The planet of Serene Fist knew nothing of war.
Here, the wind sang quietly through bamboo forests, carrying the scent of jasmine and sunrise. Pagodas floated above mountains suspended not by magic, but by perfect harmony. Waterfalls cascaded gently into koi ponds where time itself seemed reluctant to rush.
Serene Fist was the final place tournament fighters came before the celestial gates opened. A sanctuary. A stillness.
And on this stillness, Jade Killington breathed.
Barefoot beside a koi pond, Jade moved with slow precision, his wiry frame coiled with contained power. His jade-green hair was tied loosely behind him, drifting like moss in calm water. Twin bracers gleamed on his forearms—heavy, reinforced, ceremonial and dangerous.
Jade inhaled.
His body relaxed.
Peace settled.
And then—
KACHINK
He racked his right arm like a shotgun.
Chi pressure erupted around his elbow, rippling the water and sending koi darting in circles.
Jade smirked.
"Morning warmup," he murmured.
He lifted his palm.
A compressed spiral of emerald chi howled through the air—
and shattered a row of meditation stones into dust.
He lowered his arm gently, the pond rippling back into calm.
But calm never lasted long on Serene Fist.
Especially not now.
Not when the universe was shifting.
Not when the Tournament of Champions was only days away.
A ripple of corrupted chi crept through the forest.
Jade didn't turn.
He felt it closing in—wrong, artificial, like dead machinery imitating breath.
Footsteps approached.
Six figures emerged from the bamboo, shadows bent unnaturally around their armor. Their plating was matte black with glowing green seams, helmets shaped like fanged masks. Each step they took felt rehearsed. Calculated. Empty.
They were not wolves.
Not soldiers.
Not assassins.
Something in between.
The Dark Buddies.
Recently born.
Already lethal.
Jade poured himself tea from a kettle.
The leader stepped forward.
"Jade Killington," the agent intoned. "Ranked tournament combatant. Specialty: shotgun-racked chi discharge. Threat level: high."
Jade nodded politely, sipping.
"That's all accurate."
The agent's visor glowed brighter.
"New directive: prevent your entry into the Tournament of Champions. Comply with surrender, or force will be employed."
Jade exhaled slowly.
"So someone's afraid of the competition."
"Incorrect," the agent replied. "We fear nothing. Fear is inefficient."
Jade set his cup down.
"Then you haven't fought enough."
The agent raised a hand.
"Engage."
The four rear agents lunged at once, forming a perfect box formation around him. The last two took elevated sniper positions upon a pagoda roof.
Jade tilted his head.
"Very symmetrical. Shame to ruin it."
The first agent darted forward with a crackling spear of corrupted chi.
Jade countered with a step—not a punch, not a block, just a shift of his weight that brought his right arm into perfect alignment.
His bracer slid forward.
Kachunk.
Emerald spirals coiled tightly around his fist.
He didn't say a word.
He struck.
The chi-blast hit with the sound of a cannon wrapped in thunder.
The agent flew backward, armor imploding, crashing through bamboo and lodging headfirst into a stone lantern.
Jade didn't blink.
The snipers fired.
Corrupted chi bullets streaked through the air.
Jade stepped onto the surface of the pond without sinking. Water bent upward to carry him, wrapping around his toes like obedient silk.
He pivoted lightly.
Bullets shot past him, breaking only water.
His left arm racked.
KAKACHINK.
Pressure spiraled downward.
He slammed his palm onto the pond.
"Second Shot."
The entire pond erupted like a geyser. A vortex of spiraling water launched the nearest attackers skyward, flinging both snipers from their rooftop perches.
They crashed hard.
Jade watched them roll across the stones.
Only three agents remained upright.
The leader analyzed him again.
"Power output… significantly above projected levels."
Jade shrugged. "Your projections need work."
"Threat increase confirmed."
Jade's tone remained casual.
"Want to recalculate?"
The agents lunged.
Jade dropped low, arms pulling back in a deliberate motion—the twin bracers sliding, locking, shuddering.
The air trembled.
This was not a normal technique.
It was Jade's signature.
The multi-shot barrage.
His fists blurred.
His breath steadied.
And then—
"Twelve Shot."
He unleashed a rapid-fire explosion of chi-blasts that hammered the valley like titan artillery. Each impact tore bamboo apart, cracked flagstones, and sent shockwaves through the pagodas.
The leader was thrown into a stone pillar.
Two more agents were launched in opposite directions, skidding across the dirt.
Silence fell.
Even the wind paused, stunned.
Jade racked both arms one more time.
For emphasis.
KACHUNK.
He straightened his gi.
"That was unnecessary," he said calmly. "But deeply satisfying."
Only the leader remained conscious—barely.
He forced himself to speak through a damaged voice filter.
"You… cannot attend the tournament. Our Directive forbids it. Failure jeopardizes—"
Jade flicked a finger.
A micro-blast of chi shattered the agent's visor, knocking him out instantly.
"Jeopardizes my tea time," Jade corrected.
He bent down, picked up his kettle, and poured another cup.
But the moment he lifted the cup to his lips, a ripple of warping color swirled across the broken bridge.
Someone stepped out of the dimensional distortion.
Jade's eyebrow raised.
"Magic Kid?"
The chaotic mage grinned ear-to-ear.
"Hiya! Loved the explosions. Very boom. Very wow."
Jade set his teacup down again. "You're not here to fight."
"Nope! I'm here as a… recruiter? Ish?" Magic Kid twirled his staff. "Bones thinks you'd look great on team End-Of-The-Universe."
Jade rubbed his temple. "The Dark Buddies."
Magic Kid nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! They get capes! And corruption powers! And free dental! (I think?)"
"No."
Magic Kid blinked. "No?"
Jade cracked his arms again slowly.
KACHINK.
Magic Kid stepped back instinctively.
Jade's voice was calm, steady.
"Tell Bones this: I am not an agent. I am not a weapon. I am not a pawn for his shadow games."
He raised his hand, palm glowing.
"Tell him I break shadows."
Magic Kid beamed. "Oh, he is going to LOVE that answer."
Jade narrowed his eyes.
Magic Kid tilted his head.
"You know," he added, "Bones didn't send these guys to beat you."
Jade frowned.
"Then why?"
Magic Kid's smile sharpened.
"To see if you're worthy of being worried about."
And with a cheerful wave, he flipped backward and vanished into a whirl of swirling colors.
Jade watched the distortion fade.
He exhaled, long and slow.
"They're stacking the deck already," he murmured. "Tournament's gonna be… interesting."
He poured himself the rest of the tea.
Serene Fist was calm again.
Too calm.
Jade looked at his reflection in the pond.
"You better be ready, Killington," he whispered.
He racked his arms one more time.
KACHINK.
"Because the storm's almost here."
And with less than five days until the Tournament of Champions,
the universe moved one step closer to unraveling.