Chapter Four: Blood Moon Rising.

[Yokohama, Japan]

In the darkness that blanketed Yokohama, the full moon shone brightly, casting a glimmer of hope. In the outskirts of the city, there was a garden filled with flowers. Amidst these flowers stood a beautiful hut, with a bright fire burning outside. Around the fire, children were running and playing, their laughter echoing in the night.

"Children, it's time to go to bed," an old voice called from the hut.

Nox stood up from the campfire and called out softly, "Kids, get inside the hut."

The children sighed, wanting to play more, but it was already late. An old grandma came out of the hut and gently herded the children inside to sleep.

"Brother Nox, can you please stay here tonight?" one of the children asked.

"I wish I could. I promise next time, I'll stay with you guys forever," Nox replied.

Disappointed, the child went inside. Seeing the child's disappointment, the grandma said, "My son, they love you a lot. They always ask about you and when you'll come to see them again."

Nox sighed. "I wish I could, Grandma, but someone needs to earn for them, to keep this orphanage running."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, son. You know Akira keeps funding us, right?" the grandma replied.

"Yeah, I know, Grandma," Nox hesitated.

"It's getting late. I'd want you to sleep here tonight, but I know you won't. Here, take some money. It'll help you," the grandma said, handing him some old Japanese currency.

"Thank you, Grandma," Nox said, taking the money and clenching his fist.

The grandma went inside the house, yelling, "Time for some bedtime stories!" Nox stood near the campfire until all the lights were turned off. Under the bright moon, a heavily modified Nissan Skyline stood shining. As footsteps echoed, Nox headed towards it and drove away.

It was already midnight when Nox arrived at his place. He turned on the lights and sensed an unusual presence. He slowly moved towards his room and turned on the lights. Everything seemed normal, but he felt a killing aura coming from the kitchen. He grabbed a knife from his drawer and cautiously entered the kitchen. As he turned on the lights, he sensed something behind him. A tall silhouette holding a gun pointed it at Nox. As the moonlight fell on the figure, it revealed the scarred face of the boss of Samsara.

"Turn around, and I'll blow your head off," the boss threatened.

Nox, ignoring the warning, slowly turned around and said, "Quit this childish play, Akira."

It was revealed that the boss of Samsara was Akira. Nox placed the knife on the kitchen counter and walked towards Akira, pressing his forehead against the gun muzzle. Akira dropped the gun and hugged Nox.

"I missed you a lot, you idiot," Akira said as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Hey, it doesn't suit the boss of Samsara to cry like this," Nox replied.

"Forget about that for now. I'm not a boss right now; I'm your childhood friend," Akira said, hugging Nox tightly.

It had been ten years since Akira last saw Nox. They grew up together in an orphanage, with Nox rescuing Akira from the slums when they were kids. They lived together on the streets, forming an unbreakable bond.

"Let me cook something for you. I know you're hungry," Nox said, moving away from Akira.

Akira sighed. "You always know it, Mr. KMF."

Nox looked puzzled. "What is KMF?"

"Know my feelings," Akira replied jokingly.

Nox sighed and went to cook some food for Akira. As the owl hooted and crickets chirped, the sounds of whistling and chopping vegetables filled the night. After a while, Nox and Akira sat down to dinner.

"Nox, I have something to say," Akira murmured.

"The Blood and Honor tournament?" Nox replied.

"Yeah, how did you hear about it?" Akira asked.

"Somewhere," Nox replied.

As tension brewed between them, Akira was about to say something when Nox interrupted. "I'll represent Samsara."

There was a brief silence.

"Akira, I know there are many potential fighters, but you came here from headquarters. This is important to you. Samsara means a lot to you, and it means a lot to me. I won't let it fall. I won't let Samsara kneel before the other teams," Nox declared.

Akira cried. "You know it's dangerous. Everyone is aiming for the top, right?"

"Yeah, I know. But I'll win, I promise," Nox reassured her.

[Somewhere]

In a dark room with little light, a shadowy figure stood tall. Beneath his feet lay a heavily crushed and wounded body, blood splattered across the floor. The shadowy figure crushed the head of the dead body with his bare foot, his size akin to a brown bear.

A dark voice muttered, "Nox, you're dead this time."

The shadowy figure stepped into the light, revealing his left hand fully made of metal.

[Pentagon, United States of America]

In the Pentagon, people were running across the hall, papers flying all over the place, a sense of panic evident.

The hallway door of the Pentagon opened with a loud thump, and the bodyguards went inside and secured the area.

"P.O.T.U.S. is about to enter the hall," one of the special agents shared over the radio.

"Hallway cleared," another special agent replied.

"Balcony cleared," added a third.

The president entered the hall, a tense aura filling the room. All the branches of the Pentagon were present, along with the president, the secretary of defense, the director of the CIA, and the director of the FBI.

There was a brief silence as the sound of the clock echoed across the hall.

Breaking the silence, P.O.T.U.S. said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for summoning you at short notice, but we have something important to address. Something historic is about to happen. As your president, my duty is to protect and serve the people of the United States of America."

Everyone seemed confused as the president continued, "I'll let the CIA clarify."

"As the president said, there's a tournament coming up, called Blood and Honor. According to our intelligence, all the top mafia organizations, triad bosses, and Yakuza leaders will be present," the director of the CIA added.

The director of the FBI chimed in, "This tournament will decide the fate of the world's crime syndicates. The last time this tournament took place, it led to widespread bloodshed, including terrorist attacks and bombings, all linked to it. Now, after 30 years, this tournament has emerged again."

"We don't know where the tournament will take place, but based on information from our spies, it is believed to occur in the coming month. The location is still unconfirmed," said the director of the CIA.

The sense of fear and various emotions were palpable. The president added, "We need to interrupt this tournament and put an end to these crime syndicates. I know my soldiers, and I know all of you are capable."

During the speech, a man discreetly left the meeting, quickly exiting the Pentagon unnoticed. He called a taxi, got in, and used an old cellphone to send a text: "Code 404, Danger level: Red."

The message was sent, alerting all participating teams. It signaled that information about the tournament was leaked and the danger level was high. The 16 bosses needed to meet again and discuss the issue, hinting at the postponement of the tournament.