Episode 5 — "Hunted"
The night air in Crathis-4's capital city was heavy with dust and heat, even under the light of its two moons. The streets were a maze of sandstone walls, flickering neon signs, and shadowed alleys where the wrong step could mean a blade in the ribs.
Kujo moved through it with his hood up, the Combat Tracker on his wrist pulsing faintly.
[Status: Rank 30]
[Public Standing: High Target]
The Glass Scorpion's defeat had been replayed across every arena broadcast in the sector. Kujo's name — the "Street Dog" — was on every fighter's lips. Some admired him. Others wanted him dead.
Tonight, it would be the second group that found him.
First Ambush
The attack came without warning.
A figure dropped from the rooftops, fists wreathed in blue flame. Kujo's Instinct Combat screamed — right!
He blinked sideways, reappearing as the flaming fists smashed into the cobblestone where he'd stood. The stone cracked under the impact.
His attacker was tall, with tattoos glowing faintly along his arms and neck. His eyes were wild. "Rank thirty? You're mine, street rat!"
Kujo didn't waste words. He blinked forward, driving a knee into the man's gut, then followed with a Force Ripple. The shockwave blasted the man into the wall hard enough to send dust cascading down.
[Assailant Down]
[+1 Victory Token]
But before Kujo could turn away—
Second Ambush
A shrill whistle cut through the street. Two more figures stepped out of the shadows — one stocky and wide, skin coated in a sheen of stone, the other wiry and quick, arcs of lightning crackling along his forearms.
The stone-skinned one charged. Kujo blinked past him, but the wiry one anticipated it, appearing in front of him in a flash of light. Lightning surged toward Kujo.
He dropped into a low stance and released Force Ripple again. The wave caught both attackers, sending them sprawling.
The wiry one recovered first, zipping toward him in a blur. Kujo ducked under a punch, palm striking his chin. Lightning flared, scorching the air, but Kujo's body moved faster, Blink Stepping behind him and driving an elbow into the base of his neck.
The stone-skinned one roared, swinging a heavy fist. Kujo sidestepped, then teleported directly above him, dropping with a crushing kick to the back of his head.
Both went down.
[Assailants Down]
[+2 Victory Tokens]
The crowd watching from the rooftops began to cheer and shout bets. But Kujo's senses sharpened. This wasn't over.
Third Ambush
The air shimmered.
A figure emerged as if stepping through liquid glass — tall, armored, with an expression like carved steel. Rank 95, if Kujo had to guess. The kind of fighter who didn't come for sport.
[Warning: Elite Class Combatant Detected]
"Your little climb ends here," the man said, his voice flat.
Kujo blinked forward, striking fast. The man caught his wrist effortlessly and hurled him into a wall. Pain exploded in Kujo's back.
The man moved like a phantom, every strike calculated. Kujo ducked under one blow, Blink Stepped behind him, and struck with a Force Ripple. The man simply braced and absorbed it.
Too strong to push back.
Kujo switched tactics. Blink Step left. Force Ripple point-blank to the man's side. Blink Step right. Knee to the gut. Blink Step above. Double-fist smash to the shoulders.
The man stumbled, finally caught off guard.
Kujo poured everything into the next combination — blink, strike, blink, strike — chaining them so fast the man couldn't reset his defense. Each hit landed harder, faster.
The elite fell to one knee. Kujo blinked behind him and delivered a palm strike to the base of his skull.
The man hit the ground.
[Assailant Down]
[+5 Victory Tokens]
System Awakening
Kujo stood over the fallen elite, chest heaving, blood pounding in his ears. The Combat Tracker pulsed rapidly.
[Skill Evolution Triggered]
[Conditions Met: Consecutive Combat Successes — No Recovery Period]
The voice in his head shifted, becoming louder, clearer:
[New Trait Unlocked: Unlimited Cooldown]
[Description: All active abilities can now be used without cooldown restrictions.]
Kujo froze.
No more five-second wait between Blink Steps. No more downtime on Force Ripple. He could chain them endlessly, teleporting and blasting without pause.
The Final Wave
He didn't have time to savor it. A group of six fighters rounded the corner, weapons of magic lighting their hands — fire, ice, lightning, shadow.
They charged.
Kujo Blink Stepped forward, striking the first in the gut, then instantly Blink Stepped above the second, smashing down with both fists. Force Ripple erupted the moment his feet hit the ground, blasting the rest back.
Before they could recover, he was already blinking between them, fists and knees finding ribs, jaws, and temples. Each time they staggered, he was gone again, behind them, above them, inside their guard.
Force Ripple detonated again and again, each shockwave sending bodies sprawling. Blink Step carried him through the chaos like a ghost, untouchable, unstoppable.
In less than a minute, the street was silent except for the groans of the fallen.
Aftermath
[Back-to-Back Battle Streak Achieved: 10 Consecutive Wins]
[Level Increased: 30 → 50]
[Unlocked: Mana Surge]
[Description: Magic output increased by 200% when engaged with multiple opponents.]
Kujo stood in the center of the street, breathing hard but steady. His body thrummed with energy, not exhaustion. Unlimited Cooldown had changed everything — Blink Step was no longer an escape. It was a weapon.
From the rooftops, whispers carried.
"That's him."
"The Street Dog."
"Rank fifty already."
The Choice Ahead
Draven emerged from the shadows at the far end of the street, slow-clapping. "Impressive. And reckless. You're painting a target so big every bounty hunter on Crathis-4 will be lining up for your head."
Kujo glanced at the fallen fighters. "Let them line up."
Draven's grin was all teeth. "You'll get your wish. Word is, the Rank 120 who sent that elite after you isn't done. They've just issued an official challenge."
Kujo's Combat Tracker beeped.
[Incoming Challenge: Rank 120 — Accepted Automatically Due to Public Callout]
[Time Until Match: 18:00:00]
Kujo tightened his fists. Eighteen hours.
Plenty of time to sharpen his new skills.