Lokei's grin spread slowly, sharp and full of mischief. His blue hair was tightly braided, and his eyes were cold and hungry the kind of look that suggested he thrived on other people's fear. He stepped forward, his feet crunching over the gravel like a beat in a song.
"Name's Lokei Yoshie," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "I'm about to make some cash off you for Shuren."
With a flick of his wrist, his fingers danced loosely. "Ready?"
Zemin tilted his head, that infuriating smile creeping back onto his face. Inside, Toon was screaming for him to back off, but his body just wouldn't listen.
"You talk too much," Zemin muttered, his shoulders dropping into a low stance. "If you want money, you better hope you can still count after I'm done breaking your fingers."
Lokei chuckled, a sound like gravel sliding down a hill. Then, in a flash, he lunged forward.
The ground cracked beneath his heel; one moment he was standing there, and the next, he was right in Zemin's face, fist pulled back and ready to strike with lightning speed.
Boom.
Zemin barely managed to raise his forearm in time. The impact rattled through his bones, sending shockwaves down his entire body. He stumbled back three steps, his sneakers screeching against the concrete.
What the hell? Toon thought, shaken. This guy's not just some street thug… he's something else.
But Zemin's smile only grew wider, his teeth flashing.
"My turn."
He lunged forward, dropping low before rising up with a brutal uppercut aimed straight at Lokei's jaw. The punch sliced through the air, loud as thunder in the narrow alley.
Lokei bent back in an unnatural way, his spine twisting like a snake, narrowly avoiding the fist. Then he retaliated with a knee that slammed into Zemin's gut.
Whump!
Air exploded from Zemin's lungs. Blood splattered against the wall. But instead of crumbling, Zemin laughed a jagged, broken laugh that even made Lokei hesitate for a moment.
"You hit like a wimp," Zemin growled, grabbing Lokei's leg midair.
Before Lokei could react, Zemin twisted, swinging him around like a ragdoll, and smashed
Before Lokei could even think to react, Zemin pivoted, using him like a rag doll, and slammed him hard against the brick wall. The bricks shattered. Dust rained down. Lokei crashed to the ground, coughed up blood, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"…Sh*t. You're a blast."
Both of them began to vibrate, raw energy crackling around them like sparks. Two hunters, one narrow alley.
The alley vibrated with every punch thrown, fists cracking, knees colliding, and sparks of raw energy igniting with each hit. Zemin's grin never wavered. Lokei's smirk mirrored his, even as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Then
BANG!
A gunshot sliced through the air, reverberating off the narrow walls. They both froze for a split second before instinct kicked in their heads snapped to the side, narrowly dodging the bullet that zipped past and shattered a bottle behind them.
"What the hell?" Lokei muttered.
Zemin's gaze sharpened. They turned in unison.
At the alley's entrance stood the tall seller the same guy Zemin had slammed against the wall earlier. His face was swollen, his nose bent at an odd angle, but somehow he had managed to get his hands on a pistol. His hands trembled, yet he sneered defiantly.
"You two… you're not walking out of here alive."
For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then, in perfect sync, Zemin and Lokei said, "…This dumb motherfucker."
Their annoyance was palpable, as if the gunshot had interrupted their favorite track.
Before the seller could even react, they sprang into action. Zemin was the first to move, his smile sharp enough to slice. He seized the seller's wrist and slammed it against the wall with such force that the gun clattered from his grip.
Lokei was right behind him, driving a fist into the guy's ribs with a sickening crunch. The seller wheezed, spit flying from his mouth.
Zemin didn't let up he kneed the guy in the face, snapping his head back, then shoved him forward just as Lokei's kick sent him crashing into a dumpster.
The seller crumpled, bloodied and unconscious before he even hit the ground. Both fighters stood over him, panting heavily.
Lokei clicked his tongue. "Man… talk about killing the mood."
Zemin spat blood to the side, a smirk creeping across his face. "Yeah. If you interrupt me again, you'll end up worse than him."
Their eyes locked the air was thick with tension, but there was an odd sense of understanding between them now.
"...So," Lokei cracked his knuckles and shifted back into his stance, "where were we?"
The alley erupted again with the sound of fists meeting flesh. The fight raged like a tempest until Zemin, with a calm grin plastered on his face, ducked under one of Lokei's wild swings. His foot slid over a puddle on the alley floor, and without thinking, he kicked it up.
SPLOOSH!
The murky water splattered across Lokei's chest, soaking through his shirt.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then—
"AAAAH WHAT THE HELL?!" Lokei screamed, stumbling back. He grabbed his shirt, took a whiff, and instantly gagged. "Dude DUDE, IS THAT…?!" His voice cracked like a fragile glass. "Why the hell does this smell like—like actual SH*T!?"
Zemin tilted his head, his grin widening, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Guess the streets don't play nice, huh?"
Lokei's horror morphed into a mix of rage and disgust. "No… no, no, no screw this, I'm out!"
And just like that, he took off.
What followed didn't resemble a brutal street fight anymore it looked more like a scene from Scooby-Doo. Lokei dashed through alley after alley, shoving crates, vaulting over trash cans, even slipping past a toppled noodle cart, while Zemin casually pursued him, laughter echoing like a predator relishing the chase.
"Stop chasing me, you psycho!" Lokei shouted.
"You already stink one more splash won't hurt!" Zemin shot back.
They darted through alleyways, leaped over fences, startled pedestrians, and even barreled through a cramped laundromat, knocking clotheslines askew. Finally, Zemin cornered Lokei in a dead-end backstreet. The blue-haired fighter pressed against the wall, eyes wide with panic.
"Wait, WAIT don't—"
SPLOOOSH!
Another wave of foul-smelling water hit him right in the face.
The stench was immediate. Lokei recoiled, gagged violently, and then crumpled to the ground, face-first on the concrete, overwhelmed by shock and disgust.
Zemin stood over him, casually wiping his hands, exuding calm. "Pathetic."
When Toon finally regained his senses a moment later, he looked around, bewildered. The chaos of the fight had swept them into a completely different part of town.
The engine's hum sliced through the stillness of the night. A sleek black car—low, shiny, and oddly out of place on these crumbling streets glided along the cracked pavement. Inside, Shuren lounged comfortably, one arm draped over the door, her keen eyes scanning the dark alleys like a hawk on the hunt.
"Over there," she said, a sly smile creeping across her lips.
The driver, a young woman with sharp bangs and a quiet intensity in her gaze, glanced back at her through the rearview mirror. "You sure? It looks pretty messy."
Shuren smirked. "Messy is exactly why we're here. Drive."
The car purred to a halt near the alley.
They stepped out. Zemin was crouched low, his body still shaking from the switch. Blood dripped from his knuckles, his breathing was ragged, but that dark, lingering smile was still plastered on his face.
"Well, well…" Shuren's tone was playful, but her eyes were sharp as daggers. "Looks like you made it."
Zemin tilted his head up, meeting her gaze with an unsettling calm.
Shuren's attention shifted past him, narrowing as she spotted the blue-haired body sprawled in the corner, unconscious and reeking. She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
"…And what the hell happened here?"
The driver stepped closer, pinching her nose against the stench. "Whatever went down, it stinks."
The car's engine hummed as it pulled out of the alley, city lights streaking across the windows like tired neon veins. Zemin leaned back in his seat, quiet, the faint smell of blood and decay still clinging to him. Lokei sat with his arms crossed, sulking, his once-clean clothes still damp and carrying that awful odor.
Then it happened.
The driver Tasia suddenly erupted into laughter. Not a giggle or a snicker, but a full-on belly laugh that echoed in the confined space.
"BAHAHAHA! Water full of sh*t?!" She slapped the steering wheel, tears brimming in her eyes. "That's how you got dropped?! Oh my god, I can't breathe!"
Lokei's jaw tightened as his face flushed red. "Tasia, shut the f*ck up! I said stop laughing!"
But she just couldn't help it. Every time she tried to catch her breath, laughter bubbled up even more. "Seriously? You're supposed to be Shuren's top guy, and you got taken down by freaking sewer water?! Nah, I'm done—BAHAHA!"
In the backseat, Shuren let out a thick cloud of smoke, her face a total mystery. She flicked the ash out the window, her sharp gaze darting between the three of them.
"Wait a second," she said slowly, her voice flat with disbelief. "So… that's really how it went down?" Another puff of smoke escaped her lips as she shook her head. "Out of all the ways to lose, it was water full of crap?"
The car fell silent for a moment—except for Tasia, who was still trying to stifle her laughter.
Finally, she got herself together, wiping her eyes. She caught Lokei's reflection in the rearview mirror, a small grin still playing on her lips. "But don't get it twisted. Even if he's a spoiled brat, Lokei's really good at what he does. The dude's no pushover. Just had the crappiest luck tonight—literally."
Lokei groaned, leaning his head back against the seat, a scowl on his face.
Zemin just smiled faintly, his eyes following the city lights as they passed by, saying nothing.
Tasia leaned back with a playful grin. "That's what I like about him."
Those words hit Lokei like a stray bullet. His cheeks flushed instantly, and he turned his head away, arms crossed tightly. "D-Don't say dumb stuff like that… idiot."
His sudden tsundere act drew a chuckle from Shuren, who shook her head in disbelief at the rising tension in the car.
But then Zemin stiffened. He heard it. A faint, rhythmic click of heels tapping against the floor from the backseat. Slowly, he glanced at the rearview mirror.
Sure enough, two figures lounged comfortably in the shadows—Sévon, with his laid-back posture, and Taura, half-asleep, stretching like she'd been there the whole time.
"When did you two get in the car?"
Sévon didn't even bother to look up, just smirked lazily, "Since the beginning. You just weren't paying attention."