THE BITING COLD

POW BAM WHACK!

"Umm Si-Fu, I think you got him. Could we rap this up quickly," said Jaggy, watching Si-Fu Kaede beating the hell out of a marauder, "Your gonna kill the guy, aren't we meant to capture and detain them."

Kaede merely smirked, her expression cold and calculating. "I'm not here to coddle these criminals, Jaggy," she replied, her tone laced with anger. "You peep squeaks should show no remorse towards the enemy, you hear me!"

"Y-Yes ma'am", jaggy replied his voice shaky

That same-day, Kaede and her squad were given the same mission as Hibiki's squad also around the north but in Xinjiang.

"Hey Si-Fu, there's a bunch of em coming down here" Kagawa exclaimed. "So there's more of em huh,… No problem," said Kaede, "I'll finish them all."

"No, wait!" Jaggy cried out, his voice rising in panic. "You can't just take on all of them by yourself. We need to come up with a plan. We need to stick together."

But it was too late. Kaede had already launched herself into action, her fists and feet a blur as she took on the oncoming marauders. Jaggy could only watch in horror as the fight unfolded before him, his mind racing with worry and fear. "Bujustu, Human Transformation, Gorilla!" Kaede shouted, channeling her energy to activate her shape-shifting technique. As the energy coursed through her body, she felt herself transform, her limbs growing longer and her muscles bulging with strength. With a roar, she now stood before Kagawa as a mighty silverback gorilla, ready to defend her friend and clan.

"Woah, what was that?" Kagawa asked, shocked by the sudden transformation. "Si-Fu just changed into a gorilla! That was so cool!"

"I see now, that's the sukuna transformation ability," Jaggy observed, watching Kaede's transformation in awe. Despite the newfound respect for the Sukunas' power, the marauders refused to stand down, determined to continue the fight. Kaede noticed their persistence, and a smirk appeared on her face. With a mighty roar, she charged at them, ready to do battle.

"Wait, you're not really going to fight them alone, are you?" Kagawa asked, fear evident in his voice. Koko didn't show any worry or concern in this whole situation.

"I'll be fine, boy" Kaede assured Kagawa. "Just stay back, and let me handle this." With that, she engaged the marauders in combat, swinging her massive fists and landing heavy blows. She fought with speed and ferocity, knocking the marauders down one by one. It was clear that they were no match for her, blood spills and cries arousing from the marauders. She showed no mercy in dealing with them. However, just as she was about to deal the final blow, a loud roar filled the air, and Kaede turned to see a large, shaggy figure emerge from the shadows.

"What!!, a shadow beast?!", she said surprised and stroke with fear. "Hey, you guys get out of there, now!!" She exclaimed, ordering jaggy, kagawa and Koko to get away from the beast.

"A shadow beast? No way," Kagawa said, panic rising in his voice. Jaggy and Koko looked equally terrified, frozen in place by the sight of the monstrous creature. Kaede could sense their fear, and knew she had to act fast. "I said get out of here!" she shouted, hoping to snap them out of their trance. "I'll hold it off, but you have to run!"

"Ugh, a shadow beast? I can't believe my luck. Damnit, my chi is almost depleted and I'm supposed to be protecting these pushovers from any more marauders. Hmph, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do, Kaede" Kaede thought to herself, her heart pounding in her chest.

With a yell, she charged at the beast, swinging her fists and landing several powerful blows. However, the beast was unfazed, and struck back with a devastating blow that sent Kaede flying through the air. She landed hard on the ground, winded and in pain. Her beast form quickly dissipated and she was back to normal but was bleeding out rapidly from that hit.

As Kaede lay on the ground, struggling to breathe, she saw the beast advancing towards her, its red eyes glowing with malice. She knew she had to find a way to stop it, but her strength was fading fast.

Then suddenly, a medium sized rock was hurled at the beast by jaggy, Jaggy's rock struck the beast, but to his dismay, it did not even faze the monstrous creature. Instead, the beast's attention was now fixed solely on Jaggy. It let out a blood-curdling roar and began to stalk towards him, its claws glinting in the moonlight. Jaggy's heart pounded in his chest as he realized that he was now the target of the beast's rage. He had to find a way to survive this.

Rain began to drizzle however,

As Jaggy stood frozen in terror, the downpour of rain intensified. Kaede's voice rang out weakly, "Jaggy, what are you doing here? I told you to get out of here, damnit." She cursed softly under her breath. Koko and Kagawa remained hidden, cowering in fear. They had no intention of leaving the safety of their hiding place. Jaggy was on his own against the fearsome beast.

"Loser, he just had to go act like a hero. Well am not going out there", Koko said, as she and kagawa remained in there hiding spot. Kagawa was silent, too frightened to even speak.

The situation was dire, and it seemed like there was no way out. In the blink of an eye, the shadow beast's tail swished through the air, aiming straight for Jaggy. "No!" he shouted, bracing for impact.

WHOOSH THWACK!

"What?!, Si-Fu?" Jaggy witnessing a blur of movement in front of him, it was Si-Fu Kaede who had leaped in front of him and took the hit. It sent her flying once more but with more intensity, hitting a hard rock then landing hard on the ground, her body limp.

"Si-Fu!" Jaggy cried, rushing to her side. "Are you okay, please don't die!" He exclaimed with tears falling from his eyes.

"Oh no, Si-Fu," Koko said, her voice tinged with sadness and fear. "What is it, Koko?" Kagawa asked, concerned by her tone. "It's Si-Fu," Koko explained. "She's down and doesn't look well. And Jaggy is about to be next."

"I think we need to go outside and try to help them." Kagawa replied

"What!" Koko exclaimed in disbelief. "It's too dangerous out there, Kagawa. We'd only get killed. We need to stay out of sight and try to find someone who can help.

"Tch, you're such a coward, Koko!" Kagawa snapped, his frustration showing through in his tone. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while Si-Fu and Jaggy are out there. We have to help them!" He turned to look at Koko, his eyes blazing with determination. "I'm going out there whether you like it or not."

Koko hesitated, torn between wanting to stay safe and wanting to help them. She knew Kagawa was right, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon her safety. "But Koko, we do-

ROAR!!!!

As the beast charged towards Jaggy, ready to strike, a loud and powerful roar escaped its throat. Just then, Jaggy let out a primal yell and released all the pent-up energy within him. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him, and suddenly, he felt something within him shift. He felt a connection to the raindrops, falling from the sky, and in that moment, he's body began do things at will. He focused all of his energy into the raindrops, manipulating them to change their form into sharp, deadly spires of ice. As the beast closed in, Jaggy yelled,

"Yaaaaaah!"

CHINK SHHRRK SSSSSHK!

"What tha-," Koko's said, her tone soft and in shock

The ice spikes flew through the air, faster than the eye could see, and plunged into the beast's flesh. It let out a horrible scream, writhing in pain as the ice spikes penetrated its body. The ice spikes then expanded within the beast, shredding its insides and bringing it to its knees. The beast let out one last, desperate howl before collapsing onto the ground, dead. Silence fell over the area, broken only by the steady patter of the raindrops hitting the earth. Jaggy fell to the ground having lost a lot of chi and energy performing that move, he then lost consciousness.

"Jaggy!, Jaggy!," Koko and kagawa called out to him, but no response.

Meanwhile somewhere distanced from the area Hibiki's and kaede's squad were, still at the north forest region . Mei's squad were on a mission to patrol around the village in case of any bandit attacks.

Mei and her squad marched through the outskirts of the village, their senses on high alert for any signs of danger. The houses loomed above them, casting long shadows that seemed to swallow them whole. The only sounds that could be heard were the shuffling of the leaves on the ground and the muffled footfalls of the squad. Just then, Mei heard a snapping twig and held up her hand, motioning for her squad to stop. She turned slowly, peering into the gloom, trying to see what had cause the sound.

Then, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a tall, half naked man with an unnatural skin texture. Lei tensed, ready for a fight. But then, the he spoke.The man's voice was deep and resonant, with a tinge of otherworldliness. "Greetings, warriors. It is my wish that you submit to me as my subjects. I require your cooperation for the sake of my research." The atmosphere was thick with unease as the man's words hung in the air. Lei and the others exchanged uneasy glances, "who's this dude" Ryou thought, lost in fright, "Weird, his presence feels so dangerous, I feel so precarious".

Lei swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. "Who are you?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly. The man's lips twisted into a cold smile. "I am known by many names, but you may call me Xaphan," he replied, his tone full of dark authority. Xaphan is a rogue warrior from the Sukuna clan, renowned for his ruthless and cruel tactics. He had no qualms about killing or experimenting on others in his quest for power, and was obsessed with uncovering new abilities and secrets. He was a legend in his own right, but one that struck fear into the hearts of those who knew of him. Even Mei, who had heard stories of his deeds, couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease at his presence.

"And what is it you wish from us?" Lei pressed, feeling a sense of dread creeping over her. Xaphan's smile widened, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. "All in due time, my young warrior. All in due time."

Xaphan's calm demeanor did little to ease the tension in the air. Lei, who was always quick to act, began to draw her sword, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. But before she could make a move, Xaphan raised his hand.

"Do not try anything rash, or you will lose your life in an instant," Si-Fu Mei warned, her tone stern and resolute. Lei hesitated, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

Lei hesitated, looking to Mei for guidance. Ryou and Lei tried their best to hold their ground not to make any silly moves. Mei stepped forward, her sword still sheathed.

"Am afraid we'll have to detain you, Xaphan!" Mei asked in a clear and unwavering voice.

Xaphan's expression remained placid, showing no signs of emotion. "And what makes you think you are capable of detaining me?" he asked, his tone mocking. "You are mere mortals, powerless in the face of my power." Mei's eyes narrowed, her resolve unshaken.

Xaphan's eyes narrowed, his smile fading. "So be it," he said, his tone low and dangerous. "I would have liked you surrender simply to become my test subjects than rather having to kill you though, anyways let's begin." Mei took a step forward, her sword still sheathed. "Huff!" Meili taking a deep breath. She looked to her comrades, and they nodded, ready to fight alongside her but it wasn't a response she would have wanted to see because she doesn't want them involved in this kind of danger. "It's time to show this so-called god what we're made of," Ryou exclaimed, with a determined tone in his voice