Chapter 1: Akuma

Blood.

It is the pulsating symbol of existence. It flows, nourishes, and dies with us. It reveals our strength, our fragility—and our mortality.

But it is more than that.

It is what makes us who we are.

— Mephisto

Pearl City, 9th District, Underground – 22:34

Above, the city pulsed with neon lights, a party of color and life where people ate, drank and laughed. Below, the underground was a different world—gloomy and suffocating. The walls dripped with moisture, the sound of water hitting the ground echoing in the narrow corridor. The air was thick with the smell of rust and decay, mingling with the metallic tang of old pipes that seemed to groan with every breath the city took. A man’s footsteps echoed dully on the concrete floor. His target was the double doors at the end of the hallway, guarded by two men. One leaned casually against the wall, eyes fixed on his phone, while the other examined his fingernails.

"I’m so done with this fuckass job," the first one grumbled, shooting his partner an annoyed look. "Nobody has the balls to come down here anyway."

"Just one more hour, then the deal’s done inside," the other replied, sounding just as bored.

The sound of footsteps reached their ears. The man with the phone looked up, blinking into the shadows. "Did you hear that?"

"Don’t piss yourself. Probably just some homeless guy or something." The other waved dismissively, but when he spotted the figure in the corridor, he fell silent.

A young man stepped from the shadows, his hands tucked into the pockets of his oversized jacket. His expression was unreadable, almost detached, as if he were simply taking a stroll through the quiet streets rather than stepping into an armed confrontation.

"Hey!" the man against the wall called out, straightening up. "What do you want?"

Akuma didn’t respond. He just kept walking.

"Don’t ignore me, dickhead!" The first guard stepped toward him, fists clenched.

"Better watch out!" his partner warned. "He looks dangerous."

But the warning went unheard. The man stepped in front of Akuma, blocking his path. "I’ll ask you one more time: What do you want?"

Akuma stopped. His eyes slowly wandered from the man’s face to his raised fist—then he pulled a small case from his pocket.

"Wait a sec," he said calmly.

The man frowned. "Huh?"

Akuma opened the case, took out his earbuds, and placed them inside.

Then he attacked.

His fist drove deep into the guard’s stomach with a sickening thud. The man’s eyes widened in shock, his breath catching in his throat. A strangled gasp escaped him, and his body crumpled forward as his legs gave way. He hit the ground with a thud, unconscious before he even hit the floor.

"Eric!" The second man stumbled away from the wall, but Akuma was already upon him. Before he could draw his gun, Akuma struck. A precise hit to the chest, and the man crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Akuma straightened up, shaking his hand slightly as if he had just knocked against something. He glanced down at the unconscious guards with mild pity before continuing forward.

Now, he stood before the doors. From inside, he could hear music and many voices.

A party?

He opened the door.

Before him was a large bar. Loud hip-hop music played, and colorful lights illuminated the space. People sat at tables throughout the room. Elegantly dressed women served drinks, while men in suits—armed with katanas and pistols—kept a watchful eye on the party. Akuma pulled his black bucket hat slightly lower over his face and descended the stairs into the main area.

How the hell am I supposed to find this dealer here?

As soon as he had taken the last step, one of the guards noticed him.

"Were you invited? I don’t know you, sir," the guard asked suspiciously.

Fuck. Akuma thought.

But he remained calm. "I was hired as a bodyguard for Mr. Romano," he explained with feigned confidence.

The guard looked at him skeptically. "Uh-huh. Then let’s take you to him—see if that checks out."

Without another word, the guard grabbed Akuma’s hands, twisted them behind his back, and led him toward Mr. Romano.

What am I doing? I'm supposed to kidnap romano without being noticed. Akuma said to himself.

Fuck it. I was never good at stealth in video games either.

With a sudden movement, he slammed the back of his head into the guard’s face. Before the man could react, Akuma took the katana from his belt and lunged at Mr. Romano. With a lightning-fast strike, he wounded him badly—enough to render him unconscious instantly.

Silence.

All eyes were on him.

Then chaos erupted.

Screams filled the bar, and guests scrambled toward the exits in a panic. Akuma used the commotion to make his escape, but before he could reach the door, the two guards he had knocked out earlier blocked his path.

I hate my job man. He thought as he cut both of them in a single, fluid motion.

But before Akuma could walk through the door to safety, he felt a strong hand grab his collar. The next moment, he was violently hurled back into the bar. He landed with a perfectly executed superhero landing. But now, he was surrounded. For a brief moment, absolute silence hung in the air.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Then the first gunshots rang out.

Akuma moved effortlessly through the hail of bullets, dodging each shot with terrifying precision. But as the gunmen fired, the other guards charged at him with swords.

Before he could react, one of the guards sliced his back. But Akuma pushed through.

With a powerful sprint, he dashed toward the shooters. Seconds later, they were taken down.

As he turned, he saw a blade coming at him. Reflexively, he countered—his katana sliced through the opponent’s weapon as if it were paper.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he went on the offensive.

He danced between the guards, evading every attack with fluid precision, cutting down one enemy after another.

The entire fight lasted no longer than thirteen seconds.

Now Akuma stood there, looking at the ground. He seemed bothered as the sound of the guards being in pain reached his ears.

I´m sorry. He thought.

Akuma took a deep breath and started to head outside. But before he could reach the staircase that lead to the exit, someone grabbed his leg.

"Who are you?" the guard who grabbed Akuma asked him as he bled on the ground.

He looked at him with his signature bored look.

"I’m Batman," Akuma said flatly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Then he walked out.

Why did I say that?

Pearl City, 9th District, Surface – 22:40

Akuma called someone on his phone.

"Yo, Vik, the mission’s done. This Romano guy and his guards are in there. They should be unconscious," he told his contact.

"Nice work, Akuma," Vik replied. "I’ll send the police."

“By the way, can you come to my office real quick? I have an important mission for you.”

“Sure, give me like 20 minutes.”

He hung up, put his earbuds in, and walked away towards the third district.

Pearl City, 3rd District, Nova - Unit Base – 22:52

Akuma walked through an alley between two large apartment blocks. At the end of the alley was a steel door. He opened it and descended a long, poorly lit staircase that led to a sliding door. A scanner scanned Akuma.

Identity verification in progress... Access granted. Welcome, Akuma Pierce.

Akuma walked into the base of the Nova-Unit. He looked around. The big couch on the left and the bar on the right were empty, and the light in the armory at the back was turned off. The only light in the room came through the door in the middle of the wall at the far end.

“Seems like only the boss is here,” Akuma thought.

He walked through the door into Viktor's office.

"Sup'."

"Hello, Akuma. I hope you're doing well," Viktor replied with a gentle smile on his face.

“Yeah, I'm good.”

Viktor chuckled.

"Perfect."

“But let's get straight to business. Do you remember the conflict between the Serrano and Vercelli families?" he asked Akuma.

"Yeah, they wiped each other out, right?"

"Well, it looks like a few of them survived," Viktor replied. "I want you to kill them."

"Why so drastic? Can´t we, like, arrest them or something?" Akuma asked Viktor.

Viktor sighed.

"Look, I know you don't like killing, but it's for the greater good. If they start rebuilding their drug empire, there'll just be even more conflict in the city."

Akuma looked at the ground. He seemed a bit bothered.

"I guess you're right. Send me the details."

As Akuma was walking home he thought about his new mission.

These dudes better not have any family or friends. I don't wanna kill anyone´s loved ones. I don't want them to experience the same things I did.

Pearl City, Akuma's Apartment, 3rd District – 23:03

Akuma stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom of his three-room apartment. He had taken off his bucket hat and slightly oversized black sweatshirt. He thought about his battle from earlier while he reached to where the wound on his back should be.

How the fuck is it already healed? It's been like 30 minutes. I guess the wound wasn’t very deep, but still…

What's wrong with me?

Akuma went to his balcony, leaned on the edge, and lit a cigarette while looking at the big buildings and colorful lights of Pearl City. He continued to think.

It’s always been like this. I heal faster than anyone, I´m stronger, I´m tougher.

But where did this come from? It can’t just be luck, right?

Is it because…? Nah, no way.

He puffs on his cigarette.

It's like they always say: “Never think about your life past 10 pm.” So True.

I'm going to bed.

Pearl City, Industrial Area, 19th District – 05:21

-The Next Day-

Akuma walked through the streets of the 19th district, the largest industrial area in all of Pearl City. No one else was in sight.

He now carried his big sword on his back, which he couldn’t use during his previous mission because he needed to take out Mr. Romano without being noticed.

But suddenly, a man jumped down from a building next to the street. He landed a few meters in front of Akuma. He wore a black suit and carried a katana on his hip.

"Long time no see, Akuma," the mysterious man said with an evil grin.

“What the fuck?” “Aiden?" Akuma looked a bit confused.

“In the flesh.”

Aiden chuckled a bit as he drew his katana and attacked Akuma.

Akuma reacted quickly and drew his sword to defend himself against Aiden's attack.

"What are you doing?" Akuma asked.

But Aiden didn’t respond, continuing his attack. The two exchanged a few extremely fast blows before Akuma got a hold of Aiden’s neck and slammed him on the ground while also stepping on his katana.

“Stop it.” Akuma called out in a slightly raised voice. “Why did you leave us?”

Aiden still didn’t listen. He kicked Akuma in the gut, sending him flying upwards. Akuma spat out blood as Aiden jumped up to Akuma and punched him, sending him straight back down. Akuma smashed into the street, leaving a big dent.

“Ngh.”

How is he this strong? Akuma thought to himself.

He didn’t even get a breather as Aiden came flying down with another punch. Akuma managed to dodge and dashed toward his enemy. With his sword, he cut Aiden's chest, making him cough up blood and sending him flying to the ground. Akuma now stood in front of his opponent, looking down on him with an emotionless gaze. But to Akuma’s surprise, Aiden was still grinning.

“Thanks for the battle. I have everything that I need to know now.”

He threw a smoke grenade on the ground and jumped away onto a tall building.

“Tell them that the Black Sun is back!” Aiden yelled as he escaped.

Akuma looked puzzled. What the fuck… how? They should be gone, right? What does he have to do with the Black sun? Why did he attack me? And why did he leave just like that? Am I missing something?

Vik has to hear about this after I’m done with my mission.

Akuma wiped blood off his face, put his sword back in its sheath, and continued walking toward his mission.

-What will Akuma face on his new mission?-

Character File: Akuma Pierce

Age: 20 | Height: 177 cm | Occupation: Nova-Unit Agent

* He loves cookies (a little too much)

* He is a very good cook

* He is very passionate about fighting games

* He loves to read comics/manga and often loses himself in fictional worlds

* He despises Insects (especially spiders)

* His favorite song is “GOSHA” by “$NOT”

Character File: Viktor Scott

Age: 51 | Height: 183 cm | Occupation: Nova-Unit Leader

* He is usually very calm, but when he plays chess, he often loses his composure

* He complains a lot about his back pain

* There is nothing that he loves more than his two cats and his motorcycle

* His favorite song is “Come and get your love” by “Redbone”