Grief 7.7c
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Akuma's arms blazed with an infernal glow as he charged towards Hardkour, each step leaving scorched footprints on the cracked asphalt. The heat from his body distorted the air, creating a shimmering haze around him.
Hardkour's eyes narrowed behind his mask as Hardkour took his stance, Nozarashi coming free from his back as he held the katana out in front of him. He tensed his body, preparing to sidestep and counter. Alright, just dodge, slice, win. Easy peasy.
Before he could move, the world seemed to slow down in his eyes as Jiangshi burst in between them at the pace of a car. The zombie stepped in with supernatural swiftness, his body nearly a blur. Hardkour's enhanced senses kicked into overdrive, allowing him to catch every detail of the incoming attack.
Jiangshi's shirt strained as he swung his arm, vascular gray limb tensed. The villain's fist connected with a thunderous impact against Akuma's chest, a shockwave of force distorting the damp air of the waterfront and blasting nearby debris aside. Concrete cracked beneath their feet, the force of the blow sending spider-web fissures racing across the ground.
Akuma stumbled back, his flames flickering wildly, his eyes wide with shock and fury. He recovered quickly, the fire intensifying, roaring back to life with a vengeance. "You fuckin' dickhead!" he snarled, his Boston accent thick with rage. "This is personal right now!"
Hardkour seized the moment and dashed forward, katana drawn. The blade caught the light in a deadly arc as it flared with heat. "I said stop!"
Jiangshi turned to meet Hardkour, his movement a series of rapid, jerky twitches, indicative of a body powered by something other than human musculature. "Tch, kid's got some balls," he muttered, his tone somewhere between bored and mildly impressed.
Heated metal screamed as katana met the supernatural hardness of Jiangshi's skin. The blade bit into a layer of skin but didn't move any further, even as it exploded with the force of a grenade. The shockwave made Hardkour's eyes widen behind his helmet as the guy didn't even flinch. Oh, fuck me.
Even as Hardkour's Danger Sense rang, Jiangshi punched him in the gut, making his eyes widen and sending him skidding back.
- 136 HP
His sword remained stuck in the gray man's flesh, like some kind of giant porcupine quill. Hardkour blinked, grunting in surprise as Jiangshi simply yanked the sword from his forearm and tossed it aside.
"How tough is this guy?" Hardkour wondered, a mix of awe and frustration filling him.
Akuma's voice cut through the chaos like a lit match in a gas leak, his words dripping with the kind of manic energy only a pyrokinetic could justify. "C'mon, c'mon! That all you got?" His laughter was sharp, serrated, as he straightened up, one foot hovering in the air like he was about to crush an invisible soda can. The heat around him shimmered, warping the space like a mirage on asphalt. "I've seen matchsticks with more FIYAH!"
Then came the stomp.
The ground beneath him cracked and howled as a wave of fire roared forward, turning asphalt into molten slag in a heartbeat. The air turned thick and heavy, heat searing Hardkour's skin even from several feet away.
- 29 HP
He didn't hesitate—rolling forward like a spring snapping loose, his body reacting even before his brain caught up.
The fire hit behind him with a deafening BOOM, sending chunks of street flying.
The force of it knocked a parked car onto its side, wheels spinning helplessly in the air. Right in the middle of it, the flame swallowed Jiangshi, the gray-skinned brute standing like a statue, his body obscured in the blinding inferno.
For a moment, the battlefield became a living furnace.
Hardkour didn't stop moving. His boots found a crumbling wall, and he pushed off with an explosive leap, angling his body into a sharp arc back toward the fight. He landed in a crouch, skidding slightly as the pavement beneath him groaned in protest. His heart hammered against his ribs, but his lips curled into a grin.
"Okay," he muttered to himself, eyes darting between the two villains, "I'm mostly fireproof, so we focus on that one." His gaze locked on Jiangshi, who was emerging from the flames like he'd just walked out of a bad action movie, his skin untouched, his clothes singed but intact.
Hardkour burst forward, his body blurring as he closed the distance, his momentum coiling into a flying kick aimed squarely at Jiangshi's head. The impact was solid, satisfying—bone meeting bone with a dull thwack.
For a second, Jiangshi staggered, his head snapping to the side.
Then he straightened, faster than Hardkour anticipated, a dry chuckle rattling from his throat. His silver hair caught the light of Akuma's flames, glinting like polished steel. His smile was wide, feral.
"Nice try, kid," Jiangshi said, his voice low and guttural, as his hand shot out and clamped around Hardkour's leg like a steel trap. The grip was crushing, sending a jolt of pressure up Hardkour's spine. "But I've had paper cuts more painful than this."
Hardkour twisted instinctively, his waist rotating with unnatural flexibility. His free leg lashed out, the bottom of his boot smashing into Jiangshi's face. The brute's head jerked back, and with a shout of exertion, Hardkour snapped his leg straight, forcing the man to release him. Hardkour flipped backward, landing lightly on his feet with the kind of grace that usually required weeks of stunt choreography.
Akuma wasn't about to let the spotlight slip. "Stand still, you little shit!" he roared, flames trailing from his fists as he launched a series of blazing punches in Hardkour's direction. The air hissed and cracked with every strike, the heat sucking the moisture out of Hardkour's lungs.
Hardkour deflected with rapid blocks, his arms moving in a blur. Pain lanced through him as his exposed skin blistered—not from simple heat but something deeper, something corrosive and violent in Akuma's flames. His sleeves disintegrated, ash fluttering to the ground like dirty snowflakes.
- 178 HP
> Resistance Tox Lvl Up! x2
>
> Lvl 6
"Note to self," Hardkour muttered through gritted teeth, his arms stinging painfully with every block. "Fire-resistant doesn't mean fireproof. Ow, ow, ow."
The fight shifted.
Jiangshi recovered from Hardkour's earlier attack, joining Akuma with a surprising level of coordination. Together, they closed in, flanking Hardkour on either side like predators circling prey. Hardkour's muscles coiled, his Danger Sense flaring with urgent warnings.
Jiangshi charged first, each step a mini-quake that splintered the pavement. Akuma followed, his hands glowing like molten iron, flames licking hungrily at the air. Hardkour darted backward, narrowly avoiding a crushing blow from Jiangshi's fist that cratered the ground where he'd been standing.
"Yo, zombie guy!" Hardkour called out, his voice edged with mockery as he dodged another fiery swipe from Akuma. "I thought your fight was with him?" He jerked his head toward Akuma, hoping to reignite the tension between the two villains.
Jiangshi's grunt was more animal than human, but his focus stayed locked on Hardkour. His silver eyes gleamed with a cold intensity as he lunged again, his massive hand swiping for Hardkour's throat. Hardkour ducked, twisting sideways as the wall behind him cracked under the force of the miss.
"Okay," Hardkour said to himself, his tone dry despite the adrenaline coursing through him. "Plan B. Or C. Or—how many letters are there, again?"
Hardkour pivoted sharply on his heel, narrowly avoiding Akuma's blazing fist.
The air sizzled where his head had been, and he felt the sharp sting of heat graze his cheek, like a strong sunburn.
- 7 HP
Too close. Way too close. He twisted mid-motion, already anticipating Jiangshi's next move as the zombie-like brute swung a massive arm in a wide arc. The guy wasn't subtle; the punch aimed for Hardkour's ribs might as well have come with a GPS tracker.
Hardkour threw himself backward, the rush of displaced air whooshing past his face as Jiangshi's blow tore through empty space. The brute's swing smashed into a nearby light pole, the steel bending like it was made of tin. Hardkour landed with a controlled skid, his boots grinding against the cracked pavement.
His stance was wide, balanced—ready.
Okay, Hardkour. Think. Two-on-one. One fire-happy psycho who apparently doesn't believe in SPF, and one undead meathead with fists like cinder blocks. What would Eidolon do? He pictured it for half a second—a graceful, tactical takedown, maybe a deus ex machina power trick. Yeah, no. Not happening.
Akuma darted in again, his manic grin stretching wider. "Time to burn, baby!" he yelled, flames rippling off his skin like living things. His fist ignited mid-swing, the heat visibly warping the air. Hardkour dodged, dipping low under the strike, and retaliated with his own flaming punch. His knuckles collided with Akuma's chest, sending a satisfying shockwave through the air as the pyrokinetic staggered back.
For a moment, Hardkour thought he'd landed a solid hit—until Akuma laughed. No, not just laughed—cackled, head thrown back like a cartoon villain. The flames Hardkour had hit him with crawled up his arms, sinking into his skin. The burns and scrapes on Akuma's exposed arms began to fade, healing over in real time.
"Oh, great," Hardkour groaned, deadpan. "Fire heals you."
"Damn straight!" Akuma barked, voice wild as his arms flared brighter. He slapped his hand against a nearby car, flames erupting and consuming it almost instantly. The heat visibly seeped back into his body, his smirk widening as the freshly ignited blaze licked up the side of a building. "I'm just getting warmed up!"
Hardkour was about to spit back another quip when Jiangshi lunged in from the side, his gray-skinned fist catching Hardkour's shoulder with the force of a sledgehammer. The impact sent him skidding across the pavement, his shoulder throbbing. Hardkour gritted his teeth and shoved down the pain.
- 43 HP
"Okay," he muttered under his breath, rising to his feet. "Maybe not Eidolon. What would Legend do? Talk them into becoming good guys? Yeah, no. Not feeling that vibe."
Jiangshi's follow-up punch came like a wrecking ball, but Hardkour was ready. He ducked under the swing, his muscles coiling, and launched himself upward with a tight, brutal uppercut to Jiangshi's jaw. The contact was clean—bone met bone with a crack that echoed in the night air.
Hardkour's grin widened for half a second.
Ha! Take that, you undead tank.
Then Jiangshi straightened, his head slowly lowering back into position like nothing had happened. His bored expression didn't even flicker, his gray lips curling into something almost like amusement.
"Fight him, fight you," Jiangshi muttered, his tone disinterested. "Ehh, it's all the same."
Before Hardkour could counter, Akuma burst forward, flames erupting from his hands as his expression shifted into something more manic. "Let's keep this party going!" he yelled, barely holding back the gleeful giggles bubbling in his throat.
Hardkour's Danger Sense flared, a warning that wasn't entirely necessary given the flaming lunatic charging him. He spun on his heel and leapt into action, exploding upward into a wide split kick that slammed into both Akuma and Jiangshi's chests. The impact sent them flying in opposite directions, kicking up a storm of dust and debris.
> Beginner Combat Lvl Up! x2
>
> Lvl 34
"Not today, assholes!" Hardkour snarled, landing lightly on the cratered ground as his momentum carried him forward. Keep the pressure on. Don't let 'em breathe.
He charged Jiangshi first, ducking under a wild haymaker and popping up with a vicious uppercut that snapped the brute's head back again. This time, Hardkour didn't pause to gloat. He turned, closing the gap to Akuma in two quick strides.
Akuma, flustered now, lashed out with a flaming backhand. Hardkour ducked under it, his reflexes sharp, and swept Akuma's legs from under him with a low, precise kick. The pyrokinetic hit the ground hard, his manic grin faltering as he gasped for air.
"Timber, motherfucker!" Hardkour quipped, planting his boot on Akuma's chest and glaring down at him. The pyrokinetic hissed in pain, his flames flickering violently as he slammed a palm to the ground.
Fire exploded outward, erupting from the ground and forcing Hardkour to leap back.
The flames climbed higher, devouring the wreckage Akuma had caused earlier, and Hardkour realized what was happening. The fire wasn't random—it was fuel. Akuma's injuries faded as the heat fed him, his breathing evening out as he grinned up at Hardkour.
"Well, that's not annoying at all," Hardkour muttered, his eyes darting between the smoldering Akuma and the hulking Jiangshi, who was already advancing again.
A guttural roar alerted Hardkour a split second before Jiangshi barreled into him, meaty fists swinging. Persistent prick! Hardkour swayed aside from a punch that would've stoved in his skull, latched onto the freak's shoulders and heaved. Jiangshi's own momentum carried him up and over, right into a staggering Akuma. "Fuck off!"
Both villains clambered up, expressions promising murder. Hardkour's fingers closed around a length of pipe as he blitzed forward. Batter up, shitlords! The metal sang as it cracked against Jiangshi's dome, the impact juddering up Hardkour's arms. Homerun! Crowd goes wild!
Akuma's howl of rage sent a chill down Hardkour's spine. The pyro's arms exploded into searing brilliance, the heat palpable even yards away. A fiery fist scythed through the air and Hardkour folded backward, the flames nearly kissing his face.
Uncoiling like a spring, the masked vigilante chambered a kick and fired it point-blank into Akuma's knee. Something crunched and the psycho screamed.
Sensing movement, Hardkour whirled and weaved under another of Jiangshi's swings. He lunged up, fist leading, and buried a brutal uppercut in the freak's breadbasket. Air whooshed out of undead lungs and the blond grinned.
Akuma's shriek cut through the chaos, sharp and jagged, like a fire alarm on steroids. "Fucking DIE!"
Hardkour barely registered the Danger Sense flare before the fireball consumed him. The heat hit first, a flash of agony that seemed to bypass his skin and bury itself deep in his chest. Then came the force—a concussive punch that hurled him backward, the world flipping over itself in a kaleidoscope of fire and shadows.
- 75 HP
- 131 HP
His only coherent thought: Ah fu—
The brownstone's facade shattered as he tore through it, the impact detonating brick and mortar in an avalanche of pulverized debris. The force rattled his bones and sent a shockwave through the already compromised building. Somewhere between the crash and the dust settling, he realized he'd stopped moving. His ribs screamed as he forced himself upright, fragments of brick cascading off him like confetti at the worst party ever.
- 85 HP
- 42 HP
Ears ringing, chest burning, Hardkour staggered to his feet, dragging in air that tasted like smoke and plaster. Through the jagged hole he'd made, he could see the carnage outside—Akuma and Jiangshi were tearing into each other, their brawl an apocalyptic ballet of fire, fists, and collateral damage. Akuma's flames surged like living things, licking at everything within reach, while Jiangshi tanked the hits, his heavy frame barreling through each blow like a freight train refusing to be derailed.
Glass exploded, windows bowed inward, and metal twisted as the two villains rampaged. The street was becoming a war zone. These fuckers are gonna level the whole block.
A scream cut through the ringing in his ears. He turned, catching sight of squatters scrambling for the exits, their faces pale, their fear a living thing that twisted the air around them. One man tripped, his hands scraping against jagged rubble as he scrambled for balance. Hardkour's jaw clenched, fury igniting in his veins.
Can't let anyone else get hurt. Gotta end this. Now.
The anger hit him like a jolt of lightning, sharper than pain and louder than the chaos. He launched into a sprint, crossing the distance between himself and the brawl in a blur. The crowd became a smear of wide eyes and dirty faces as he moved past them. A mother clutching a child. An old man trying to pull another to his feet. Their terror was fuel, stoking the fire already burning in his gut.
Ahead, Akuma landed a blazing uppercut that sent Jiangshi sprawling backward. The impact slammed the brute into the brownstone, shaking the structure like it had been struck by an earthquake. Dust and debris rained down, and the building swayed drunkenly. Hardkour's stomach dropped as he spotted a wooden beam crashing down toward the bystanders.
"SHIT!" His voice cracked like a whip as he moved, his body reacting on pure instinct. With a leap, he planted his foot on a crumbling piece of masonry and kicked off, his trajectory arcing straight toward the beam. His fingers found purchase, and with a grunt, he shoved it aside, sending it clattering harmlessly to the ground. The squatters bolted, their screams echoing in the night, but Hardkour didn't wait to see them escape.
He was already moving.
"Get the FUCK away from them!" Hardkour roared, hurling himself back into the fray. His roundhouse kick came like a missile, the arc of his leg cutting through the smoke-filled air. His boot connected with Akuma's ribs, sending the pyrokinetic skidding across the street. The momentum carried through, his other foot catching Jiangshi in the face. Brick and dust exploded as the zombie brute smashed into a wall, cratering the already battered structure.
Akuma hit the ground rolling but sprang up almost instantly, flames trailing from his limbs like frenzied shadows. His eyes burned with rage, the heat warping the air around him. "Oh, you wanna die?" His voice cracked on the last word, more unstable than intimidating, but the fireball forming in his hands said otherwise.
Hardkour didn't give him the chance. He exploded forward, fists blurring in a rapid-fire assault. Each punch connected with a satisfying crunch, Akuma's molten skin flaring with each impact. The bastard's flames burned hotter, eating through what was left of Hardkour's gloves and stinging his knuckles, but Hardkour didn't stop.
- 28 HP
VIT + 1 (223)
The pain was background noise now.
"Fight through it, Veder," he snarled to himself, gritting his teeth as his fists hammered into Akuma's face, chest, and arms. Each blow disrupted the flames slightly, but he could see the bastard drawing energy from the fires he'd created. The damage wasn't sticking.
Jiangshi re-entered the fight with the grace of a wrecking ball, his massive fist swinging toward Hardkour's back. Danger Sense flared, and Hardkour twisted sharply, slapping the strike aside with a grunt. The deflection sent a jolt up his arm, and Jiangshi followed up with another swing.
- 19 HP
Akuma didn't waste the opportunity. He leapt forward, aiming a fiery kick at Hardkour's head. Hardkour ducked, feeling the heat scorch the top of his hair as it passed, and drove an elbow into Jiangshi's gut. The brute folded with a deep, guttural noise that was half pain, half frustration. Grabbing Jiangshi's arm, Hardkour pivoted sharply, using his momentum to fling the zombie through a shattered storefront. Glass exploded as Jiangshi crashed inside, landing with a thunderous thud.
"Twofer!" Hardkour barked, his voice sharp with adrenaline. "One down—"
His Danger Sense screamed again.
Akuma's wild haymaker was coming in hot—literally.
Hardkour juked left, narrowly avoiding the fiery fist, and countered with a jaw-rattling uppercut. His knuckles met Akuma's chin, and for a moment, the world seemed to freeze. The shockwave rippled through Akuma's face, lifting the pyrokinetic clean off the ground. Spittle, embers, and a trail of flame hung suspended in the air.
Hardkour couldn't help but grin, his pulse thrumming in his ears. Damn, I'm good.
Akuma hit the pavement with a sickening crunch, flames sputtering out as his Breaker state briefly faltered. Hardkour loomed over him, chest heaving, the cracked visor of his helmet making his glare all the more feral. "JUST STAY DOWN, MAN!"
"Fuhk off, brat!" Akuma snarled through a broken jaw, flames reigniting along his arms as he surged up from the ground. The heat radiating off him made the air shimmer like a mirage, but Hardkour didn't flinch. He ducked under a wild, flame-wreathed swing, stepping into Akuma's space and grabbing the extended arm.
Gotcha, dickhead.
With a savage twist, Hardkour yanked Akuma off his feet and whipped him over his shoulder, slamming him into the pavement. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, fissures spiderwebbing outward as chunks of asphalt flew like shrapnel. Akuma wheezed, his flames momentarily dimming, but before Hardkour could capitalize, his Danger Sense screamed.
Behind!
Jiangshi slammed into him like a runaway freight train. A sledgehammer fist buried itself in Hardkour's side, driving the air from his lungs in a single violent whoosh. "Motherfff—!" Hardkour staggered back, ribs creaking under the force of the blow. He bit back the pain through gritted teeth. Sonnuva… fuckin' cheap shot.
- 124 HP
Akuma wasn't about to let the opening go to waste. He sucked in more power from the fires in the buildings and darted in with a blistering one-two combo, flames trailing his fists like streaks of molten lava. The first punch shattered the pavement inches from Hardkour's head, while the second ignited the air itself, sending waves of concussive heat rippling outwards.
Hardkour rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a fiery hammer fist that pulverized the asphalt where his head had been a split second earlier. Shards of jagged debris peppered his mask, spiderweb cracks racing across its surface. His Danger Sense flared again, but the boiling frustration in his chest drowned it out.
Alright, enough.
Hardkour exploded into motion, crossing the distance to Jiangshi in a burst of speed that left the air buzzing in his wake. The world seemed to slow, the zombie brute's expression sharpening into focus. Triumph glinted in Jiangshi's dead eyes as he raised a meaty fist—but Hardkour was faster. His fist smashed into Jiangshi's jaw with a bone-rattling crack, snapping the brute's head to the side. Rotting teeth sprayed from Jiangshi's lips, black ichor dripping onto the demolished pavement.
Jiangshi growled, his massive hand clamping down on Hardkour's bicep with crushing force.
- 34 HP
"Oh fu—" Hardkour managed before the world blurred. Jiangshi hurled him like a ragdoll, Hardkour's body smashing through a wall of damp brick and jagged glass before slamming into the ground with enough force to crater it. The impact jarred his teeth and left his muscles screaming in protest, but he didn't stay down.
- 85 HP
- 41 HP
Gritting his teeth, Hardkour rolled to his feet in one smooth motion, every nerve in his body alight with rage. His head snapped up just in time to see Akuma charging him, flames erupting in quick bursts behind him as his feet pounded the cracked pavement. Each fiery detonation propelled him forward like a living rocket.
Nope.
Hardkour reacted on instinct, backflipping with acrobatic precision as Akuma whooshed past him. He felt the singe of heat against his face as the pyrokinetic missed by mere inches. Akuma slammed into the wreckage of a car, and the fuel tank detonated in a spectacular fireball that lit up the street.
Hardkour landed lightly on his feet, already smirking. "Missed me—"
His Danger Sense blared too late. Thick, iron-like arms wrapped around him from behind, Jiangshi pulling him into a crushing bear hug. Hardkour's ribs groaned in protest as his chest compressed against the brute's unyielding frame. Foul, fetid breath washed over his neck, making his stomach churn.
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- 39
- 19
- 11
- 10
- 21
VIT + 1 (224)
"Oh god," Hardkour choked out, wriggling against the grip. "Your breath fuckin' reeks! Dude needs a Tic-Tac the size of a cinderblock!"
The pressure tightened, stars creeping into Hardkour's vision. His brain screamed for air, but he forced his focus inward. Drawing on his Reinforcement, he felt the power flood through his muscles, every fiber of his body igniting with supercharged strength. He braced his feet against the ground and wrenched his arms upward, prying Jiangshi's grip apart with a roar of effort.
Breaking free, Hardkour twisted sharply and drove an elbow into Jiangshi's face. The blow landed with a wet, meaty thud, and the zombie stumbled back, ichor dripping from his cracked cheekbone. Hardkour followed up immediately, ducking low and sweeping Jiangshi's legs out from under him.
The brute hit the ground hard, but Hardkour didn't stop there.
He launched himself into the air, twisting mid-leap, and came down hard with both boots slamming into Jiangshi's chest. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the street, cracks radiating outward as Jiangshi let out a guttural snarl and reared to his feet in a burst of rage.
Hardkour jackknifed his body, slamming his head back into Jiangshi's face. The wet crunch of cartilage breaking was deeply satisfying, even as he was still wheezing from earlier. Jiangshi's grip loosened, and Hardkour twisted free like a spring snapping back into place. He spun, driving his heel into Jiangshi's gut with all the force his enhanced muscles could muster.
"Choke on that, you decomposing dick!" Hardkour snarled as Jiangshi doubled over, air whooshing from his undead lungs.
He didn't get a chance to follow up. A guttural roar erupted behind him, and the earth itself seemed to catch fire. Flames blasted upward in a violent torrent, swallowing Hardkour's world in suffocating heat. The ground beneath his feet buckled, cracked, and then disintegrated entirely, leaving him suspended in a moment of chaos.
- 86 HP
The explosion spat him out like shrapnel. Hacking and coughing, Hardkour tumbled wildly through the smoke-filled air, his body screaming abuse with every impact and roll. His muscles trembled with exertion, his skin stinging as if peppered with needles.
- 14 HP
- 10 HP
- 24 HP
- 9 HP
- 11 HP
Just need... a second... to breathe...
He blinked hard, forcing his eyes open against the burning ash that clung to his face. The world around him wavered like a mirage, flickering shadows cast by the inferno Akuma had unleashed. Rubble shifted beneath his boots as he staggered upright. Where...?
A tremor crawled up his spine, an electric buzz zipping across the back of his neck. His Danger Sense flared, screaming louder than his thoughts. Oh shit… MOVE!
Hardkour didn't hesitate.
Muscles coiling, he leapt skyward just as the ground beneath him detonated in a fiery eruption. The blast sent chunks of superheated asphalt and shattered stone spraying outward, ripping through the space he'd been standing like a grenade. He twisted mid-air, landing in a crouch on the edge of the blast zone, his gaze already snapping toward the threat.
Jiangshi was on him before he could catch his breath, barreling forward with footsteps that shook the earth. The brute's eyes gleamed with unrelenting purpose, his massive body a blur of movement despite his bulk. Hardkour pivoted sharply on the balls of his feet, meeting Jiangshi's charge head-on. His piledriver fist slammed into the brute's ribs with a sickening thud that reverberated through the battlefield. The impact staggered Jiangshi, his lips peeling back in a grotesque snarl.
Hardkour didn't pause to enjoy the moment.
Movement in the smoke caught his eye—Akuma, bursting out of the wreckage. The arsonist looked eerily intact, his Breaker state pulsing violently as flames crawled over his skin, healing the damage that should've left him a burnt-out husk. The twisted wreck of the car he'd just exploded from didn't even seem to register with him, the burning remains rejuvenating and invigorating the maniac to new heights.
"Can I just have my fuckin' fight?!" Akuma bellowed, throwing his hands up as flames licked around his fingers. His frustration was palpable, but it didn't make him any less dangerous.
Hardkour surged forward in a burst of speed, his feet barely skimming the ground. He rolled into a tight combat somersault and popped up in front of Akuma like a living jack-in-the-box.
"Shoryuken!" he shouted gleefully, his uppercut connecting with Akuma's jaw with a force that sent the pyro's head snapping back. Akuma stumbled, dazed and punch-drunk, his steps as wobbly as a drunk on roller skates.
"Ha! Get it? Sure you can? Shoryuken… Sure you can?…No?" Hardkour quipped, tilting his head as Akuma teetered. "Everyone's a critic."
Not wasting the opening, Hardkour spun on his heel, channeling his Reinforcement through his body as he delivered a brutal roundhouse kick. His boot connected with Akuma's side, and Hardkour felt and heard ribs crack and shatter as the pyrokinetic was sent hurtling across the battlefield. He crashed into a graffiti-covered wall with enough force to reduce the bricks to powder. The entire building groaned, shuddering under the strain as rubble cascaded from the point of impact.
Hardkour straightened, flicking dust from his gloves. "Timber," he muttered, voice dripping with amusement.
But of course, Akuma didn't stay down.
A half-second later, the pyrokinetic staggered out of the rubble, flames already licking at his body as his jaw realigned itself with a grotesque snap. His eyes burned with fury, his expression a mix of pain and unhinged rage.
"You fuckin' punk!" Akuma screeched, his voice cracking with strain as the air around him shimmered with heat, his flames spiking violently as veins bulged in his neck. "I'm gonna char ya into fuckin' kibble!"
Hardkour narrowed his eyes, his fists clenching as the air hummed with the energy coursing through his body. Reinforcement, fully active, made every muscle coil like a loaded spring.
"You can try," he said, his voice low, deadly.
His Danger Sense blared again, and he was already moving. Akuma charged, flames erupting with each step, but Hardkour slipped past him in a blur of speed. With Surface Adhesion activated, he planted a boot on a nearby wall and used it as a springboard, launching himself into a high arc that carried him over Akuma's head.
As he descended, Hardkour twisted mid-air, aiming a devastating axe kick at Akuma's exposed back. His heel connected with a crack that echoed across the battlefield, driving the pyrokinetic face-first into the ground. Akuma's flames sputtered violently, struggling to recover from the blow.
Jiangshi lunged from the side, but Hardkour was ready. He pivoted sharply, slamming his knee into Jiangshi's ribs with enough force to lift the brute off the ground.
Jiangshi didn't go down. He landed hard, feet crunching into the shattered asphalt, and straightened with an unnervingly casual air. The series of pops from his knuckles sounded like distant gunfire, and his dead black eyes locked onto Greg with murderous focus.
"Enough screwing around," Jiangshi growled, his voice low and flat, dripping with malice. "Imma put ya in the ground where ya belong."
I'll remember to laugh when I'm standing over his twitching corpse. Greg tilted his head, considering. Assuming he's not already a corpse. Can corpses twitch? Questions for later.
Shaking off the stray thought, Hardkour barked a sharp laugh. "When I'm done with the both of you, I'll go visit your moms! They'll give me a way better workout."
Akuma's snarl came like a match striking flint, flames bursting from his flash-paper skin in a wild, erratic blaze. The heat radiating off him turned the air into a shimmering inferno. "I HATE THIS FUCKIN' KID!"
Greg's Danger Sense buzzed softly in the back of his mind as both villains squared off against him, their focus united for the first time. His grin sharpened, thoughts racing. Okay, if I can't pull an Eidolon, I'll do an Alexandria.
Alexandria's playbook was simple: brutality and overwhelming force. Make it clear, make it fast, and make it hurt.
Hardkour's body exploded into motion. He surged forward, his body glowing faintly gold, sharpening his movements into precision strikes. He hit Jiangshi first, closing the distance in less than a second. His hand clamped around the zombie's forearm, fingers digging into cold, rubbery flesh.
With a roar of effort, Greg pivoted, using Jiangshi's own momentum to rip him off the ground. The brute's feet left the earth, his massive body arcing through the air as Hardkour hurled him into the inferno left by Akuma's earlier rampage. Jiangshi's form disappeared into the flames, steam and ash billowing upward in an angry cloud.
"Yo, zombie dude!" Greg called out, voice cocky despite the strain in his muscles. "You should really stay down."
Akuma's head snapped toward the explosion, distracted for a fraction of a second. Greg didn't waste it. He was already moving, his feet slamming into the pavement as he sprinted toward the pyrokinetic. The man's flames flared wildly, but his eyes widened as Greg closed in.
"Ey, what the fu—" Akuma's shout cut off mid-sentence as Greg's reinforced knee slammed into his stomach. The blow landed with devastating force, bending Akuma's body around the point of impact as the pyrokinetic let out a pained gurgling wheeze. Something cracked and the boy grinned.
Greg followed up instantly, pivoting to drive his elbow into the back of Akuma's skull. The strike dropped him to the ground with a groan, flames sputtering weakly. Greg planted his feet, already tracking his next target.
His Danger Sense screamed. He spun just in time, catching Jiangshi's fist with a raised block. The impact jolted up his forearms and into his shoulders, a sickening wave of force that made his teeth rattle.
"Shit," Greg muttered under his breath, wincing. This guy hits like a fucking truck.
Jiangshi smirked faintly, his expression bored despite the fight's intensity. "Tch, not bad, kid. But you're gonna have to do better than that."
Greg's grin widened beneath his mask, feral and dangerous. His muscles burned with exertion, but the heat only sharpened his focus. He let the Reinforcement glow shift, bleeding red as he activated Burst. Pain lanced through him as the power surged, his arms trembling with the violent increase in strength. His body blurred, footwork invisible as he vanished from Jiangshi's sight, slipping behind the zombie before planting his feet for a powerful strike.
"And overwhelming…" Hardkour growled, his voice low, building to a primal scream. "FORCE!"
He brought his fists together and slammed them down onto Jiangshi's spine in a devastating hammer blow. The force of the strike cracked the ground beneath them, spiderweb fissures rippling outward with a deafening boom. The shockwave made the air shudder, dust and debris kicking up around them.
Jiangshi roared, the sound guttural and raw as his massive frame staggered and twitched under the impact. He tried to straighten, his movements slow and jerky.
"That… that actually hurt," he muttered, voice thick with surprise.
Without hesitation, Greg pivoted sharply, his adrenaline surging as his eyes locked onto Akuma again. The pyrokinetic was struggling to rise, his hands trembling, sparks sputtering feebly from his fingers as he leeched fire from the environment as fast as he could to fix his shattered spine and skull both. Despite his unsteady stance, Akuma's eyes still burned with a mix of rage and desperation.
"Come on, ya little shit," Akuma snarled, his Boston accent thick enough to cut with a knife. "I'll turn ya into a fuckin' cinder!"
Greg's lips curled into a grim smile. This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you... he thought, then smirked slightly. Okay, maybe not.
The crimson glow of Burst ignited along his body, raw power flooding his muscles and surging through his veins. His legs coiled, and in the blink of an eye, he was nose-to-nose with Akuma, his sudden appearance freezing the pyrokinetic in place. Fear flickered behind the fury in Akuma's wide eyes.
Greg's fist rocketed forward, glowing red-hot with concentrated energy. The punch landed square in Akuma's stomach, and the impact reverberated through the battlefield like a bomb going off. The sickening sound of flesh and bone giving way under the force was a grotesque symphony—like a watermelon meeting a sledgehammer wrapped in dynamite.
> Reinforcement (Acolyte) Lvl Up!
>
> Level 11
Akuma's body crumpled instantly, folding over Greg's fist before rocketing backward. He crashed into the rubble-strewn ground, bouncing once, twice, before coming to rest in a shattered heap. His flames flickered and died, his breaths shallow and ragged.
Greg stood there, chest heaving, staring at Akuma's limp form. "Guess you couldn't take the heat," he muttered, unable to resist the pun.
A wet, squelching crunch from behind sent a chill up his spine. His Danger Sense hadn't fired—he didn't need it to know what was there. Ah, The other guy.
Greg turned slowly, dread tightening in his gut like a lead weight. Jiangshi stood there, grinning, his teeth blackened and slick with ichor. His hulking frame looked almost untouched, the cracks in his flesh already knitting themselves back together. His expression was a grotesque promise of pain.
"Enough screwing around," Greg muttered under his breath, his eyes snapping to the ground. Something glinted amidst the rubble Akuma had unearthed in his fall.
A shape Greg knew well.
Nozarashi.
The katana's blade caught the dimming light, reflecting a sliver of salvation. Greg's eyes widened, his heartbeat quickening. Paper cut, huh. Let's see how you like it when I upgrade to scissors.
Jiangshi roared and charged, the ground quaking with each thunderous step. Greg didn't hesitate. He exploded into motion, legs pumping like pistons as he sprinted for the blade. Each step ate up the distance in an instant, his hand stretching toward the hilt.
He dropped into a roll, momentum carrying him through the chaos. His fingers closed around Nozarashi's hilt, the familiar weight grounding him even as he came up in a crouch. The blade slid into a guard position with a whisper of steel, its balance perfect in his grip.
Pain seared through his battered body, but Greg shoved it aside, forcing his focus into the moment. His muscles tensed, ready to spring. This is it. All or nothing.
With a primal kiai shout, Greg surged forward in a blur of red.
Nozarashi cut through the air in a blazing arc, the flames licking along the blade's edge flaring with the sheer force behind the swing. Jiangshi's expression twisted into confusion as the katana connected.
The blade cleaved through Jiangshi's torso with an almost effortless motion, parting dead flesh like silk. For a split second, time seemed to freeze. The brute's upper half hung suspended in the air, his face caught in a moment of grotesque surprise.
Then reality snapped back.
Jiangshi's torso crashed to the ground with a wet thud, followed by the slap of his severed lower half hitting the pavement a moment later. Thick, black blood sprayed from the wound, splattering the ground in dark, glistening streaks.
To Greg's surprise—and disgust—Jiangshi was still conscious. The brute's head lolled slightly as his dead eyes blinked slowly. His expression, calm despite the carnage, was almost unnerving.
"That... that's a new one," Jiangshi muttered, his voice faint but eerily steady.
Despite both villains being down, Hardkour didn't hear the familiar ping or see the pop-up of his UI telling him the quest was a success. What gives? Did I miss something?
Hardkour's head swiveled back and forth, scanning the area with a deepening frown. The street looked like a warzone, a testament to the destruction their battle had wrought. But other than Jiangshi's pathetic attempts at pulling himself together, everything seemed quiet. Too quiet... Ah shit, I can't believe I just unironically thought that.
With a flicker of blue, Hardkour dismissed Nozarashi back to his inventory, the comforting weight vanishing from his palm.
"What the hell..." The words slipped out in a mutter, confusion and unease warring for dominance down his spine. Something's not right here. I can feel it in my-
Hardkour froze, ice water replacing blood in his veins as a shudder worked its way up his spine. DANGER! His hand lashed up, tattered glove tightening around the object that had suddenly filled his palm. The fuck?!
Pain exploded in his left hand, a sharp lance that had him hissing through clenched teeth. Blood welled up, flowing freely to drip from his wrist. Fuck, that hurts! What the shit is...
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, each millisecond stretching to an eternity. A figure blurred into view, shimmering like a heat haze. Hardkour's eyes widened as the world snapped back into focus, his brain finally registering what he was seeing. Is that... a dog mask? What the actual f-
Analyze.
> Ansatsu Lvl 29
> Speedster Samurai
> HP: 220/220
> Trait: Temporal Displacement Protocol
>
> Ansatsu isn't just playing ninja in the back alleys of Boston. Decked out in a white dog mask and his anachronistic samurai swagger, he's a living paradox, flashing in and out of fights like a ghost with a vendetta. After his trigger event during a chaotic police raid, he joined the Sky Triad, turning his blade and bizarre abilities into their problem-solving tools.
Hardkour's other hand struck like a viper, right for the neck, and tightened around the masked man's throat like a vice, fingers digging into the soft flesh with bruising force. I'm so fucking done with this surprise attack bullshit!
"I said…" He gripped the villain's tanto, dismissing it into his inventory and ripped the young man's neck tighter, making him scramble for air and claw at Hardkour's fingers as his blurring intensified to the point it became audible. The sound reminded Hardkour of a hummingbird's wings, if hummingbirds were human-sized and trying to kill you. "Fight. Over. Understood?"
Ansatsu's head bobbed up and down frantically, still choking in Hardkour's grasp, hands raised in desperate surrender as his blurring intensified to a high-pitched whine. Well, that was easier than expected. Rolling his eyes, Hardkour tossed the guy over his shoulder, letting him fall into a gasping heap. The thud of body meeting concrete echoed in the eerily quiet street.
Hardkour glanced around, waiting for… Waiting for what exactly?
His enhanced senses were still on high alert, picking up every whisper of wind, every creak of abandoned buildings.
A growl of frustration tore from Hardkour's throat, his patience snapping like rope. "Okay, enough of this surprise attack fuckery! Who's next, huh? Step up now or forever hold your dicks, you cowardly shits!" He was annoyed, tired and annoyed — it needed a second mention — with today. It had been a nice pizza date and now he was burnt, and his bones were showing in places and he had a headache that he wasn't sure sleep would fix.
The ground rumbled ominously, the vibration traveling up Hardkour's legs to rattle his teeth. Oh great, here we go again. He sighed heavily, resignation settling in his gut like a lead weight. I swear, if there's a single fuck out there granting wishes, I'm gonna need a two-bad-guy-per-fight limit.
Dirt and debris exploded outward as another costumed clown burst from a nearby alley, asphalt churning and swirling around him like a mini-tornado.
Hardkour raised an eyebrow as he took in the newcomer's ridiculous get-up. Boxing pads in an eye-searing shade of baby-shit brown covered the guy's arms and legs, while the rest of him was sheathed in some kind of lumpy earth armor.
As Boxer Boy charged forward, one hand plunged into the ground, the asphalt liquefying and flowing up his arm to form a massive, ugly club. Huh. Okay, that's actually kinda cool. Too bad he's gonna eat shit in about five seconds.
Without hesitation, the walking dirtball swung his improvised weapon directly at Hardkour's face, the air whistling with the force of it.
Hardkour leapt back in a blur of motion, the club passing so close he could feel the disturbed air ruffle his hair. Landing in a crouch, Hardkour fixed the guy with a piercing glare, his voice sharp with barely-restrained frustration. "Who the fuck are you?!"
"I'm Terracotta," the villain replied, his tone cocky and slightly high-pitched beneath the modified boxing mask. He twirled his earthen club with casual arrogance, a smirk visible in the set of his shoulders. "And I'm the guy who's gonna pound you into the dirt, kid."
Hardkour's eye twitched, fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides as he fought the urge to strangle this mouthy prick. "I'm going to assume you're with either of them," Hardkour said, eyeing the unconscious arsonist, the asthmatic sounding speedster, and the zombie man still crawling over to his legs. "Why can't you, you, you, and both halves of him just get the fuck out of my city?"
Terracotta shifted his weight, muscles tensing beneath his earthen shell. "Because fuck you, that's why!" With that, he charged forward recklessly, club swinging in a wide arc.
Hardkour sidestepped smoothly, his body blurring with the speed of his motion. Fucking predictable.
As Terracotta stumbled past, Hardkour pivoted and snapped his leg out in a brutal kick to the idiot's midsection. His reinforced boot impacted with a meaty thud, the sound of forcefully expelled air echoing off the surrounding buildings.
Terracotta doubled over, wheezing, and Hardkour seized the opening. He lunged forward, snatching the moron's club-arm and wrenching it up behind his back in one smooth motion. The earthen weapon crumbled to dust under Hardkour's crushing grip, Terracotta's control faltering as pain overrode his focus.
With a deft sweep of his leg, Hardkour took Terracotta's feet out from under him, sending the idiot crashing face-first to the cracked asphalt. The impact reverberated through the empty street, chunks of the villain's armor breaking away to puff into clouds of dust.
Planting a boot on Terracotta's back, Hardkour leaned down until his snarling face was inches from the downed cape's ear. "If you don't tell me what I wanna know in the next five seconds, I'm gonna snap your fucking arm like a candy cane. We clear?" His grip tightened on Terracotta's arm, making the guy whimper in fear. Maybe I'm going a bit overboard, but I'm so done with this day.
Terracotta trembled beneath him, a pathetic whimper slipping past his lips as Hardkour tightened his grip on the captive limb. "Okay, okay!" the guy yelped, his voice cracking with panic. "I'll tell you whatever you want, just don't break my arm, man! Please!"
Hardkour straightened up, maintaining his hold on the villain's twisted arm. Finally, now we're getting somewhere. "Alright then, start talking. What do you gotta tell?"
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
> Quest Success!
>
> Turf Wars: Flames and the Fallen
>
> It's like the worst of a bad horror and action movie mash-up on your doorstep. The Sky Triad and Flying Dragons have unleashed their respective heavy hitters — Akuma, a fire demon with a flair for murder, and Jiangshi, a killer zombie who's all brawn. As they turn your turf into an action-packed, flaming nightmare, it's up to you to strike back.
>
> Objective: Defeat Akuma and Jiangshi in a showdown on your territory.
>
> Bonus I: Prevent any civilian casualties during your clash.
>
> Bonus II: Defeat their two backup members waiting in the wings.
>
> Success: 40,000 XP, +10 VIT, Perk: Hard to Kill, +5 to [Pyrokinesis]
>
> Bonus I Success: 10,000 XP, + 3 VIT, + 5 STR
>
> Bonus I Success: 20,000 XP, + 2 SPD, + 2 STR
LEVEL UP! (36)
> Perk Gained: Hard to Kill
>
> Hard to Kill
>
> When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
>
> Fortifies your resilience against the most dangerous attacks. It significantly reduces the damage from critical hits by toughening your natural defenses.
>
>
> * Reduces damage from critical hits by 50%.