Surpassing Expectations

Rin clenched her fist, the suppression bracelet slipping off with a swift motion. Electricity crackled around her as she dashed at Kurosawa, who stood before them.

"Rin, no!" Mei shouted, but it was too late. Kaze ground his teeth in anger.

"You're dead!" Rin screamed, launching a lightning-infused punch at Kurosawa's face.

Kurosawa dodged with a smirk. "Wow," he commented, easily evading her barrage of punches. Rin, bewildered, continued her assault, but Kurosawa's movements were a blur. Then, with a casual flick, he removed his own suppression bracelet. Needles sprouted from his hands, shooting towards Rin with lethal precision. Some embedded themselves in her chest.

Rin cried out and staggered back to where Kaze and Mei stood, taking a knee.

"Are you okay?" Mei asked, her voice edged with worry.

"I... I can feel my strength leaving me," Rin gasped.

Kurosawa's smile widened. "Of course it is. Look around. See all the people I've taken down?"

Kaze's gaze swept the room, noting the fallen figures, all alive but weakened, bodies pierced with blue-tinged needles. The energy from the needles seemed to flow directly to Kurosawa.

"He's stealing their energy," Kaze thought, his frustration evident as he clicked his tongue.

Rin struggled to rise, but Mei gently pushed her back down. "Relax. You're too weak. Let me remove the needles."

"Damn it!" Rin slammed her fist into the floor in frustration.

Kaze stepped forward, and Kurosawa mirrored his movement. Rin and Mei watched tensely as the two men faced off.

Kurosawa, now smaller in his youthful body, looked up at Kaze. 

Kaze stared down at him. "What do you plan to do now that you're an anomaly?"

Kurosawa crossed his arms, a smug look on his face. "Surely, Keito told you about "Him" right?"

Kaze's grin was sharp. "Let me guess Ryuji Enma, huh?"

"That's right your blood brother," Kurosawa continued. "He's the scariest, most ruthless person I've ever met. And I plan to bring back Himari Raina, the woman I love."

"Brother? so that's what he is to me..." 

Kurosawa flashed a grin, "That's correct. Now, if you'll excuse me." He then began to walk away.

You think you can just leave after causing all this chaos?" Kaze asked, his tone icy.

Kurosawa stopped and glanced back at Kaze. "Ah, you caught me. I guess I should stay, huh? I was kind of hoping you'd stop me. After all, you're the only one who can push me beyond S rank, right?"

Kaze's eyes narrowed. "Before I crush you, answer me this—do you actually believe this Enma clown is stronger than me?"

Kurosawa's gaze flicked up and down at Kaze. "The distance between you two, is like the floor trying to reach the ceiling. Pretty hopeless, don't you think?" He chuckled softly, hands slipping into his pockets.

Kaze laughed. "So, it's that big of a difference, huh?"

With a swift motion, Kaze removed his bracelet. The gravity in the room intensified, causing Mei and Rin to exclaim in shock.

"My body feels heavy. I can barely move," Mei muttered.

Rin stared at Kaze, awe and fear in her eyes. "This is the first time he's ever removed his bracelet. He's taking this very seriously."

Kurosawa barely flinched. "Not bad. I almost felt something."

Kaze aimed his hand. "You should feel this." He said, "Event Horizon."

A circular zone materialized, expanding rapidly through the room. Kurosawa found himself trapped, his movements slow and sluggish.

Kaze walked forward, a smirk playing on his lips, "Years of grinding, and still, I'm not too confident to use the full blast of 'Vortex' and 'Graviton Surge' without my suppression bracelet. But, there's one ability i can still use: 'Event Horizon.' It locks down everything. Good luck trying to break free from that."

Kaze prepared to deliver a powerful punch to Kurosawa's face. Kurosawa, tears forming in his eyes, pleaded, "Please, don't."

Kaze's smile was cold. "You're far too weak. Goodbye."

But just as his punch neared Kurosawa's face, Kaze's movements slowed. Looking down, he saw needles embedded in his stomach. Blood flowed as he collapsed, the Event Horizon dissipating. Kurosawa walked freely again, laughing.

"Just kidding. I was never in trouble. You underestimated me, Kaze."

Kurosawa stood over the fallen Kaze, absorbing his energy. "This is my ability: "Essence Impaler". I can summon needles that bypass any defense, draining the opponent's vital energy and transferring it to me. You've lost, Kaze. It's sad you're going to die alone."

Kaze, sweating and coughing, thought to himself, "Damn it, I let my guard down again. Why do I keep getting caught like this?"

Kurosawa aimed his palm at Kaze. "Sword of Sealing," he announced, manifesting a larger, sword-sized needle. "If this hits, the wound it causes won't heal no matter what you try."

Before he could strike, Mei's voice echoed with intense power, causing Kurosawa to bleed from his ears and fall to the ground. "What was that?" he gasped, seeing Mei approaching with clenched fists, anger in her eyes.

Rin, still weak, was shocked. "Mei... you had that kind of power?"

Kurosawa tried to rise. "Damn it, my ears. It hurts." But he had a plan. He would wait until Mei got close and then hit her with his needles, stealing her energy to heal his ears. As Mei approached, Kurosawa aimed his hands, ready to attack.

But Mei was prepared. She screamed, aiming both hands at Kurosawa, creating a massive shockwave that sent him crashing into the wall, severely wounded.

Bleeding from his eyes and ears, Kurosawa Misuki let out a chuckle, coughing up blood. "I'm really surprised, how did you ever get classified as an A rank? Did you have some kind of awakening to jump to S rank? Talk about a lucky break, huh?" He wiped the blood from his mouth, his smile never wavering despite the pain.

Mei stood over him, her fists covered in shockwaves. "Shockwave Barrage," she declared, raining punches on Kurosawa, causing him to scream in pain.

Kaze finally stood, removing the needles from his stomach. "Watch out, you idiot!" he yelled at Mei But it was too late. Kurosawa Misuki let out a twisted grin. With quick movement, he aimed his palm at Mei's back, activating his Essence Impaler ability. Instantly, all his needles shot toward her.

Mei Tanaka who was solely focused on Kurosawa, was struck by a barrage of needles. She crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain.

Kurosawa's injuries healed themselves, and the blood stains disappeared from his mouth and face as he adjusted his hoodie. "Well, that was a close one. I could've almost died. She's really not half bad."

Kaze glared at him. "You think you can just slip away from this, Kurosawa?" His palm outstretched, his voice dripping with threat. As he contemplated his options, his thoughts were a mix of caution and regret. "Vortex? No, too destructive — last time it wiped out a village. Graviton Surge? Still risky — not sure I can control it fully yet, even after all the practice. Better not chance it." Despite Kaze's immense power, the fear of unleashing another catastrophe held him back

Then an idea struck him. His eyes widened as he made a fist. "Graviton Fist," he announced, his fist coated in gravity particles.

Kurosawa raised an eyebrow. "Interesting technique. Never seen you use this before."

Kaze smirked. "Now you'll know how it feels to be punched by this technique." He ran at high speed towards Kurosawa.

Kurosawa aimed his palms at Kaze, who was speeding towards him, and unleashed his needles. Knowing he couldn't block them since they could bypass his gravity, Kaze dodged every single one of them and got right in front of Kurosawa. They both smiled and exchanged high-speed punches, causing massive shockwaves that shook the white room and began to make the rooftop crumble.

Rin and Mei watched in awe. Rin yelled at Mei to get up as the roof was about to collapse. "I can't, I'm too weak. I have needles stuck in my back," Mei said 

Rin rushed to Mei, pulled out the needles, and grabbed her arm. "Let's go," she urged, dodging falling concrete as they moved outside. 

When they finally stepped outside, Rin noticed it was the middle of the night. Mei, startled to see a full moon, realized just how long they had been at the agency. She glanced at her watch: 10 PM.

Outside, a massive crowd had gathered, watching the Eclipse Agency building shake and crumble. "Kaze..." Rin whispered, her thoughts interrupted as Kurosawa crashed through a wall, bloodied and flung into the street. The crowd screamed in shock as dust filled the air. 

Kurosawa struggled to get up, while Kaze, standing amidst the debris, said,"You lost, Kurosawa. Give up already. If you think you can take on Ryuji Enma with your current strength, you're delusional. You believe he's stronger than me, right? And you just lost to me. What does that tell you, huh?"

Kurosawa got up and looked at the crowd. "I guess I have an audience now," he muttered. His smile faded, turning serious. "I haven't lost yet," he said, aiming his hand at Kaze and opening his palm. "Sword of Sealing!"

Kaze chuckled. "This is the best you've got?"

Kurosawa's expression hardened. "Look around you. These people are all my hostages now. Unless you use something more powerful, you will never defeat me."

Kaze's eyes widened as he realized Kurosawa's plan. Kurosawa ran towards an elderly woman, aiming his "Sword of Sealing" needle at her. She cried and screamed in fear, while everyone else fled the scene. "Seriously, you bastard," Kaze muttered, gritting his teeth.

Kurosawa smirked. "Now come closer. It's either you or her."

Grinding his teeth, Kaze approached Kurosawa. As Kurosawa let go of the elderly woman and aimed his needle at Kaze's chest, Kaze used his vortex and graviton surge simultaneously, creating a small black hole for exactly 1 second. 

The attack caused massive injury to Kurosawa's arm, but Kaze was hit by the needle, causing both to collapse.

Rin and Mei watched in shock, wondering if it was over and who had won. After a few minutes, Kurosawa stood up, bloodied, and laughed. "I won," he declared. Mei and Rin, despairing, fell to the ground, holding back tears as Kaze bled out.

However, Kaze's aura intensified, glowing darkly. Just as Kurosawa was about to leave, he turned back and saw Kaze rising, radiating a sinister glow. "No, this can't be," Kurosawa thought, recalling what Himari had said about becoming an elite. Realizing that Kaze met all three criteria, he was shocked. Kurosawa tried to flee, but Kaze, laughing maniacally, stood up and pointed his finger at the sky.

"Black Hole," Kaze said. Everyone, including Kurosawa, looked up to see a black ball forming, sucking in objects but not people. Kurosawa was confused. "What is he planning?" he muttered.

Kaze then aimed his finger down at Kurosawa. "Fall," he commanded, and the black ball began to descend towards Kurosawa. Panicking, Kurosawa begged, "Stop! I was just kidding! Please, I beg you!"

Kaze, laughing, called him "Pathetic." Suddenly, Daichi appeared in front of Kurosawa. "Where were you?" Kurosawa demanded.

"I was preparing the jet, but it seems you need help, Father," Daichi said. Kaze clicked his tongue as Daichi removed his suppression bracelet, creating a huge portal to absorb the black ball. Daichi started to bleed from his nose due to the strain.

Kaze moved to finish the job, but a voice called out from a distance, "Kaze, stop this now!" Kaze halted as everyone turned to see Keito in a wheelchair, slowly moving towards the battleground.

"What are you doing here? You were supposed to wait for my father on the jet," Daichi said.

Ignoring Daichi, Keito addressed Kurosawa, who was in shock. "Hey, old friend, how about we stop this fight and actually work together this time? What do you think?"

Kurosawa had a shocked expression but it slowly turned into a smile. He looked up at Kaze and said,"Looks like this is my loss. You win, Kaze Jūryoku. You really are the strongest, after all."

The crowd cheered wildly for Kaze, and someone in the midst yelled, "There he is, Kaze Jūryoku, our hero!"

Kurosawa closed his eyes, as he thought, "So, he's done it. He has awakened and become an Elite. You've truly exceeded all my expectations. All those years I spent engineering the perfect body, aiming to achieve Elite status... and it seems I was doomed from the start. Ryuji Enma was always beyond my reach, wasn't he? But not for you, Kaze Jūryoku. Perhaps this was always your destiny—to surpass me here and confront Ryuji Enma."