Kaki vs Mark kick off

Mark sat at the dining table with the rest of the group, casually eating and laughing along with their conversations. The hum of the phone vibrating on the table drew his attention. Picking it up, he saw Chard's name flashing on the screen. Mark hadn't heard from him in a while, and it was unusual for him to call out of the blue. Without saying a word, Mark stood up, excused himself silently, and stepped outside.

"Hey, Chard. It's been a while," Mark greeted as he answered the call.

"Mark! It's about time you picked up!" Chard's cheerful voice came through. "We've missed you around here. And Bri especially misses you."

In the background, Mark heard a flustered voice shout, "I do not!" Her shy protest made him chuckle softly.

"How's Bri doing these days?" Mark asked, leaning against the porch railing.

"She's fine, perfect actually," Chard said. Then his tone shifted slightly. "Oh, right—Grandpa wants to see you. He mentioned you left last time without saying goodbye."

Mark sighed. "I've been busy working. I'm not too far from home, though. I can drop by sometime soon."

"Well, Grandpa wants to see you today. That's the main reason I'm calling," Chard insisted.

Mark frowned but nodded to himself. "Alright. I'll head over soon."

"Great. I'll let him know."

Mark hung up and walked back into the house. Vanessa, noticing the shift in his expression, raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Mark replied. "I just need to visit my family today."

As he sat back down, Rin stood up from the table, carrying his plate to the sink. "You sure you're up for that? Your wounds aren't fully healed."

Mark waved him off with a faint smile. "I'll be fine."

A few hours later, Mark arrived at his family's house. He had dressed neatly for the visit, his injuries hidden beneath his clothes. Ringing the doorbell, he waited patiently until Chard opened the door with a wide grin.

"Mark!" Chard exclaimed, throwing his arms wide for a hug.

Mark stepped aside, dodging the embrace with a smirk. "Good to see you, too, Chard."

Chard let out a mock groan of disappointment but led Mark inside. The familiar warmth of the house washed over him as he entered, and his eyes immediately landed on Bri.

She greeted him with a smile. "Welcome back, Mark."

Mark grinned teasingly. "Looks like your chest got bigger."

Bri's face turned crimson as she retorted sharply, "Die!"

Laughing, Mark turned his attention to the elderly man sitting in the armchair by the window. "Gramps, you're looking good."

Grandpa smiled warmly. "It's good to see you, Mark. You should stay the night—I made plenty of food."

"Actually," Mark said, lifting a small duffle bag, "I brought my luggage. I'm staying the week."

Chard perked up. "Oh, that's awesome! By the way, I saw the Zeyrix show you were in. You were amazing! You really led those people to safety."

Bri, trying to act indifferent, crossed her arms. "You were alright, I guess."

Mark smirked, but before he could reply, Grandpa scolded the siblings. "Stop bothering him! He's injured and needs rest."

Mark chuckled. "It's no big deal, Gramps."

Chard's stomach suddenly growled, and everyone burst into laughter. "Let's eat before talking more," he suggested sheepishly.

"Pig," Bri teased.

Just as the laughter subsided, a low rumble echoed from outside. At first, they thought it was Chard's stomach again, but the noise grew louder and more persistent. The group exchanged confused glances before rushing to the door.

Stepping outside, their jaws dropped as they saw dozens of towering robots, each standing at least fifty feet tall, marching through the street. The ground trembled beneath their heavy steps, and their metallic forms gleamed ominously under the sunlight.

"What the hell is that?" Bri whispered, her voice tinged with fear.

Mark's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. Chard, standing beside him, muttered, "This can't be real..."

Grandpa shuffled out onto the porch, leaning heavily on his cane. "What's going on out here?"

Mark turned quickly, his tone firm. "Gramps, get back inside. Now."

"But I—"

"No arguments," Mark snapped. Reluctantly, Grandpa sighed and returned indoors, grumbling under his breath.

Bri turned to Mark, panic creeping into her voice. "What is happening? Are those... real?"

"I don't know," Mark admitted, pulling out his phone. Before he could make a call, it buzzed in his hand. The name "Smith" appeared on the screen.

"Smith, what's going on?" Mark answered.

"Mark, it's chaos here," Smith's voice came through, frantic. "We've got massive robots surrounding the Seirei Exorcist building. They're everywhere, spreading across the city!"

Mark's jaw tightened. "They're here too, Smith. These things are massive—stretching from the Seirei Exorcist building all the way to this neighborhood."

There was a brief pause before Smith spoke again. "We need you here. Now. Kaki is leading them."

"Kaki?" Mark asked, his eyes widening.

"Yes," Smith confirmed grimly. "And he's not alone. Get here as fast as you can."

Mark ended the call, turning to Bri and Chard. "Evacuate everyone on this street. Get them as far away as possible."

"What about you?" Bri asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"I'll handle this," Mark said.

Before either sibling could protest, Mark bolted down the street at full speed, his figure disappearing into the distance.

Meanwhile, at the Seirei Exorcist building, the situation was dire. Kaki, one of the infamous disciples of Damein, stood atop the lead robot, a smug grin on his face. His dark hair glistened in the light, and his piercing gaze scanned the crowd of Seirei Exorcists gathering below.

The boss stepped forward, his face grim. Rin stood beside him, his fists clenched.

"Who is that?" Rin asked.

The boss's eyes never left Kaki. "He's one of Damein's disciples. Kaki. He has the standz ability to control technology at will."

The name sent a ripple of unease through the gathered members.

Kaki's grin widened as he addressed the crowd. "Good. It seems you know who I am. That'll save us some time. I'll keep it simple—unseal Damein, or I'll unseal him myself."

The boss's expression hardened. "We'd rather die than release that monster into the world."

Kaki chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't seem to understand the situation." He gestured to the army of towering robots surrounding the building. "If you don't unseal him, I'll have to commit mass murder. And trust me, I'm not bluffing."

The tension was palpable as Kaki began counting down. "Ten... nine... eight..."

"Boss, what do we do?" Rin asked urgently.

The boss stood his ground. "We don't negotiate with monsters like him."

"Three... two... one..."

Before Kaki could reach zero, a razor-sharp card flew through the air, aimed directly at him. Kaki smirked, pulling out a glowing lightsaber-like weapon and slicing the card in half mid-air. "Is that the best you've got?" he taunted.

Jack, the one who had thrown the card, smiled faintly. "The card wasn't for you."

Kaki's smirk faltered as Mark appeared behind him, catching the second card Jack had doubled mid air. With a swift motion, Mark pressed the card against the back of Kaki's neck.

"Move, and your head will roll," Mark said coldly.

The Seirei Exorcists gasped in awe at the perfectly executed maneuver.

"How did you do that?" Rin asked Jack, his eyes wide.

Jack smirked. "Before he sliced the first card, I doubled it in mid-air. The second was meant for Mark to catch."

Kaki, unfazed, began to laugh softly.

"What's so funny?" Mark asked, his grip firm.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Kaki said, his voice dripping with condescension. "You're nothing but a standzless freak. Let me show you your place."

With a snap of his fingers, a missile launcher emerged from one of the robots, aimed directly at Mark's back.

Mark's eyes widened. "Are you trying to kill us both?"

The missiles fired. Mark leapt off the robot just in time, landing gracefully on the ground. The missiles, however, didn't harm Kaki. A shimmering technological shield appeared around him, deflecting the explosion.

Mark stared in shock.

Kaki laughed again. "You see, I never had anything to fear. My auto-shield activates whenever I'm in danger."

The Seirei Exorcists regrouped around Mark, their expressions a mix of fear and determination.

Kaki's grin faded into a cold, calculating stare. "If you won't cooperate, then you leave me no choice." He snapped his fingers again, and the army of robots began destroying everything in sight.

"No!" Rin shouted.

"Don't panic!" Mark ordered. "Bri and Chard should have evacuated most of the civilians by now."

The group took a moment to process Mark's words, their fear easing slightly. But the battle was far from over.

Kaki raised his hand, his robots closing in on the group. "Let's see how long you last against me, the disciple of Damein."

Mark stepped forward, determination blazing in his eyes. "We'll stop you, no matter what it takes."

The final showdown had begun.