– An enhanced one... who would’ve thought? – Koji said, with a curious look. – And a Gamma stigma at that, this promises to be interesting.

Both the bodyguard and the man with the katana stared each other down.

– I have to admit, I'm impressed. However, I hate it when someone interrupts my business. – Koji commented nonchalantly as he smoked, looking at the man with the katana. – Try not to take too long finishing that one off, Shadow.

Without a word, the bodyguard grabbed Williams by the collar with his free hand and threw him behind him, then clenched his hand firmly. Suddenly, behind him, a large translucent figure began to form next to Williams, who was now on the ground and crawled backward. The figure took the shape of an enormous translucent fist.

Shadow quickly noticed what had happened as the large translucent hand stopped his blade. When he tried to pull back, but the translucent palm in front of him closed, trapping his sword.

– Got you – said the bodyguard, a slight smile appearing as he clenched his left hand, which mimicked the giant hand holding the katana.

Then, he followed up by striking Shadow with the translucent fist in a lateral blow, mirrored by his right hand. The speed of the bodyguard's attack was matched by the force of the fist, evident by the dust that scattered in its wake.

Shadow seemed cornered, but he reacted quickly, giving up on freeing his katana and using it as leverage to perform a somersault over the strike. The air beneath him moved as if driven by a speeding car. Yet, he remained calm, observing his opponent's every move. Still in the air, he tightly gripped a smaller blade from his waist and hurled it at the bodyguard, using the momentum of his spin to generate more power.

In an instant, the blade hit the bodyguard's left shoulder, making him groan as blood slowly began to trickle down.

When Shadow landed, he cast a glance back at the bodyguard over his shoulder and saw his opponent's pupils still glowing. Then the bodyguard moved his left hand slowly, as if preparing to slap something. Immediately, Shadow spun around and was hit by a strike from the translucent hand that had previously held his katana.

He jumped in the same direction as the blow, his legs bent, and his head shielded by his arms, just before being struck. Then he was dragged across the dusty floor until he collided with a pillar.

For a few seconds, Shadow remained still, but he quickly tried to push himself off the ground with trembling hands, feeling every muscle in his body protesting. He removed his broken glasses from his face, revealing his brown eyes.

The bodyguard gritted his teeth as he gripped the blade stuck in his shoulder, then yanked it out and tossed it to the ground with a restrained grunt. Blood flowed, staining his shirt, while Shadow watched him, coughing and clutching his left rib with clenched teeth. He dropped his expression and once again adopted a combat stance, drawing another short blade from a sheath and pointing it at the bodyguard, their eyes locking once more.

– What a show! If I had known, I would’ve brought popcorn – said Koji, clapping lightly and smiling.

The bodyguard turned his attention to him and, noticing his lack of readiness, simply pointed his hand in his direction.

– Want to eat, eh? Then swallow this, hijo de puta! – the bodyguard exclaimed, pointing two fingers at Koji.

The bodyguard's pupils flickered again, and from the tips of his fingers, a translucent projectile, resembling an arrowhead, was fired rapidly. A faint sound could be heard as the projectile cut through the air due to its speed.

Koji's eyes widened, but he didn’t attempt to dodge the projectile. In fact, his pupils also sparked with that same supernatural gleam, but this time in a light-yellow hue. He quickly extended his hand, and from its vibrating surface due to his glove, a rapid distortion in the air could be seen.

The vibrations warped the surrounding environment, creating almost invisible waves that floated in front of him and sounded like the bass of a powerful sound. These waves seemed to push everything in the opposite direction with considerable force, with dust swirling around him; however, the effect appeared to have a short range.

The projectile sped toward Koji’s technique, which hadn’t fully formed due to the short amount of time. It passed through, losing precision and strength during its trajectory; it deformed and only grazed Koji’s face, causing a small diagonal cut on his lower lip and destroying his cigarette, which was hit dead-on.

A silence fell over the area. The bodyguard gritted his teeth as he observed both Shadow and Koji.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

– Koji... you're an enhanced one too... – the words coming from Williams' mouth were weak, as though his throat was closing, and his mouth was dry.

Blood gently trickled down Koji’s smooth face. He slowly ran his hand over the wound, examining the red that stained his glove. His eyes remained wide open, unblinking. Then, the warm blood flowed down his lip again, and he shifted his gaze to the bodyguard, with an intense glow in his pupils.

– You Mexican... – Koji seethed, his voice echoing throughout the vast floor. – Son of a bitch!

Then, he took advantage of the vibrations he had formed in front of him to launch an attack where the vibrations shaped into a wavy form, resembling the upper part of a jellyfish.

– I’ll splatter your guts all over this floor! – He continued; his rage clear as he unleashed a massive wave of vibrations that devastated everything in its path.

The bodyguard furrowed his brow, raising both hands to face the incoming attack, bracing himself with clenched teeth. His pupils flickered again, and from the palms of his hands, two enormous translucent hands formed, open and aimed at the onrushing blow. Shadow took cover behind a pillar to protect himself, while Williams screamed, unable to do anything, raising his arms in front of his face in an attempt to shield himself. Then, the collision occurred.

A powerful boom could be felt even from outside the building, followed by a deep sound that dissipated. The floor where everyone stood trembled briefly, and dust spread everywhere, still vibrating slightly in the air.

Williams slowly opened his eyes, feeling the shockwave on the cracked ground. The impact had traveled up his legs, and now he coughed, his vision blurry and a ringing in his ears. Lying on the ground, he could see the dust rising and the trembling figure of his contractor, standing right in front of him. A sharp pain throbbed in his head; as he wiped his forehead, he felt the blood briefly trickling between his fingers.

As he stood up, he noticed his clothes were damaged from the impact, and his body was covered in scratches; the bodyguard panted, indicating that a good portion of Koji’s blow had hit him. In front of him, chunks of the ceiling were falling, and the floor was full of cracks.

Through the thick cloud of dust that hid almost everything around, the impact had knocked out the few lights illuminating the area. Darkness reigned, except for two glowing points in a light-yellow hue, some distance from Williams and the bodyguard. Then, once again, the deep sound began, like a deadly melody.

– Impressive... – The voice came through the dust, hiding Koji’s figure. His sinister tone sounded calm but restrained. – You know, few have withstood a direct attack from me, but none have ever survived the second one!

The entire floor began to vibrate, while the glowing lights in the dust intensified. The bodyguard anxiously looked around, then focused his gaze on the glow coming from the dust cloud, covering the wound on his shoulder with his hand and slowly stepping back.

As he stepped back, his foot sank into a crack, briefly causing him to lose balance, but he managed to stay on his feet. He observed the floor below him, which was completely damaged. Then, quickly, he clenched both fists, and the glow in his pupils returned.

– Get ready! – he shouted at Williams, who was holding his head, trying not to lose balance.

On either side of the bodyguard, two translucent fists slowly formed again, this time appearing less defined, as if weakening.

– What are you doing!? – Williams yelled as he limped closer to his contractor.

– That’s how it’s done! – Koji shouted, and the excitement was evident in his tone. Suddenly, the entire floor stopped vibrating. – Let’s see how much you can take!

For a moment, the deep sound stopped; however, the dust suddenly started to push away with a deafening sound in front of Williams and the bodyguard. The floor became increasingly damaged as the wave of vibration approached them, and the floor trembled beneath their feet.

– Don’t move! – the bodyguard shouted, gritting his teeth against the pressure of the reverberating sound, keeping his fists clenched, waiting for the right moment.

– I don’t want to die! – Williams shouted, covering his ears with his eyes shut.

The wave of destruction created by Koji approached, carrying a deafening vibration and making the ground tremble under their feet. The bodyguard remained focused; as he felt the impact of the crack beneath his feet again, he raised his hands and struck the ground with both translucent fists.

As the blow struck, the already damaged floor gave way, sending both Williams and the bodyguard crashing to the floor below, just moments before Koji’s attack reached them.

Koji’s laughter echoed through the floor after the silence. A few minutes later, the dust began to settle, and Koji looked at the spot where the two had been moments, initially with a smirk. His gaze swept across the space until he noticed a hole in the floor, exactly where the two had been.

He shook his head slightly. Slowly, he ran a hand over his eyes, then through the hair that fell across his face. His expression was one of genuine hatred.

– That Mexican... – Koji's voice trembled, his lips curled and quivering as he shouted, staring at the hole in the floor. –Why won't he just die already!?

His pupils gradually flickered, and then he quickly unleashed a wave of vibration that shattered a nearby wall. Meanwhile, Sombra made his way toward his fallen blades.

– The enhanced one shouldn't last much longer, and without him, 425 will be easy prey. – Sombra remarked as he picked up the small blade he'd previously thrown.

It was stained with blood, but a pale yellowish, almost translucent liquid was also dripping from its edge.

– The poison has been applied. – Sombra gestured with the short blade in his hand as he examined it. Then, he moved closer to peer into the hole in the floor, placing a hand on his rib and cracking his neck.

– Then let's go. I'll make sure Williams suffers plenty before he dies. Make sure that damned Mexican suffers too... – Koji headed toward the stairs as he spoke, frustration still pulsing through his veins, and the glow in his eyes did not fade.

On the other hand, Sombra retrieved his katana from the ground. Then, he descended through the hole in front of him, with a red gleam flickering in his eyes. Before he fell, the light seemed to stop reflecting off his body and clothes, and he quickly vanished into thin air.