The Real Threat

The battlefield was a war zone, collapsed buildings, charred debris, and the distant echoes of emergency sirens. Smoke curled through the air as the spirit's flames flickered wildly, its crimson eyes scanning the battlefield.

Then, a voice cut through the chaos.

"Did I miss the good part already?"

All heads turned. A towering man stood at the battlefield's edge, arms crossed, exuding a presence so overwhelming that even the reinforcements hesitated. He was dressed in a crisp white coat, black sunglasses shielding his eyes. But everyone here knew who he was.

Hideo Kanzaki, Titan Fist.

Japan's 5th Spirit Keeper.

A tank-class fighter known for his raw, undeniable strength.

Only second to Sora Tenma in power.

The first man to go hand-to-blade against a spirit and win.

The spirit let out a low growl, its flames rippling. "Adding another pathetic weakling won't change anything." It cracked its neck, sneering. "How did the other great spirits before me fall to fools like you?"

Kanzaki ignored it, removing his sunglasses with a sigh. He turned to one of his men and casually handed over his white coat. "Hold this."

Then, he vanished.

A blur.

The spirit barely had time to react before a fist the size of a cannon slammed into its chest.

A deafening boom echoed across the battlefield as the spirit was launched into the sky, crashing through multiple buildings before Ken stepped forward, raising his gun.

"I'll add to that."

With a sharp flick, a blue beam bullet shot from his rifle, piercing through the air and striking the spirit mid-flight. The force sent it flying further, crashing deep into one of Shibuya's abandoned districts.

Ayaka flicked her hair back and raised a hand. "Reinforcements, secure the perimeter and handle the rest of the charge. We'll take care of the leader."

The squad nodded, splitting off while Kanzaki, Ken, and Ayaka rushed toward their target.

They arrived at the impact zone, the cracked ground still smoking. The spirit stood in the rubble, stretching its neck as if unfazed.

"So that's it?" it mused, flexing its claws. "I expected more. Or are there others stronger than you?"

"Compared to others we've faced, you're kinda weak and only thing special is the fact that you talk." Kanzaki said

Ken smirked, tossing his rifle aside. "You know… they don't call me 'Rifle' because I use a gun." His eyes flared with energy. "It's because—" He raised his hands, unraveling the bandages wrapped around his index and middle fingers. "—I AM the gun."

The spirit's eyes narrowed.

Ken cracked his knuckles. "We brought you here to avoid unnecessary casualties. No interruptions. No distractions. Just you and us."

Kanzaki sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Does everyone in Phantom Order talk this much?"

Ayaka shot him a sideways glance, giving him that "I said it too" look.

The spirit let out an enraged growl, flames erupting from its body. "ENOUGH!"

With a wave of its hand, a sea of fire exploded outward, engulfing everything.

Ayaka barely reacted. Her hand moved to her coat, slipping it off and tossing it into the air. In an instant, she was gone.

The spirit blinked. A sharp pain tore through its shoulder.

A clean, perfect slash. It's black blood dripped.

It snarled, eyes darting around in panic. "That speed… was she hiding it?"

Before it could settle, a searing beam of energy burned through its stomach. It turned, eyes widening as Ken stood there, fingers pointed like a gun. His smirk was mocking.

A shadow loomed overhead. The spirit barely had time to glance up before Kanzaki came crashing down like a meteor.

It twisted to dodge, almost. Kanzaki's fist slammed into the ground, splitting concrete like glass.

Before it could regain balance, Ken grabbed its wrist.

The spirit's head snapped toward him just as Ken drove forward, unleashing a barrage of rapid-fire punches.

Fist. Beam. Fist. Beam. Every punch was followed by an energy blast, each one digging deeper into the spirit's flesh. It reeled back, stumbling.

Then, Kanzaki struck.

A single powerful grab, lifting the spirit off its feet.

With a monstrous roar, Kanzaki suplexed the spirit into the ground, cracking its bones on impact. Before it could even scream, Kanzaki's foot came down in a crushing stomp, shattering its arm.

Fire exploded outward. The duo leaped back as the spirit staggered to its feet. But something was off.

Weren't they three?

It flinched, wincing.

Then… slices appeared all over its body.

Thin. Precise. Deep.

It gasped. "What… what is this?"

Ayaka's voice whispered behind it. "Talking makes you more annoying."

Before it could react, a dropkick sent it flying.

The battle was one-sided. The spirit never had a chance.

Watching through the live stream, Takami was left in absolute shock.

His hands gripped his phone, eyes locked on the screen. He had never seen spirit keepers fight this closely.

Hell, the last time a Great Spirit appeared that required Spirit Keepers to step in was when he was 14.

Back then, he didn't even own a phone.

This was next-level.

Even with all his recent upgrades, even after everything he had been through, he knew.

He wouldn't last two minutes against them.

Then, the system sent another notification.

⟨Warning

Unstable Energy detected...

Distortion forming...

Probability of external interference: 94%⟩

Takami frowned. "What exactly is this trying to tell me?"

He looked back at the stream.

One of the drones got a perfect shot of the spirit.

Takami squinted.

Its flames rippled unnaturally, twisting into unknown symbols midair.

Then, for just a second.

Takami swore he saw something else forming behind it.

"Shit."

The battlefield shifted.

The three spirit keepers had already pushed the Great Spirit to its limit. But then,

The flames behind it split open like a gate.

A deep, unearthly presence crawled into the air.

The spirit… kneeled.

Bowing.

A second voice, whispering, echoed from the fire.

"You have wasted much of my time."

Ken's blood ran cold. "What the hell was that?"

The Great Spirit tried to speak, voice trembling. "Please, just a second chan—"

The voice cut him off.

Cold. Emotionless.

"Burn."

A single burst of crimson fire swallowed the battlefield.

Concrete melted.

Air distorted.

The sky turned red.

The explosion was so massive that the shockwave sent hunters flying like dolls. Kanzaki barely had time to throw up a defense before the entire livestream cut to black.

When the flames finally died down…

The spirit was gone.

Not even ashes remained.

Back at Takami's

A final system notification appeared.

⟨Unstable energy detected.

Distortion formed.

External interference has occurred.

Source: Nagari Fortress.⟩

Takami sat frozen.

His hands were shaking.

The phone slipped from his fingers.

"W-what on earth just happened…?"