DIAMOND CASINO BASEMENT – WHITE ROOM – THE FIGHT CONTINUES
Dong stepped forward.
He had no weapon. He had no armor. Just his fists. Just his will.
"You know, Midas Gray…"
He spread his arms.
"My power is simple. I assign an impact level to everything I touch."
A stone rolled under his foot. He struck it.
BOOM.
The wall behind Midas exploded.
"Level 3. Local fracture."
He smiled.
"You want to see Level 4?"
Midas didn't answer. He charged.
His golden hands struck. Dong dodged. Counterattacked.
BAM.
Midas stepped back. His golden arm was slightly dented.
"Level 1. Scratch. I'm warning you, you know."
"Level 2. Light impact."
An open palm strike. Midas flew through three crates.
"Level 3. Local fracture."
Midas rolled, avoiding the collapsing wall behind him.
He got up.
"You won't last long."
"Level 4. Room destruction."
The blow landed. The shockwave pulverized everything in its path.
Midas didn't move.
His golden hands rose, crossed in front of his chest.
CLANG.
The impact shook the room. Midas stepped back but remained standing.
Dong raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
Midas spat blood.
"Level 5. How do you do that?"
Dong raised his fist.
"I'd like to try. But I've never managed to go beyond Level 4."
He struck.
"Level 5. District."
Nothing happened.
The room remained intact. The walls held. Dong looked at his fist.
"…Not today."
A kick sent him flying. Midas followed up. A hook. A straight punch. A knee strike.
Dong took it. He laughed.
"Ah, you're quick. Too bad that…"
He grabbed Midas's golden arm.
"Level 2. Light impact."
He twisted the wrist. The gold creaked.
Midas screamed.
The others arrived. William, Daek, Takuya. They held Fre on the ground, Silva protected behind them.
"MIDAS!"
"Get her out of here!"
They hesitated.
Dong turned around.
"You want to play too?"
He grabbed Fre by the collar and threw him toward them.
"Deal with this nobody. Midas is mine."
He grabbed Midas by the nape of the neck and dragged him out of the room.
---
YOHAN'S OFFICE – DOOR CLOSED
Dong kicked the door open. Midas landed on the Persian rug, rolling up to the desk.
Yohan sat there. A glass of whiskey in one hand. A cigarette in the other.
"Dong. What are you waiting for? Finish him."
Dong didn't answer.
"Have you lost the title of Warrior God?"
Schlack.
A blade pierced Dong's back.
He fell to his knees.
Behind him, Mashima. Her face smeared with tears and makeup. She was laughing. One hand on the hilt of her sword.
"W… why?"
"Because I wanted to."
She drove the blade deeper.
"Because I enjoy it."
Dong collapsed.
Mashima withdrew her sword, licked it, then ran toward Yohan.
Yohan stood up.
He buttoned his jacket.
An elegant gesture. Almost disdainful.
Mashima raised her sword.
Yohan lifted his leg. Extended it toward the sky.
Then it came down.
BOOM.
Mashima's skull crashed onto the desk. Her white cat mask shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Little bitch."
Yohan crushed her head under his shoe.
"You really thought you could pull a fast one on me? From the day I accepted you here, I knew you were shady."
He spat on her body.
"So, you were waiting for the last moment to get me? You filthy whore."
Mashima turned her head toward Midas. Her face was bloody. Her eyes begged.
Help.
Midas looked at her.
He remembered.
"You must always help others. No matter the cost."
Gap. The bridge. The outstretched hand.
Midas clenched his fists.
He stood up.
His golden hands shone.
"Yohan."
Yohan turned.
"Ah, you're still here?"
Midas advanced.
His fist shot out.
Yohan didn't move.
The blow landed.
CLANG.
Midas's hand stopped on his cheek.
Diamond.
Yohan's cheek was diamond.
"What…"
Yohan smiled.
"Surprised?"
He headbutted him. Midas stepped back.
"You think I'd be the leader of Diamond Platinum without any power?"
His arms became covered in diamond. His fists too.
"My body can turn into diamond. I'm unbreakable."
He threw a punch. Midas flew across the office, crashing against the window.
"What the fuck are you playing at?"
Yohan adjusted his jacket.
"At least let me give my villain speech."
He sat in his chair.
"You want to destroy my casino? You want to free the pariahs? You want to avenge your mentor?"
He lit a cigarette.
"I just want to have fun."
He blew smoke toward the ceiling.
"So entertain me, Midas Gray."
---
TO BE CONTINUED…