In Universe 06, the original Kiro was fighting an enemy from Layer 2.
A zombie galaxy came rushing in. Kiro spotted it, leapt up, caught it in one hand, and drove a serious punch into it. The galaxy turned to ash instantly. Kiro dropped back onto the planet and scanned his surroundings. A dark silhouette with a red smile stood in the gloom. He sensed something behind him and spun around, but a fist smashed into his face and sent him flying to the other side of the planet.
He pushed himself up from the ground, and the silhouette stepped out of the darkness. It was a human with solid white eyes, a red mouth, long black hair, a gray shirt, and black pants and shoes.
"Hello, citizen. Allow me to introduce myself. I am your worst nightmare in human form," the creature declared, its voice hoarse and unsettling.
Kiro simply studied it, his expression serious.
"My worst nightmare? You look like something out of a cheap horror story," Kiro said.
He lunged forward, but the creature moved so fast that not even the universe's own layer could register it. It appeared behind Kiro and slammed a blow into his back, sending him flying.
Kiro scrambled upright and charged a punch. The silhouette only smiled.
"Very well. I'll step out of my darkness so you can get a good look," the creature said in a macabre voice.
Kiro stopped his strike and watched with curiosity as the silhouette emerged. It was an identical copy of him: dark blue shirt with black sleeves, the red-and-blue bandana, gray pants, and black shoes with blue laces. Only the mouth, the voice, and the eyes were different.
Kiro stared at it in disbelief.
"Are you some kind of copy of me, or what?" Kiro asked.
"I am a beast identical to you," the creature answered.
Without another word, it began hammering Kiro from every direction. The flurry of blows made his head spin, but he stomped the ground hard, and a sphere of rock formed beneath his feet. The creature lost its balance for a moment. Kiro seized the chance and kicked it square in the jaw. The monster howled in pain. It was a heavy, charged blow. It spat blood and saliva, then went right back to its murderous grin.
A black space swallowed them both, and the creature vanished into the dark. Kiro looked around warily. Suddenly a message flashed before his eyes.
**RUN!! RUN!! RUN!!**
Behind him, a pair of red eyes appeared. Without wasting a second, Kiro ran with everything he had, his mind racing.
**RUN!! RUN!! RUN!!**
The same words kept appearing ahead of him, urging him to go faster. The monster was close behind, and he could feel its breath brushing his skin. Kiro began stomping and swinging his arms at a blistering pace, pushing his speed to levels he had never reached. His velocity burst into a flash of blinding light that lit his path. He had reached the speed of light and surpassed it in the same instant.
He left the creature far behind, but it was moving at light speed too. It appeared at Kiro's left in a heartbeat, and their speeds collided in a violent flare of luminous energy. The space around them cracked and exploded. Kiro burst out first with a few scrapes, rubbed his eyes, and looked over his shoulder. The creature had come out as well, a little scorched.
"Hahahahahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Out of nowhere, the silhouette began laughing hysterically, clutching its head. Beneath the monstrous features, a human face appeared, identical to Kiro's, with the same pale blue eyes. Kiro noticed the small change and realized it was some kind of variant. He had read in comics about different versions of oneself.
A melody began to pulse, louder and louder. *Fallen Hero. Fallen Hero.* The words repeated again and again. The creature hurled itself at the protagonist and drove a punch into his stomach so powerful that it obliterated the galaxy they stood in. The blast reached the neighboring galaxies and set off a gigantic explosion. The dimensions trembled, then stilled. Kiro crashed onto a lifeless zombie planet, his body badly battered and bleeding heavily.
"Damn it!" Kiro shouted, furious and frustrated.
Another silhouette rose from the rubble, clad in purple armor that gleamed like diamond, its face hidden in shadow. It drew a sword twelve meters tall. Kiro paid it no attention. He touched his chest and breathed deeply.
A fight erupted, and Kiro could barely hold his own against the knight. The planet began to crack and crumble under the force of their clash. Kiro threw serious punch after punch, using his speed to the fullest.
The creature sensed the fight and rushed over. It landed on the planet and made it shake. The knight stopped and watched. In a movement too fast to follow, Kiro and the knight were both on the ground, drained and bleeding.
"Pathetic. You think you can start a battle without my permission?" the monster proclaimed. "Hahahahahahaha!"
Kiro lost consciousness. Inside his mind he saw someone who looked like him, yet different. He was the same in every way but with more abilities, able to create currents of air whenever an emotion showed on his face.
"I am the second of the Kiros who have existed. You were the first, but you were the one who had to live in this hellish universe without help or friends," an omnipotent voice said.
Kiro turned his head but found no one, only a hand stretched out toward him.
"Let me take control of your body, boy," the omnipotent voice said again.
The protagonist nodded and clasped the hand, and a great wellspring of power surged through his mind. Outside, Kiro's body rose, now controlled by that voice. The creature was stunned to see him alive.
"You are an error that must die," Kiro said in a deep voice.
Elsewhere, the unknown voice felt a presence it hadn't sensed in millennia, one it knew very well, known as "Control the mind."
Neither the dimensions nor the multiverse noticed Kiro's body move. A great terror swept over the creature as a fist punched through its body. In 0.000000001 nanoseconds it was erased from existence, its soul wiped away with it.
Kiro dropped to his knees, opened his eyes, and touched his head. His body healed itself automatically. He sighed in relief, and a green potion appeared in his hand. He zoned out for a moment, thinking. Then he walked over to the knight and poured the healing potion over him. After that he left the planet, leaping from world to world. The knight only watched him go and smiled inwardly.