Chapter 18: Broken Balance

The air was thick—charged with a strange, silent pressure. The black car was already gone, swallowed by the busy streets and no longer in sight. But neither Bunnyman nor Lady Tape moved. Their eyes were now fixed on the figure ahead—the one who had appeared from nowhere.

He stood like a statue in the middle of the road, face unreadable, his breathing calm. Wrapped in black, with no emblem, no weapons—only clenched fists and piercing eyes that shimmered with something not normal.

Then he ran.

So fast that even Bunnyman had barely shifted into a stance before the man was on him. The first punch was a blur, but Bunnyman ducked—barely. He countered with a hard jab to the ribs, but the man didn't flinch.

Lady Tape sprung forward, lashing her lines like whips—one caught his ankle, the other his wrist.

"Got him!" she yelled.

But he twisted, yanking her toward him with her own tape. A palm strike to her chest knocked the air out of her lungs and hurled her into a parked car with a crash.

"Lady Tape!" Bunnyman called out, turning back—but too late.

The man's elbow cracked across his jaw. Bunnyman stumbled, then spun with a roundhouse kick, landing a solid blow to the man's shoulder. Still—he didn't even grunt.

If anything… he looked amused.

Every second, he moved sharper, faster. As if the more Bunnyman fought, the more this stranger learned. The patterns. The rhythm. The force.

Bunnyman ducked under a punch, then launched a flurry of precise strikes. For a moment, it seemed he was gaining the upper hand.

But then the man grabbed Bunnyman's arm mid-swing—and slammed him into the pavement.

Hard.

Lady Tape groaned as she pulled herself out of the dented car, blood running down her lip.

Bunnyman rose again, bloodied but standing. "This guy… he's copying my moves."

"No," Lady Tape said. "He's improving on them."

The man came again, launching both of them into a desperate, messy two-on-one. But even together, they couldn't keep up. Their coordination was off. The stranger was relentless. No wasted motion. No anger. Just cold efficiency.

Then, just as suddenly as he started, he stopped.

He looked down at the battered duo on the ground. Then, without a word, he turned and walked into the shadows.

Gone.

Silence returned.

Lady Tape groaned. "Tell me that was a mutant… or a robot… or something."

Bunnyman slowly sat up, pain tightening every muscle. "No idea. But we need to find out."

Later that night, in a broken-down apartment in Devil's Side, another story unfolded.

A small group of off-duty police officers, drunk and careless, laughed as they played cards—surrounded by bottles, stolen cash, and discarded gear.

Until the door shattered.

One of them stood. "Who the hell—"

A black blur hit him square in the face, sending him flying across the room.

The others reached for their weapons—but the darkness moved first. One by one, they were struck down. Not killed. Just… punished.

Hard.

Bones cracked. Screams echoed. And when it was over, only one man remained conscious—barely.

Coughing, he looked up at the tall, cloaked figure standing over him.

Deadknight.

"You wear that badge and smile while kids go missing?" he asked, voice low and hoarse. "You don't deserve the uniform."

He picked up a phone from the table and held it in front of the cop's face. A video played—grainy footage of the fight earlier today.

The news anchor's voice said:

"...and here you can see the two vigilantes and the mysterious man destroying our beautiful city and scaring our citizens I request everyone to don't go outside until our best force get those peoples in jail..."

Deadknight stared at the screen.

At Bunnyman.

The way he stood back up. Even after being wrecked. The way he refused to run.

Deadknight narrowed his eyes beneath the mask.

"So that's the one causing waves…"

He dropped the phone onto the floor and stepped away.

"I think it's time I met this Bunnyman."

He turned, disappearing through the broken window and into the shadows of Devil's Side—just as silent and just as deadly as the mysterious enemy now stalking their city.