The door slammed against the wall with a bang.
I swear to god, if this keeps happening, I'll give an asshole charge to everyone who does that. Sure, it wasn't damaged yet. The carpenter who made it was paid way too much to use wood that was way too expensive to craft the perfect door for me. But I still feel my heart ache every time it gets hurt like this. I'd like to think that after Brenda, the shop is the most important child in my life. This baby took way too much effort and money to set-up.
Oh and…of course the person who walked in was an asshole.
He walked like an asshole and quacked like an asshole, so he has to be an asshole. This ABB cunt and his mooks sauntered up to my counter like they owned the place. I think the way he's walking with his hands in his pockets and his butt stuck out is some strange way of showing off swag, but he really just looks like a dumbass wannabe gangster to me.
"This that tea place?" He took a quick look around. "Man, you really are rich. That's good. Hand it over. Payments due." The idiot stuck his hand out to me.
"Dear customer. Might I offer a tea that helps with brain damage?" I spoke with the fakest customer service smile I could offer. "Oni Lee has already collected the Dragon's due for the month."
"Huh?!" He glared at me with one eye, pulling down his sunglasses to do so. Who the fuck wears sunglasses indoors? "You fuckin talking back? If I say it's due, then it's fucking due. Stop talking and go get the cash."
"Sure. Go get Oni to deal with this will you." I waved at him dismissively, like he was beneath me. "I don't have time to deal with you… I don't know what your name is so I'll call you Minion A."
He slammed his palms on my counter angrily. I wonder if Oni will be mad if I kill this guy. "The name's Matsuda, you fuck face! Oni Lee don't got the time to deal with fucking shop keeps like you. He's too busy Protecting you. So hand over the protection money already!"
I sighed. Papa always cautioned me against violence. Melanie told me that killing is a step too far. Maybe I'll find the middle ground to those things? Alright, let us do it this way. My hand lashed out and grabbed him by the throat. Effortlessly, I lifted him up with a singular arm and glared at him in the eyes, hard. His hands scrambled for purchase as he gasped and wheezed, desperate to breathe in even the slightest iota of oxygen. I squeezed harder.
"Look at me, punk." His pupils dilated as the lack of air started to get to him. I applied greater pressure, which made him stop scrambling desperately for a second. "That got your attention? Good. I've been playing nice with your little gang of assholes. It's not like I don't know what you all get up to." The thugs were yelling at me to put him down, but the chickenshits were too scared to start a fight with someone who was so obviously a Parahuman. "Honestly? I just didn't care. I'm not a hero. All I am is a tea shop owner. But you come into my store and make demands of me? Even after I've complied with your silly little demands for wealth unearned?"
I released the dam in me. This wasn't something I enjoyed using lightly. It reminded me of another side that was full of bloodthirst, ambition and a will to conquer. I had tempered and hid it away because I didn't want to start anything or take part in the cape world. Brenda was entirely too important to risk a flight of fancy like that. But for this shit heel? The air shifted noticeably, blasting away from me like a shockwave with myself at the epicenter. His hanger ons dropped to the ground unconscious, foaming at the mouth. This…Matsuda character was only conscious because I wanted him to hear my words.
"Take your little posse and fuck off. I'm not involved in your power plays and never will be. Don't try to get me involved. You won't like the consequences." I let go and stepped back behind the counter.
He dropped to the ground, clutching at his throat. I watched impassively as his denim jeans turned darker in shade. The gangster wheezed in pain for a few more seconds before collecting himself, if only slightly. From his position on the ground, he glared up at me. "Y-you better watch yourself! Lung won't take it lying down!"
I resisted the urge to facepalm. "Lung doesn't care about you. Why on earth would he ever do something to mess with someone who's giving him a stupid amount of cash each month? Just get the fuck out of my shop already. Actually, no. Byeon Gi! Yu Xuan! Cho Gi! Koshiro! Get them out of here!"
The door opened and my minions walked in. They sheepishly bowed to me. "Sorry about the mess, boss. We couldn't tell them no since Matsuda outranks us."
"You four! Help me with this guy! He disrespected Lung!" The sniveling man cried from the ground.
"Uhhhhhh… Are you crazy? No thanks. Come on. Let's help you get away from an early retirement from life." Yu Xuan reached down and pulled the worm up. The rest of them started to pick up the unconscious thugs from the ground and bring them out. I breathed a sigh of relief. Phew. I still didn't like to use Conqueror's at all. It felt too much like someone I didn't want to be. Papa would disapprove. I sat down and leaned back. That was tiring. I think I'll just close my eyes for a sec-
My suit burst apart, ripped into shreds that fell to the ground. I was left bereft of attire and felt the chill of the air conditioning. A shiver went through my spine as I watched the predator stare at my form with hunger. She placed her hand on my chest and slid it down. Her finger traced each line of my abs, making me shudder pleasantly.
"That suit was expensive. Are you going to reimburse me or something?" I complained to distract myself from her ministrations.
"It's not like you'll need it after today. You're retiring, after all." Her chuckle only deepened my fear and arousal. She continued exploring my body, her hands going lower and lower with each moment passing. Before long, they went down to my thighs, gliding along my flesh.
"Oh my…you're so tense." She moved to kneel before me. Despite that, it felt like she held all of the power. "Come on…you should only be hard in one place." Melanie blew lightly at my dick. The warmth of her breath traveled through me, causing my cock to instantly spring up and smack her right in the chin. She took the sudden assault with a grin. "Someone's excited. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything for you."
Her hand gripped onto the phallus lightly. She stroked up and down with ease and expertise. I groaned as my head tilted up, eyes closed. This woman will be the death of me. I felt myself go cross eyed as she gave a light lick to the head. My hand went to grip tightly onto the back of a chair as my body fought to stay standing. I almost lost control of myself as I felt my cock get enveloped by her mouth.
She took it in her like a champ. Her head went down all the way to the base while she continued to tongue the bottom of my cock, lathering it in her saliva. My entire body trembled as I felt something coming. She got off my dick with a pop before starting to stroke it again. "You're so close. Don't worry. We have many rounds to go. You can let it go. Cum for me. Do it, and I'll reward you."
I felt myself relea-
I woke up with a jolt as the door slammed open. Fuuuuuck. Who the hell woke me up from such a pleasant dream. I stared blearily at a figure wearing red and green. Who the fuck is this?
"Wow. You still got the luxury and balls to sleep after you've pissed off Matsuda? What a dumbass." The idiot sneered. What? The fuck is he talking about?
"What do you want?" I asked as I stretched my back. "Didn't I already chase off you morons? Just get Oni to talk to me if the ABB wants to deal with me."
"The Oni isn't free to deal with someone like you. We will." He threw a picture on my counter. I looked at it from the corner of my eye. My blood ran cold. "We got her now! You better come down to the Ryujin Industries warehouse next to the docks with quintuple the payment if you want her back! And that's us being generous to an idi-"
Before he could continue speaking, I reappeared behind him and grabbed his head from behind. With a heavy heave, I slammed his face into the counter. It was made of precious mahogany and handcrafted by the most expensive craftsman I could find. The point of it was to be sturdy and strong. That didn't matter. The counter split in half as I buried his face in it, sending bloody splinters everywhere. A burst of red filled the shop and my vision as I felt his head liquefy in my grasp.
They kidnapped my sister. I had one mission. A singular goal in this life. That was the only thing that my parents had ever asked of me. She was the only one that I truly cared for. Nothing else mattered. I gave up a relationship with someone I loved because it would endanger her. And now she had been kidnapped by the worst kind of people imaginable. I felt a fury that I didn't know I had come forth. My head started to hurt as my blood ran hot and fast. It felt like there was a chorus of angry demons chanting in my head. The pressure rose and rose and-
It felt like I blacked out for a second. The anger and rage was too much to handle. But I cooled it down slightly. Nothing was more important than saving her. Ryujin Industries warehouse? I knew where that was. In a burst of displaced air, I started using Soru to travel as fast as I could towards the location. It didn't take long. There, I found Brenda tied to a chair with her mouth gagged. There were close to twenty thugs alongside that fucktard hanging around her.
"You'd better stay put or your brother will get it!" The idiot threatened.
My sister couldn't respond, muffled as she was by the gag. Stay put, little sis. You won't suffer for long. My leg stretched out. The metal door of the warehouse flew off its hinges and crashed in the distance. I walked in slowly, glaring at the dead men who dared to fuck with me.
"Yo! You got the money? She'll get it if you don't!" He placed a knife under her throat. I saw red, but decided to focus just for this moment. They would die the moment she was safe. I raised my hand and flicked my finger.
"Tobu Shigan."
The moron's head went flying back as an invisible projectile collided with his head.
"Soru."
I disappeared and reappeared behind my sister. Using both arms, I grabbed her before leaving the warehouse. Her ropes and gag were quickly undone.
"Max! What's go-"
I put my hand on her mouth. "Stay here. Don't look at what's about to happen."
I walked back in. The thugs were starting to look nervous. I didn't understand the stupidity of this world. They knew I was a Parahuman. Why would they ever mess with me? I'd basically been given carte blanche by the unwritten rules to do whatever I wanted to them.
"You speak of the Dragon as if he was almighty. You know not to disrespect the Dragon. You fear the Dragon." I breathed heavily. "So tell me…"
"W̷h̴y̵ ̴d̴i̷d̷ ̸y̶o̸u̴ ̶t̶o̵u̷c̷h̴ ̵t̸h̵e̴ ̷r̸e̴v̵e̶r̶s̷e̵ ̷s̵c̸a̴l̵e̷ ̵o̶f̴ ̴t̸h̸e̴ ̸D̶r̸a̶g̶o̶n̴?̴"
Their eyes dilated in fear as the full might of my Haki slammed down on them like a burst of invisible pressure. This time, none of them passed out. It wasn't because they were resilient or had adapted. I just wanted them to be awake for this. Before any of them could recover, I appeared behind one of them.
"Shigan: Madara!"
My index fingers slammed down on his form over and over. He screamed in horror and pain as holes started to appear throughout the length of his body. As the life left him, gravity took hold as his body dropped to the ground, staining the floor of the warehouse crimson. The thugs backed off warily, cowed by the sudden death of one of their own.
"Get him! He can't win if we all fight at once!" Matsuda, the dead man, cried.
Emboldened by his false bravado, they came at me all at once. Each of them was wielding a weapon of some kind, varying from knives to tire irons. Unlike the many martial arts movies, they all swung at me at the same time. But that wouldn't help them.
"Geppo."
I kicked off the air and flew up above them. But that wasn't the end of it.
"Rankyaku!"
I swung my leg at an unthinkable velocity, creating a compressed blade of wind. It hit them all at different angles. One of them slid off their legs, cut clean in half. Another fell to the ground screaming as his arm dropped off. A third had his head burst open by the extreme cutting force I sent at them. As I dropped to the ground, one of them gathered the courage to strike at me with his pipe.
"Tekkai."
It went bouncing off my hardened body. As he was reeling from the impact, my fist shot at him. I didn't hit him. I hitthroughhim. My hand burst through his body and appeared at the other side, covered in gore and viscera.
"Tekkai Kempo."
"You dirty fuckin-" Matsuda took out a pistol and shot at me. I sensed it coming from a mile away.
"Kami-e."
My body twisted and bent in unnatural ways, demonstrating the full extent of my flexibility. The bullet couldn't hit what wasn't there. Using the momentum generated, I swung my leg out and hit one of the thugs that was charging at me, sending him straight into the ceiling.
"Juushigan!"
I thrust all ten of my fingers into someone who was swinging his knife at me. He gasped as my fingers twisted and tore at his lungs. I pulled, tearing off skin and bone as his lungs came out with my hands. I used another Geppo to get in the air. This was getting tiresome.
"Rankyaku: Storm!"
I kicked out multiple times, sending many blades of wind through the warehouse. I only took enough care to prevent it from hitting one spot. The blades met no resistance as they went through the group that had fucked with me. I heard their screams and felt nothing as their limbs and body parts were dispersed throughout the area. When I landed, it wasn't with a thud but a plop. I frowned and looked down. There was a small puddle of blood that had formed from them. Guess I needed new shoes.
I stalked leisurely towards the cowering Matsuda. The fear in his eyes was palpable to me. I savored it in its entirety. This was the one thing he shouldn't have done. I could take so much of what the world had thrown at me. The many crimes of the gang were ignored despite me feeling them from inside the shop. It was all for the sake of protecting the single most important person to me.
My sister. Brenda.
And this cowardly fuck thought he could mess with that? For what? Money? Why were the villains of this world so fucking pedantic? I hated this world. It deserved to burn to the ground. For all that Cauldron whined about how Scion ruined it, the arrival of the Shards only brought out the worst of this shitty place. Why did I even think that I needed to save it? It didn't deserve a savior.. I wish I'd never been born here. The only thing keeping me sane was my sister. And this man… this vile worm…
I held out my hand and willed it. A second skin of darkness crawled down my arms and into my fist. I gripped tighter. "Be smarter in your next life." I slammed down.
"Busoshoku Haki."
As my fist collided with his body, it burst apart into a cloud of blood instantly. Because it did nothing to stop my momentum, I smashed straight into the ground. Everything shook for a second like a faux earthquake. Cracks formed in the ground bit by bit, before quickening in pace and traveling into their surroundings. The warehouse groaned in protest, before the walls and supports started to break apart. I started to walk out even as the building began to crumble into pieces. Looks like I'd accidentally given them the courtesy of a burial. I looked at my sister, only to see her staring at me with her eyes wide.
"Did you look…even though I told you not to?"
She nodded mutely. I turned away. She saw what I did…what I was. A murderous monster who was only leashed by the rules his father set. And I had thrown those rules by the wayside today. I could have just left with her. Their deaths weren't required. Oni Lee could have handled them if I asked. But I couldn't let it go. And now she knew everything. About who I really was. It felt like my world was shattering as I contemplated how it would feel if she stared at me with fear.
I felt something collide with my back. Her tiny arms curled around my midsection as her face squished into the small of my back.
"Thank you for protecting me, Onii-chan."
My vision got blurry. "Don't you…can't you see what I am? I'm nothing but-"
My ramblings were cut-off. "The best Onii-chan ever?! Yeah!" The tears I was holding on to flowed freely. They dropped to the ground, one after the other, as I lost control of myself.
"I was so scared." Her voice was mumbled. I felt a wetness on the back of my shirt. "They took me when I was walking home. But I knew you would come. You always do."
"Can't you see?!" I yelled hoarsely. "I killed them all! I could have just left but I was so angry that I murdered all of them!"
"I don't care about that." She said softly. "You could be the worst killer in the world and it still wouldn't matter. You're my Onii-chan. And you're all I have in this world. Why would I get mad anyway? You did that to them because they threatened me. That just makes you an even better Onii-chan."
I dropped to my knees and cried freely. The exhaustion of the day was catching up to me. With my sister whispering soft reassurances to me, I felt like I could just let go for a moment as the emotional tension left my body. We remained there for a while as I let it all out. She just held on to me tightly as my tears petered away. But the moment was interrupted by a flash of blue light that coalesced into a familiar form…Oni Lee.
"Max, what have you done?"
