Matt considered himself fortunate. On the third day of training and exploration in the game with Steve Rogers, the two had ventured deep into the mountains. They had stumbled upon a mysterious cave by sheer luck, and it was there that Matt received the legacy of a hidden class known as the 'Asura.'
This profession was a perfect match for his physical condition. After practicing the methods within those inherited memories, Matt successfully perceived the 'Wave Power' of all things, stepping onto an entirely new path of strength.
Only he truly understood the sheer power of this class. Compared to the balanced and peaceful internal power of others, he, as a master of Wave Power, could rely on 'Wave Marks' to unleash incredible destructive force. At full power, he could even level an entire room in an instant.
The inherited memories of the Asura were engraved with a vast array of powerful skills, most of which relied on a short sword to release. Consequently, he had spent a large sum of money to order a custom-made blade, which he now wielded with increasing proficiency.
With a wave of his hand, he released a burst of azure blade light. The sharp light dissipated after a short flight, but every piece of furniture in its path was sliced clean through, leaving perfectly smooth edges behind.
Now that his strength had grown, Matt felt the time was ripe. It was finally time to seek revenge against Kingpin and dismantle his criminal syndicate once and for all.
Night fell, and the wind began to howl, signaling an approaching storm.
The skyscraper in the heart of Hell's Kitchen was brilliantly lit. The massive criminal enterprise was in full operation, each employee serving as a gear in a gargantuan machine, constantly expanding Kingpin's wealth and influence.
At the very top of the building, the burly, imposing Kingpin stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with a glass of red wine. He looked down at the city with an expression of pure satisfaction. From this height, it felt as though all living beings were beneath his feet, filling him with a sense of pride as if he ruled over all creation.
Kingpin saw this view every day, and over time, the feeling had begun to fade. He drained his glass in one gulp and rubbed his throbbing brow.
For some reason, he felt a persistent sense of unease, as if a great disaster was looming.
Kingpin wasn't surprised that someone wanted him dead. He was deeply entangled with too many interest groups and knew far too many dark secrets. The number of experimental subjects he sent to the military every year was enough to fill the New York Police Department; it was only natural for people to want him gone.
However, he believed no one could kill him. He didn't rely on his influence or the protection of others. Kingpin trusted only his own muscles and his intellect.
In the ground-floor lobby, Makiya walked through the main doors dressed in casual clothes.
Strict security measures were in place, but Makiya passed through the security gates smoothly and arrived at the reception desk.
"Sir, do you have an appointment?" the attractive receptionist asked with a smile. Her eyes were sharp; although Makiya wore unbranded casual wear, she could tell at a glance that his clothes were expensive. If he wasn't a powerful figure, he was at least a wealthy scion.
"Of course, I have an appointment with..."
Just as Makiya was about to cast an illusion, a piercing alarm blared behind him. He turned to see a familiar yet strange figure standing beneath the security gate, looking quite innocent.
It was Daredevil, Matt Murdock. Strangely, he wasn't wearing his usual dark red skin-tight suit. Instead, he wore a deep grey cloak and oddly styled blue trousers. He had even adopted a flamboyant hairstyle, which he had dyed white!
'Wait, isn't that the look of an Asura from DNF?'
Makiya's lips twitched. He knew Matt had obtained the Asura hidden class on the Origin Continent, but he hadn't expected the man to go this far with the cosplay, even copying the hair and outfit perfectly.
"Sir?" The security guard at the door looked at Matt as if he were an idiot. He walked over with a plastic bin. "Please place your weapons in the bin. Weapons are strictly prohibited in this building."
Other guards began to close in, quietly drawing their pistols and chambering rounds.
"Weapons?" Matt acted innocent, pulling his cloak tighter to cover the short sword that had accidentally peeked out. He told a blatant lie with his eyes closed. "I have no weapons on me. Your machine must be malfunctioning."
The guard was speechless. 'Don't think I'll let you off just because you're blind.' He had plenty of experience dealing with troublemakers like this. He pulled out his baton, intending to give Matt a sharp blow to the head.
Whoosh!
A flash of blade light passed by. The guard felt a sudden chill in his arm before a familiar object hit the floor, spraying bright red blood.
"Aah! My hand!"
"Kill him!"
"Damn it, how dare you cause trouble here? You're dead!"
The other guards raised their guns, but a dense azure light erupted from Matt's body. A massive shockwave burst forth from him, instantly sending all the guards flying. The security gate was torn apart, and the surrounding glass shattered into countless pieces.
The piercing alarm echoed through the lobby, and the entire building sprang into action. It was as if the building's immune system had detected a foreign invader and was executing an elimination protocol.
Even the attractive receptionist was a combatant. She pulled an automatic rifle from beneath the desk and aimed it at Matt.
Slash!
A flash of light passed through. Both the rifle and the woman were sliced in two. The heavy barrel of the gun hit the tiled floor with a sharp metallic clang.
"Wait? It's you, the real chairman of Future Technology!"
Matt noticed Makiya. He approached quickly but stopped about ten meters away, gripping his short sword warily.
After gaining an understanding of Wave Power, he could roughly sense the level and abilities of others, allowing him to gauge their strength.
He sensed a powerful 'wave' coming from Makiya. This aura was familiar; it was the same internal power they all practiced.
It made sense, of course. As the man behind Future Technology, Makiya would have certainly practiced the internal power system long ago. Although the waves coming from Makiya were powerful, Matt felt he might not necessarily be inferior. If they really fought, the outcome was still uncertain.
"Chairman of Future Technology, why are you here?" Matt asked, remaining on guard, silently praying that Makiya wouldn't say he was there to visit a friend.
Deep down, he didn't want to clash with Makiya. On the contrary, he was deeply grateful to Future Technology and Makiya for the miraculous abilities he had gained.
His targets were Kingpin and the syndicate's top brass.
"Me?" Makiya chuckled, pointing to the blood seeping from behind the counter. "I thought this was obvious enough. I'm here to kill, of course."
Matt relaxed slightly upon hearing this. Seeing Makiya's casual expression after the killing, he couldn't help but say, "Mr. Chairman, even if they are villains, the degree of their guilt varies. We should try to leave them to the law and focus on bringing them to court."
"Is that so?" Makiya replied noncommittally. "What if the court is in league with them?"
Matt fell silent. He knew Makiya was right. With enough money, one could pave any path. Under the pressure of threats and bribes, very few judges could maintain their integrity.
Stomp, stomp, stomp!
A series of footsteps echoed from above. The building's security system was fully active. Heavily armed gang members were flooding down toward the two of them.
"Watch out!" Matt shouted a warning, drawing his short sword to block in front of him.
Clang!
A bullet struck the side of the blade, sending sparks flying. The lobby was overlooked by the second and third floors, which were now crowded with gang members aiming their weapons down at them.
Matt's body filled with Wave Power, and his short sword glowed with a brilliant light. As he swung the blade with a roar, a massive blade of light, three meters long, manifested in the air and soared forward.
Spirit Crescent!
The blade of light moved so fast that no one could react. The slash tore through the second-floor flooring like a hot knife through butter, and the collapsing structure buried the gang members above.
"Nice move," Makiya grinned. "And here you were telling me not to kill anyone. You just took out quite a few yourself."
At some point, a longsword had appeared in Makiya's hand. The blade light surrounded him like falling snow. Any bullet fired at him was intercepted by the steel, and the ricochets were redirected through the air to strike the foreheads of the gang members.
Makiya didn't use any superpowers. Using only his swordsmanship to block the bullets, he controlled the angles of the ricochets to harvest the lives of the gang members. His speed was not a single bit slower than Matt's.
"What incredible swordsmanship!" Matt was shocked. Simultaneously, a competitive spirit was ignited within him. He could see that Makiya was using basic internal power techniques. 'I've obtained a hidden class; surely I can't be outdone by the basic internal power that everyone can practice!'
Furthermore, Makiya's strikes were ruthless. Everyone hit by his redirected bullets was sent straight to hell. Matt believed that if he was fast enough, he could knock down more people before Makiya could kill them, effectively saving their lives.
He stood for justice and truly believed that some people did not deserve to die and should instead be punished after a proper trial.
Boom!
Matt kicked off the ground, and a burst of Wave Power erupted. He transformed into a streak of light, crashing through the third-floor ceiling and reaching the group of gang members before Makiya.
His Wave Marks transformed into azure orbs of light. A massive vortex of energy released a powerful suction as it flew, pulling all nearby gang members into its center before detonating violently.
Limbs flew and blood splattered the floor. Although they hadn't been killed outright, those injured were in such agony that death would have been a mercy.
"As expected, the protagonist's cultivation speed is something else," Makiya remarked silently. On one hand, Matt was a perfect fit for the Asura class; on the other, he was a genuine genius whose progress was exceptional.
Since Matt was doing the heavy lifting, Makiya didn't intend to exert much effort. He used his data manipulation to sense the location of the target phone and found it on a manager on the twelfth floor. His clone moved ahead, kidnapping the manager before anyone could react.
Makiya's main body stepped into the elevator, enjoying Matt's battle through the transparent glass of the elevator car.
The elevator headed straight for the top. For some reason, Kingpin hadn't disabled the elevators—perhaps out of sheer confidence in his own strength.
There was another villain in Kingpin's syndicate named Bullseye, but Makiya hadn't seen him yet. Perhaps he was out on a mission; consider him lucky.
The two of them ascended. The numerous armed gunmen were completely unable to slow them down. Makiya struck occasionally but mostly stayed back, letting Matt clear the way until they reached the penthouse.
Ding!
The elevator doors slid open slowly. Makiya stepped out, his hair not even slightly out of place.
The stairwell door suddenly burst open, and a panting Matt stepped out beside Makiya. He glanced at him and mouthed the words, 'I won.'
The two looked toward the penthouse office. At the far end of the floor, Kingpin, dressed in a white suit, stood calmly by the window. His back was turned to them as he admired the night sky, seemingly indifferent to their arrival.
"Kingpin is my enemy. Leave him to me," Matt said with a solemn face.
"Are you sure?" Makiya reminded him casually. "I've heard he's very strong. You might not be able to handle him."
In his perception, Kingpin was indeed slightly stronger than the current Matt.
"Don't worry," Matt smiled confidently. "I'll show you the true power of an Asura."
Gripping his short sword, Matt charged forward with full confidence.
Half a minute later.
Whoosh!
Matt came flying back, slamming heavily into the elevator doors. The impact left a deep dent in the metal. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
Makiya looked on, speechless. "You've really disgraced the name of the Asura."
Matt opened his mouth to speak but coughed up more blood. "He... I... I was just careless."
"Fine, fine," Makiya waved a hand. He casually picked up Matt's short sword from the floor, and a terrifying wave of power surged from his body. "Watch closely, kid. Let me show you what a real Asura looks like."
Boom!
A horrifying force resonated throughout the top floor. A wave of power, carrying the weight of endless thunder, spread rapidly. The immense energy enveloped Makiya entirely. In Matt's perception, the man standing before him was like a god descended to the mortal realm.