Out on the Northern end of the Militia base, the outer gate loomed high, surrounded by walls like iron giants. The sea roared violently beyond, waves crashing in rhythm with the tension in the air. The night pressed down heavy, and the guards trembled, unsure whether to advance or flee in the presence of the two monsters before them.
Nero and War stood locked in a stare.
Each waited for the other to make the first move.
Suddenly—Nero vanished. His form blurred, moving faster than human eyes could follow.
But War wasn't caught off guard.
His fists shot up, intercepting every slash of Nero's katana, sparks scattering into the night.
War (thinking): "His build's light—but his strength doesn't match it."
Nero kept the pressure relentless, his katana flashing in lethal rhythm.
Kesa-giri—a diagonal cut down-left.
(Dodged)
Shōmen-uchi—a brutal overhead strike.
(Blocked)
Tsuki—a killing thrust.
(Caught)
Every strike was meant to kill.
War's patience finally snapped. With a roar, he drove a punch forward, the impact ripping violent gusts through the yard. Nero slipped past it with effortless grace, pivoting into a counter-slash—
Steel bit into War's shoulder.
Nero slid back lightly, creating distance, his tone almost playful.
Nero (light, amused): "Tough one, aren't you?"
War's eyes burned as he straightened.
War (snarling): "That mask… you're Red Moon."
Nero clutched his chest in mock shock.
Nero: "Oh no… you got me. Guess my cover's blown."
War stepped forward, fury coiling tight.
War: "You think this is a joke?!"
Nero tilted his head, a lazy grin creeping across his face.
Nero: "Well… I do see a clown standing right in front of me."
War's growl vibrated through his armor as he prepared to strike—
then static ripped through his earpiece.
Guard (panicked, over comms): "Sir! Sir—they took it!"
War froze.
War: "What… what did they take?!"
Guard: "The Nitchtronian artifact!"
Silence fell.
War's lips began to move, barely audible—like a broken mantra.
War (low, shaking): "Not again… not again… not again…"
The ground trembled. Heat surged outward as War's aura erupted—furious, unstable. Steam hissed from his skin, veins bulging as rage and shame twisted his frame.
War (bellowing): "I CAN'T FAIL AGAIN! Send units back—follow that aircraft! Retrieve the artifact at all costs!!"
He launched forward, fist blazing.
Nero raised his katana just in time—
steel met force—
War: "Grenade!!"
The explosion swallowed the yard in fire and debris. Dust and flame roared skyward.
When the smoke cleared, Nero still stood—coughing lightly and his cloak scorched.
Nero (thinking, sharp): "Again. The sudden explosions."
He looked up. Tiny glowing sparks drifted around him like fireflies.
War:"Dynamite Rain!!"
The sparks ignited one by one, bursting into rapid-fire detonations. The ground lit up in a deadly storm. Nero's silhouette was lost in the fire—then fell limp, collapsing to the dirt.
War (breathing heavy): "Guards! Take him in. This punk ain't leaving."
The guards hesitated for a moment, then rushed forward toward Nero's body.
But when they approached him —A dark pulse shook the air.
Black, suffocating, sinister—like the weight of every nightmare made flesh. The guards skidded to a halt, stumbling back as a crushing terror seeped into their bones.
Guard (trembling):"… I—I can't breathe… I'm so scared…"
Nero rose slowly from the ground arching upward, spine bending as his boots scraped against the earth.
It looked unnatural. Like something forcing itself upright from inside his body.
His oni mask was shattered, clinging to only half his face. The night seemed to thicken around him, air growing heavy and oppressive. Guards felt it instantly—sweat spilling down their faces, hearts pounding out of rhythm, breaths turning shallow and panicked.
War reacted on instinct.
War (commanding): "Guards! Stay sharp!"
He stepped forward, placing himself between them and the Demon, armor radiating heat—yet unease still clawed at his chest.
Then—
Nero opened his eyes.
Nero (low, almost whispering):"Devil's Eyes."
His irises flared yellow as his pupils drowned in black, glowing faintly—wrong, predatory.
The guards screamed.
Guards (in agony):"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Guard 10:"Get away from me!!"
Guard 11:"No… no, please, don't let it get me!"
They fell into chaos—rolling, clawing at their own heads, wailing as if tormented by horrors only they could see.
War (furious, shaken):"What did you do to them?!"
Nero chuckled, soft and chilling.
Nero:"I just fed them a generous dose of fear."
The yard descended into madness—guards screaming, hallucinations consuming them—while War stood frozen, his eyes locked on the demonic figure before him.
Nero vanished—
then reappeared in a flash of steel.
His katana slammed against War's iron fist, sparks screaming into the night. In the same breath, Nero blurred again, moving at supersonic speed, circling War in a vortex of hollow darkness, searching for a single fracture in the giant's defense.
But War stood firm.
His massive frame was a living fortress—unyielding, immovable. Every slash met steel or empty air, each strike deflected or narrowly dodged with brutal efficiency.
Nero leapt.
He vaulted high into the sky, silhouette cutting across the moon as he descended like an eagle diving for the kill—black aura pulsing, Devil's Eyes blazing.
Tsuki!
The thrust came straight down, precise, lethal—
—but before the blade could pierce, War detonated an explosion at point-blank range.
The blast tore through the yard, hurling Nero like a broken missile.
War didn't stop.
With explosive force, he launched himself after him, spinning through the air as sparks engulfed his body. Heat warped the night. His form became a blazing comet.
War (roaring): "C4!!"
BOOM!!
The fiery cyclone smashed into Nero, blasting him through the Militia's outer gate, ripping across the sea, and crashing him onto a nearby island. Stone and steel shattered like paper beneath the impact.
Still, War pressed on.
He erupted upward once more, fists drawn back, his body wrapped in violent sparks as he tore through the sky.
War: "AERIAL BOMB!!"
He came down like a meteor.
THUMP!!
The impact split the island apart—earth rupturing, trees torn from the ground, shockwaves racing across the water. War's fists descended onto Nero like a relentless rainstorm, each blow shaking the land itself.
Then—
Nero's hand shot up.
It caught War's colossal strike mid-impact.
The ground screamed.
Blood dripped from Nero's lips as he coughed, knees bent under the pressure—but he held. His grin twisted upward, voice still carrying that mocking lilt.
Nero (smirking):"Oh Lord… didn't know I was your type. Going all crazy over me, huh?"
His aura surged, darker and heavier, pulsing like a heartbeat. His oni mask shattered away, revealing a chilling grin—playful, yet sinister.
War (thinking): "Sixty-five percent stardust. That puts him well above standard operatives—definitely a high-ranking member of his faction."
Nero (low voice): "Sleep Paralysis"
For a moment, War's focus wavered. The battlefield noise cut away. No guards screaming. Just silence.
War:"What did you do?"
Back at the base, every soldier stood frozen. Their eyes were wide and frantic, mouths open but voiceless. Their bodies trembled violently—locked in an unshakable nightmare.
Nero (cold, satisfied): "Yes… that's it. Feed it. Drown in it… fear more."
His katana rose, black shadow coiling around it like a starving beast. Nero's ability—Fear—reached full clarity. The Devil's Eyes forced his enemies to relive their worst nightmares, while Sleep Paralysis trapped them in place, their terror bleeding into him, strengthening him with every scream they couldn't release.
Kiri-oroshi!
A powerful two-handed downward cut slashed the air.
A massive dark wave surged forth, its form jagged, monstrous—like a maw with fangs eager to devour flesh and soul alike. The island shook as the black crescent tore through earth and trees, swallowing all in its path.
War countered with an explosion, but the dark wave pressed through swallowing him.
Then—silence.
War stood hunched, arms slack, shoulders low as though beaten.
Smoke curled around him.
Nero tilted his head, annoyed.
Nero (thinking): "Damn it, Nothing works on him."
(Now speaking, taunting him)
"Hey, Juggernaut. What is it with you? Don't you get scared?"
War lifted his gaze, unbroken. His voice thundered with conviction.
War:"Scared?"
(He rose despite the tremor in his limbs)
"Fear is a trick. An illusion meant to rot judgment and steal power. I don't fear. I chose long ago not to be ruled by my own mind."
The two locked eyes, battered, bloodied, yet unwavering. The battle was far from over.
Then—
20 Years Ago — New Breedom, Countryside, 10th District West.