The plaza stood in ruins, a graveyard of broken concrete, fallen heroes, and fractured silence. Only two figures remained upright amidst the wreckage Kaizen and Garou.
The mist hung thick, wrapping the world in gray. The rain had dulled to a drizzle, every drop echoing faintly in the hollow square. Kaizen's sandals shifted slightly against the cracked stone, his stance rooted, breath steady. Across from him, Garou stood relaxed, almost careless, but his presence carried weight enough to suffocate the night.
For a heartbeat, nothing moved. Then Garou spoke, voice like gravel dragged across steel.
"So. The disciple who keeps sniffing at my trail finally bares his fangs."
Kaizen's eyes narrowed. "You've left me no choice. The destruction you've sown, the lives you've broken it ends tonight."
Garou chuckled low, shaking his head. "Still clinging to that hero's creed. You're no hero, Kaizen. You never were. You're like me hungry, restless, searching for something this rotten world can't give."
Kaizen's fists tightened. "No. I'm nothing like you."
The words rang firm, yet deep inside, Kaizen felt the tremor of doubt. Garou's presence was overwhelming, not just in strength but in conviction. Facing him felt like standing before a mirror distorted by rage and scars.
Garou lifted one hand and gestured mockingly. "Then prove it."
The air cracked.
Kaizen moved first, surging forward with explosive speed, closing the distance in a blink. His fist cut the air toward Garou's jaw.
Garou leaned aside effortlessly, the punch grazing past. His counter came sharp a palm heel aimed at Kaizen's ribs. Kaizen twisted, intercepting with his forearm. The impact rattled his bones, forcing him back a step.
He exhaled slowly. Heavy. He's grown sharper since Bang's teachings.
Kaizen launched again, fists weaving in precise arcs, flowing like water through Bang's Fang techniques. Each strike carried measured intent, designed not to overwhelm but to control. Yet Garou met him blow for blow, redirecting with uncanny instinct, turning Kaizen's flow against him.
The clash became a blur of limbs punch, block, counter, sweep. Their feet tore shallow craters into the wet stone. Sparks flickered where knuckles collided, the shockwaves rippling outward.
Garou's grin widened as he parried a strike and slammed his elbow toward Kaizen's temple. Kaizen ducked under, spinning with a low kick. Garou hopped over it, twisting midair, his heel lashing out.
The kick grazed Kaizen's shoulder, sending him skidding across the plaza. He rolled, grounding himself again, chest heaving.
"You've improved," Garou taunted. "Your form's tighter, faster. But you're still chained to technique. Still dancing to your master's rhythm."
Kaizen wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "Discipline isn't weakness. It's control."
Garou's eyes glinted, feral. "Control breaks. And when it does, what remains is truth."
He lunged, his movements wild yet calculated, a fusion of every martial art Kaizen had studied and more adapted, refined, weaponized through countless battles. His strikes came unpredictable, flowing between styles, always one step ahead.
Kaizen gritted his teeth. Garou wasn't just mimicking Fang techniques he was evolving them. Each deflection carried brutality, each strike intent to cripple.
If I meet him on his terms, I'll lose. I need to break his flow.
Kaizen shifted, altering his rhythm mid-combo. He feinted a strike high, then slammed his knee upward into Garou's gut. The blow connected, forcing Garou back half a step. Kaizen followed with a double palm thrust, launching Garou across the plaza.
Garou landed smoothly, skidding to a stop, laughter echoing in the rain. "Yes! That's it. Stop holding back. Show me your hunger."
Kaizen's pulse thundered. He could feel it the dangerous thrill Garou spoke of, the primal exhilaration of clashing fists without restraint. But he crushed it, burying it beneath discipline.
"I'm not here to feed your madness," Kaizen said, voice steady. "I'm here to stop it."
Garou's grin faded, replaced by cold focus. "Then die trying."
He exploded forward, faster than before. Kaizen barely registered the motion before Garou's fist drove into his guard, cracking bone. Pain shot up his arm. Another strike hammered into his ribs, forcing the air from his lungs.
Kaizen staggered, vision flashing white. Garou's shadow loomed, relentless.
But instinct roared louder than pain. Kaizen ducked under the next swing, pivoted on his heel, and slammed his elbow into Garou's chest. The impact reverberated through both their bodies, forcing Garou to retreat a pace.
Both men stood panting, steam rising off their skin despite the cold rain. Their gazes locked, unyielding.
From the ground nearby, one of the battered heroes groaned, half-conscious. His trembling voice cut through the clash. "Stop… both of you… this isn't… human."
Neither Kaizen nor Garou looked his way. Their world had narrowed to the other alone.
Garou's expression shifted, almost solemn. "Do you see now, Kaizen? Heroes fall like paper. Monsters crumble like dirt. Only those who transcend both only we can stand above."
Kaizen shook his head. "Strength without restraint isn't transcendence. It's corruption."
"Then let's see which of us breaks first."
They collided again, the impact shattering what remained of the plaza's central statue. Stone shards exploded outward, scattering into the mist. Their battle became a storm Kaizen's discipline clashing with Garou's chaos, technique against instinct, order against evolution.
Garou's strikes pressed harder, wilder, yet always with purpose. Kaizen's defense strained, each block numbing his arms, but his counters grew sharper, faster, his body adapting under the crucible of battle.
A final exchange erupted Kaizen's palm thrust slamming into Garou's chest as Garou's fist crashed into Kaizen's jaw. Both staggered back, gasping, blood staining the rainwater beneath them.
Silence followed.
They stood across from one another, battered but unbroken, eyes burning through the fog.
Garou smirked faintly, blood dripping from his lip. "Not bad. You're closer to me than you want to admit."
Kaizen steadied his breathing, spitting blood onto the cracked stone. "I'll never be you."
Garou chuckled, low and ominous, stepping backward into the mist. "We'll see."
And just like that, he melted into the fog, leaving only destruction in his wake.
Kaizen stood alone in the plaza, fists trembling not just from pain, but from the weight of Garou's words. For the first time, doubt gnawed at his conviction.
Yet he straightened, breath steadying. This was only the beginning.