EPISODE THREE - Finale

The subterranean simulation chamber thrummed with restrained energy. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, their cold glow reflecting off steel walls. The observation deck, enclosed in reinforced glass, vibrated under the sheer force of what was happening below.

Jin Seiichi stood at the heart of the chaos, a living inferno. Fire rippled from his body in molten waves, incinerating simulated monsters in a single, devastating sweep. The ground beneath him cracked and glowed red-hot, as though the earth itself couldn't withstand the heat.

The control room pulsed with alarm lights. Klaxons blared, a chorus of red warnings flashing across digital screens.

"Temperature levels critical!" a panicked technician shouted. "If this continues, we'll risk a system meltdown!"

Itsuki Fushida clenched the steel railing with scarred knuckles, sweat dotting his brow—not from fear, but sheer frustration. His voice thundered through the control room.

"Shut it down! Jin's pushing the system too far!"

But beside him, the ever-composed Akihiko Kanagawa barely flinched. His sharp eyes, cold as cut glass, stayed locked on the raging inferno below.

"Let him go," Akihiko ordered, voice calm, calculated. "I want to see where he breaks or where the system breaks."

Itsuki spun toward him, the veins in his temple pulsing. "You'll break the damn facility before that happens!"

Akihiko's jaw twitched, but his smirk didn't falter. "Then we'll know it wasn't built to handle real power."

BOOOOM!

A shockwave rattled the glass as Jin released another blast of searing heat, the simulation walls groaning under the pressure.

Itsuki's patience snapped.

"You're using him like a lab rat, Kanagawa! This isn't why I brought him here!"

Akihiko finally turned, the overhead lights casting sharp shadows across his face. "You brought him here because you have ab outstanding agreement with the G. G. A. C, Jin isn't just some Class S-hunter in your guild's arsenal—he's something far greater. And you're too short-sighted to realize it."

Itsuki's hands balled into fists. "He's Iron Fury's! And if you think for a second you can steal him for your little commission—"

Akihiko raised a hand, cutting him off. "Steal? No, no, Itsuki. You misunderstand. Every hunter, every guild, every gate—they all answer to the G.G.A.C.. I don't need to 'steal' anything. I already own the table you're playing on."

The room fell into a thick, suffocating silence.

The simulation screens flickered as Jin stood amidst the smoke, his armor glowing from the heat, steam rising in twisting coils.

Itsuki's voice dropped low, heavy with warning. "You're meddling with forces you barely understand. Hunters aren't your pawns."

Akihiko's grin widened, cold and serpentine. "They're exactly that. And Jin? He's the queen on the board—the piece that changes everything."

Itsuki slammed a fist into the railing, denting the metal. "Don't test me, Kanagawa. You might control the gates, but I control the hunters. And I'm telling you—stay the hell away from Jin."

Akihiko's smile finally faded, his sharp features hardening. "And I'm telling you, Fushida—you're in over your head."

The room seemed to chill despite the residual heat from Jin's onslaught.

Itsuki let out a heavy breath, jaw tight with restraint. "You haven't changed. Still the same arrogant bastard who thinks pulling strings makes him a king."

Akihiko's eyes narrowed, the weight of unspoken schemes heavy between them. "And you're still a fool, Itsuki. One who protects his pieces while someone else writes the rules."

A strained silence stretched between them before Itsuki stormed off, the metallic doors sliding shut with a hiss.

Akihiko remained, turning back to the flickering screen. Jin was cooling off, the steam swirling around him like ghosts.

"Data?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

Hyami, standing a few feet back with a tablet in hand, tapped through streams of raw statistics—mana spikes, temperature thresholds, reaction speeds.

"All recorded. The data points exceeded projections," she replied.

Akihiko's cold smile returned.

"Good. Very good."

His fingers drummed against the glass as he gazed down at Jin, like a collector admiring a rare jewel.

"He could just be one, but we still have a long way to go,"