The city of Tokyo had never looked more alive to Kuro. Not in the way it once had, with neon lights, bustling crowds, and the hum of daily life, but alive in a new, chaotic way. The streets were twisted now, the buildings shifting and flickering as if the fabric of reality itself was warping under the pressure of the rift. Blue static crackled through the air, and every step Kuro took sent a thrill through his body. The chaos wasn't just around him, it was part of him.
He could feel it deep inside, the energy pulsing like a second heartbeat. He had never felt so alive.
"Man, look at this place," Kuro said, grinning as he glanced at Ryo beside him. "It's like the whole city is turning into one big playground."
Ryo frowned, scanning the twisted, glitching buildings. Some of them seemed to shimmer, their outlines blurring as if they were caught between two worlds. Streets that should have been familiar were now labyrinthine, leading to dead ends or folding back in on themselves. It wasn't just a city anymore, it was something new, something dangerous.
"Yeah, well, playground or not, this place is seriously messed up," Ryo muttered, adjusting his spiked gloves. "You're not even a little worried about how fast things are falling apart?"
"Worried?" Kuro chuckled, the sound low and dangerous. "I'm excited. This is what I've been waiting for, this world finally making some sense."
As they moved through the city, the signs of the rift's growing influence were everywhere. The air seemed thicker, almost humming with power, and every now and then, Kuro could feel the subtle pull of glitch energy in the distance. The further they walked, the stranger things became. At one point, Kuro stopped, tilting his head as he noticed a building ahead of them suddenly shift, its entire structure flickering for a brief second before it reappeared several feet away from where it had been.
Ryo took a step back, eyes narrowed. "Did you see that? The whole building just… moved."
Kuro grinned wider, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Yeah, I saw it. Looks like the rift is messing with reality even more than I thought. This city's turning into something straight out of a nightmare."
For Kuro, that was the best part.
The ground beneath their feet shifted subtly as they continued, the cracks in the pavement glowing faintly with glitch energy. Around them, the sky was stained with digital static, patches of it swirling and pulsing as if the rift was bleeding into every corner of the city. Kuro loved it. He had always hated how predictable everything had been before the rift. The people, the buildings, the boring normalcy of it all. Now, everything was unpredictable. Anything could happen, and Kuro was thriving in it.
But Ryo wasn't as thrilled. He glanced around, his brow furrowed. "Something's off. It's like the whole place is trying to shift underneath us. We need to keep moving."
"Relax, man," Kuro said, waving a hand dismissively. "This is just the city waking up. We're in the thick of it now, this is where things get interesting."
As they passed a twisted intersection, they both heard a low, distorted sound in the distance, a deep, guttural growl that vibrated through the air. Kuro stopped in his tracks, his senses sharpening as he felt a new presence. This wasn't just a glitch-beast. This was something different, something darker. He felt a surge of excitement ripple through him.
Ryo tensed, his fists clenched. "What was that?"
Kuro tilted his head, listening. The sound was growing louder, closer. It had an edge to it, like static mixed with an animalistic growl, and it was coming from the direction of one of the swirling patches of glitch energy that had formed in the distance.
"I don't know," Kuro said, his grin widening. "But I'm about to find out."
The growling grew louder as they approached the source of the distortion. The air around them felt heavier, charged with glitch energy, and the buildings seemed to warp even more the closer they got to the center of the disturbance. Kuro could feel the power emanating from whatever was waiting for them, and it made his pulse quicken. He had faced glitch-beasts before, but this felt different, more intelligent, more dangerous.
When they rounded the corner of a crumbling building, they saw it.
A massive, swirling patch of glitch energy hovered in the air, dark and pulsing with unstable power. And emerging from that vortex was something neither of them had seen before. It was a creature, but its form was constantly shifting, as if it couldn't quite stabilize in this reality. Its body flickered between shapes, a mass of dark glitch energy and shadow, with glowing red eyes that locked onto Kuro and Ryo the moment they appeared.
"Well, shit," Ryo muttered, taking a step back. "That thing looks like it crawled straight out of hell."
Kuro's grin grew even wider, his heart racing with excitement. "Finally. Something new to play with."
The creature let out a distorted screech, its voice filled with static and malice, and then it lunged toward them with terrifying speed.
The Void Beast lunged forward, its form flickering and warping as it crossed the distance in a matter of seconds. Kuro's heart raced, his grin never fading as the creature came at him with ferocious speed. The beast's shifting, unstable form made it hard to predict its movements, but that only added to Kuro's excitement. This wasn't like any of the glitch-beasts he had fought before, it was something entirely new, something more dangerous.
As the beast's claws slashed toward him, Kuro darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. The ground where he had been standing erupted in a shower of glitching debris as the Void Beast's claws ripped through it with ease. Kuro could feel the raw power radiating from the creature, its presence like a black hole of glitch energy pulling at everything around it.
"Fast little bastard, aren't you?" Kuro laughed, his fingers crackling with glitch energy as he prepared to retaliate.
Ryo, meanwhile, had already positioned himself to attack the creature from the side. He lunged forward, his spiked gloves gleaming as he aimed a powerful punch at the Void Beast's flank. But just before his fist could connect, the creature's form shifted again, its body flickering out of reach as if it were phasing in and out of existence.
Ryo cursed under his breath, landing in a crouch as the creature twisted in midair, its glowing red eyes locking onto him. "Damn thing doesn't want to sit still!" he muttered, quickly preparing for another attack.
Kuro, still grinning, raised one hand, summoning a surge of glitch energy. "That's because it's not just any glitch-beast," he said, his voice filled with excitement. "This one's special. It's got its own tricks."
The Void Beast screeched again, its distorted voice vibrating through the air as it lunged at Kuro once more, its claws outstretched. But this time, Kuro was ready. He thrust his hand forward, releasing a concentrated blast of glitch energy that slammed into the creature's chest. The energy crackled and sparked as it collided with the Void Beast, briefly destabilizing its form and causing it to flicker violently.
For a moment, Kuro thought he had the upper hand. The beast stumbled, its body warping and twisting as it tried to regain control. But instead of retreating, the Void Beast shifted again, its entire form twisting and reshaping into something even more menacing. Its legs grew longer, its body becoming more solid, and its claws extended into razor-sharp talons that gleamed with glitch energy.
Kuro's grin only widened. "Oh, you're going to be fun."
The Void Beast, now more solid and vicious than before, let out a guttural roar as it charged at Kuro again. Its movements were still unpredictable, flickering between shapes as it attacked, but Kuro was starting to understand its patterns. He could see the way the glitch energy pulsed through its body, destabilizing it and then reforming it into new shapes. It was like the creature was constantly rewriting itself, trying to find the perfect form.
Kuro dodged another swipe of its claws, rolling across the ground before springing to his feet. "You can keep changing all you want, but I'm still gonna break you," he taunted, channeling more glitch energy into his hands.
Beside him, Ryo was already moving, his fists a blur as he aimed another series of punches at the Void Beast. This time, he connected, his spiked gloves slamming into the creature's side with a satisfying crunch. The beast let out a howl of pain, its body flickering again as it tried to pull away from Ryo's assault.
"Gotcha," Ryo muttered, following up with another punch that sent the Void Beast staggering backward. But even as Ryo pressed the attack, the creature's body began to shift again, its form rippling as it adjusted to the damage.
"This thing just won't quit!" Ryo shouted, frustration creeping into his voice as the Void Beast recovered faster than he expected.
Kuro laughed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "That's what makes it so fun! It's like the game is pushing back, finally giving us something worth fighting!"
As Kuro and Ryo continued their assault, Kuro could feel something changing inside him. Every time he landed a hit on the Void Beast, every time he absorbed a piece of its glitch energy, he felt his own powers growing stronger. The connection between him and the rift was deepening, and it was as if the Void Beast's unstable nature was feeding directly into him.
The ground beneath them flickered with glitch energy, and Kuro could feel the air itself warping around them. He grinned, realizing that he could tap into this power, use it to manipulate the battlefield to his advantage. With a thought, he sent a surge of energy into the ground, causing the very terrain around them to twist and shift.
The Void Beast hesitated for a moment as the ground beneath it rippled, the sudden shift in reality throwing it off balance. Kuro didn't waste the opportunity. He charged forward, his hands glowing with blue static, and unleashed a powerful blast directly at the creature's head.
The blast hit its mark, sending the Void Beast reeling. Its body convulsed, glitch energy sparking wildly as it struggled to maintain its form. For the first time since the battle began, the creature seemed vulnerable.
"That's right," Kuro said, his voice low and menacing. "You're mine now."
But the Void Beast wasn't done yet. With a final, desperate screech, it lashed out with all its remaining strength, its talons slashing through the air in a wild frenzy. Kuro barely managed to dodge the first few strikes, his body moving on instinct as the creature's claws grazed his side. He winced, feeling the sting of the attack, but he didn't stop.
Ryo moved in from the other side, his fists a blur as he delivered rapid punches to the creature's flank. Each hit destabilized the Void Beast further, its form flickering more violently with every strike. The ground around them seemed to pulse with energy, as if the entire battlefield was reacting to the intensity of the fight.
Kuro saw his opening. He channeled every ounce of glitch energy he had into one final, devastating blast. The air around him crackled with power as he released the attack, sending a wave of energy crashing into the Void Beast's chest. The creature let out one last, distorted wail as the blast tore through its unstable form, ripping it apart at the seams.
With a final, violent flicker, the Void Beast disintegrated into a cloud of black static, its remnants fading into the air as the battlefield fell silent.
Kuro stood there, breathing heavily but grinning from ear to ear. His entire body felt charged with energy, as if he had just tapped into a deeper well of power than ever before. The rush of victory surged through him, and he couldn't help but laugh.
"That… was incredible," Kuro said, still grinning as he turned to Ryo. "I think I'm getting stronger."
Ryo wiped the sweat from his brow, his fists still clenched from the battle. "That thing was a nightmare. But yeah, you definitely seemed to enjoy it."
Kuro nodded, still feeling the raw power of the rift flowing through him. "This is just the beginning. I can feel it, the rift is giving me more power every time we fight."