A hooded figure steps out from the darkness, each step echoing like a drumbeat. His presence is so heavy it feels like the air itself has thickened, pressing down on the street. Even Zavios' wild grin falters as an instinct older than thought screams at him—danger.
???: "Apex Predators, huh… I see."
The gang stiffens. Zavios forces his trademark grin, but sweat beads on his temple.
Zavios (thinking): This pressure… my body won't move right. He's dangerous. Really dangerous. But I'm still No. 10. I don't back down.
With a roar, Zavios explodes forward, throwing a razor-sharp straight punch.
Zavios: "Take this!"
The hooded figure doesn't flinch. Doesn't dodge. He eats the punch, his head snapping slightly with the impact. Then—like a shadow striking back—he slides in close, arms snaking around Zavios in a sudden clinch.
Zavios: "Hah! Too easy to read. You're just an amateur!"
He smirks, trying to muscle his way free, but the figure's grip is like iron.
The hood dips lower. A cold whisper:
???: "Mouse… right into the trap."
Before Zavios can react, the figure yanks his arm down, shredding his guard wide open.
Zavios (thinking): Shit—my guard!
The hooded shadow raises his elbow high and brings it down like a sledgehammer.
BOOM!
A sickening crack echoes. Zavios' forearm bends at a wrong angle, pain exploding through his nerves.
Zavios: "W-what the…? My arm—broken?!"
He barely has time to gasp before the clinch tightens like a vice.
THUD!
A brutal knee rockets into his gut.
CRACK—SPIT! Blood bursts from Zavios' mouth as his body folds inward, his vision tunneling.
Zavios (thinking): U-unreal… this guy… I-I'm gonna black out…
Zavios crashes to the ground, eyes rolling back.
The Apex Predators roar in rage, twenty pairs of feet pounding as they charge.
The hooded figure tilts his head slightly, aura spilling like a stormcloud, dark and suffocating. His voice is low, cold, final.
???: "So… more beasts want to be tamed?"
The street falls silent for a heartbeat—then explodes into chaos.
Chapter 5 End.