The discovery in the ruins was far worse than Martin and Temna Kurushimi could have ever imagined. They had been combing through the remnants of what was supposed to be the Tori no Ichizoku clan’s final resting place, only to find an unthinkable horror—an old soup kitchen, once a humble place of refuge for the starving, now a grotesque monument to the clan’s brutal legacy. The walls were streaked with the remnants of bodies, crushed and ground into the most horrifying of stews, their flesh stripped from the bone. The stench was unbearable, a vile reminder of the cannibalistic horrors the Tori no Ichizoku had been known for. It wasn’t just that they were merciless killers or perpetrators of genocide—it was that they had consumed their victims, turning human flesh into food in an abomination of survival. The two brothers’ hearts sank as they realized the depth of this atrocity.

What was worse, the bodies were still fresh. This was no ancient relic of the past—it was evidence that the Tori no Ichizoku had not been wiped out 65 years ago as they had all believed. The chilling realization struck them hard: the clan, far from being destroyed, had lived on in the shadows, thriving in secrecy. The enormity of this truth left Martin and Temna paralyzed with fear. For decades, they had thought the organization dead, its leaders and followers nothing more than a twisted historical footnote. But now, their worst fears were coming true. The Tori no Ichizoku was alive, its legacy still tainting the world.

Just as the weight of this revelation settled on them, a sudden gunshot echoed through the ruins, sharp and abrupt. Instinctively, the brothers dropped into the shadows, hearts pounding. Their eyes darted toward the source of the noise and saw a lone figure—clad in red robes and red armor that was unmistakable: the unmistakable garb of the Tori no Ichizoku. The figure moved with deliberate purpose, unaware of the Kurushimi brothers’ presence.

Without hesitation, Martin’s superior strength took control. He surged forward, his body a blur of motion as he leapt upon the figure, knocking the man to the ground. The two brothers quickly subdued the stranger, binding him with practiced precision. In the tense silence that followed, Martin and Temna began their interrogation, their questions sharp and demanding. They needed answers—needed to understand how the Tori no Ichizoku had managed to survive and what it had been doing all this time.

What they learned was chilling. The clan had not just survived—they had thrived in hiding. A massive settlement, over 400,000 strong, had remained underground, operating in the shadows of society. But what really shook them to their core was the revelation of who was behind this new iteration of the Tori no Ichizoku. The man revealed that the entire operation was under the control of none other than Dr. Machinist—a name that both brothers knew far too well. This immortal cyborg doctor had somehow returned, his power growing in ways unimaginable.

Before they could press him for more details, the man’s lips curled into a twisted grin. Without warning, he pulled a gun from his side and shot himself in the head, ending his life right in front of the brothers. The act was a final, defiant move that left Martin and Temna in stunned silence. Their minds raced, trying to process what they had just learned, but the answers they sought seemed to have died with the man.

Suddenly, the air seemed to thicken, and a crack of thunder tore through the sky. The brothers scrambled to hide, adrenaline coursing through their veins, their senses on high alert. It wasn’t the storm, though—something far worse was approaching. A blinding flash of lightning split the air, and from within the flash, a towering figure emerged. Dr. Machinist.

Now fully transformed into a 15-foot mechanical monstrosity, the Doctor was no longer the man they had once known. from 80% machinary to being entirely machine His body was a grotesque fusion of machinery, and cold, clinical precision. His face was obscured by a horrifying metal mask, jagged teeth made of steel grinning out from a metallic visage. His eyes burned a furious red, the unnatural glow casting an eerie light over his surroundings. Every inch of him was now augmented, covered in surgical tools, power cables, and mechanical components. Lightning crackled around his body, as if he were channeling the very forces of nature itself. The power he exuded was overwhelming, a force of nature combined with the precise violence of a machine.

Dr. Machinist didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His presence was terrifying enough. His enormous form moved with unnatural speed as he scanned the area, his red eyes flickering over the surroundings in search of any sign of the Kurushimi brothers. The smell of death and blood was thick in the air as he sifted through the wreckage, his mechanical limbs twitching with anticipation. He was hunting them.

Martin and Temna held their breath, praying they wouldn’t be detected. They crouched low, their hearts beating in their throats, every muscle coiled in fear. The air felt charged, the very world seeming to bend beneath the power of Dr. Machinist. The brothers watched as he passed, oblivious to their presence. They knew they had mere moments to escape.

With no other choice, they took the risk. Quietly, they backed away, inching towards a safer path. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they slipped out of the ruins, leaving the terror behind them, their lives barely intact. But as they escaped, the gravity of what they had learned weighed heavily upon them. The Tori no Ichizoku was not dead. And worse still, it was being led by an immortal, inhuman monster—the very embodiment of the horrors the brothers had always feared.

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For Martin and Temna, it was just the beginning. A new and terrifying chapter in their lives had begun, and they now knew what they were up against. But the question remained: Could they survive long enough to stop this dark force, or would they, too, become victims of the madness that Dr. Machinist and the Tori no Ichizoku were about to unleash upon the world?

1. They jumped into their car and sped off:

Heartbeats pounding in their chests, Martin and Temna Kurushimi threw themselves into their car, the engine roaring to life as they peeled out of the ruins. The tires screamed against the cracked asphalt as they sped down the road, the sounds of their heavy breathing and the screech of the engine drowning out everything else. They didn’t dare look back—fear gripped them too tightly to even glance over their shoulders. The image of Dr. Machinist's towering, mechanical form burned in their minds, his red eyes glowing like the fires of hell itself. The storm overhead seemed to mirror their dread, thunder rumbling ominously as they fled. Every second that passed felt like an eternity, the weight of what they had discovered pressing down on them with crushing force.

The car shot down the desolate roads, the world around them a blur of darkness. The words "over 400,000 in hiding," echoed in their minds, but it was Dr. Machinist’s terrifying visage that lingered the most. Their only hope now was to make it to the S.A.A.H.O. bunker—if anyone could help them now, it was the people of S.A.A.H.O. But they both knew deep down, even as they tried to outrun their fear, that it might already be too late.

2. They reached the S.A.A.H.O. bunker:

After what felt like an eternity of driving, they finally reached the S.A.A.H.O. bunker. Nestled deep underground, this place was designed to be a sanctuary from the chaos that the world had descended into. The steel walls loomed before them, a stark contrast to the burning terror that still clawed at their insides. They knew that inside these walls, the members of S.A.A.H.O. would offer safety, protection, and hopefully answers. But as they approached the entrance, a deep, unsettling feeling washed over them.

The guards at the gate recognized them immediately, eyes widening in recognition of the Kurushimi brothers. They were let in without question, ushered through the reinforced steel doors, and into the heart of the underground complex. Yet despite the relative safety of the bunker, neither Martin nor Temna could shake the feeling that something was wrong. They had barely escaped from the jaws of death, and the specter of the Tori no Ichizoku—and Dr. Machinist—was still haunting them.

3. They found a message engraved into their car, pierced deep into the car:

As they parked their car in the designated area of the bunker, they noticed something chilling: the car had been tampered with. At first, they thought it was just a trick of the light, but as they stepped closer, their blood turned to ice. There, etched deep into the metal of the car’s door, was a message—carved with a precision and force that could only have come from someone with inhuman strength.

The words were simple, but the meaning was unmistakable.

"I know you two were there."

The message was clear. Akuma’s organization—or worse, Dr. Machinist himself—had tracked them. Somehow, in the chaos of their escape, they had left behind a trace—something that had allowed the Tori no Ichizoku to follow them, even to this remote S.A.A.H.O. bunker.

4. The message wrote "I know you 2 were there":

The realization hit them like a ton of bricks. Dr. Machinist and the Tori no Ichizoku weren’t just some vague threat they could outrun. They were closer than they had ever imagined—possibly even in this very bunker. It felt as though the walls themselves were closing in, the air suffocating with the weight of their impending doom. The brothers exchanged a glance, their eyes wide with terror. They knew that there was no place safe anymore.

"We were too careless," Martin muttered under his breath, his hand trembling as it hovered over the message. "He’s found us… He’s already here."

Temna, who had always been the quieter of the two, didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for anything—any clue that might explain how the Tori no Ichizoku had infiltrated their world so completely. But all he saw were the same concrete walls, the same security cameras, the same faces of the S.A.A.H.O. soldiers that had greeted them. No one seemed to be aware of the danger closing in on them.

5. They were absolutely scared:

Fear twisted in their stomachs like a dark knot, tightening with every passing moment. Even though the bunker was a fortress, even though S.A.A.H.O. had been one of the last bastions of hope in a crumbling world, the Kurushimi brothers knew deep down that it was no match for the forces they had just uncovered. Dr. Machinist, the monstrous cyborg, and the unimaginable reach of the Tori no Ichizoku were too powerful—too vast.

The brothers had spent their entire lives dealing with death, with the shadows of violence lurking around them. They had seen brutality on levels most people couldn’t even comprehend. But this... this was something else. This was not just a fight for survival anymore. This was a fight against something ancient, something immortal, and something unfathomably cruel.

As they stood there, frozen in fear, the distant sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor. It was faint at first, but it grew louder, closer, as if someone—or something—was coming toward them. Their hearts hammered in their chests, and their hands hovered over their weapons, ready for whatever came next.

The message on the car was just the beginning. The Tori no Ichizoku—and Dr. Machinist—were closing in, and nowhere, not even the heart of S.A.A.H.O., would be safe from the darkness that was about to descend.

What had once been a simple mission to uncover the truth had now become a desperate race against time. They couldn’t run anymore. They couldn’t hide. The nightmare had found them, and there was no telling how much worse it would get.