Ever since Red Garden, Dante had never been this close to death. In the face of his ultimate enemy, one move would have decided everything, and making the wrong choice would have ended in him losing his life.

Facing the blonde bastard was much the same. The moment he appeared in the arena, Dante knew he was bad news, and the evaluation Volcan gave him only confirmed that.

A Level 5 Prime Genome, but that wasn't the worst of it.

"Tsk…" The blond bastard let his frustration show on his face, and in his movements. "You sure are an agile bastard…"

Jabs that cause sonic booms, kicks that launch hurricanes. Even with his perception enhanced to the max, Every motion still looked blurry. Dante was pushing himself beyond his limits, dodging every attack by a hair's breadth. It would take only one graze for his streak to be broken, and the moment that happens, his fate would be sealed.

What saved him so far was 8-3's Module, which he had equipped on his left arm. His opponent was exceedingly wary of it, and for a good reason. Level 5 or not, getting caught in a Spatial Distortion would be enough to lose a limb. It was Dante's only chance to win the way he was right now, but his opponent wasn't about to give him that chance.

'I might need an armor at this rate…' The thought crossed his mind just as he ducked under another punch, and as the violent wind ruffled his hair, he dismissed it right away. 'Fuck it.'

Force rose from his feet, traveling to his right fist as he twisted his body. The blow landed in the blond bastard's flank, dealing far less damage than Dante had anticipated. If it did anything, it would be throwing off the bastard's tempo, breaking the chain of attacks. That gave Dante a better opening to dodge the next one and reach for the bastard with his left hand, but it was immediately slapped away before he could activate his ability.

Thankfully, that wasn't enough to damage 8-3's Module, even if it gave Dante a fright. He tried to go for the attack once more, but the blonde bastard jumped away, putting some distance between them.

"Alright, I will admit it." He said. "You're pretty good."

Dante didn't let his guard down, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"You should be around Level 4, maybe? That's pretty impressive for a rust puppet."

Letting a moment of silence linger between them, Dante decided to say something.

"You are the same type as the werewolf, yet you still achieve Level 5 without transformation."

"Don't put us in the same category." The blond one clicked his tongue. "You think that second rate mongrel is the same as me?"

"Same shit, different holes, you think I give a damn?" Dante said.

"You should, if you know what's best for you!"

From the looks of it, Dante had struck a sensitive cord, causing the blonde man to lunge at him. Dante moved to intercept him, but a shadow shifted in the corner of his eye, almost costing him his focus. Thankfully, his perception was enhanced to the max, and with absolute awareness active, he was able to grasp who it was and what they planned to do.

"Please wait, Mr. Tigris!"

It was the furry hero. He jumped right in front of Dante, holding his arms up to block the blond bastard's path. Dante leaped back, not wanting his line of sight to be blocked, and he made the right choice.

"Out of my way!!!"

Slapping Wolf out of the way, the blonde bastard pursued Dante, reaching him in a single step. His right hand shot out like a spear, his fingers lined like the tip of a blade. Dante dodged, but not completely. His right shoulder was grazed, leaving a scratch mark on 4-3's green plating.

"Sir! Please stop."

Right away, the furry hero tried to interfere once again, but the blonde man paid him no mind, and neither did Dante.

"Tigris..."

Dante's eyes narrowed as he repeated the name, then they shot wide open as he was struck with a sudden realization. His movements faltered jut a bit, but that was more than enough for his opponent. The blonde bastard struck his left shoulder, a grin spreading across his face as he felt it connect. He went for the right next, and before Dante could recover, he planted a fist into his stomach. The world blurred, and another explosion shook the Red Oni Street.

~[ ]~

Rubble rolled onto the road as another wall slowly collapsed. Watching it from a distance, Kaiser shook his hand, a grimace twisting his face.

"Tough bastard…"

The worst part about fighting Cyborgs is how hard they tend to be. Though he had no trouble hitting about anything, punching alloy was far from enjoyable, and it always left him in a bad mood.

"Mr. Tigris!" The white haired dog came running, looking rather pissed. "What are you doing here!? Why did you attack that-"

"Silence."

With a single word, Kaiser shut him up and stopped him in his place. The very idea of a third rate talking to him was enough to induce disgust.

"I should be the one asking you the questions." He said. "I don't remember gracing you with those abilities so you could be entertainment for the masses."

"I-"

The white haired wolf was about to say something when his ears twitched, and he turned to look at the building where the red haired mongrel had been buried. Noticing the confusion on his face, Kaiser turned serious.

"What's the matter?" As he was in human form, his senses weren't as enhanced, forcing him to answer the mutt who's stuck in partial transformation.

"He… he disappeared…" Wolf said. "I can't sense him at all..."

"What?"

Just when he began to wonder if the red haired thug ran away, something else seemed to catch the mutt's attention. Kaiser followed his gaze and happened to spot a small black dot floating a couple of meters above the road. It expanded an instant later, ripping through space as it turned into a large black hole.

"What in the…"

Kaiser didn't share the mutt's confusion—he could recognize a portal when he sees one. He wasn't left to wonder for its purpose either as someone stepped through, and the instant their leg touched the cracked concrete, all light vanished from the world.

Taken aback, they could only watch as the rest of it emerged from the darkness. The dark blue alloy encasing it was all that's visible, and though most of it was sleek and round, there was no hiding the sinister air it flooded the world with. Its head soon came within sight—a glass sphere reminiscent of an astronaut's helmet. It's interior was black, devoid of light, yet they could still sense it—the murderous eyes gazing at them from beyond the glass.

Slowly, the corners of Kaiser's mouth rose into a grin, and the cold enveloping his body slowly disappeared. As the world regained its color, he took his jacket off and tossed it to the side.

"And here I thought this trip was going to be a waste." He said.

[And here I thought you would never take the bait.] Surprisingly, the murderous machine responded, its voice like the sound of grinding gears.

"So that's what the red mongrel was for. I have to admit, you do know how to choose your subordinates."

The situation has changed. Though he managed to get his nerves in order, the level of danger he was in hadn't gone down one bit. He could no longer afford to hold back, and so he unleashed the full extent of his ability.

His size exploded, muscles expanding as his bone structure changed. Veins bulged as his heart pumped power into every cell, feeding their transformation. His features warped, moving farther away from those of a human as fangs grew out of his mouth and feline ears grew on top of his head. His glowing red skin was soon hidden under a layer of yellow fur.

As the change came to a halt, Kaiser pulled his head back, drawing in a deep breath before releasing a bestial roar.

"RHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

The ground under their feet shook as a second wave of murderous intent washed over the world, clashing with the darkness that had enveloped it. His golden eyes glowing, the ground exploded under Kaiser's feet as he rushed in without delay. He broke the sound barrier without much effort, crossing the distance between him and his enemy faster than any creature ever could.

No machine could possibly react to his speed, and so he slammed straight into it with the force of a hypersonic missile—or that was his goal, at least.

"...!!!"

At the very last moment, the machine stepped aside, letting him through without offering any resistance. Except for the frustration it brought, that wouldn't have been much of an issue any other time. However, Kaizer seemed to remember what was behind the machine a moment too late, and by then, changing course was no longer an option for him. He plunged into the dark pool like a stone tossed into a still pond, and the next instant, the black hole vanished, and the crack in the world repaired itself as if it had never been torn.