The dust had barely settled from the initial clash when the large man surged back to his feet, his shattered bones knitting together with a sickening, wet sound.
"Right you are," he rumbled, his injuries vanishing instantly. "It's been a while since someone... hurt me." A wide, predatory smile crept across his face as his fingers tightened around the shaft of his obsidian hammer. "Let's start again."
He lunged, a relentless mountain of muscle charging toward the trio.
"He's coming!" Kaito shouted in fear.
Kenji didn't retreat. Dragging his broken body across the dirt, he reached his sword. With his right hand useless, he gripped the hilt firmly in his left and marched forward to meet the giant.
"Okay, so we're fighting and not running. That's cool," Kaito said, his sarcasm a thin veil for his panic. He looked over at the steaming, exhausted figure of his friend. "[[William]], can you break more bones?"
"Nah, I'm tapped out," William wheezed, his green veins flickering dimly.
SWOOSH!
Kenji swung with a desperate arc, but the steel did nothing. The large man reached out and caught the blade mid-air, holding it still with terrifying strength.
"Try again next time," he mocked. "My name is Victor. I am the Adjon's loyal servant, one of three, actually. If you beat me, and only if you deliver the kill, you earn the passage to the Sunken Capital. But if anyone else kills me, I will simply come back to hunt you, forever." He leaned in, his eyes burning. "Let's start again, 'Zero'."
Victor prepared to deliver a crushing kick, but Kenji let go of his sword, dropping to the dirt to snatch up a jagged piece of stone. He slammed it into Victor's shin with everything he had.
"Really? A stone?" Victor laughed, slamming Kenji into the ground with a massive palm. "The truth is, I'm not supposed to kill you. But they didn't say I couldn't break you."
Victor reached down, grabbed Kenji's leg, and twisted. A sickening crack echoed through the clearing, but Kenji didn't scream. His face remained as stone-cold and emotionless as a graveyard.
"You really don't scream in pain, huh?" Victor muttered, his smile fading into annoyance. "Takes the fun out of it. But what the heck, let's do this."
"Kaito, you have to go and help him!" William urged from the sidelines.
"Me? Why would I do that?" Kaito retorted. "If I interfere, that monster hunts us forever!"
"Because we're going to die right now if he doesn't make it! Remember?" William snapped.
"Shit. Great point," Kaito conceded. "Use your Shift to destroy his upper body temporarily with a stone!"
"Yeah! And I can try floating it up and aiming it!" Kaito added.
Kaito found a sizable rock and created a gravitational Shift powerful enough to keep it centered. He aimed and shot it like a railgun.
SPLAT!
The stone pulverized Victor's chest, stunning the giant momentarily. The duo scrambled toward Kenji.
"You can't interfere," Kenji rasped, his eyes fixed on the regenerating mass of flesh. "I have to kill him."
"Well, I have an idea," Kaito said quickly. "Clearly, he can't defend against a high-speed attacks. Let me shoot you straight at him with this butcher knife."
Kenji gripped the blade. Kaito focused his Gravity Shift, creating a force of gravity that pulled Kenji toward the regenerating Victor at terminal velocity.
"You know, that attack is getting PRETTY ANNOYING!" Victor roared, his torso half-knitted.
But it was too late. Before Victor could focus his eyes, Kenji was there, the blade inches from his skull.
BOOM!
Blood sprayed across the cobblestones. Kenji rolled across the ground, his body battered, as the trio realized the giant was no longer reviving. The cycle was finally broken.
Kaito used a gentle Shift to lift Kenji up. "That was awesome!, you're kinda cool man," he admitted.
The people of Oakhaven slowly emerged from their homes, staring at the young man who had spent his night purging the rot from their streets. A soft clap started, then grew into a roar of applause.
"Sirs, please, let me bring you to a doctor," a citizen stepped forward. "This young man saved my sister. I owe him everything!" he shouted to everyone.
"FUCK the Adjons for destroying our lives!" a man shouted from the back of the crowd.
The crowd went silent. Heads turned in terror.
"Hey, you know you can't say that," someone whispered, fear-struck.
"Is that what you believe?" A voice that demanded absolute respect cut through the air, his presence of authority showered over everyone.
A figure descended from the sky, landing softly in front of the man who had shouted.
"N... no... I... I did—"
SPLAT.
The man became nothing more than a crimson smear on the road.
"Anyways," the newcomer said, stepping over the mess. "I am Gitthinji. You've met my brother, [[Damian]] who was in charge of your... how do you say... 'Development'?"
He looked at Kenji's mangled limbs. "Let me heal you as a gesture of kindness."
Kaito and William hesitated, recognizing the sheer pressure radiating from Gitthinji. They slowly handed Kenji over.
"I want to hear you scream," Gitthinji whispered, his hands glowing with a dark, shimmering light. "Because they say you don't." , a smile as soft as an angel.
He began the healing process. It wasn't a soothing warmth; it felt like hot lead being poured into Kenji's veins, his bones being snapped and reset a dozen times a second. It was the most painful experience imaginable.
Kenji stared directly into Gitthinji's eyes, his expression unchanging, his voice silent.
"Fascinating," Gitthinji murmured, genuinely in awe. He stepped back, the light fading. "Oakhaven is my place to rule, and I think I've made it wonderful, don't you think?" He smiled thinly. "Anyways, it's time for you to go. Get out of my city."
Kenji stood up, his body fully mended but his eyes burning with a cold, murderous promise.
Gitthinji called out as they turned to leave "Good luck at the[[ Sunken Capital]]".