Briana's pov
"It's over, huh?" I muttered under my breath, barely able to process what had just happened.
After King showed up, the entire battlefield shifted. The tension, the chaos—it all vanished in mere seconds. Just how powerful does someone have to be to stop a fight with nothing but their presence?
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. The fight had ended, but my focus was elsewhere. I turned to Hyun, who stood nearby, breathing heavily.
"Hey, it's over, isn't it?" I asked as I approached him.
"For now, I guess," he replied, stretching his battered body.
"Looks like this is where it stops... for now," Kiro Yuri remarked, standing a few feet away with that ever-present smirk of his.
"Right. But next time, you won't be this lucky," Hyun shot back, locking eyes with Kiro in a silent battle of wills.
"Tsk. We'll finish this later," Kiro scoffed, flipping us off before turning on his heel. The Phantom Six and Akami Army followed suit, picking up their fallen comrades—including Shiro Ryota, their leader, who still lay motionless on the ground.
"That bastard," Blake Ryoma muttered as he pushed himself up, still sore from the battle.
I turned back to Hyun just in time to see his body sway. Before he could collapse, I rushed forward, catching him.
"Hyun!"
His body felt heavier than usual, weakened by exhaustion and injuries. This truly was the calm after the storm.
We regrouped with the rest of JRK, joined by Chord Ruiz, Faith Ishida, and their leader, Damian Jung of the Dark Knights. They had helped us fight, but their reasons remained unclear.
"Are you all good? Can we leave now?" Damian asked, assisting our injured members.
"We're fine. We can handle the rest from here," I assured him with a grateful smile.
"Good. Then we're out of here," Faith said, turning away without hesitation.
Hyun, still struggling to stay upright, raised his voice. "Hey! Why did you guys help us?!"
Damian didn't even glance back. He simply smiled before walking away, leaving us with more questions than answers.
As we settled down to recover, a gnawing thought crept into my mind. My heartbeat quickened.
I turned to Hyun, shaking his arm to get his attention. "We need to find Jin and the others."
His expression shifted from exhaustion to alarm. Even with his body failing him, he pushed himself upright.
"Go find Jin and Yuzu! Now!" he bellowed, his voice carrying urgency.
Our comrades sprang into action. Jerzey and Claine sprinted in the direction Jin and Kai had disappeared to earlier, with Ryu—who had recovered some of his strength—following close behind.
Hyun tried to move as well, but I stopped him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. He was in no condition to fight again.
"Stay here with Ryoma. We'll find them," I assured him.
He clenched his fists but nodded, letting himself fall back onto the ground. "If you insist. Not like I can move much anyway."
"Exactly. Just rest."
Without wasting another second, I took off, my legs moving as fast as they could. The air burned in my lungs, but I refused to slow down.
Kai could handle herself, but Jin... Jin was different. He was our only hope of taking down the Phantom Six.
My heart pounded harder and harder, a suffocating tightness pressing against my chest.
I clenched my jaw, pressing a hand against my sternum as if that would somehow calm the unease building inside me.
Damn it. What is this feeling?
Why do I feel so restless?
I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on my goal—
Finding Jin.
Please... be safe.
______________________________________
Jin's pov
"Damn it!" I hissed as I watched Jake crumble to the ground, the force of Akami Holmes' punch knocking him out cold.
Shit. Even with the three of us, we still can't overpower these two? These bastards are real monsters.
"What now? Still not giving up?" Akami taunted, his smirk mocking, his stance relaxed like this was nothing more than a game to him.
I clenched my fists, my body screaming at me to stop, but my pride wouldn't let me. "Tsk. Cut the crap! We fight until the end!" Without hesitation, I lunged at him, throwing a series of rapid punches. But he dodged them effortlessly, weaving through my attacks like he had already seen them coming.
Jerome had already fallen, taken down by Satoshi. That left only Jake and me standing, struggling against Akami. And Kai... she was still resting in the place I had left her. I wanted to go to her, to make sure she is okay, but I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
The others were still fighting against the Akami Army and Phantom Six. I couldn't let them down.
As Jake and I exchanged blows with Akami, the battle took a sudden turn. A powerful punch connected with Jake's jaw, sending him sprawling onto the ground, unmoving.
Shit!
I was alone now. Just me against this damn monster. I knew I had no chance of winning, but running away like a coward was never an option. I had to stand my ground.
"What's wrong, Yagami? Getting tired already?" Akami sneered, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
I spat on the ground, wiping the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. "Tsk. Enough with the talk! Let's finish this!"
I lunged forward, pouring everything I had into a single punch. This was it. If I missed, I'm done for.
I swung with all the strength I had left—
And I missed.
A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized my mistake. Akami had already moved before my fist could connect. His own punch was coming at me fast, and I had no time to react.
I braced myself for the impact, knowing that this was it.
But just before his fist could land, a voice cut through the battlefield.
"That's enough, Akami. Let's go."
Satoshi Cruz.
Akami stopped, his fist hovering inches from my face. For a moment, he stared at me—not with rage, not with triumph, but with something else entirely.
Pity...
What the hell...?
Then, without another word, he lowered his fist and turned away, walking beside Satoshi as they retreated into the darkness.
I fell to my knees, my entire body trembling, completely drained of strength. But I wasn't worried about myself.
I was confused.
That look... What was that look?!
Why did Akami stare at me like that? Was there a meaning behind it?
I was so lost in thought that I barely heard the frantic voices calling out to me.
"Jin!"
Ryu came rushing towards me, his face etched with worry, Claine and Jerzey following close behind. "What the hell happened?! Where are Holmes and Cruz?!"
"They left," I muttered, forcing myself to stand. My legs barely supported me, but I refused to fall again.
From the distance, I saw another familiar figure running towards us—Briana... Her face was filled with panic, her body drenched in sweat as she finally reached me.
"What happened?! Are you alright?!" she demanded, scanning me for injuries before turning to the others. "I'll handle him. Ryu, Jerzey, help the twins. Claine, assist your sister. Now!"
No one hesitated. They followed her orders immediately.
Briana wrapped an arm around me, supporting my weight as we slowly moved toward a nearby tree. She eased me down, letting me rest against the trunk before sitting beside me.
"So... what happened? Where did Holmes and Cruz go?" she asked, her voice softer now.
I exhaled deeply. "They just... left. I don't know why. But something's bothering me."
Her brows furrowed. "What is it?"
"Before he left... Akami was looking at me like... like he was trying to tell me something. But I don't understand what it meant." I clenched my fists, my mind racing, trying to piece together what that look could have meant. It wasn't normal. It wasn't what I expected from an enemy.
"Don't dwell on it too much. What matters is that you're safe." Briana's voice was barely above a whisper.
I turned my head toward her—
And that's when I noticed the tears.
Her eyes were red, glistening with unshed tears that soon spilled down her cheeks.
My chest tightened. "W-why are you crying?"
She tried to speak, but her voice broke. "I-I was just... I was so scared... I thought... I thought something bad might happen to you."
Then, as if a dam had broken, the tears fell freely.
I stared at her, momentarily stunned. Briana was one of the strongest people I knew. I had never seen her break down like this before.
Without thinking, I reached out, brushing my hand gently against her hair. "Sssshhh... don't cry. I'm fine. No need to worry."
She didn't respond—she simply leaned into me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. I could feel her shoulders trembling as she cried silently against my chest.
I hesitated for a moment before wrapping my arms around her as well, holding her close.
This fight... was unexpected. We were unprepared. And in the end, neither side could claim victory.
But one thing was certain—
Next time, we would be stronger. We would train harder. And when the time came, we would finally take those bastards down.
Someday, we would win.