As Mikimo lay on the ground, his vision blurred and his body aching, he noticed a shadowy figure in the distance. Before he could react, the figure leaped impossibly high into the air and vanished. Mikimo blinked, questioning what he had just witnessed. A split second later, the same figure reappeared, locked in fierce combat with The Sin Maiden. Mikimo's eyes widened in astonishment, watching their intense battle unfold.
The unknown warrior suddenly vanished once more and reappeared before Mikimo. "I am Liu Gao," he introduced himself. "A Chinese martial artist who has mastered all Chinese martial arts and perfected Qi control."
To demonstrate his power, Liu Gao took a stance and roared, "Hēi'àn èzhì!" (Dark Containment). Instantly, a forcefield materialized around The Sin Maiden, trapping him within. The Sin Maiden let out a furious scream, summoning a massive, chaotic sphere of darkness before hurling it with all his might at Liu Gao and Mikimo.
But before the attack landed, The Sin Maiden's gaze locked onto Mikimo, his sinister eyes glowing with the activation of his Shogitan—a special ocular ability with unique, devastating effects. Mikimo found himself staring into The Sin Maiden's eyes, and suddenly, a long-buried memory surged to the surface: the brutal death of his older sister.
His body froze. His mind spiraled. Darkness consumed him. Then—
He collapsed.
Liu Gao immediately stepped in to protect him, but a moment later, Mikimo stood again. His stance was unnatural, his posture rigid, like a puppet being controlled by an unseen force. Slowly, he raised his hand, and a blade materialized within it—conjured by his Teikkin, his unique power system. Without hesitation, he slashed at the air, sending a shockwave of cutting force hurtling toward The Sin Maiden, severing a chunk of his arm.
Mikimo dashed forward, his speed inhuman. With another ruthless strike, he severed The Sin Maiden's entire arm.
"F***!!!!" The Sin Maiden bellowed in agony.
Mikimo's lips curled into a twisted grin as he continued his assault—slashing, slashing, slashing, over and over, each strike more savage than the last. Blood sprayed through the air. His blade carved through flesh, bone, and muscle until he reached The Sin Maiden's heart. With a leap, Mikimo grasped The Sin Maiden's head and plunged his blade into his eye.
The Sin Maiden shrieked, clutching his face in torment. Mikimo, his expression unchanging, drove his weapon into The Sin Maiden's chest and slowly extracted his still-beating heart. The agony on The Sin Maiden's face was exquisite.
Liu Gao, seeing an opportunity, summoned an immense sphere of energy and hurled it at their foe. The Sin Maiden fought to hold the sphere back, gritting his teeth in determination. But Liu Gao raised his arms and roared, "Lái ba, liúxiáng de shōugē zhě!" (Come forth, Reaper of Liu Shiang!).
A monstrous hand burst forth from the energy sphere, followed by another. Limbs emerged one after another, until a colossal Reaper stood tall, unleashing a deafening roar. It lunged at The Sin Maiden with massive, grasping hands.
But The Sin Maiden was not done.
With blinding speed, he dashed up the Reaper's arm, his movements fluid and precise. The Reaper, undeterred, floated higher before crashing down with mountain-shattering force. The battlefield trembled.
And then, The Sin Maiden unleashed his ultimate attack—"The Unforgivable Sin."
A surge of unfathomable power erupted from him, obliterating the Reaper entirely. Liu Gao staggered backward, disbelief written across his face. "Impossible... How can a mere mortal destroy the Reaper passed down for generations?"
Before Liu Gao could recover, The Sin Maiden launched himself forward, delivering a devastating punch that sent Liu Gao crashing through a building, embedding him into the ground with a crater-forming impact.
Now, he turned to Mikimo, a sinister grin stretching across his face. He lunged, seizing Mikimo by the throat and lifting him off the ground. He leaned in, whispering, "Did you know? It was I who ordered the Yakuza to kill your sister."
Mikimo's body trembled. Rage boiled within him. His fingers clenched around The Sin Maiden's arm.
Then—
Something inside Mikimo broke.
A suffocating black smoke oozed from his body, shrouding him like living shadows. He levitated, his hair disheveled, his eyes shifting—now black with a single white slit in the center, his pupils glowing ominously. Black veins, tinged with green, spread across his shoulders and arms.
Mikimo was no longer human.
He had ascended to something greater—a transformation on the level of Demigods.
With a single punch, he sent The Sin Maiden hurtling backward, forcing him to spit blood mid-air. The Sin Maiden, realizing he had underestimated his opponent, reached into his robes and produced a tiny, fingernail-sized orb. He threw it skyward and chanted, "Nan Gul Lankriel... Kompachi!"
The sky split apart. From the orb emerged a colossal dragon, its scales like molten onyx, its maw expelling torrents of searing fire.
Liu Gao struggled to reengage, attempting another Dark Containment, but the sheer force of the dragon's aura fought back against his control. Meanwhile, Mikimo moved—no, vanished—blitzing into the battle sphere with such speed that he seized The Sin Maiden before he could react. He yanked him out with raw force, but The Sin Maiden retaliated, breaking free and attempting another attack.
Mikimo dodged, countered, and sent The Sin Maiden flying into a demolished building.
And then, the sky darkened further. A gaping rift tore open above them, unleashing a horde of writhing, shadow-like creatures. They descended upon Liu Gao and Mikimo, their grotesque forms overwhelming them with sheer numbers. Liu Gao fought back valiantly but was soon overrun, his strength depleted. He collapsed, his body battered beyond its limit.
Mikimo, too, was overwhelmed, pummeled into submission. Before he could recover, The Sin Maiden struck, slamming his head against Mikimo's, sending a sharp shock through his skull. The impact rattled Mikimo's brain—
Everything faded to black.
Hours later, as Mikimo clung to the last threads of consciousness, a new presence arrived. A towering, shadowy figure emerged from what appeared to be a portal, but something far worse accompanied it.
A monstrous, titan-sized bat-like beast loomed over the battlefield, its crimson eyes locked onto Mikimo and Liu Gao.
It growled.
And the nightmare had only just begun.