CHAPTER 1: IT HAS BEGUN
The alarm buzzed loudly.
Tomochi tahama, 20 years old, groaned and slammed his hand on the clock silence returned. He stared up at the ceiling eyes half- open.
" Should I even bother going to work today?" He sighed.
The city outside buzzed with life- vibrant, noisy, and always moving. People crossed streets, taxis honked, and office workers rushed to their jobs. One lady, eyes glued to her phone, nearly stepped into traffic.
" Hey! Watch where you're going!" A driver yelled.
Among the sea of people, tomochi walked in a full suit, blending in, heading to his dull office life.
Then- Boom!
An explosion rocked the streets behind him screams followed.
Tomochi froze. Sirens wailed. Police and military forces swarmed the area.
While the crowd ran away in panic, tomochi turned and ran toward the chaos.
What he saw froze him in place.
A towering man- no, a monster- was mutating. His muscles expanded, his eyes turned crimson, his skin thickened like armor. Bullets bounced off him like dust.
He roared- and the sound alone shattered windows. Then, he slammed his palms together.
"Massive shockwave!"
A blast wave erupted. Tanks, trucks, and soldiers were sent flying. The nearest buildings cracked and fell. Civilians screamed. Some didn't make it.
Tomochi was flung like a ragdoll, crashing into a wall.
"Argh!" He cried out, his right arm snapping in impact.
As pain surged through him, he looked up.
The monster was heading deeper into the city.
Then- they arrived.
Three figures leapt into the scene, moving with lightning speed. These weren't ordinary soldiers. They were part of the 26 elite warriors, the top of the power system academy.
Tomochi's eyes widened.
"Are those... The legendary protectors of mankind?"
The monster marched forward- but then, ameika dropped from the sky, her long red hair swaying in the wind.
The monster growled and charged at her with terrifying speed.
She disappeared.
She was suddenly behind him.
"Oh my, you're slow," she said with a playful grin.
" Are you mocking me!?" Stand still he roared, turning and lunging again.
" Why would I stand still for you?" She teased.
" Need help, ameika?" Called calina, standing nearby.
"No thanks. Just get the civilians out. If I need backup, I'll call."
The monster charged again. This time, ameika crouched into a stance.
"Palms of exsitence."
The center of her palm turned black.
" Let me show you... Speed."
She vanished.
Before the monster could react, she reappeared in front of him- then instantly behind him.
Thoom!
Her palm struck his back.
In a flash- his entire upper body vanished. His lower half collapsed, and his head rolled across the concrete.
Tomochi stared, stunned.
" One hit..." He whispered. " She ended it in one hit..."
As sirens wailed and paramedics arrived, an EMT approached tomochi.
" You okay, sir?"
" My arm's broken," he replied.
They placed him on a stretcher and wheeled him off.
From the ambulance, tomochi looked back.
"What kind of power was that?" He thought.
" That wasn't human..."
From the shadows, someone watched.
"We lost a member," a voice said.
"I know," another replied coldly. "But don't worry. The power academy has no idea what's coming. When the time is right... We strike."