The elevator doors opened, revealing a room bathed in blood and horror. Souji’s eyes widened, taking in the grim scene before him. Corpses littered the floor, their bones ripped apart and their flesh mangled. At the center of it all, crouched a man who licked the blood off his fingers with a twisted grin.

The sorcerer’s aura was suffocating, dark and overwhelming, unlike anything Souji had ever felt. The flames within him, usually burning bright, seemed to flicker in the face of such malevolence.

As the sorcerer turned to face them his neck twisted 180 degrees, cracks were heard as he forced his body to move, his grin widened in sick delight. “Oh… more bones to add to the pouch,” he murmured, his voice chilling and casual, as though killing was nothing more than an art form to him.

Before Souji could fully process the danger in front of him, Genji’s voice cut through the thick tension like a knife. “Get away from him! He’s a sorcerer!”

Souji’s heart pounded in his chest as he quickly assessed the situation. The energy radiating from the man was monstrous, a roiling storm of chaotic force that dwarfed anything Souji, Mika, or Fushi could muster. For a brief moment, doubt crept into Souji’s mind.

How do we even stand a chance against something like this? He clenched his fists, trying to shake off the fear. They had faced powerful enemies before, but none had ever felt like this.

Beside him, Mika, always calm and precise, stepped forward. “Stay back, young master. I will deal with him.” His voice was steady, but Souji could sense the tension in his movements. Mika was prepared for a fight, but even he knew the danger they were in.

With a swift motion, Mika lunged at the sorcerer, moving like a shadow in the wind. Yuzu barely had time to react before a thin needle embedded itself into his cheek. His hand shot up instinctively, feeling the sharp object now pinning his face to the floor.

“What…?” Yuzu mumbled, his mind racing. His body wouldn’t respond. His face was somehow locked to the ground. When did that happen?

Before Yuzu could figure out what was happening, Genji sprang into action. With a roar, he swung his foot high into the air, aiming for Yuzu’s exposed head. His leg was enveloped in a faint aura of energy, enough to create a shockwave that could break Yuzu’s skull in an instant.

But in that split second, Yuzu’s twisted instincts kicked in. With a violent jerk, he tore his own jaw clean off, blood spraying everywhere as the shockwave passed inches from his face. Yuzu staggered back, panting heavily as blood dripped from his open wound.

“That… definitely would’ve killed me,” Yuzu muttered, a twisted smile still playing on his lips. His eyes flicked to one of the bodies on the floor, and with a sickening crack, he reached down and pulled out a bone from the corpse’s hand, cleanly extracted without breaking the skin. Holding it up, Yuzu grinned, pressing the bone to his jawless face.

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In an instant, the bone fused to his flesh, reshaping itself grotesquely into a skeletal hand where his jaw once was. The fingers twitched and flexed as if alive, grasping at the air as the hand grappled on to Yuzu’s lower face, the fingers reaching into his eyes as they clawed at the skin beneath.

"I can kill them with this," Yuzu said, his voice now more chilling as his voice box was exposed, and the makeshift jaw he had gave an interesting filter, the skeletal hand clicking with each word.

Souji, Mika, and Genji stood in stunned silence, each trying to process the horrifying scene before them. Souji’s mind raced. This was unlike anything they’d faced before. He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tighter.

“Are you an ally?” Souji asked cautiously, glancing at Genji, who was breathing heavily from the exertion of his attack.

“For now, kid,” Genji grunted, still focused on Yuzu.

But before any more could be said, Mika’s sharp voice cut in. “Do not speak to the young master like that!” He stood protectively in front of Souji, his eyes locked on Genji with a cold intensity.

Genji shot a sideways glance at Mika, clearly annoyed. This brat has a butler? he thought, frustration bubbling up inside him. Who’s rich kid is this?

But there wasn’t time to argue. Yuzu stood again, the twisted, skeletal hand that now served as his jaw flexing unnervingly as he grinned at them. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Yuzu spat, his voice now a haunting rasp, distorted by the bone graft.

Genji’s expression hardened. “We’ll kill him!” he shouted, rallying his energy for another attack.

Souji, standing just behind him, glared at the sorcerer, rage boiling in his chest. “This trash… He’s the one responsible for all the deaths at the port. Innocent people. How many more lives are you going to destroy if I were to spare you?”

The sorcerer’s eyes flickered with irritation as he wiped blood from his face. “Innocent?” he sneered. “Who are you to decide what’s right and wrong? You have no idea what the world is like. Your childish morality means nothing to me.”

“You’ve killed people!” Souji shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. “That’s evil!”

Yuzu’s dark laughter filled the room, sending chills down their spines. “Evil? What a foolish word. Killing me won’t change anything. Do you really believe that the world operates by your naive sense of justice?”

Before Souji could reply, Yuzu lunged at him, his bone sword slicing through the air with terrifying speed. Souji’s instincts kicked in, and his fists erupted in flame as he prepared to counter the attack. But something was wrong. His flames, usually so strong and bright, flickered weakly. The energy inside him was fading.

“My flames are weaker,” Souji thought, a wave of panic rising in his chest. His fist collided with Yuzu’s bone sword, but instead of the usual explosion of heat, there was barely a spark. He stumbled back, the weight of his weakening power sinking in as the bone sword seared through his forearms.

What’s happening to me?

Mika, sensing Souji’s distress, immediately stepped in front of him, his posture tense and ready for another attack. "Young master, stay behind me!"

Yuzu grinned, sensing their growing fear. "You're all going to die here. And when you do, I’ll rip your bones out, one by one, and put you in the damn pouch!" The skeletal hand on his jaw twitched again, flexing eagerly.

Souji’s heart pounded in his chest. His flames were weakening, and his enemy was growing stronger by the second. But there was no turning back. He wasn’t going to let this monster win. Not here. Not now.

Clenching his fists, Souji forced the flames back into his hands, willing them to burn brighter, hotter. No matter what, I won’t let him win. We’ll take him down. We have to.

Mika and Genji stood beside him, their bodies tense, prepared for the final clash. Yuzu laughed darkly, his bones cracking and twisting as his sorcery surged.