Osaka, Japan
Mitsuya Residence
April 3rd, 2023
"I don't know. I don't sense any special energy from her, and-"
Before Baldur could finish his sentence, a loud crash interrupted him. A huge butcher knife flew in from outside, shattering the window glass and landing in Shino's room.
Rinka screamed in response to the highly dangerous interruption, while Mike and Shino hurriedly went to see what was happening outside.
As they glanced out the window, they saw a bulky, shadowy figure with a humanoid silhouette.
"What is that?" Shino asked, perplexed by the ominous creature.
"Let's go! Everyone, run!" Mike shouted, grabbing Shino's arm and dashing out of the door, with the others following closely behind.
They rushed down the stairs and quickly made their way outside.
Mike knew he couldn't use his abilities in front of his classmates, or else they would freak out and discover the truth about Baldur.
"Wait, Mom and Dad are still inside," Shino exclaimed and dashed towards the house.
This was an opportunity, Mike thought, and he quickly stopped Shino.
"I'll go get them. You go with the others and run to a safer location. You can go near my apartment if you like. I'll catch up with you and your parents. Trust me," Mike said, determined to protect his friends from danger.
Shino hesitated, unwilling to leave the lives of his parents in someone else's hands. However, seeing the sincerity in Mike's eyes, he reluctantly agreed. Shino trusted Mike and guided the others as they fled.
Mike entered the house and began searching for Shino's parents.
"Mister Mitsuya! Madame Mitsuya! Where are you?" Mike shouted as the entire house rumbled.
"What is happening?" Mike asked Baldur, who also had no idea what was going on.
"Is that you, Mike? We're here!" Mike heard Mister Mitsuya's voice nearby. He rushed toward the sound and found Mister and Madame Mitsuya in the kitchen.
Madame Mitsuya was trapped under a fallen shelf, and Mister Mitsuya was unable to free her. He had been pushing it, but it wouldn't budge.
The house continued to rumble, and the shaking grew more intense.
"Mike, it seems like a strong one. Are you going to be okay on your own?" Baldur asked, sounding worried.
"I'll be fine," Mike responded quickly, determined to help. He went to assist Mister Mitsuya.
Both of them exerted their strength, trying to push the shelf harder, but it still wouldn't move. Madame Mitsuya lay unconscious on the floor.
"This isn't going to work," Mike thought to himself.
"Mister Mitsuya, can you find something we can use as leverage?" Mike asked, hoping to buy some time and prevent Mister Mitsuya from witnessing his next action.
Desperate to save his wife, Mister Mitsuya quickly nodded and left the kitchen. Mike felt a sense of relief. He summoned his mystic sword and swiftly cut the shelf in two, freeing Madame Mitsuya.
He then scooped up Madame Mitsuya and carried her in his arms. Mike left the kitchen to search for Mister Mitsuya's whereabouts.
Mister Mitsuya hurriedly returned, clutching a metal pole in his hands. However, when he saw Mike carrying his wife, he was shocked.
"Oh, my dear Tsumi," Mister Mitsuya uttered, rushing to his wife's side. Mike gently handed over the unconscious Madame Mitsuya to Mister Mitsuya's care.
"Sir, take your wife and leave. Shino and the others are already safe; they went ahead to a safer place near my apartment. Follow them and bring the metal pole with you," Mike instructed.
A look of confusion crossed Mister Mitsuya's face as he asked, "Aren't you coming with us?"
"I left something important upstairs. I'll catch up. It's crucial to me," Mike replied.
"But—" Mister Mitsuya began to protest, but the rumbling grew even stronger.
"Go now, sir!" Mike exclaimed, urging him to leave. Without further delay, Mister Mitsuya carried his wife in his arms and grasped the metal pole tightly as they left the house.
Mike made his way upstairs and returned to Shino's room.
"What did you leave in here?" Baldur inquired.
Mike approached the broken window and caught sight of the shadowy figure slashing at the walls of the house with a massive butcher knife.
"That," Mike responded, pointing towards the menacing creature.
He activated his clairvoyance ability and began scanning the creature.
+
[Tale: The Butcher of the Stone Age (Damned)
Weakness: Heart]
+
Mike leaped out of the window of the two-story house and landed in front of the shadowy creature. Summoning his mystic sword once more, he charged towards the bulky figure.
As Mike swung his sword to strike, the creature blocked the attack with its enormous butcher knife. It retaliated by attempting to slam the knife down on Mike, but he managed to dodge it just in time.
"You're more agile than it, Mike. It also appears to possess limited intelligence. However, be cautious as it possesses immense strength," Baldur remarked, analyzing the creature's characteristics through Mike's mind.
Mike swiftly maneuvered past the damned creature, skidding by it, and then quickly distanced himself, drawing its attention.
"What are you doing, Mike?" Baldur asked, confused.
"I'm luring it to a secluded location so that I can unleash my flames," Mike answered, sprinting towards a clearing just beyond the urbanized area of the city.
Mike halted and confronted the furious damned head-on. It swung its colossal knife towards Mike, but he effortlessly evaded it with nimble movements.
Activating his pyromancy ability, Mike enveloped his sword in flames. The damned swung its knife once more, but Mike skillfully dodged the attack. Seizing the opportunity, he dashed towards the creature and slashed its chest with the blazing sword.
To Mike's dismay, the flaming sword only left a small scar that quickly regenerated.
"It appears to possess remarkable durability, Mike. Fighting this alone will be a formidable challenge," Baldur observed.
"I hope Kaiba can sense the presence of this damned soon. Otherwise, I'll end up as butchered meat here," Mike replied, gripping his sword tightly with determination.
On the other hand, Shino and the others had already arrived near Mike's apartment. Exhausted, they found respite on a nearby street bench, panting heavily. Sweat streamed down their foreheads as they collapsed to the ground.
"Do you think Mike will be okay?" June asked between heavy breaths.
Shino, also catching his breath, replied reassuringly, "Of course he will. I mean, he's Mike."
Moments later, Shino's parents arrived, but Mike was nowhere to be seen. Shino inquired about Mike and why he hadn't come with his parents.
"Mike said he needed to retrieve something from upstairs. He mentioned it was important to him, so he asked us to go ahead," Mister Mitsuya explained.
A sense of worry surged through Shino as he remembered the ominous figure he had witnessed earlier. Determined, he sprinted back towards his home.
"Mom, Dad, I'm going after Mike! Find somewhere safe and take my friends with you!" Shino shouted urgently and dashed off.
"Shino, no!" Mister Mitsuya exclaimed, but it was too late. Shino had already gone too far ahead to hear his father's words.
"Aish, I've only just arrived. This guy really knows how to test my stamina and patience," June grumbled, standing up. "Don't worry, Mister Mitsuya. I'll go after them."
June sprinted off, following Shino's trail. Mister and Madame Mitsuya, accompanied by Rinka and Karin, then left the area, seeking safety.
Mike persisted in his battle against the damned creature, exchanging powerful slashes with it. However, the relentless fight began taking its toll on Mike, his stamina gradually depleting as fatigue set in.
Unyielding, the shadowy figure showed no signs of defeat. It let out a fierce roar, shaking the ground, and slammed its massive knife onto the ground. Reacting swiftly, Mike leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the devastating strike.
Seizing the opportunity, Mike hurled his sword towards the creature, aiming to catch it off guard. However, the damned creature effortlessly deflected the sword using its own knife, causing it to vanish into thin air. Unfazed, Mike summoned his sword once more, channeling his pyromancy ability to enshroud it in searing flames.
With precise anticipation, Mike leaped toward the creature's head, predicting its attempt to squash him with the giant knife. Grasping onto the knife, he deftly maneuvered and launched himself towards the figure's face.
Victory seemed within reach as Mike aimed to stab the shadowy figure's head with his flaming sword. However, the damned creature swiftly blocked Mike's sword with its palms, overpowering him and hurling him to the side.
Mike grunted in pain as he hit the ground, momentarily disarmed. Determined, he summoned his sword once more, feeling its familiar weight in his hands, ready to resume the fight.
"I'm starting to feel tired, and I don't think I'm inflicting any damage," Mike said to Baldur, wincing in pain as he struggled to stand.
"Why don't you retreat for now and recuperate? We can come back with a better plan," Baldur suggested, but before he could finish, Mike interjected.
"No! If I run away, that damned creature will continue attacking the nearby houses," Mike responded firmly, bracing himself to face the creature once again.
Just as he was about to dash towards the damned, his eyes widened as he caught sight of a familiar figure standing behind the creature.
"Need some help?"