Gangsters: Mri V The Cosmic Tyrant[4]
Chapter 10: The Awakening of True Strength
The stone guardian roared, its massive arms raised, ready to crush Mri into the ground. The air trembled under its sheer weight.
Mri wiped the blood from his lips and smirked. "Alright, big guy. Let's go all out."
His Yellow Aura flared like a wildfire, illuminating the dark cavern. The ground beneath him cracked as raw energy pulsed from his body.
The guardian swung its fist. BOOM!
Mri didn't dodge this time.
Instead, he caught the fist with one hand.
CRACK!
The force pushed him back slightly, but he held his ground. His fingers dug into the stone, stopping the attack completely.
The guardian's glowing eyes flickered in surprise.
Mri grinned. "Surprised?"
Then, with a roar, he launched a counterattack.
His fist, charged with limitless power, slammed into the guardian's chest.
BOOOOOM!
A shockwave shattered the entire cavern wall, sending debris flying in all directions. The guardian stumbled back, a massive crater in its torso, glowing cracks spreading across its body.
But it didn't fall.
Instead, the voice echoed once again.
"Strength alone is not enough. Can you endure?"
The guardian suddenly split into two, then four, then eight identical copies, each just as powerful as the original.
Mri's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
The eight guardians rushed him at once.
Mri took a deep breath. "Fine. Let's test my limits."
Trial Two: Wisdom (Ayang's Path)
Ayang stepped into a dimly lit chamber. At the center stood an ancient chessboard, the pieces made of glowing crystal.
A hooded figure sat across the board, its face obscured. "To pass, you must win."
Ayang smirked. "That's it? A game?"
The figure nodded. "But the stakes are high."
A set of chains wrapped around Ayang's arms.
"With every mistake, you will lose a part of yourself."
Ayang's smirk faded. "Oh."
He sat down, staring at the pieces. He needed to win this, fast.
Trial Three: Survival (Jasmine & Iquiri's Path)
The jungle was alive.
Jasmine and Iquiri ran through the thick forest as massive shadow creatures chased them, their glowing red eyes locked onto their prey.
"WHAT KIND OF SURVIVAL TRIAL IS THIS?!" Jasmine screamed, dodging a claw swipe.
Iquiri remained calm, throwing a spear of pure energy at one of the creatures. The beast roared, but regenerated instantly.
Iquiri's eyes darkened. "We can't kill them."
Jasmine panted. "Then what do we do?"
The ground suddenly split open, revealing a chasm below.
Iquiri's eyes widened. "We jump."
Jasmine stared at her like she was insane. "We WHAT?!"
Iquiri grabbed her hand. "TRUST ME!"
And with that, they leaped—into the unknown.
Chapter 11: Breaking the Limits!
Mri vs The Eight Guardians
Mri exhaled slowly, his Yellow Aura pulsating around him like a storm. Eight towering stone guardians surrounded him, their glowing eyes locked onto his every movement.
"Alright, then… Let's do this!"
The first guardian lunged forward, its massive fist aiming straight for Mri's head. Instead of dodging, Mri ducked at the last second, letting the punch graze past him, then countered with a devastating uppercut.
BOOM!
The guardian's head exploded into dust, but before Mri could celebrate, the second one came from behind.
"Tch! Not gonna be that easy, huh?"
Mri twisted mid-air, kicking off the first guardian's crumbling body to launch himself at the next. His fist crashed into its chest, sending it flying across the cavern.
The others didn't wait.
Four of them attacked at once.
Mri gritted his teeth, his heart pounding. He had to think faster.
Then he remembered something from his old fights.
Momentum.
Instead of trying to overpower them one by one, he used their force against them.
As a guardian swung at him, Mri leaped onto its arm and used it as a springboard. He dashed to another, spinning in mid-air before landing a brutal axe-kick to its head.
CRACK!
Another one down.
But the battle wasn't over yet.
Suddenly, the remaining five glowed brighter, merging into one massive guardian—ten times the size of Mri.
Its deep, rumbling voice echoed: "Final test."
Mri wiped the sweat off his forehead and chuckled. "Now we're talking."
He clenched his fists, his Yellow Aura intensifying. Lightning crackled around him. His body felt lighter, stronger.
For the first time, he was going to push beyond his limits.
---
Ayang vs The Hooded Opponent
Ayang stared at the chessboard, his fingers hovering over a piece. Across from him, the hooded opponent sat motionless.
The air felt heavier.
He had already lost three pieces, and with each loss, a cold sensation crept up his arms—like his very existence was fading.
"Damn it… Think, Ayang."
His opponent finally spoke, voice cold and emotionless. "You are reckless. Always rushing ahead. A leader who cannot think will only lead his people to ruin."
Ayang gritted his teeth. "Shut up. I'm not losing to some cryptic puzzle guy."
He scanned the board again. The opponent had left an opening—but was it a trap?
His mind raced, remembering the countless times he had played chess with Mri and Kai back in Jengraimukh Academy. What would Mri do?
Then, it hit him.
Instead of playing defensively, he had to flip the game on its head.
A smirk played on Ayang's lips. "Alright, let's see how you handle this."
He moved his knight aggressively. The game shifted.
The hooded figure leaned forward slightly. "Interesting."
The chains around Ayang loosened. He grinned. "I'm gonna win this."
---
Jasmine & Iquiri – The Fall into the Abyss
Wind rushed past Jasmine's face as she and Iquiri fell into the dark abyss.
"Iquiri, you idiot! This was a horrible idea!" Jasmine screamed.
Iquiri, completely calm, just smirked. "Wait for it."
Jasmine was about to curse her out again when suddenly—
The air shifted.
Instead of crashing into the bottom, they landed on something soft… and alive.
"What the—?!" Jasmine looked down to see a massive, glowing feathered serpent carrying them gently downward.
Iquiri's eyes widened. "A Quetzalcoatl…"
The majestic creature slithered through the air before setting them down on a floating island inside the abyss.
Jasmine stumbled back. "Okay. That was terrifying."
Iquiri, however, was focused on something else. A strange, glowing symbol on the ground.
It looked ancient… but familiar.
Then, a voice echoed through the abyss.
"The ones who seek the truth… have arrived."
Jasmine and Iquiri exchanged glances.
What had they just uncovered?
---
Back to Mri – The Final Clash
The giant guardian swung its colossal fist.
Mri dodged just in time, but the sheer force shattered the cavern walls, sending debris flying everywhere.
He knew he had to end this. Now.
Mri closed his eyes for a second. His breath slowed.
Then—
His Yellow Aura turned WHITE.
His energy surged, exploding outward like a supernova. The ground beneath him cracked, and his body felt lighter than ever before.
His limitless mode had awakened.
The guardian hesitated.
Mri grinned. "Your test is over."
Then, in a flash of light, he vanished.
BOOOOOM!
The next moment, he reappeared behind the guardian, fist outstretched.
A massive shockwave ripped through the cavern, shaking the entire underground structure. The guardian's body began to crumble, its form turning to dust.
Its voice echoed one last time. "You have surpassed the trial… warrior of limitless strength."
Mri exhaled, his aura slowly fading. He looked at his hand, trembling slightly from the overwhelming power he had just unleashed.
"So… this is what I can become."
Then, the cavern collapsed.
Mri bolted toward the exit, barely making it out as the entire trial chamber was swallowed into darkness.
He stood outside, breathing heavily.
And then—
Ayang and Jasmine came running from different directions.
All three of them met in the middle, staring at each other.
Jasmine looked at Mri's battle-worn state. "You look like you fought a god."
Mri chuckled. "I kinda did."
Ayang crossed his arms. "You guys aren't gonna believe what we just went through."
Mri smirked. "Try me."
They all exchanged glances, realizing one thing—
Whatever they had awakened inside themselves… this was just the beginning.
---
To Be Continued…
Chapter 12: The Return to Reality
The three of them stood there for a moment, letting the realization of their trials sink in. The cavern behind them had collapsed entirely, leaving no trace of the battles they had fought inside.
Jasmine dusted herself off. "So… we survived. Barely."
Ayang nodded. "And we found something crazy too. Some kind of ancient symbol inside the abyss. It spoke to us."
Mri raised an eyebrow. "Spoke? Like a voice?"
Jasmine and Ayang exchanged glances before nodding.
Ayang crossed his arms. "It said, The ones who seek the truth have arrived. What the hell does that mean?"
Mri ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. First the guardian trial, now this mysterious voice. Something bigger was at play.
Before he could respond, a deep rumbling shook the ground.
Jasmine tensed. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
The forest around them started to shift. Trees twisted unnaturally, and the sky above turned a dark shade of violet.
Mri clenched his fists. "Something's coming."
Suddenly, from the shadows of the twisted trees, a figure emerged.
Tall. Cloaked in a tattered robe. Glowing blue eyes.
And behind him… stood dozens of aura-infused beasts.
---
The Stranger's Warning
The cloaked figure stepped forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet. His aura radiated something unnatural—an overwhelming, suffocating energy.
Mri, Ayang, and Jasmine instinctively took battle stances.
But the figure raised a hand.
"Do not be so quick to fight." His voice was calm, yet chilling. "You do not understand what you are interfering with."
Mri narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted his head slightly. "A messenger. Nothing more."
Jasmine scoffed. "Yeah? Well, your message looks an awful lot like an army of aura beasts about to rip us apart."
The figure ignored her, instead locking eyes with Mri.
"You," he said, his voice laced with something almost like… amusement. "You are different. You touched the power of Limitless Mode, didn't you?"
Mri stiffened. His fists clenched.
Ayang shot him a look. "Limitless Mode?"
The figure chuckled. "Ah, so you don't even understand it yet. How… interesting."
Then, his expression turned serious.
"But know this—there are forces at work here far beyond your comprehension. The Hybrid Dragon-Human is not the only threat."
Jasmine tensed. "Wait. You mean there's more?"
The figure stepped back into the shadows. "You will learn soon enough."
And just like that—he vanished.
The aura beasts that stood behind him dissolved into thin air.
The forest returned to normal. The sky cleared.
As if nothing had happened.
But Mri, Ayang, and Jasmine stood frozen.
Because they all knew…
This was only the beginning.
---
The Journey Back
The three made their way back to the main village, silent for most of the walk.
Then, Ayang broke the tension.
"So… are we just gonna ignore the fact that we were threatened by some glowing-eyed cryptid?"
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Obviously not. But what are we supposed to do? Hunt him down?"
Mri, still deep in thought, finally spoke.
"No. We keep moving forward. We won the tournament, and we're supposed to enjoy this trip, right?"
Ayang raised an eyebrow. "Mri, did you get hit in the head too hard? Some mysterious entity just warned us about something worse than a Hybrid Dragon-Human, and you wanna go on vacation?"
Mri smirked. "Exactly. If there's a bigger fight coming, we're gonna need all the rest we can get."
Jasmine laughed. "I hate that you actually make sense sometimes."
The tension lifted slightly as they finally reached their lodge. The rest of the team—Bibek, Malobika, and Pronami—were already waiting.
Bibek frowned. "What took you guys so long?"
Ayang groaned. "Oh, you know. Just nearly dying multiple times."
Pronami gasped. "Wait, what?"
Malobika crossed her arms. "I knew we should've gone with you."
Mri waved them off. "We're fine. But we need to talk later. For now, let's actually enjoy this trip."
The group hesitated, but finally nodded.
For now, they could rest.
---
Midnight Reflection
Later that night, as everyone slept, Mri sat outside, looking up at the stars.
His Yellow Aura flickered faintly around him.
He clenched his fist.
"Limitless Mode, huh?"
He had felt it in the trial—a power beyond what he ever imagined. But he still didn't understand it. Not fully.
The mysterious figure's words echoed in his mind.
"You do not understand what you are interfering with."
Mri exhaled.
He knew this wouldn't end here.
This was just the beginning of something far bigger than he ever imagined.
And when the time came…
He would be ready.
---
To Be Continued…