CHAPTER 4:THE FIRST BATTLE

Chapter 4 – The First Battle

The night was supposed to be peaceful. Instead, chaos had arrived.

A monstrous, shadowy warrior stood in the middle of the street, its hollow eyes glowing with an eerie light. Its body was covered in black, cracked armor, and its very presence sent shivers down Akira's spine. He grabbed a nearby bed sheet, threw it over himself, and stuttered, "O-Oi, what the hell is that thing?!"

But before anyone could react, Ryo had already leaped out of the window.

With a swift kick, he sent the cursed warrior stumbling back. Ren followed, cracking his knuckles. "You picked the wrong street, freak!" he taunted before slamming his massive fists into the creature's chest. The cursed warrior barely flinched. Instead, it let out a low growl and retaliated, sending Ren flying across the street and crashing into a brick wall.

Hajime's eyes widened. "Damn, it's strong!" He clenched his fists, igniting flames around them. With a roar, he charged forward, swinging a blazing punch at the cursed warrior.

But the creature blocked it with ease.

Hajime barely had time to react before a powerful strike sent him skidding across the pavement. Ryo's mind raced. We're not ready for this… We don't even know how to use our rings properly!

Then, the ground trembled.

Dozens of cursed warriors—twisted, humanoid creatures with glowing eyes—emerged from the darkness, their eerie growls filling the air. Ryo gritted his teeth. This is bad.

Ren wiped the blood from his lip and smirked. "Alright, you bastards wanna play? Fine." He curled himself into a ball. "Ryo, throw me."

Ryo blinked. "What?"

"Just do it!"

With a deep breath, Ryo grabbed Ren and spun him like a discus before launching him straight at the army of cursed warriors.

BOOM!

Ren plowed through them like a bowling ball, sending some flying. But despite the powerful attack, only five of the creatures disintegrated into dust. The rest remained standing.

"Tch, not enough," Ryo muttered.

A cursed warrior lunged at him. He barely dodged in time, rolling to the side. I have to use my powers! He focused, willing his light energy to appear.

Nothing happened.

Another cursed warrior charged. Before it could strike, Yuuma suddenly dropped in from above, standing on a floating cloud. He smirked. "Took you guys long enough to start the fun."

Ryo glared. "You again?!"

Yuuma ignored him and raised his hand. "Taste my clouds."

He fired dozens of small cloud bullets, each one slamming into the cursed warriors. Unlike normal bullets, these carried raw energy, disintegrating the creatures on impact.

The police arrived, sirens blaring. Officers jumped out, weapons drawn. One of them pointed at Yuuma. "Hey! You're that punk who attacked people this morning!"

Yuuma laughed. "Yeah, yeah, buddy. We'll talk later."

Above them, helicopters hovered, illuminating the battlefield. But the cursed warriors weren't intimidated. One of them grabbed Ren, lifted him with monstrous strength, and hurled him into a helicopter.

BOOM!

The aircraft exploded, flames lighting up the night sky.

"REN!" Hajime roared, his fury erupting. He turned toward the army of cursed warriors, eyes burning with rage. His flames surged, forming a massive fireball between his palms.

"BURN, YOU BASTARDS!"

With all his strength, he hurled the fireball forward. It exploded in a wave of flames, engulfing the remaining cursed warriors. Their unearthly screams echoed through the city before they vanished into ash.

Silence fell.

Ryo stood frozen, his heart pounding. The battle had been too close.

Yuuma landed beside them, dusting off his hands. "Damn, that was fun."

Ryo clenched his fists. "This isn't a game. Those things… they were real monsters."

Yuuma grinned. "Then get stronger. 'Cause this is just the beginning."

Ryo exhaled, looking at his glowing ring. The rings gave us power… but they also released these things. What else have we unleashed?

As the smoke cleared, the sky above Tokyo seemed darker than before.

The real nightmare was only just beginning.