira had given him earlier.
Udo cursed under his breath. "Shit..."
"You can tell me about the secret later," Bowen said, his gaze never leaving Akira, "I'm interested in him for now..."
Akira smirked, apparently amused by the turn of events. "Well, looky looky..."
Bowen squared his shoulders, his eyes never wavering from Akira. "Who the hell are you and why are you after my brother?"
Akira simply shrugged. "None of your business."
"Bowen, you won't win against this guy! We need to focus on an escape plan instead!" Udo warned, fear evident in his eyes.
Bowen, however, was resolute. "C'mon Udo...you know I can't do that..."
With that, Bowen removed his quiver and dropped his bow and arrow. A golden aura burst around him, coating his skin in a luminous sheen.
Akira watched with mild interest. "A third-rate Dove host, huh..."
Bowen didn't respond. Instead, he simply intoned, "Kalo: Blessed Arch," and his longbow and quiver, coated in the same golden aura, appeared in his hand and back.
"I don't know who you are, but anyone who tries to mess with my brother..." Bowen threatened, drawing two arrows, "will get sent to hell."
Without another word, he let the arrows loose. As they zoomed through the air, Bowen commanded, "Vibration Multiplication." And just like that, the two arrows multiplied into thirty each, adding up to sixty arrows in total.
Udo watched in awe and terror. "Shit..."
Bowen, meanwhile, was panting heavily. "Using this move twice in one day will for sure put me out for at least a day...I need this to work..."
Akira, on the other hand, looked far from impressed. He simply sighed, lifting a hand. A cloud of dust enveloped him as the arrows seemingly crashed into him.
Bowen dropped to one knee from exhaustion, and Udo rushed to his side, holding him up.
"Bowen!"
"That'll teach him," Bowen said, his voice hoarse but triumphant.
As the dust began to settle, Udo squinted at the spot where Akira had stood. "Wait...is he..."
They could barely believe their eyes. Where Akira had once stood, there was now a spherical-shaped entity, made up of a multitude of little origami bees, with an eye gazing at them from a little hole made in the sphere.
Bowen, despite his exhaustion, managed a smirk. "This guy..."
"My turn." Akira's voice echoed in the eerie silence that had fallen over the battleground. With a simple wave of his hand, the bees surged towards Bowen.
With a swift shove, Bowen pushed Udo out of the way. "Bowen!" Udo's voice wavered, fear seizing him as the bees descended upon his brother, whirling around him at an alarming speed.
Bowen was momentarily caught off guard. "What is this? What is he planning?"
Akira watched Bowen, a smug expression on his face. "I saw that technique earlier, was impressed I must say. Unfortunately..." He clasped his hands together, his smirk growing wider.
"I'm a whole different beast."
"Kalo: Kami no Washi." His voice was barely a whisper, but the effect was devastating. The bees scattered and in their place, ten large paper hawks bore down on Bowen from all sides.
"Shit..." The word barely left Bowen's lips before the hawks impaled him, eliciting a gasp of horror from Udo.
"B...Bowen!!!" Udo rushed towards Bowen, who was now on his knees, a torrent of blood spilling from his mouth. "No...no...stay with me..."
Bowen's breaths came in ragged gasps as his eyes bulged with the effort to breathe. Udo was at his side, fear-stricken and desperate. "Fuck don't die on me, man, please!"
Tears welled up in Udo's eyes as Bowen's eyelids drooped shut. "Bowen...Bowen..." He sobbed, the hope draining from his voice. It was all happening again, just like that night in the woods. He was losing another loved one...
"Why do you people fight for him? ," Akira began, his voice interrupting Udo's desperate pleas. "Why do you people fight for someone who abandoned you? He already took all of his favourites up with him and left you to die with the Fiends. So why do you still see him as someone to go to war for? He dropped you in hell with a power that relies on purity. He knows sin is human nature, so why would he purposefully handicap you?"
"As the son of Iche, I know you know I'm right. Deep down you know it's only a matter of time before the Fiends completely take over. Deep down you know it's only a matter of time before he bursts through the bubble."
Akira paused, extends his arm towards Udo. "Soon our world will be anew and be run by a new god. A righteous god. Join us, Udo. Join us on the right side of this war.
But there was a change occurring in Udo, his usually stoic demeanor now infused with a growing darkness. A sinister purple hue began to envelop his skin, its intensity mirroring the burning fury evident in his eyes. With grim determination, he rose to his feet and clasped his hands.
"Kalo..." he uttered.
A sly grin tugged at the corners of Akira's lips, betraying his innermost thoughts. "Ah, the prodigal son of Iche... What a treat it would be to face off against him."
But Udo's cold retort cut through the tension, "Power Mike."
The earth groaned in protest, shaking under an unforeseen force. Akira's smirk vanished, replaced by a look of bewilderment, "Wha-?"
A deafening roar filled the air, heralding the emergence of a formidable entity. Akira's heart raced, the realization sinking in. Towering behind him was Power Mike, a colossal 8ft titan bathed in shadows, his dark skin contrasting against the eerie glow of his fiery eyes.
Udo, his eyes like piercing daggers, uttered just two chilling words.
"Kill him."
The colossal figure responded with a thunderous roar, reaching out and snatching Akira from the ground, suspending him in the grip of impending doom. Akira's desperate pleas rang out in the air.
"Udo! Wait! Calm down, Udo! I-I will tell you who sent me! Please, just don't—"
But before another second could pass, Power Mike demonstrated his monstrous might. With effortless brutality, he tore Akira apart, blood spraying over his torso, and his insides scattered across the floor in a grotesque display of carnage. The silence that ensued was the heavy blanket of a tale that was far from over.
Udo then collapsed onto his knees. Tears quietly fell down his cheeks as Power Mike slowly dissipated into the air.
"All I wanted was peace...All I wanted was a loving family...I just wanted to be happy..." His voice was hoarse with despair, raw with anguish. "Why did Bowen have to suffer? Why did Mum have to suffer? Is this fate? Was he right all along?"
Suddenly, multiple SUVs pulled up to the scene. Out rushed Dove officers, forming a perimeter around Udo, their guns pointed at him in a threatening display of authority.
"Dove Corporation! Get on the ground! Put your hands up!" They shouted in unison, their expressions stern and unyielding.
"I guess this is it..." Resigned, Udo raised his hands in surrender. Two of the officers charged forward, swiftly tackling him to the ground. "Inject the poison into him!"
A red fluid coursed through his veins as one of the officers administered the injection. "Forgive me, mum...forgive me Mr Wilson...forgive me, Bow-"
His voice trailed off as he spotted a tall, grey-haired man standing at the edge of the scene.
He held Bowen's lifeless body in his arms, his gaze locked onto Udo. "Wait...who is-"
His words were cut short as his eyes rolled back, darkness consuming his sight. The officers wasted no time in heaving him into one of the vans and taking off, leaving the devastation behind them.
From the cover of the nearby trees, three masked figures observed the chaos that had unfolded. "That's our guy, right?" The first male figure queried, turning to his companions.
"Yep, Udo Iche, the last remaining member of the Iche clan..." The female figure responded, her gaze focused on the retreating Dove vehicles.
"See that massive beast he summoned? Absolute monster. God would I love to fight him someday..." The second male figure couldn't help but express his fascination.
The female figure tapped her earbud. "Hope you're tracking the van."
Meanwhile, in a dark control room, an anonymous female figure sat before an array of LED monitors, keeping a vigilant watch on the Dove officer vehicles. "Don't worry. They're right here on my screens."
Back at Dämmerung Park, the female masked figure nodded, her gaze never leaving the trail of the Dove officers. "Good, he's ours."