The moon hung high above Nagazora, casting pale silver light over the city's rooftops. Kenji crouched near the edge of a building, the chill of the night air nipping at his exposed hands. The city below him was unusually quiet. He zipped across the rooftops in quick, fluid movements, his shadow barely a whisper against the city lights.
Kenji's lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. Crime has gone down a lot. It wasn't long ago that Danger Sense activated almost continuously to warn him of threats-gang wars and street brawls- that used to dominated these streets.
Now, the city felt… calmer. Knowing he had played a part in that made his chest swell with pride. "I guess all those bruises were worth it," he muttered to himself, hopping across a narrow alleyway.
As he landed on the next rooftop, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Danger Sense. His entire body tensed as a sharp, familiar tug directed his attention to a threat three blocks away. "Here we go" he said, focusing. Without hesitation, he bolted, He sprinted toward the source of the threat, his body coursing with energy as he activated 20% OFA.
The closer he got, the more he could hear: the sound of rapid, panicked footsteps and bloodcurdling screams. He picked up his pace, a blur against the faint glow of streetlights.
As he reached the scene, Kenji landed on a low rooftop, crouching to observe. His eyes quickly scanned the street below. A young couple—likely in their early twenties—was sprinting down the road. The woman clutched her bleeding arm, crimson staining her clothes, while the man supported her, his face pale and frantic.
But it wasn't them that made Kenji's heart race.
Trailing close behind were three Seraph-class Honkai Beasts, their translucent, insect-like wings glimmering faintly under the streetlights. Their sleek, metallic forms zipped forward with an eerie grace, faster than any Kenji had seen before
"Seraphs?!" he hissed under his breath. Memories of his first encounter with one flashed in his mind—the night he unlocked his powers. It had been a close call then, and now there were three of them. His fists clenched as adrenaline surged through his veins.
Without wasting another second, he leapt from the rooftop, channeling 25% of One For All into his legs. The wind roared past him as he plummeted toward the beasts. He smashed into one of the Seraphs with a thunderous impact, crushing it underfoot and cracking the pavement beneath them.
The couple stumbled to a halt, their breaths ragged and uneven. The man held his partner close, his free hand pressed tightly against a gash on her right arm. Kenji quickly assessed the scene—her injury looked deep.
'Hospital' Kenji thought, but the remaining two Seraphs didn't give him time to dwell on it.
But before he could act, the remaining two Seraphs launched themselves at him, their speed catching him off guard.
The first lunged, its claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. Kenji narrowly dodged, Danger Sense pulling him just out of harm's way. The second came in from the side, its momentum forcing Kenji to roll forward to avoid the attack.
He skidded to a stop, his eyes narrowing. 'They're faster… much faster than the one I fought before'
His mind raced. The lone Seraph he'd encountered months ago must have been weakened after its earlier fight with Himeko. These ones, however, were at full strength.
The beasts circled him, their attention locked onto his every move. "Alright, no messing around," Kenji muttered, shaking off the tension in his shoulders. He clenched his fists, the familiar hum of One For All coursing through his body.
One of the Seraphs lunged, its claws aimed directly at his chest. Kenji ducked low, pivoted, and unleashed a 25% punch straight into its side. The force of the blow sent the creature flying into a nearby wall, spiderweb cracks spreading across the concrete as it collapsed in a heap. The second Seraph was immediately on him, darting in for another attack.
Kenji turned, catching the beast mid-lunge. His fingers gripped its sleek frame as it thrashed wildly in his grasp, its glowing wings flaring with energy. With a sharp yell, he swung the creature over his shoulder and slammed it into the ground. The impact created a small crater, shattering the beast into glowing fragments that dissipated into the air.
Before he could catch his breath, his Danger Sense flared again. Kenji spun around just as the first Seraph, battered but very much alive, lunged at him with terrifying speed. 'Not dead?!' Kenji's mind screamed.
He managed to sidestep its claws by a hair's breadth before delivering another 25% punch directly to its head. This time, the creature disintegrated completely, its remains scattering like ash in the wind.
The street fell silent, save for Kenji's labored breathing. He looked back at the couple, who were still frozen in place. The woman's face was pale, her injured arm trembling as she leaned heavily on her partner.
'She's not gonna last if they don't get help soon' Kenji thought grimly. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he walked over to them.
"Hey," he said, his voice softer now. "You need to get to a hospital. Fast."
The man stared at him, wide-eyed. "Y-you're… the Night Runner."
Kenji shook his head. "Not the time, I'll carry the both of you" He bent down, carefully lifting the injured woman into a princess carry. She let out a small gasp, her uninjured hand clutching his shoulder.
"Hold on tight," Kenji said, before turning to the man. "You too. Grab onto my back."
The man hesitated, glancing nervously at Kenji's blood-streaked suit, before nodding. He clambered onto Kenji's back, gripping his shoulders like his life depended on it.
Kenji crouched low, channeling energy into his legs. "You might wanna close your eyes," he warned, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice.
Before either civilian could respond, Kenji launched himself into the air, soaring over the rooftops with effortless grace. The wind howled around them as they rocketed through the city, the buildings below blurring into streaks of light.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" the man screamed, his voice cracking with fear.
The woman clutched Kenji tighter, her eyes squeezed shut. "We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" she cried.
Kenji suppressed a laugh, his lips twitching into a grin. "I should start charging for this." he muttered to himself.
After a few minutes of high-speed travel, they finally landed outside the emergency entrance, the sudden halt caused the man to stagger as he slid off Kenji's back.
His legs wobbled beneath him, and he clung to a nearby railing to steady himself. The woman clung to Kenji's shoulder even as he gently lowered her onto a nearby gurney.
Inside, the hospital staff froze. All eyes turned toward the bloodied figure standing in the entrance, his tattered suit and hood obscuring most of his face. A nurse near the reception desk dropped her clipboard with a loud clatter, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and fear.
Kenji didn't flinch under their stares. "She needs immediate attention," he said, his voice steady but commanding. "Caused by a Honkai attack, Deep gash on the arm. This guy, he might be in shock" he added, gesturing to the man.
The nurses snapped into action, wheeling the woman toward the emergency ward. The man looked back at Kenji, his lips trembling as he struggled to form words. "I-I don't even know how to thank you…"
Kenji waved him off. "Just stay safe," he said, already turning toward the exit.
As the automatic doors slid shut behind him, Kenji heard murmurs ripple through the staff. "Was that the Night Runner?" one whispered. "I am so posting about this" another said, her voice barely audible.
...
Kenji landed back on a nearby rooftop, the cool air did nothing to ease the growing anxiety in his chest. He looked down at his trembling hands, his mind replaying the fight with the Seraphs.
"Why were there three of them? And why here?" he muttered to himself. The thought gnawed at him. Honkai attacks didn't just happen like that. Some attacks may be small in scaled but only three? Something wasn't adding up.
His Danger Sense remained quiet now, but unease settled in his chest. He needed answers. With a frown, he turned back toward the area where he had fought the Seraphs.
"Something about this doesn't add up," he thought, leaping back into the shadows. "I need to make sure it's nothing serious."
[At The Same Time]
As Kenji rushed to bring the two civilians to the hospital, a hidden camera embedded in a cracked wall recorded his every movement. The footage streamed live to Anti-Entropy's base, where rows of glowing monitors illuminated the darkened room.
Researchers huddled around their workstations, analyzing the scene with hushed voices and muted keystrokes.
On the largest screen, the fight replayed in full detail. Kenji's swift punches and leaps left a trail of shattered Seraph-class Honkai Beasts, their fragmented remains glowing faintly before dissipating into the night air.
One of the researchers, a man with an unkempt beard and a skeptical frown, leaned back in his chair. "This is what we've been waiting to see? Took him long enough, didn't it?" He jabbed a finger at the screen, where Kenji had just crushed the second Seraph into the pavement. "Three Seraphs, and he struggled that much. A B-Ranked Valkyrie could've handled that in half the time."
Another researcher, younger and more meticulous, furrowed her brow. "Maybe. But did you notice the energy signature? Every time he moved, it surged. That's not normal, not even for someone enhanced."
"Energy or not," the bearded researcher retorted, waving dismissively, "he's sloppy. Look at how much effort it took him to deal with the last one. If he's some kind of anomaly, he's a damn inefficient one."
The room fell silent for a moment as the footage replayed Kenji's final punch, the glowing energy rippling from his fist as the third Seraph disintegrated into glowing fragments. The researchers exchanged uneasy glances, the faint hum of the monitors filling the air.
"I don't think you're giving the anomaly enough credit," another voice cut in, calm but firm. It belonged to a bespectacled woman sitting at the far end of the console.
She tapped her pen against the desk, her gaze fixed on the screen. "We're not measuring him against Valkyries. He's not trained for that, yet he's exhibiting abilities that shouldn't be possible for a human without augmentation."
"Exactly," the younger researcher chimed in, adjusting her glasses. "The energy spikes whenever he moves. It's almost like the anomaly is responding to him directly."
"But he's not exactly unbeatable," the bearded man countered, leaning forward and pointing at the screen. "Look at his form. He's reactive, not strategic. He wouldn't last against coordinated Honkai forces, let alone something like an Emperor-class."
"That's assuming he's tapped into the full potential of this energy," the bespectacled woman argued. "What if he's barely scratching the surface? Restricting himself so he doesn't destroy the entire block?"
The room buzzed with low murmurs as the researchers debated. Some dismissed Kenji as an inexperienced anomaly, while others insisted that his raw potential was undeniable.
The door to the room slid open with a soft hiss, and the conversation died instantly. Cocolia entered, her heels clicking against the metal floor as she approached the main console. Her icy blue eyes swept over the room, silencing any lingering whispers.
"Show me," she ordered, her voice sharp and commanding.
The lead researcher stepped forward, holding a tablet that displayed Kenji's energy readings. "Director Cocolia," he began, his voice steady but tinged with apprehension, "we've confirmed that the anomaly energy spikes are directly tied to this individual. Every action he takes amplifies the readings."
Cocolia studied the screen, her gaze narrowing as she watched Kenji's movements. His punches, though powerful, lacked the precision and fluidity of a trained fighter. She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint, calculating smirk.
"He's unrefined," she said coldly. "But the energy is undeniable."
"Unrefined is putting it lightly," the bearded researcher muttered, earning a sharp glance from his colleagues. "He barely handled three Seraphs. If he's the anomaly's catalyst, I'm not impressed."
Cocolia raised an eyebrow, her tone taking on a dangerous edge. "And yet, despite his inefficiencies, he survived. Tell me, how many unaugmented humans do you know who can destroy three Seraphs on their own?"
The researchers exchanged uneasy glances but said nothing, the weight of her words hanging in the air. Cocolia straightened, her commanding presence filling the room once more.
"Have you verified what exactly is his connection to the energy?"
"We're still determining that," the bespectacled woman admitted. "But the anomaly energy spikes whenever he's active. It's possible he's the source… or the energy is responding to him."
Cocolia's smirk returned, her sharp gaze locked on the screen. "Interesting."
After some silence she spoke again "Continue your analysis," she ordered. "Once we have enough data, we will plan how to retrieve him."
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The harsh morning light filtered through the thin curtains of Kenji's apartment, casting long, slanted shadows across the floor. His alarm hadn't gone off—he didn't need it anymore. After months of fine-tuning his schedule to fit his double life, his body clock woke him like clockwork. Four hours of sleep was barely enough for most people, but for Kenji, it had become routine.
Groaning softly, he rubbed the lingering grogginess from his eyes and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The world outside was already stirring, faint sounds of the bustling city drifting up to his window. Nagazora never truly slept, and neither did he.
He ran a hand through his messy hair as he padded toward the kitchenette. His muscles ached faintly from the night before—not enough to slow him down, but enough to remind him that his body had been through the wringer. After a quick stretch, he grabbed the coffee pot and set it to brew, the rich aroma already beginning to fill the small space.
Mid-yawn, something outside caught his eye. There was a strange commotion in the street below, muffled voices growing louder and more numerous. He stepped closer to the window, his brow furrowing as he peered through the glass.
A crowd had gathered near the edge of his building, their attention focused on a line of sleek, black vehicles parked neatly along the curb. The vehicles were unmistakable—armored vans emblazoned with the stark, unmistakable emblem of Schicksal.
Kenji's heart skipped a beat.
'Schicksal? Here?'
He squinted, trying to make sense of the scene. The crowd was buzzing with excitement and curiosity, cameras flashing as bystanders whispered to one another. Schicksal operatives, dressed in their standard black uniforms, moved efficiently between the vehicles, their presence commanding and deliberate. Their sharp, disciplined movements were a stark contrast to the chaos of Nagazora's streets.
Kenji's eyes narrowed. What could they possibly want here, in this part of the city? Nagazora's poorer districts didn't exactly scream "priority location" for Schicksal operations.
His mind raced with possibilities. Were they here because of the Honkai activity last night? His fight with the Seraphs? Or had they taken an interest in him? That little voice in the back of his mind gnawed at him, whispering doubts he wasn't ready to face.
"Relax," he muttered to himself, shaking his head as if to ward off the thought. "Schicksal doesn't even care that I exist. They're probably here for something else. Cleanup, maybe? Or some routine Honkai scanning."
The idea was somewhat reassuring, but it didn't entirely calm his nerves. Still, Kenji wasn't in the mood to worry about this—especially not before his morning coffee.
He turned back to the counter just as the coffee pot hissed, signaling it was ready. Pouring himself a steaming cup, he leaned against the counter and took a slow sip, letting the bitterness jolt him fully awake.
Life as a vigilante was taxing, both mentally and physically, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. Even if Schicksal was involved now, he'd find a way to adapt. He always did.
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St. Freya Academy - Late Afternoon
The sun hung low over the sprawling grounds of St. Freya Academy, casting long shadows across the cobblestone pathways. The day's classes had just ended, and the trio of Kiana Kaslana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya Zaychik walked toward their dorms.
The normally lively atmosphere was subdued by Kiana's exaggerated groans, her body slouched in defeat as she dragged her feet behind the others.
"Remind me," Kiana muttered, her voice void of life, "Why does Himeko have to be so damn brutal?" Kiana groaned, rubbing her forehead where a faint red mark still lingered. "It's not like I meant to fall asleep during her lecture! Her lectures are just so boring!"
Mei sighed softly, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Well, maybe next time you'll think twice before staying up all night watching movies."
Her attempt at encouragement was met with a half-hearted grunt from Kiana, who looked as though her soul had left her body. Mei chuckled softly, though her amusement was tinged with concern.
Bronya, ever blunt, chimed in without even glancing back. "Subject Kiana cannot handle basic time management. It is unsurprising that she cannot stay awake during lessons."
Kiana's head snapped up, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "What did you say, you pint-sized know-it-all?! What do you know about staying awake!"
Bronya stopped, her head tilting slightly as if considering her response. "Bronya stays awake because Bronya is competent. Unlike certain individuals."
Kiana bristled, her cheeks flushing red. "You—! Why, I oughta—!"
Mei sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as the two began bickering. Kiana gestured animatedly while Bronya responded with her usual monotone remarks, each jab as sharp as the last.
Their voices grew louder, drawing the attention of passing students who smiled knowingly at the pair's antics.
"Honestly, Kiana," a familiar voice cut through the argument, calm yet carrying the unmistakable tone of authority. "You're acting like a child."
The trio turned to see a petite figure approaching them. Theresa Apocalypse, the Overseer of Schicksal and Kiana's aunt, wore her usual upbeat expression. Despite her small stature, Theresa's presence always carried an air of authority.
"Aunt Theresa!" Kiana's mood shifted instantly, her earlier frustration forgotten. She bounded toward her aunt, grinning ear to ear. "Tell Bronya she's being mean to me!"
Theresa chuckled, patting Kiana on the head like she was still a child. "Bullies, huh? From where I'm standing, it looks like you're the one making all the noise."
"Overseer Theresa is correct" Bronya quipped, earning a glare from Kiana.
Mei, ever polite, stepped forward with a small bow. "It's good to see you, Miss Theresa. What brings you here?"
Theresa shrugged, her cheerful demeanor unwavering. "Oh, nothing special. I just saw you three and thought you looked like you were up to something interesting. So I decided to say hello."
Before anyone could respond, another voice joined the conversation. "There you are."
Himeko Murata, the fiery Valkyrie instructor, strode toward them, her long crimson hair flowing behind her. She carried herself with her usual confidence, though her eyes betrayed a hint of weariness.
"Himeko!" Kiana exclaimed, though her enthusiasm quickly turned to indignation. She turned to theresa and pointed at Himeko, "Auntie! You won't believe what Himeko put me through-"
Before she could finish, Himeko flicked her forehead with practiced precision, eliciting a yelp from the younger girl. "What I won't believe is how you keep finding new ways to get on my nerves," Himeko said, though her tone was more amused than annoyed.
"You're a tyrant!" Kiana grumbled, rubbing her forehead again.
Theresa raised an eyebrow at the exchange. "Still having trouble with this one, Himeko?"
Himeko let out a long-suffering sigh. "Trouble is an understatement. You should've seen her snoring in the middle of my lecture."
Kiana puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "I wasn't snoring!"
"Sure you weren't," Himeko replied, clearly unconvinced.
Theresa chuckled at their antics, but her amusement faded as she turned to Himeko. "What brings you here, Himeko? You look like you've been running on fumes."
Himeko smirked, then turned her attention to Theresa. "I've been looking for you."
Theresa tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "Oh? What's up?"
Himeko crossed her arms, her expression growing more serious. "Just letting you know, work's been crazy. As I predicted, It'll be about three more days before I can head to Nagazora to investigate this 'Night Runner' you mentioned."
At the mention of the name, Kiana and Mei froze. Their casual postures stiffened, and they exchanged a quick glance.
Theresa looked a bit irritated at Himeko. "Did you really have to say that with students around?" Himeko just shrugs and she sighs "That's fine. I trust you'll handle it."
Himeko gave a small wave as she turned to leave. "Don't worry about me. I'm confident in anything except paperwork."
As Himeko walked away, Theresa turned back to the trio with a warm smile. "Well, I should get going too. I've got a lot on my plate today."
But before she could leave, Kiana blurted out, "Wait! Is Himeko really going to look for the Night Runner?"
Theresa stopped, glancing back over her shoulder. "I guess I can fill you in, since Himeko already spilled the beans. Yeah she's going to search for the Night Runner."
Mei hesitated, then spoke carefully. "Is she… planning to arrest him or something?"
Theresa's smile faded slightly, replaced by a more thoughtful expression. "No, nothing like that. We just want to 'talk' to him. Maybe even recruit him. That's all I can say for now."
Before the trio could press her further, a voice called out from the distance, summoning Theresa away. She offered a small wave. "Take care, you three. See you around."
As Theresa disappeared into the crowd, the weight of her words lingered.
Kiana and Mei remained quiet, their earlier lightheartedness replaced by worry. While Kenji never specifically stated that he was the night runner.
The energy coming from Kenji was identical to what they had sensed in the Night Runner when they saw him that night.
Bronya, who had been silent for most of the exchange, finally spoke up. "Subject Mei seems… distracted. Is something wrong?"
Mei quickly shook her head, forcing a smile. "No, it's nothing. Just thinking about something."
But her attempt at reassurance fell flat. The faint worry in her eyes betrayed her true feelings, and Kiana wasn't doing much better at hiding her unease.
Bronya's gaze lingered on her friends for a moment longer before she shrugged. "If you say so."