"Pay attention."
Dio barely registered the words before his instincts screamed—something loomed over him.
Ji Liao was already in front of him.
A fist the size of a cannonball tore through the air toward his face.
Every fiber of Dio's being told him to move, but the blow was already closing in. Too fast. No time to dodge.
He didn't panic. He adapted.
Instead of bracing like an idiot, Dio shifted—his left foot sliding back, lowering his center of gravity. His right arm snapped up to his forearm, reinforcing his guard.
BOOM!
The punch slammed into him like a collapsing skyscraper.
Dio exhaled sharply, letting his body absorb the force. His arms bent at the elbows, dispersing the impact instead of letting it shatter his bones. The sheer power sent him skidding backward, boots carving trenches into the ruined floor. The wall behind him cracked.
But he didn't.
A dull ache throbbed in his muscles, but he was still standing. Still breathing. Still in control.
Ji Liao's eyes narrowed. "Interesting."
Dio coldly shook out his arms. His bones weren't dust. His body wasn't a smear on the alley floor. That was enough.
"Not bad," Dio said coolly. "My turn."
And then, he struck.
He didn't hesitate. Didn't overthink. He moved.
In an instant, Dio appeared in front of Ji Liao, his foot snapping up—BOOM!
The shockwave tore through the room.
But—
Blocked.
Ji Liao's left arm shot up, absorbing the kick as his right fist rocketed toward Dio's gut.
But Dio was already moving.
He twisted mid-air, the punch barely grazing him as he rolled clean over Ji Liao's arm. BOOM! The walls behind them exploded, debris cascading like shattered glass. Dio didn't look back—he landed light on his feet, putting distance between them.
His eyes locked onto Ji Liao, assessing.
Probably Rank 5, lower tier. Beast warrior. He's strong, fast too,But so far only in short bursts,
Species? Silverback or maybe…
"You think too much," Ji Liao scoffed, stepping forward. "I bet you're trying to guess my aspect. But does it even matter? Unless give your all,you won't live long enough to see it."
Dio didn't respond. He just adjusted his stance, tightening his grip on his katana.
---
VIP Booth
From above, Mancini watched.
One hand coolly in his pocket, the other swirling a glass of whiskey. His gaze flicked over the unchained stance, the perfect balance, the way he held his blade—not like some amateur, but like a swordsman trained to kill.
"He's had a good teacher," Mancini mused, watching with studied indifference.
Then—
BOOM.
The floor shattered.
Ji Liao and the unchained vanished in a blur of movement, colliding in an instant.
One throwing fists like wrecking balls.
The other weaving through the storm, his katana flashing like silver lightning.
Marble tiles disintegrated beneath them. Every clash sent ripples through the air—the kind of force that should liquefy a man's bones on impact.
Yet the unchained—was still here.
Not just surviving. Pressing forward.
The katana's edge kissed the air, narrowly missing Ji Liao's throat as he twisted at the last second. The blade followed, each slash seamless, rhythmic—a dance through destruction. No hesitation. No wasted movement. Every strike demanded blood.
Mancini took a slow sip, the glass trembling in his grip from the aftershocks.
"Impressive."
Another impact. Another explosion of debris. One of his very expensive tables splintered into fragments as the fighters tore through it. The neon lights flickered, erratic shadows stretching across what remained of the lounge.
The bartender had fled.
The dancers, the guests, gone.The security? Well.. the unchained made sure they won't be getting back up again.
Now its just Mancini, his whiskey, and the monsters before him.
He sighed, glancing at his now-cracked glass.
What a waste of good whiskey.
---
The Shift
Both fighters stopped, chests rising and falling.
"Hah… hah… not bad," Ji Liao admitted, rolling his shoulders. "As expected from an unchained. First, you could barely keep up. But now? Hah… now you're giving me a run for my money, non of you are always so simple the A.R.I personal monsters."
Dio didn't respond.
Didn't explain how he was not an unchained nor how he was keeping up.
Didn't mention how he'd been nullifying his own inertia to push beyond his limits.
How the technique was draining him fast.He was running on fumes now. But he still has enough left for this.
He just adjusted his stance—and attacked.
Faster.
Sharper.
Every movement flawless, precise.
His katana blurred. Cuts deepened. Blood flowed. Ji Liao's expression twisted. What?!
Dio didn't stop. Didn't slow.
Strike after strike.
Flash after flash.
Every motion sharper, every cut deeper—until he was a blur of steel and death.
Then—BOOM.
Dio twisted with the momentum of his attack, snapping a devastating kick into Ji Liao's jaw.
The hulking brute flew.
CRASH.
Shattered tables. Splintered wood. A trail of blood.
Ji Liao staggered to his feet, looking like he'd crawled out of hell. His body painted in crimson, fresh wounds carved across his muscle-bound frame.
But Dio wasn't untouched.
His breath came in ragged gasps, every inhale scraping his throat like sandpaper.
For the first time since he awakened—he had pushed himself, pushed his abilities past his limits. He didn't know what rank his ability potential was but he's sure about one thing it's definitely above high.But all this is unimportant right now, all that mattered was the fight in front of him. He walked towards where the man lay.
His body screamed at him to stop.
But he wouldn't.
The man was weakened. Now was the time to end it.
Dio launched forward, his katana already swinging—
Then.
BOOM.
A flash of movement.
A gut-wrenching impact.
Dio's body rocketed backward, crashing into the club's last standing wall. Blood splattered from his mouth as he struggled to rise.
So fast…
A low chuckle echoed.
Dio looked up.
Up in the vip Booth was Mancini as he stared down at Dio smirking.
"Don't you know?" Mancini said, swirling his whiskey. "Ji Liao was just playing with you."
Dio's red eyes narrowed then turned his attention to where the called Ji Liao lay.
And as the dust settled.
A shadow loomed.
Eight feet of raw, predatory muscle.
A monstrous fusion of man and tiger, striped fur bristling under the flickering club lights. Cat-like eyes glowed with primal hunger. The wounds Dio had inflicted? Was healing
Muscle and sinew knitting together with unnatural speed, until the injuries were gone leaving a person to wonder if he was ever injured in the first place.
"Growl."
The deep, guttural vibration shook the ruined floor.
Ji Liao's gaze locked onto Dio.
Sharp. Unblinking. Savoring the moment before the kill.
Mancini swirled the last of his drink.
A smirk played on his lips.
"The fight has only just begun."