[ Introduction arc ]
Location Gotham City
9:00 PM on Saturday.
March 17, 20xx
Gotham City. A rather grim place filled with criminals lurking in the shadows where rent may be cheap but the risk of being robbed, assaulted or worse killed was so high that even the police would normally turn a blind eye from it being bribed by the rich and powerful.
Everything changed when Batman began his crusade on Gotham. He has fought those who are at the top and handled the crime lowering its rate by a lot after his appearance.
However, our story is not about the Bat. No, this Tale starts from a little Corvus Corax meeting the Beetle that walks the path of Heaven and rules everything.
Splash!
The sharp sound of feet clashing against filthy puddles echoed through the narrow streets as dark shadows ran through Gotham's alleys. Rainwater mixed with oil, trash, and weeks of neglect, splattering against cracked pavement and rusted sewer grates. Flickering streetlights cast broken halos of light, revealing graffiti-scarred walls, overflowing dumpsters, and the stench of rot and cheap alcohol hanging thick in the air.
This was the kind of place where sirens were distant suggestions rather than promises of help—where criminals thrived in the open, knives were drawn for loose change, and the city itself seemed to watch with cold indifference as its streets swallowed another desperate chase.
The person was being chased by something unseen, their footsteps slowing as they were finally cornered, surrounded on all sides. They pulled their cloak tighter, the hood falling low and concealing their identity completely.
"There is nowhere left to hide, sister. Your father, Trigon, awaits."
The voice crackled with distortion as the shadow pursuing them stretched and twisted, revealing itself at last—a grotesque, monstrous form crawling out of the darkness. A demon.
"As if I'd let you take me!" a female voice snapped as her hood and cloak shifted, revealing her face. She had beautiful purple hair and matching eyes, a red diamond set in the center of her forehead. Her skin was a pale gray, contrasting with a soft, plump, and round curvy figure. Her hair was cut short, styled neatly in a bob.
Her hands began to coat themselves in inverted, negative colors—white turning black, black turning white. It looked like energy circulating around her palms, reality itself warping as the strange power gathered at her fingertips.
"Azarath Metrion Zinth—Gaaah!!!"
Before she could even fight back, her body betrayed her, a scream tearing from her throat as the energy around her hands dispersed violently. She collapsed to her knees, panting heavily, her breath ragged and uneven.
'Dammit! I can't focus when I'm tired and starving!'
It had been months since she learned the truth about who her father was. Trigon—an immensely powerful, interdimensional demonic entity and conqueror of worlds.
She had seen the destruction of her home by his own hands.
Since then, she had been running nonstop, desperately trying to escape his grasp—but it was impossible. Every place she believed to be safe turned into another battlefield, demons already waiting for her arrival.
The demons laughed at her pitiful state, their distorted voices echoing through the alley as they slowly closed in on her. Raven grit her teeth, forcing herself to focus, trying to conjure a spell—anything to teleport away, or failing that, to end it all and drag the demons with her into oblivion.
"Run all you want, Princess," one of them sneered, its voice dripping with cruel amusement. "Every step only brings you closer to your father."
"Lord Trigon grows impatient," another hissed. "Your suffering is meaningless. You belong to him."
Raven's hands trembled as she gathered what little strength she had left.
Thump.
Splash…
The sound cut through the demons' laughter. Footsteps—slow, deliberate, and heavy—echoed against the wet pavement.
Raven's eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a lone figure advancing toward them, a scarf trailing behind them, fluttering dramatically in the wind as though the very night had taken notice.
The demons faltered, their attention snapping toward the newcomer.
As the figure drew closer, Raven was able to see his features far more clearly. He was a young man, only a little older than her, with long, dark, messy hair framing sharp red eyes. His lean, toned build spoke of someone who had trained to fight.
He wore the same scarf she had noticed earlier, draped loosely around his neck. A black button-up shirt clung to his frame, its sleeves rolled up to the elbows, paired with black slacks and matching black shoes.
"Kekeke… what is this? A human?"
The demons burst into mocking laughter, their eyes gleaming as they sized the man up like helpless prey.
"You! R-Run!" Raven forced the words out, mustering every last shred of strength she had left to shout a warning.
The young man didn't flinch. He didn't even hurry. His expression remained calm—almost casual—as if this was far from his first encounter with monsters.
"My grandmother once said…"
Suddenly, the demons lunged. Claws tore through the air as they leapt toward him, and Raven could only watch in horror, helplessly bracing herself for yet another innocent life to be snuffed out because of her.
"…If you wish it to be so," he continued evenly, "luck will always be on your side."
Before any of the demons could land a blow, something streaked through the air at incredible speed—too fast to follow. The impact rang out with a sharp metallic crack, sending one demon screaming in agony as it was hurled backward, staggering from the sudden strike.
"W-What?!"
Raven stared in disbelief as the young man caught the object mid-motion. In his hand was a red, beetle-like metallic device, its surface sleek and alien, gleaming faintly beneath Gotham's flickering lights.
"Henshin."
He said as he did a little pose then he slid the mechanical beetle into the center of the strange buckle.
[ "HENSHIN!" ]
The beetle announced in a deep robotic voice, after it said that it released a green hexagonal field of energy from its place on the buckle and expanded from its place on the buckle and covered his entire body. As it covered his body armor was forming over his clothes except for the belt on his waist and then covered his head finishing the transformation.
The helmet that covered his head had a silver antenna on the front of his head and a small forward facing horn on top of his helmet. He had a single blue eye plate set under the silver armor of his helmet, the edges around the eye plate trimmed in red that seemed to be connected to a silver mouth plate.
On his torso he wore a bulky silver chest plate that had red accents on its chest and shoulders, his upper piece that wrapped around his neck.
His arms were covered in silver segmented armor and his forearms were bound with silver jointed gauntlets. The underside of the shoulder armor was red while the rest of it was silver. The front and back of the shoulder armor each had a silver metal orb that acted like a joint. On his left shoulder was a symbol on a small red orb that had a rhinoceros beetle.
The armor overlapped a black bodysuit that was connected to a pair of black boots on his feet that had a silver metal plating on them going to his ankles.
The outer side of his lower legs had silver metal plates on them and his ankles had three to four silver He also had silver knee pads above his knees. On the sides of his thighs were metal plates. His shoulders were covered in bulky metal armor that had rounded ends.
Raven was astonished by what she was witnessing. The demons quickly recovered from the red beetle's attack, snarling as rage twisted their grotesque features. Their gazes locked onto the human, no longer mocking—only furious.
"We'll tear you apart," one roared, saliva hissing as it hit the rain-soaked ground.
"And devour your soul!" another shrieked, claws scraping against concrete.
The young man didn't answer. He simply walked toward them, unhurried, as if approaching nothing more dangerous than a mild inconvenience.
The demons lunged.
He never took a formal stance. Instead, his body flowed naturally—slipping past slashing claws by inches, twisting away from snapping jaws.
A taloned arm swept toward his head; he leaned back just enough for it to miss, then stepped inside the demon's reach and struck, his counter precise and brutal.
Another demon charged from the side, only for him to pivot smoothly, redirecting its momentum and sending it crashing into a wall with a thunderous crack.
Rain splashed violently as he moved, feet barely touching the ground, each motion economical and controlled. He ducked, weaved, and countered again and again, striking nerves, joints, and pressure points with uncanny accuracy—never lingering, never overcommitting.
Yet despite the skill on display, the demons were far from defeated. They snarled, regrouped, circling him with renewed caution, their eyes burning with hatred as they prepared to attack once more.
Raven could only watch, breath caught in her throat, as the battle continued—fast, brutal, and far from over.
The demon finally managed to land a solid hit. A massive claw slammed into the young man's side, the impact echoing through the alley as he was sent flying across the street. He crashed through a stack of trash bags and skidded along the wet pavement before rolling to a stop.
For a moment, the only sound was the rain.
Then he moved.
Slowly, he pushed himself up, water dripping from his armor as he straightened. His breathing was steady—unshaken.
The demons burst into cruel laughter, their voices overlapping in a chorus of mockery.
"Kekekeke! Did you feel that, human?"
"We were only playing with you!"
"Now the game ends."
They surged forward again, attacking in unison. One swung wildly, claws carving sparks from the asphalt as he narrowly sidestepped. Another came from behind; he ducked low, the strike passing just over his head, and drove an elbow into its ribs before twisting away from a snapping maw. A third demon charged head-on, forcing him to block—boots scraping against the ground as he was pushed back several steps.
Despite his skill, the numbers began to tell. A blow grazed his shoulder. Another clipped his leg, forcing him to slide back, water splashing beneath his feet as the demons closed in, confident, hungry.
The laughter grew louder.
"That's enough," one of them snarled. "Your soul will please Lord Trigon."
The young man exhaled slowly.
Then, without breaking eye contact, he reached down—
and placed his hand on the buckle at his waist.
"Cast off," the young man said quietly.
He grabbed the slightly raised horn of the beetle at his waist and pulled it sharply all the way to the right. The circular center of the mechanical beetle split apart, revealing an oval-shaped screen beneath as the front of its head slid forward. Hidden panels beneath the outer shell lit up, lights flashing rapidly across the exposed interface.
"CAST OFF!"
The beetle announced in a cold, robotic voice.
In an instant, the segmented armor surrounding the young man's body detonated outward. Heavy plates tore free, rocketing through the air like crimson missiles. One slammed into a demon with explosive force, sending the creature flying into a wall with a deafening crash. Others barely had time to react—the remaining demons ducked instinctively, shielding themselves from the violent storm of flying armor. Some of the demons were struck mid-motion, their bodies hurled aside as they screeched in pain.
When the chaos settled, he still stood.
His black bodysuit remained, but the bulky outer armor was gone. In its place was a sleek, streamlined form. A crimson chest plate shaped like a beetle's abdomen covered his torso, silver accents running beneath his arms. His thighs and lower legs retained slim side armor plating, along with silver knee guards, while his feet were still encased in armored boots—now lighter, faster, refined.
Most of the segmented armor on his arms had vanished as well. His upper arms bore only single silver plates along the sides, mirrored by similar plating on his forearms. These forearm plates connected seamlessly into silver wristbands, which flowed into black hand guards trimmed in silver.
His shoulder armor was no longer bulky—lighter, sharper. The upper sections gleamed in polished red, edged in shining silver, while the outer sides were flat yet subtly rounded, built for speed rather than defense.
Then, from his chest, a long horn rose upward.
It slid smoothly into position, locking into a slot above his eye plate. As it connected, the helmet reconfigured—his single blue visor splitting cleanly into two glowing blue eye lenses, divided by the horn and framed by a silver mouth plate.
Click.
The sound echoed clearly through the alley as the horn locked into place.
His twin blue eyes flared to life, glowing a brilliant light blue—cold, focused, absolute.
The mechanical beetle on his belt spoke once more.
"CHANGE BEETLE!"
The transformation was complete.
Raven was left in Awe as the young man stood silently.
"Clock Up," he said quietly while slapping his right hand on a square pad on the right side of his belt.
"CLOCK UP!"
After the robotic beetle made its announcement, the world itself seemed to falter. Everything slowed—then slowed even further—until motion became nearly nonexistent. Rain hung suspended in the air like scattered shards of glass. The demons were frozen mid-snarl, claws half-extended, their expressions locked in rage. Even Raven was caught in stillness, her breath halted, eyes wide as time abandoned her.
Only the young man could move.
He raised his hand calmly, and with a soft mechanical hum, a weapon materialized in his grasp. It was a sleek, high-tech firearm colored in silver and black, its design both elegant and lethal. A long, slightly curved silver blade was affixed to the grip, extending halfway along the length of the barrel, giving the weapon the appearance of both gun and sword.
The barrel itself gleamed silver, angular and precise, with an upside-down triangular emblem mounted near its end—faintly glowing, as if resonating with the power coursing through him.
He held the weapon with practiced ease, red eyes focused forward as the frozen battlefield awaited what came next.
He pulled the trigger.
A sharp flash of light burst from the blaster, and compressed energy rounds tore through the air, striking the demons positioned farther away. The impact sent their bodies jerking violently, holes burned clean through demonic flesh as time barely allowed their screams to form.
In one fluid motion, he seized the barrel of the blaster and twisted.
With a metallic click, the barrel detached and slid free, unfolding into an orange-bladed kunai. The blade hummed with energy, glowing brightly against the frozen gloom of Gotham. He flipped it into a reverse grip without hesitation.
Then he vanished.
To Raven's eyes, he became nothing more than a blur—an afterimage slicing through the air. The next instant, he reappeared behind one demon, the kunai already passing through its torso in a clean, precise arc. Another blink, another flash of orange light—claws fell uselessly to the ground, bodies split apart before pain could even register.
He moved through them effortlessly, slashing and slicing as if the demons were no more than obstacles in his path. Each strike was exact, each motion controlled, the kunai carving glowing lines through demonic flesh as he danced between frozen droplets of rain.
To Raven, it was unreal.
One moment he stood before her—
the next, he was everywhere at once.
"CLOCK OVER!"
The mechanical beetle's voice rang out, crisp and final. In an instant, the demon before them convulsed violently—and then erupted, its grotesque body tearing apart in a burst of dark energy.
The young man stood tall amidst the aftermath, his presence calm and commanding. Raven could barely breathe, awe locking her in place as her mind struggled to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
"Y-You… who are you?" she stammered, her voice trembling as consciousness threatened to slip away.
Without a word, he lifted his hand toward the sky. Above, the clouds seemed to obey, parting dramatically to allow a shaft of sunlight to pierce through, bathing the ruined alley in a divine glow.
"My grandmother once said…" His voice was quiet, measured, yet carried the weight of inevitability.
"…Walking the path of Heaven… the man who will rule over all."
He paused, letting the words hang in the light, and then declared,
"My name is… Tendo Soji."