CRACK!
Before I could even register the Iron Maiden's move, a searing pain shot through my arm as bone snapped.
SLAM!
My body slammed into the unforgiving concrete, the impact jarring every fiber of my being. The ground trembled beneath me, and my vision swam in a haze of agony.
But the torment wasn't over.
The Iron Maiden's grip tightened on my shoulder, a sickening twist—
POP!
Dislocated.
Then came the sickening crunch of bone against bone.
SNAP!!
My neck.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
My legs.
My arms.
Every single bone seemed to shatter under his brutal assault.
I writhed on the ground, my body a broken mess. Blood oozed from my eye sockets, seeped from dislocated joints, and dripped from my mouth. Wet, ragged gasps escaped my lips as I instinctively tried to crawl away… before collapsing, defeated.
The Iron Maiden stood over me, a triumphant silhouette against the night sky.
"Is that all you got?" he mocked, his arms crossed, a self-satisfied grin plastered across his mask. "You talk big... but you ain't got the power to back it up!" His laughter echoed through the ruined streets.
But even in the encroaching darkness, the battle wasn't truly over.
Darkness.
My mind plunged into the familiar abyss of nightmare.
Her face swam into focus, my sister. Helpless. The Iron Maiden's shadow loomed over her, his laughter twisting into a cruel, sinister sound.
Then—
Blood.
Her scream, a raw, piercing sound that tore through my soul.
A flash of steel.
A life stolen.
I snapped awake, my eyes flying open.
My body was a cage, refusing to obey my commands. I couldn't even twitch a finger.
But my will…
My will was a stubborn ember, refusing to be extinguished.
With a monumental effort, fueled by sheer desperation, I forced myself up, dragging my broken body against the rough surface of a nearby wall.
My breath hitched and shuddered.
My vision blurred at the edges.
But my mind… my mind was terrifyingly clear.
And then—
I did the impossible.
One by one, with agonizing slowness, I relocated every shattered bone.
A sickening crack as my shoulder slotted back into place.
A grinding sensation as my spine realigned.
A final, sharp snap as my neck locked.
A deep, shuddering breath filled my lungs.
A twisted grin stretched across my bloodied face.
Then—
"C'MON, YOU BASTARD!! COME OVER HERE SO I CAN BEAT YOUR A!!"
The Iron Maiden stepped forward, his arrogant expression morphing into disbelief.
"You're… up?"
He took another hesitant step.
"How…? I broke and dislocated everything. How the hell… are you still alive?!"
I didn't answer. Words were useless now.
I charged, a broken, bloodied blur of motion.
But then—
SHHK!
A blade, swift and deadly, plunged straight into my heart.
I froze, the impact stealing my breath.
Blood welled up and dripped down my lips, warm and sickeningly familiar.
Then—
A grin.
A wide, sinister grin that spoke of a madness beyond pain.
Before the Iron Maiden could react, my hand shot out, grabbing his masked head—
CRACK.
I slammed our skulls together with monstrous force, the sound echoing in the night.
The Iron Maiden stumbled back, his vision clearly reeling. His grip on his weapon tightened, his rage palpable.
"You…!!"
His fury exploded as he charged, a less controlled, more desperate attack—
BOOM!
His fist connected, a brutal blow that sent me hurtling into the sky, high above the ravaged city.
But instead of a scream of pain, a manic laugh escaped my lips.
Momentum.
That's all I needed.
I rolled midair, twisting my broken body with unnatural control, defying the agony that coursed through me.
And then—
BAM!
A devastating heel kick connected with the side of the Iron Maiden's head, the force of the blow snapping his neck back.
The impact sent him rocketing backward, a human projectile slamming into Nakajumi Tower—the tallest skyscraper in the city.
And then—
SHHNK.
A sharp steel spike, meant to guide aircraft, pierced straight through his chest.
The Iron Maiden choked on his own blood, his body spasming.
But it wasn't over for him either.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with hatred, and despite the fatal wound, he fired a desperate barrage of missiles from hidden compartments in his armor.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A dozen warheads streaked through the night sky, locking onto my ascending form.
But I just laughed, the sound wild and unhinged.
A crazed, psychotic grin split my bloodied face.
I unsheathed my makeshift dagger, the dull metal reflecting the fiery trails of the incoming missiles.
And in a blur of impossible speed, I sliced through the missiles midair, the explosions blooming in the night like grotesque fireworks.
I ran my tongue along the bloodied edge of my blade.
"Come at me, p**."
But something shifted in the air.
A faint click.
The Iron Maiden froze, his body rigid.
His eyes widened behind the mask, a dawning horror creeping into his posture.
His hand reached for his back, fumbling.
The limiter.
It was—
Broken.
Then—
A low, guttural growl rumbled from deep within him.
A pulse of dark energy radiated outwards.
And then—
A scream.
Louder than any thunderclap, a primal roar that seemed to tear the very fabric of the night. The entire city shook, windows shattering in the buildings below.
Instinctively, I leaped onto a nearby rooftop, watching the horrifying transformation unfold from above.
The Iron Maiden's body convulsed, limbs twisting and contorting in unnatural ways.
No—
He was changing.
A swirling vortex of dark aura enveloped him, tendrils of malevolent energy writhing like living shadows.
My breath hitched in my throat, a cold dread gripping my heart.
In the blink of an eye, it happened.
A monstrous transformation, his armored form twisting and growing, metal and flesh merging into something grotesque and powerful.
No longer the Iron Maiden.
Now…
"I am...The Sin Maiden....."
The name dripped with a palpable malice, a promise of unimaginable destruction.
My broken body reacted on its own, shifting into a fighting stance. Unconscious. Instinctual. Years of brutal survival overriding the pain.
But then—
The pressure.
An immense, suffocating aura slammed into me like an invisible wave of pure fear, stealing the air from my lungs.
My arms tensed, every muscle locking in protest.
My stomach twisted into knots.
And then—
Without a moment's warning—
BOOM!!!
A shockwave of raw, dark energy exploded outward from the transformed figure.
The force was overwhelming, ripping through the air with devastating power.
The building beneath me groaned and collapsed, the concrete shattering like glass.
And I plummeted.
Straight into Hell.