The next few days were filled with tension. Word had already spread through the alleyways and streets about Nirvikar's "deal" with the tech distributor. His name was on the lips of those who operated just outside the law—quiet whispers in smoky corners, loud accusations in drunken rants. But that wasn't enough for Nirvikar. Deals were important, but power had to be shown, not just talked about.
So when the gang The Hounds,a small but persistent group of thugs, started causing trouble for the tech shop's shipments, Nirvikar didn't waste time.
The Hounds weren't a mid-level threat, but they were enough to disrupt the flow of business. They had a rep for intimidation and for making people bend to their will. They ran a small racket on the east side, targeting local businesses with protection schemes, and now they'd set their sights on the tech shop Nirvikar had promised to protect.
Nirvikar was already at the shop when the first signs of the trouble appeared. He had arranged the "payment" for the week, but word had come that The Hounds were rolling up for their usual "chat." He stepped outside, leaning against a nearby wall, waiting for the confrontation to unfold.
He didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, the gang's leader, a burly man with a crooked nose and tattoos all over his arms, swaggered into view. His men were spread out behind him, each one looking more than ready to break some bones.
"You're the one running the show around here, huh?" the leader called out, his voice low and dangerous. "We got business to discuss with your friend inside."
Nirvikar pushed off from the wall, stepping forward slowly, his eyes sharp. "You've got no business here, and if you're smart, you'll turn around and leave."
The leader sneered. "Oh, is that so? You think you can just walk in here and tell us to go? We've been taking what's ours, and now this tech shop's ours too. You're just some kid trying to play at being a big shot."
The Hounds moved in closer, their boots heavy on the cracked pavement. Nirvikar's hand flexed slightly, his fingers itching to shift into something deadlier. But he held back. He didn't want to show everything just yet. He was here to make a statement.
"No," Nirvikar said flatly, "this tech shop isn't yours, and it's not up for grabs. Leave now, and you won't have any problems. Keep pushing, and I'll show you just how bad things can get."
The leader laughed, the sound grating against the tension in the air. "You think you can take us all? You're just one guy."
Nirvikar smiled coldly. "I'm more than enough."
The first blow came in fast—a heavy swing from the leader. Nirvikar sidestepped it with ease, his Mantis Devil enhancing his reflexes. With a quick slash of his forearms, he cut through the man's sleeve and sent him staggering back.
The gang hesitated for just a second, surprised by the speed and precision of Nirvikar's counter. But it was enough for the fight to break loose. The Hounds came at him all at once, fists and knives drawn, but Nirvikar was ready.
He moved through the crowd with fluid speed, each strike calculated and deliberate. His Mantis Devil's forearms were lethal, cutting through flesh with ease. He shifted through the fight, dodging blows and redirecting their momentum against them. The gang quickly realized they were outmatched—Nirvikar was too fast, too strong, and too precise.
But it wasn't just about brute strength. Nirvikar's mind was always a step ahead. He knew how to anticipate their moves, how to use their weaknesses against them. A few well-timed kicks sent two men sprawling, their weapons forgotten on the ground. A brutal elbow to another's face sent him down in a heap, unconscious before he hit the pavement.
It was chaos, but controlled chaos. Nirvikar wasn't about killing—he was about sending a message. The Hounds were overmatched, and they knew it.
One by one, the remaining members of the gang backed off, too terrified to continue the fight.
But the leader didn't run.
Instead, he staggered upright, blood running down his arm where Nirvikar had sliced him. His smile was warped now, but still there—twisted with something darker than pain.
"You think this is over?" he rasped, reaching into his coat.
Nirvikar raised an eyebrow.
The leader bit into his thumb, drawing blood. Then he slammed his palm to the ground.
The air shifted, the sound of distant growling rising like a low tremor beneath the street.
From the alley behind him, a creature emerged—its fur matted and black like burnt coal, teeth far too large for its snout. Its legs were long, jointed wrong, with claws like daggers tapping the pavement. It let out a howl that echoed between the buildings—a bone-deep, animal rage.
AHound Devil.
"I made a contract," the gang leader spat. "This turf's ours. Anyone says different gets chewed up."
Nirvikar's expression sharpened. His first time fighting a human tied to a devil. This wasn't just another beast. This was a bonded threat.
The Hound Devil lunged, fast and low. Nirvikar dropped into a crouch, mantis blades unfolding just in time to deflect the charge. The creature's strength was raw—he slid back a foot from the impact, boots scraping the pavement.
It whipped around, faster than expected, trying to tear into him with hooked claws. He dodged narrowly, slicing through its flank. Black blood hissed onto the street, sizzling where it landed.
From behind, the gang leader raised a trembling arm. The Hound Devil responded like a trained beast, pacing in a wide circle to corner Nirvikar.
So it obeys him, he thought. Controlled aggression.
A voice broke through the chaos.
"NIRVIKAR!"
He turned sharply.
Daiki was sprinting down the street, with a ragtag crew close behind. Pipes, bricks, and a couple knives in hand—his crew had come running.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Nirvikar shouted, sidestepping the Hound Devil's next pounce.
"We heard the noise," Daiki said, breathless. "We don't want to be a burden. Let us work too!"
Nirvikar blinked, mid-motion. He hadn't called them. Hadn't expected them to come.
He didn't answer right away. The Hound Devil's growl rumbled close.
Then—he smiled. Just a little. Just enough.
"Fine," he muttered, "Handle the gang. Stay out of the devil's way."
Daiki nodded sharply. "You heard him! Take the stragglers!"
The Hounds' remaining men barely had time to react. Nirvikar's crew surged forward, catching them off guard. Batons met ribs, pipes cracked skulls. The thugs—already shaken—broke fast under the sheer desperation of the misfits now fighting for something.
Nirvikar refocused. The Hound Devil leapt again.
This time, Nirvikar met it head-on.
He shifted, Mantis and Crow devils fusing his limbs and reflexes. He slid beneath the jaws, sliced across its legs, and spun behind it, lashing Echo Devil strands around its neck. It thrashed wildly—but Nirvikar pulled tight, dragging it off balance.
Then he saw it—the mark on its chest. A sigil glowing faintly. The contract tether.
He gritted his teeth, shifted one arm into a jagged Tooth Devil lance, and drove it into the mark.
The Hound Devil shrieked. The tether shattered in a burst of smoke and flame. The beast convulsed, black blood exploding from its back, then collapsed into ash.
The gang leader fell to his knees, coughing up blood. The contract's backlash had hit him hard.
Nirvikar walked up slowly, not bothering to speak. The man looked up, saw the expressionless eyes, and broke. He fell forward, unconscious, twitching from pain and fear.
The fight was over.
His crew had handled the rest. A few bruised, a couple bleeding—but all still standing. They stared at Nirvikar as he walked back toward them, his coat torn, arms slick with devil blood.
Some people cheered, while others just took a moment to catch their breath.
"Clean this up," Nirvikar said quietly. "No bodies. No mess. We're not savages."
Daiki stepped up beside him. "We handled the gang. You handled the monster. That fair?"
Nirvikar glanced at him—then smiled again, just a little wider this time.
"Yeah," he said. "That's fair."
---
The last of the Hound Devil's flesh burned away under Nirvikar's boot, sizzling in a puddle of its own stink. Around him, the alley was quiet—blood-slick pavement, groaning bodies, and the smell of ozone lingering from his own devil-powered strikes. His crew, scattered but alive, stood catching their breath. Some were wounded, but none dead. That meant something.
Nirvikar wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his breathing steady now. The fight had shaken something loose in him—something that felt more like Victory than hunger.
Then he heard the sharp clap of boots.
From the far end of the alley, a slim figure stepped into view—a woman in the standard Public Safety uniform, coat unbuttoned and tie slightly loose, like she didn't care enough to wear it right.
She paused a few steps in, eyes skimming the scene. "Quite the mess," she said. "Almost called for backup, but turns out it was just one guy handling it, huh?"
Nirvikar turned to her, not hostile, not friendly. "Just cleaning up after some thugs."
She gave a slow whistle, looking around at the wreckage. "If this is 'cleaning,' I'd hate to see your idea of a real fight."
Daiki shifted beside him, tense. A few of the crew readied themselves again, but Nirvikar raised a hand.
The woman pulled out a small notepad, more for show than anything. "Name?"
He didn't answer right away.
She looked up, one brow raised. "You do have one, right?"
"Nirvikar," he said, flat.
"Ah, right. The immigrant guy. Heard about you." She tucked the notepad away without writing anything. "You're working with Rika, yeah? Funny girl. Slippery."
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Nothing. Just checking. Reports said someone fought a devil, some minor gang got chewed up, and Public Safety likes to know who's making noise in their city." She looked around again, slower this time. "No civilians hurt. Devil's gone. Honestly? Not bad."
She took a step back, smiling slightly.
"Just a heads-up though," she added, her tone quieter now, more serious. "Too much noise, and the wrong people start listening. Keep it clean, Nirvikar. Or someone with more stripes than me is going to knock."
Then she turned, hands in her pockets, and walked off like it was just another night.
Daiki looked at Nirvikar. "Should we be worried?"
Nirvikar stared after her for a long moment, then exhaled. "Not yet."
But inside, a note of caution had been struck. She hadn't come to arrest him. She'd come to watch. And whoever she was reporting to—that was the real problem.
===========
Elsewhere — Tokyo Public Safety Bureau, 2nd Division
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as a tired officer flipped through a stack of incident reports. Most were routine—low-level devils, neighborhood panic, minor injuries.
Then she paused.
"Unauthorized Devil Hunter activity... multiple witnesses... possible use of Vesseled powers…"
She squinted at the name scribbled in the field report: Nirvikar.
A few quick keystrokes pulled up surveillance logs. Grainy footage from a street cam caught glimpses of the fight. The Hounds' bodies laid out like kindling. No fatalities, but the precision wasn't normal. Not for a freelance.
She leaned back in her chair and muttered, "That's gonna be flagged."
The file was quietly uploaded and tagged for supervisory review. A ping echoed in the quiet of the office as the report slid into the system's internal tracker: Unregistered Vesseled Powers – Escalation Potential: Moderate to High.
Somewhere above, someone would eventually notice.
---
Elsewhere — Kanzaki's Office, Late Evening
The low hum of an old fan spun lazily overhead as Kanzaki lit a cigarette, eyes fixed on the slow rise of smoke curling toward the ceiling. His office smelled of paper, rust, and stale coffee.
A knock came at the door. One of his men stepped in, nervous energy clinging to him like sweat.
"We got something. Off-the-books devil fight near East 4th. Small gang got wiped. Public Safety didn't arrest anyone. But they flagged a name—Nirvikar."
Kanzaki didn't look up. "And?"
"Unregistered Vesseled Powers. They're not making noise yet, but someone's eyes are on him. Might not stay quiet for long."
Kanzaki finally turned, letting the cigarette rest on the edge of the ashtray. "So he's stepping out of the alley and into the spotlight."
The man hesitated. "You want us to intervene?"
Kanzaki shook his head. "Not yet. Let him move. I want to see who bites first—Public Safety, or someone worse."
===========
AN:
Leave your suggestions and Criticisms here, Even opinions matter. Have a nice day.
Word Count: 2121