The sun dipped low behind the temple-styled rooftops, casting long shadows across the quiet district just outside the university walls. Raizen strolled lazily through the winding streets, hands in his pockets, stomach growling with frustration.
"Vending machine food… might as well eat the wrapper," he muttered, eyeing the half-eaten snack in his hand before tossing it into the nearest bin with a flick of disgust.
"Should've checked the tea shop's storage. Might've had actual food in there."
Raizen needs real food, but he cant afford it, he needed his golden ticket Ryo.
This district felt different. The air was thick with incense and age. Wooden buildings lined the narrow roads, painted with brush-stroke patterns, curved tiles stacked above paper lanterns glowing faintly. The scent of sandalwood mixed with roasted chestnuts and faint perfume drifted from a nearby teahouse.
And then, turning the corner into a dim alley between two old bars—
He stopped.
There she was.
Xuē Liuyue.
"Dressed in a sleeveless black hanfu and a sheer, flowing robe that trailed like spilled ink, she stood tall and cold—like a goddess carved from porcelain. But this time, she wasn't alone."
Raizen tapped into a sliver of lust energy, channeling it inward—not for pleasure, but precision. Takumi's memories surfaced in flashes, and within seconds, he found what he needed. The man beside her… wasn't a stranger.
That meathead from Takumi's fractured memories—some musclebound brute who treated him like a punching bag just for breathing near Xuē.
Now, that same gorilla was gripping her wrist too tightly, towering over her like a territorial beast. His jaw clenched. His eyes wild.
"How did they end up here…? Are they arguing?" Raizen narrowed his eyes.
Xuē didn't flinch. Her gaze was razor-sharp, lips pressed into a calm, unreadable line.
The alley wind tugged at her hair, but her presence didn't waver. If anything, she was the storm.
Raizen narrowed his eyes.
She looked cold. Composed. But Raizen saw it — the subtle tremble in her legs.
"…Heh. Serves you right. Keep acting untouchable, witch," he muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing.
He walked past them without a word, not sparing a glance. But with each step, his pace slowed. His jaw tightened. A dull throb flared behind his temple. Something stirred—no, boiled—deep inside.
Takumi's emotions.
That idiot with the bleeding heart. The same coward who got beaten half to death and still groveled at her feet. His shame. His rage. His humiliation.
Raizen stopped cold.
The memory fragments were broken, but the pain wasn't. It echoed—loud, bitter, raw.
His lip curled. "Tch…"
Just as the meathead's hand slid toward Xuē's waist—
Crack.
His wrist froze mid-air.
Raizen's hand gripped it like a vice.
"I hate witches," he muttered, eyes cold. "But I hate your ugly face even more."
The man's eyes widened. "You—!?"
BAM!
A fist flew. Raizen slipped past it by a hair.
He countered—quick, sharp, ruthless.
Another blow came. Then another.
Fists clashed like war drums, echoing off the narrow alley walls.
Raizen was fast. Wild. Unpredictable.
But not strong enough.
Not yet.
Each blow drove him back.
His ribs screamed. Blood trickled from his cheek. But his eyes—his eyes never wavered.
Good thing he'd stockpiled a bit of lust energy earlier. Raizen channeled it now, dulling the impact, softening the force behind the meathead's punches.
Still, his body ached. His knuckles throbbed.
But he didn't fall.
Not this time.
Xuē stood frozen, arms crossed, lips parted.
Stunned.
Was this really the same boy who used to flinch when someone raised their voice?
The same Takumi who'd once begged her to stop?
Her gaze narrowed, the air around her subtly shifting.
He really is unrecognizable now.
The brute growled, veins bulging across his neck.
"You've got guts now, huh? Think you're some kind of knight in shining armor?"
Raizen wiped blood from his mouth, smirking.
"Knight? Please. I'm just here to return the favor, jackass."
Their fists clashed again, bodies colliding like hammer and anvil. Raizen kept up—barely. His lust-charged reflexes gave him speed, unpredictability. But raw power? The muscle freak still had the edge.
With each impact, Raizen's breath grew shorter. His knees trembled. But he stood his ground.
Then—
"Enough."
The voice cut through the alley like cold steel.
Xuē Liuyue stepped forward, her heels clicking on the cracked pavement. Her eyes, dark and gleaming, were locked on the two men like a bored queen eyeing unworthy jesters.
"He's not your punching bag, stop or I'll break your neck" she said flatly.
She raised a hand—and pointed it at Raizen.
"This guy is mine to break."
Raizen blinked, caught off guard.
"…Don't need your help," he muttered, wiping the blood from his lip.
Xuē crossed her arms coldly.
"I don't need yours either. This was my fight. You're the one barging in like some nosy hero."
They locked eyes—challenging, irritated, almost too familiar.
The brute's brow twitched. Veins bulged.
"Are you two seriously—" he growled, eyes darting between them.
"—bickering like a married couple right now?!"
He roared, stomping forward.
"You think this is some damn drama show?! I'll knock both your teeth in!"
Raizen tilted his head, smirking.
"Oh no. We made him mad. What ever shall we do… wife?"
Xuē shot him a glare that could freeze fire.
"Call me that again, and I'll kill you myself."
"See what I mean?!" the brute shouted, nearly foaming.
"I'M STANDING RIGHT HERE!"
She flicked open her embroidered black fan with a snap.
"You dare raise your voice at me?"
Then she moved—like moonlight cutting through stormclouds.
With each step, her black silk sleeves danced, her fan slicing the air with deadly grace. Her movements were precise, elegant—refined like a blade honed by centuries.
Raizen dove in alongside her, fists swinging wide with reckless grit.
They fought—not in harmony, but in chaos.
His raw power. Her refined technique.
Every attack barely missing each other, like they were fighting two battles at once.
"You elbowed me!" Raizen snapped, ducking a swing.
"Then get out of the way, amateur!" Xuē hissed back, flicking her fan to deflect a punch aimed at his jaw.
"Your sleeves almost blinded me—are you fighting him or hosting a fashion show?!"
"Please. You're the one swinging like a drunk goat."
The brute was bleeding from his lip now, glaring at them with disbelief.
He roared, cracking the ground with a stomp.
"Enough!!"
His face contorted with fury.
"Are you two fighting me or each other?!" he bellowed.
Raizen glanced sideways at Xuē. "At this point, I'm not even sure anymore."
Xuē exhaled slowly, flicking her fan closed.
"…Neither am I."
The brute's fist trembled.
"I swear to god, you smug bastards—if I hear one more word out of you two married—!"
They both replied at the same time:
"Shut up!"
And lunged.
The fight was brutal.
Raizen's fists burned. His arms ached.
But the musclehead just kept coming—like a tank in human skin.
"—How strong is this guy?" Raizen grunted, ducking a blow that cracked the wall behind him.
Xuē's fan blocked another punch aimed at his ribs.
"He's a senior from VACA."
Raizen blinked. "VACA?"
She shot him a look like he'd asked what 1 + 1 was.
"Are you stupid? Valeforge Academy of Combat and Athletics."
Raizen barely dodged another heavy swing. "Never heard of it."
"It's the top school for future military and elite police units. They train killers in uniform."
She slashed forward with her fan, forcing the brute to backstep.
"They've got the best fighters in the city. Real fighters."
Raizen spat blood and wiped his lip. "Great. I'm brawling with a government-issue gorilla."
The brute cracked his knuckles, smirking.
"You're damn right. And you two clowns? You're already dead."
The brute's elbow slammed into Xuē's stomach, sending her crashing into a stack of crates. Wood splintered. She gasped, breath knocked from her lungs.
"LIUYUE!!"
Raizen's voice tore through the alley, raw and guttural.
A heavy fist followed—crashing into Raizen's jaw before he could react. He staggered back, blood flying.
"Hah! Look at you two idiots," the brute sneered, turning to the half-dazed Raizen. "Takumi, how about this—after I'm done with her, I'll let you have a turn."
His tongue slithered across his lips. A hungry, twitching dog barely holding back the pounce.
Xuē's hair was a mess, her robe torn in places, but she still looked divine—like a goddess dragged into hell.
Her face was unreadable, cold as frost.
Only her trembling hand betrayed her.
Raizen's voice dropped low. "Okay. Let's do it."
Xuē's eyes widened in disbelief. What?!
She stared at him, furious. Are these two monsters really planning to—?!
Disgust twisted her face. "You filthy—!"
"HAHAHA! Good choice, brother!" the brute howled.
But as Raizen stood, something shifted.
The erotic energy he'd been gathering—the ambient lust leaking from nearby bars—flared to life. It clung to his skin like a second layer. A red glow wrapped his arm, subtle but dangerous.
His muscles tightened. His breathing slowed. His eyes burned—not with rage, but focus.
He was bluffing earlier. Baiting the brute.
Buying time.
Siphoning every drop of lust energy from the sin-soaked alley.
Now?
Now he was ready.
His voice dropped lower—calm, cold, lethal.
"You could've beaten me any other day…"
He grinned, blood trailing from his mouth.
"…but you pissed me off."
His eyes flicked to Xuē. "If someone's gonna take advantage of her…"
He rolled his neck, his knuckles sparking.
"…then it should be me and me alone! I don't eat leftovers."
Xuē choked on air.
"Y-You pervert!!" Her cheeks flushed crimson. Anger. Shock. Something she refused to name.
But her heart… stuttered.
The brute snarled, confused, furious.
"What the hell is that glow—?!"
Raizen's right hand lit up, wrapped in a spiraling red blaze. His lust-forged energy crackled—tight, controlled, burning.
"You'll find out."
Across from him, the brute's muscles tensed. His skin shimmered—metallic, armored. Iron Skin. His innate ability.
They both stepped forward.
Fists pulled back.
Eyes locked.
BOOM!!!
The alley exploded with force.
A shockwave burst outward—windows shattered, dust blasted off rooftops. The ground quaked.
Silence.
Then—
Thud.
The brute collapsed.
Eyes rolled back. Jaw dislocated. Arm twisted unnaturally.
Raizen remained standing. Barely.
Blood streamed from his brow. His shirt hung in ribbons. His arm smoked, fist still clenched mid-air like a statue of war.
"…Still got it," he muttered.
His legs gave out.
He fell forward—
Soft. Warm.
Xuē caught him.
His cheek landed against her chest, breath shallow, hot against her skin.
She trembled, barely standing herself.
Her arms… didn't let go.
She stared down at him. Angry. Cold.
"This idiot…"
Raizen smirked, eyes fluttering.
"Don't flatter yourself. That wasn't for you…"
His hand, still faintly glowing, slid off her waist.
"…I just wanted payback."
Xuē glared at him.
But she didn't let him fall.