Shay rounded the corner without much care, hands in his pockets, steps light and uneven as if he followed a rhythm only he could hear.
Then—
thud.
He walked straight into something solid.
Shay blinked behind his mask, slowly lifting his head.
A soldier stood in front of him, still, Armored, and Watching.
Air shifted, for a moment, neither moved.
"…Oh," Shay muttered, tilting his head slightly. "You're new."
The soldier didn't respond.
Steel slid free from its sheath in one smooth motion.
With no warning.
The blade swung, coming in fast and precise, direct, aimed to end it in a single strike.
It didn't land.
Shay had already stepped aside, just barely, like he had leaned out of the moment rather than moved through it.
His body turned with the motion, casual, almost bored.
"Ohh… so that's how we're playing?" he said lightly.
The soldier pressed forward immediately, strikes chaining together clean, efficient, practiced.
Each swing carried intent, no hesitation, no wasted effort.
Shay moved through it like it didn't belong to him.
A step forward...miss.
A half turn...miss.
At one point, the blade passed right through where his shoulder should have been, only for him to appear just slightly off to the side.
He leaned closer, peering at the soldier mid-motion.
"You're trying really hard," Shay added, almost impressed.
The soldier didn't react didn't falter.
He adjusted its posture, going Faster now.
And Sharper.
Still...nothing connected it didn't feel like dodging.
It felt like the fight itself couldn't catch him.
Shay let out a small hum, stepping around another strike, almost drifting.
"You're not part of the show…just give up.." he said quietly.
Then, something moved behind him.
Fast and heavy.
Not human at all.
Shay's turn to look over his shoulder, body shifted just enough to avoid the impact but not cleanly this time.
A massive force slammed into him from behind, sending him skidding across the ground, boots dragging against dirt before he stopped.
He straightened slowly.
"…Oh?"
Ahead of him stood something else..
Larger.
The war-beast loomed, its body twisted beyond natural limits, muscles coiled with unnatural density, veins faintly glowing beneath its skin.
Its breathing was low, controlled but every exhale carried weight.
Shay brushed dust from his shoulder, tilting his head again.
"…Now that's new, got a name big guy?"
The creature didn't respond but move first.
With an explosive burst.
It closed the distance instantly, fist crashing down with enough force to shatter stone.
Shay slipped to the side but the impact still grazed him, the shockwave tearing through the ground beneath his feet.
He stepped back once, twice...
Watching now.
The beast didn't stop.
Another strike faster, another heavier.
Each movement carried raw power, far beyond the soldier from before.
There was no elegance in it just overwhelming force guided by something controlled.
Shay's movements changed.
Less playful, more precise than before.
He twisted past a swing, but the follow-up came instantly, forcing him to actually block this time his arm catching the blow just enough to redirect it.
The ground cracked beneath him.
"…Okay," Shay muttered, quieter now.
The war-beast lunged again.
And this time...
Shay disappeared from where he stood.
For a split second, the space around him distorted like a frame skipped, like reality lost track of him.
He reappeared just behind the creature, head tilted slightly, mask still smiling but the air around him felt different now.
He didn't speak immediately, didn't laugh.
Then, softly "…You're not fun at all."
The War-Beast moved first no hesitation.
Its massive frame drove forward with crushing speed, shoulders tight, fists compact like a trained executioner.
A heavy jab snapped toward Shay's face.
"Damn your fast?!," Shay muttered.
then the cross followed instantly, tearing through the space where his ribs had been.
Shay leaned back just enough for the jab to graze his mask, then twisted sideways, boots scraping the ground as the second punch passed him by a breath.
"Okay… okay…" he murmured, stepping lightly. "You're serious."
The War-Beast didn't slow.
It stepped in harder with a low kick.
Shay hopped back but the rising elbow came right after.
"—oh shi-t"
He barely got his forearm up in time.
THUD.
The impact slammed into him, knocking him off balance.
Shay stumbled, boots dragging, barely catching himself before the War-Beast closed in again, one massive hand reaching to clinch.
"Hey now no grabbing—"
Shay ducked under the arm at the last second, slipping out as his fingers flicked.
A small steel ball shot from his hand.
Clink.
It struck the ground, bounced off a broken wall, then snapped sharply toward the War-Beast's shoulder.
The creature didn't even flinch.
It just kept coming.
A knee drove straight into Shay's midsection.
"—ghk!"
He blocked late, too late to react of what judt happened..
The force crushed into him, knocking the air from his lungs as he was pushed back several steps, boots carving lines into the dirt.
"Okay… that one counted…" Shay coughed, exhaling hard.
No pauses and no mercy for this creature.
Hooks, Elbows and Low kicks send flying towards Shay.
Each strike clean, efficient, relentless.
Shay moved barely ahead slipping, twisting, avoiding what he could, but not everything.
A hook clipped his guard, a kick struck his side.
An elbow grazed his shoulder, forcing him to raise both arms now.
"…You don't get tired, do you..?" he said under his breath.
Another steel ball flicked from his hand.
Clink—clink—
Hits the Floor, ricochet off
a Wall.
Then Behind.
It snapped into the War-Beast's leg mid-step.
Just enough the timing broke.
A single opening, shay then stepped in.
His arm pulled back as rough, unstable energy gathered around his fist, flickering unevenly like it hadn't decided what it wanted to be.
"Let's try something real…"
The War-Beast recovered instantly from the hit on the leg, driving a straight punch forward meant to end it.
Shay slipped inside it.
Barely...
The fist grazed past his shoulder and Shay drove forward.
BOOM.
His punch landed square into the War-Beast's torso.
The impact stopped it just for a moment.
Shay didn't wait.
Two more steel balls scattered from his hand one shooting upward, the other skimming low.
Clink—Clink—
Both struck from opposite angles.
The War-Beast staggered its balance broke.
"Gotcha…"
Shay stepped in one last time, channeling what little energy remained into a final forward strike.
CRASH.
The blow drove the War-Beast back and fall down.
Silence.
The creature twitched, tried to rise But failed to do so.
Shay stood there, breathing uneven, shoulders rising and falling.
"…Yeah…" he muttered quietly.
"…still not fun."
Shay Marsh steadied himself, drawing in a slow breath as the tension in his shoulders rose and fell.
The dust from the previous clash hadn't fully settled yet, and already the next wave closed in.
Five soldiers moved around him in a tightening circle, their steps measured, controlledwith disciplined.
"…Oh, there's more of you," Shay muttered.
No one rushed blindly.
They understood what they had just witnessed.
Shay rolled a single steel ball between his fingers, the unstable energy around it flickering in uneven pulses, as if it couldn't decide whether to stay contained or burst free.
"Alright… one at a time, please—"
One of them moved first.
The soldier surged forward with clean intent, weapon raised.
Shay's fingers flicked downward, releasing the ball low.
It struck the ground with a sharp metallic click, skimming forward before catching a loose fragment and snapping upward at an unnatural angle.
The impact against the soldier's temple was immediate and final, dropping him where he stood.
The ball rebounded violently, spinning away toward the wall.
"…Okay, that worked."
Another soldier closed in from the left, attempting to capitalize on the opening.
The ball struck the wall with a loud clang, then shot back at an angle that didn't quite align with its path.
It still found its mark.
The second soldier collapsed mid-motion, his momentum cut off completely.
Shay shifted his stance slightly, watching rather than rushing.
"…That also worked."
The ball struck the ground again, energy flaring brighter this time as it bounced higher.
A third soldier stepped in with sword sending it in a downward strike, forcing Shay to sidestep just enough to let it pass within inches.
"Careful thats sharp.."
Above them, the ball clipped a metal railing and dropped sharply, cracking against the back of the soldier's head.
He folded forward without resistance.
The remaining two slowed, Not fear calculation.
"…See?" Shay said softly, turning the ball again as it descended. "Timing's everything."
The ball hit the ground again, this time losing speed, its motion uneven.
For a moment, it looked like it would stop entirely.
Then the unstable energy surged, kicking it off at a sudden low angle.
It skidded forward, struck Shay's foot, and redirected upward into the fourth soldier's jaw.
The impact lifted him slightly before he dropped.
The last soldier raised his guard, adjusting, trying to read the pattern.
There wasn't one.
The ball spun through the air again, slower now, wobbling as if it had lost its edge.
It tapped the wall behind the soldier lightly before snapping back just enough to clip the side of his head.
The contact was small, but it was enough.
He went still and collapsed.
The steel ball rolled across the ground, its energy fading as it slowed to a stop.
Shay stepped forward and leading down to caught it as it returned, his fingers closing around it with a firmer grip this time.
He looked around at the five unmoving bodies, his breathing still uneven, but his stance steady.
Nothing about it had been loud.
But every movement had landed exactly where it needed to.