Insanity

"No, this can't be. Warren!" Sally's cry echoed as she ran toward Warren's unmoving body.

"Warren, why aren't you saying anything?!" Sally shook him, her eyes filling with tears. She was in denial, unable to accept the reality that Warren was dead.

'Am I dying?' Warren's thoughts raced through his mind. His body was completely numb, he couldn't feel anything. Through his blurry vision, he saw Sally holding him as she cried. He wanted to say something, to comfort her. 'Don't cry, he thought.' But no words came out. He tried to move, to caress her cheek, but he couldn't. 'I'm sorry... I wish I told you sooner that I love you.' His thoughts drifted to their time together, the happy moments they'd shared. 'Damn it, I'm really dying.' he realized, as his vision began to fade, his body growing cold. ;I'm sorry, everyone. Sorry, Eli. Looks like you'll have to continue on without me.' His mind filled with images of his hostel family. 'Thank you all for being with me. I had fun. Now... goodbye.'

Warren's eyes slowly closed, a faint smile forming as he drew his last breath.

"What a noisy bitch you are, reminding me of my annoying girlfriend with your screams." Akira muttered, annoyed by Sally's cries.

"You're kidding, right? This can't be real, right guys?" Zack said with a nervous laugh, his emotions swirling with sadness, frustration, and anger.

"Huff... Huff..." Little Daniel's heavy breathing filled the air as he clutched his chest. His eyes were wide, dizziness overtaking him as he stared at Warren's body, his mind repeating, 'Warren is dead?'

Vin had a grim expression on his face. Even though he didn't care for these people, they were still working together. This kind of killing wasn't necessary.

"Heh, crying won't bring your little boyfriend back. Go do something useful before you waste his stupid sacrifice." Akira laughed, but no one was listening. They were too overwhelmed by shock.

"This is no good at all." Tom muttered under his breath, his expression serious. He hadn't expected Akira to act like this, the situation hadn't escalated enough to act with such violence. He could already imagine the look on Manager Kim's face when he had to explain Warren's death.

"Phew, apart from being not normal, this guy's completely unhinged." Ryuhei said, his eyes wide with surprise. It's not every day you meet someone like Akira.

Neko stood frozen, stunned by the situation. She knew Akira was cruel, but this level of insanity was unexpected from him.

"Number 90 will be escorted out." Neko announced, regaining her composure. At her command, two escorts arrived and began removing Warren's lifeless body.

"No, stop! You can't take him away!" Sally screamed, holding Warren tightly, refusing to let go. But despite her desperate grip, the escorts overpowered her and carried Warren off.

"Nooo!" Sally tried to follow them but stumbled and fell to the ground, crying uncontrollably.

"Sally." Daniel, Zack, and Vin rushed over to her.

"W-Warren is d-dead. H-he's... gone." Sally stammered through her sobs, looking up at them.

The group remained silent, the weight of loss heavy in the air. Daniel gritted his teeth, frustration and sorrow overwhelming them all as they tried to comfort Sally.

"Now, onto the next ga-" Neko began to speak, but a loud voice cut her off.

"We're not moving onto anything." Akira interrupted, his voice too familiar and hateful to her ears. She glared at him, her face full of anger, but Akira only smiled back.

"I want another quest for myself." Akira said with a smirk.

Neko was ready to refuse due to the violation of rules, but Akira continued.

"VIP number 49." Akira shouted, looking up at the VIP who had given him a request before.

"Y-yes?" The VIP stammered, startled. He, like most of the crowd, was still in shock from what had just happened.

"I want you to issue another quest, me against that old man." Akira pointed at Minsik. He hadn't forgotten the old man's words and wasn't about to let it slide. The only reason he hadn't attacked earlier was to make sure there'd be a reward. Without the promise of money or some kind of profit, Minsik would've been dead the moment he spoke up. "And make the reward high." Akira added, glaring at the VIP.

"Y-yes." the VIP nervously replied. After witnessing Akira's brutality, he feared that refusing would mean his own death. He quickly issued the request.

"A new request has been issued by VIP number 49: a fight between participant Akira Katsuzawa and participant Minsik Choi, the reward for completing the quest is " Neko announced, her tone still tinged with displeasure.

"Heh, old man, it looks like your time's up." Akira taunted as he looked at Minsik, who still had a calm, easy going smile.

"Oh boy, it seems I've been underestimated. Kids these days have no respect for their elders." Minsik said with a smile. But his expression changed, becoming colder, as he opened his eyes to look directly at Akira. "But kid, don't think I'm the same as that ki-"

Minsik didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. 'What?' His eyes widened in disbelief. Akira, who had been far away, was suddenly right in front of him, his sadistic smile inches from Minsik's face.

Before Minsik could react, Akira's punch, almost too fast to see, landed squarely on his face, smashing his head into the ground and leaving a massive crater beneath him.

"Respect?" Akira sneered, his fist transforming into a claw as he grabbed Minsik by the face. He lifted him off the ground and slammed his head into the wall, forming a deep hole with cracks spreading like spider webs across the surface. "I'll show you respect by pissing on your dead body." Akira laughed, pulling Minsik back only to knee him hard in the stomach. Minsik coughed up blood as the air was knocked out of him. Akira let him go, and Minsik collapsed to the ground.

'This speed...' Minsik shakenly thought, barely able to process what had just happened. 'It's the same as his...' A sillhouette of a man wearing glasses and sucking on a lollipop flashed in his mind. 'And his strength...' Another silhouette of a muscular, bald man with a massive frame appeared in his mind.

'No, this can't be. There's no way a kid could reach their level.' Minsik thought in disbelief and panic. A kid, reaching the level of those monsters?

"The light really shows just how pathetic you are." Akira's playful voice whispered in Minsik's ear like the devil's murmur. "Come on now, don't stop trying." Akira grabbed the back of Minsik's collar, lifting him to his feet, his face close to Minsik's as he smiled widely at the terrified man. "Don't bore me too much."

No, I can't win, Minsik's emotions were running wild. The display of Akira's strength made him feel like he was facing them. His body began to tremble in fear. 'If I fight now… I'll die. He's going to kill me.' He had scoffed at Akira before, dismissing him, thinking nothing of his earlier actions. After all, what horrors hadn't Minsik already seen? But now, he realized his mistake, a grave mistake.

"So?" Akira's voice came again, snapping Minsik back to reality. He turned and saw Akira's insane smile, like he was just a toy for him to play with.

"Ahh-Ahhh!" Minsik shrieked as he stumbled backward, tripping and falling onto his butt. He slid backward, screaming in pure terror.

"Hahahah!" Akira laughed, casually strolling toward Minsik, who was desperately trying to escape. The fear in Minsik's eyes was clearly entertaining him.

Minsik slid until his back hit the wall. There was nowhere left to go.

"Ahhh, the devil! You're a devil!" Minsik screamed in panic, seeing Akira approaching. His mind was playing tricks on him, twisting Akira's appearance into something monstrous, his smile widening unnaturally, his teeth sharpening, and two red horns growing from his head. The hallucination gripped Minsik as his fear reached its peak. "Don't kill me, please! I'll do anythi-" he begged, his voice hoarse, tears streaming down his face.

But his pleading was cut short. Akira delivered a brutal soccer kick to Minsik's throat, crushing his windpipe and breaking his neck in a single, fatal blow.

"Heh, imagine dying like that, begging for your life! Could never be me." Akira laughed, his voice echoing through the now silent arena. "Oh yeah, as for my respect…" He grinned, lowering his pants and pulling out his big brother, pissing on Minsik's lifeless body, his tongue sticking out in twisted delight.

"Phew, refreshing " Akira sighed, pulling his pants back up. He glanced over at the two escorts waiting nearby. "You can take him now."

The two escorts wordlessly dragged Minsik's body away, the only sound in the eerily quiet arena was the dull scraping of his corpse sliding across the floor.

"It's the devil!"

"Akira is the devil!"

"Akira! Akira!"

After a moment, the crowd erupted into cheers. Despite the cruelty of what they had just witnessed, excitement filled the air. It was the first time they had seen anything like this from Akira.

"Annoying, but I like it." Akira smirked. Though the cheering annoyed him, at least someone was appreciating his work.

"This is how you go out, Minsik?" Tom muttered grimly, watching Akira smile as the crowd cheered for him. The level of cruelty displayed... Tom had seen it before, during their generation where killing was normalized. But to see it in someone so young, it was unbelievable.

Neko stood frozen, staring at Akira in shock. People called her crazy has yet to meet Akira.

Ryuhei was silent, observing Akira. There was nothing to say. Akira was insane from the beginning, so none of this was really surprising.

Akira's smile suddenly widened as he caught a fist aimed at his face.

"You bastard, are you crazy?!" Zack Lee shouted, his face contorted in rage, his eyes bloodshot from fury.

"Crazy? I'm just having fun. Isn't that allowed?" Akira asked, his face full of confusion.

"Fun? You call this fun?!" Zack's anger boiled over. Akira had killed Warren and that old man, and now he claimed he was having fun?

Unable to hold back, Zack swung another punch at Akira's smirking face. But before the punch could land, a strike hit Zack's side, sending him flying back. His face twisted in pain, but before he could hit the ground, a hand grabbed his hair, and consecutive blows pummeled his body, forcing him to collapse.

"My apologies, but my job is to interfere." said a figure who calmly removed his winter hat, revealing black hair, a faded haircut, and a scar on his head, Magami Kenta.

"Go ahead." Akira said with a shrug, indifferent. He didn't care. He'd let Kenta have his fun.

"Well, it's you two now." Akira grinned, looking at little Daniel and Vin. Sally sat against the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees, her head down, eyes empty. Warren's death had shattered her.

"Please, don't show me such expressions. It's scaring poor little me." Akira mocked, grinning as he noticed the anger burning in both Daniel and Vin's eyes.

Daniel glared at Akira, hatred swelling in his chest, a hatred even stronger than what he'd felt for Logan Lee, his bully. He clenched his fists. It was the first time he'd ever felt this kind of rage. Slowly, he raised his hands, taking up a Systema stance. His mind drifted to his training.

'Today I'll teach you Systema.' A firm but feminine voice had said, a figure with long blonde hair, a masculine yet feminine face, and a muscular body, Alexander Sophia.

"Systema? What's that?" Daniel asked.

"A Russian special forces martial art. It's deadly. It's meant to kill." Sophia replied, her face stoic.

"K-kill? But... I'm not going to kill anyone." Daniel stammered nervously.

"You can use it however you want. To kill, or not. The choice is yours." Sophia said.

"Aha… well, I'm sure I won't be killing anyone." Daniel smiled nervously.

How wrong I was, Daniel thought now, his eyes locked on Akira. The only thing in his mind was avenging Warren by killing Akira. The thought of killing had never crossed Daniel's mind before, but now it consumed him.

'I will definitely avenge-' His thoughts were cut short. Akira's foot, moving too fast to see, smashed into Daniel's face, driving his head into the ground with a force that left a crater pit him. Daniel lost consciousness instantly.

"Aren't you thinking a bit too much?" Akira said, his foot resting on Daniel's face.

"Now it's just you, glasses." Akira said, turning to Vin and walking toward him. He stopped right in front of Vin, looking down with a menacing smile. "But I'm curious…" Akira raised his right hand in front of Vin's face, fingers in a flicking motion. "What are you hiding under those glasses?" In one swift motion, he flicked his fingers, shattering Vin's shades, the pieces falling to the ground, revealing Vin's wide eyes, startled by Akira's sudden action.

"Phew, now that's disgusting." Akira whistled, a disgusted expression crossing his face as he looked at Vin's eyes. "Two pupils in one eye? Are you some kind of freak?" Akira smiled mockingly.

"Hello? Too stunned to speak?" Akira leaned in close to Vin's face, taunting him.

"You bastard. Why did you take them off?" Vin's expression shifted into one of anger as he questioned Akira. "I could've lost. I could've died." Akira continued to smile, letting Vin speak. "You shouldn't have taken them off." Vin's eyes flared with fury. "Did you eat? I'll make sure you throw up for the rest of the night."

"I ain't hearing all that." Akira grinned at the furious Vin. "Are you this mad just because I took your glasses off? I wonder how mad you'd be if your mother was raped." His grin stretched even wider as he added the cruel comment.

Hearing those words, Vin snapped. Old memories and traumas resurfaced, being bullied for his eyes, and the incident involving his mother. Veins bulged on his face as rage overtook him. He grabbed Akira around the waist, his grip tightening as he aimed to crush Akira's pelvis, But. 'What is this?' Vin thought, his hands unable to grip any further. Akira's skin was unnaturally hard, preventing him from applying more pressure.

"Trying to grab my bone? That won't work on me." Akira laughed, grabbing Vin by the face and slamming his head onto the ground. Vin winced in pain but refused to let go, gripping Akira's arm tightly with both hands.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot?" Akira lifted Vin by the face and slammed him down again, the impact creating a deeper crater in the ground.

Vin's grip loosened slightly, but he gritted his teeth, shifting his body to lock Akira's arm in a cross hold. Vin applied as much pressure as he could. "Heh, you're trying to dislocate my arm with your grip strength? You're not at that level, idiot." Akira grinned wildly, aware of Vin's attempt. 'How hard is this guy's skin?' Vin was shocked. He couldn't even dent Akira's skin, it was like rigid. Suddenly, Vin's eyes widened in realization. 'I'm being lifted?'

"By the way." Akira's voice echoed in Vin's ear as his grip shifted from Vin's face to his neck, effortlessly lifting him off the ground as Vin was still in a cross hold position. "Since you don't like your eyes so much, let me do you a favor." With a sinister smile, Akira drove his right fingers into Vin's double pupiled eye and plucked it out.

"AHHH!" Vin screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground, clutching his bleeding eye. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Breaking bones was a daily occurrence for him, but this pain was far beyond that.

"Now you won't need your shades anymore. No need to thank me." Akira laughed as he looked at the screaming Vin. "And I guess you won't be needing this..." Akira smirked, holding Vin's eyeball between his fingers before tossing it to the ground and crushing it under his foot.

"But you're being noisy now." Akira lifted his foot and stomped Vin's head as a pit formed underneath, rendering him unconscious.

"It seems you're done too." Akira said, turning to see Kenta standing over an unconscious Zack, his body bruised.

Kenta gave a silent nod, his face emotionless. However, beneath the calm surface, nervousness gripped him. 'He's like that man…' The scene reminded him of a nightmare from his past.

"He plucked that guy's eye out."

"He's insane."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, watching in horror. No one dared speak too loudly, fearing they might be next.

"And now, onto the final game!" Neko announced, managing to keep her composure despite feeling disgusted by Akira's actions. However, her disgust was overshadowed by a stronger emotion, happiness. She was eager to watch Akira finally get beaten. "Catch a God!"

With that, a figure entered through the arena's entrance. He was dressed in a black business suit, a black coat hanged over his shoulders, and a mask covering his face, Sinu Han.

"In order to win, you must catch the god! Work together to take him down! Sounds easy, right? But know this!" Neko's eyes gleamed as she looked at the figure. "Ever since the Circus was created, the Combat God has never lost! But with all the participants eliminated, only one remains, Akira Katsuzawa. To win, he must take down the Combat God!"

"Hahahaha!" Akira burst out laughing, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he held his stomach. "Combat God? God? What is this, some kind of fantasy game, princess?" He mocked Neko, who glared back at him with cold eyes.

"But never lost, huh?" Akira stopped laughing, his expression turning stoic as he walked toward the masked figure. He stopped right in front of him, hands still in his pockets. "Let me tell you something. The only reason your so called Combat God never lost is because I wasn't here. And princess-" Akira was about to glance at Neko when, suddenly, a fist struck his face.

"Hey, now that's kinda rude." Akira said casually, not bothering to avoid the punch, which did absolutely nothing to him. 'What? I clearly hit him directly', Sinu thought, shocked that his punch had no effect. Meanwhile, Akira was smiling, seemingly amused.

"Since you started, get ready." Sinu saw Akira's fist coming for his stomach. He blocked it, but his eyes widened as he was lifted off the ground by the force of Akira's punch. Akira followed through, driving Sinu into the ground, sending debris flying. Sinu didn't have time to react before Akira, with a huge grin, aimed another punch at his face. In a desperate move, Sinu used his left arm to spring away, just as Akira's fist smashed into the ground, creating a hole as his forearm sank halfway into the concrete.

"You move like a roach." Akira chuckled, watching Sinu escape. "But that's about all you've got, don't you think?" With that, Akira vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Sinu, aiming for an uppercut. But Sinu reacted quickly, landing an attack of his own being an invisible kick, only for his leg to be intercepted by Akira's forearm.

"A fast kick aimed at my blind spot? If that's your weapon, you might as well kill yourself for how useless it is." Akira mocked, his smile stretching wider.

'He blocked my kick?' Sinu thought in disbelief. 'He's at that level too?' Sinu, who had trained relentlessly to reach this stage, couldn't believe a kid had matched him so easily.

"No way… Sinu is being overpowered?" Neko stared in shock, watching her Combat God,her Sinu, get pushed back by the bastard she despised more than anyone.

"Now that's a shocker." Ryuhei's eyes widened in surprise. He knew Sinu's strength well, he would probably lose to him himself. Yet here Sinu was, being beaten by Akira. 'Just who is this Akira?' He thought as he looked at the red head figure.

Why was Akira able to block an invisible attack? Well thanks to his second wish, Perfect Instincts. His enhanced awareness allowed him to sense an attack mere inches before it lands, making even a wild animal's instincts seem laughable in comparison. It was practically the instincts of something inhumane.

Sinu tried to retreat, but before he could move, Akira grabbed his leg, twisting his body and slamming Sinu into the ground. The impact created a crater, sending debris flying everywhere.

In response, Sinu launched another invisible attack with his free leg, aiming at Akira's face.

"What an idiot, using an attack that didn't work before?" Akira laughed, easily sensing the attack. He struck with his elbow, meeting the kick head on. "Hmm." But Akira raised an eyebrow as Sinu used his elbow as leverage, twisting his body and springing back to his feet.

"Heh, seems like you've got a brain after all." Akira said, not expecting that move. "But do you think you'll be able to use that leg of yours?" Akira smirked, looking at Sinu, who was now limping. Even though Sinu had tried to reduce the damage, Akira's elbow strike had clearly taken its effects.

"Well then, at least try to excite me before you go down," Akira laughed, preparing to attack again, but he paused, noticing someone entering through the arena's entrance.

The newcomer was tall, his face covered by a mask. As he approached Sinu, the figure removed the mask, revealing short, styled black hair, raised eyebrows, and brown eyes. A scar stretched from his cheek to his lip, and another crossed over his nose, Jake Kim.

"Hyung, what are you doing here?" Jake asked, looking at Sinu.

"Uh… So who are you?" Sinu asked in confusion, causing Jake's eyes to widen in disbelief.

"You're still the same," Jake smiled, thinking Sinu was joking. "It's me, Jake."

"Stop joking around and-"

"No." Sinu interrupted with a nervous smile. "They said Jake died, though…", causing Jake to be shocked.

"What is this?" Sinu's eyes started streaming with tears, uncontrollably.

"Hyung? Sinu Hyung?" Jake called out, worry mixed in his voice as he saw Sinu crying suddenly.

Sinu clutched his head, silhouettes flashing in his mind, blurring his thoughts.

"Who the hell told you I died?" Jake slowly approached, watching Sinu carefully.

"Looks like we'll be ending the circus for today! I'm sorry, but we'll be closing the stage!" Neko announced, seeing the situation occuring with Sinu. "VIPs, please make your exit!"

"What?"

"The circus is ending?"

The VIPs started asking questions, clearly unhappy with the sudden closure.

"Neko? What do you mean?" Ryuhei asked, startled by the abrupt decision.

"Ryuhei, please lead the VIPs out." Neko instructed.

"But…" Ryuhei hesitated.

"Can't you hear me?" Neko shot him a furious, cold glare, cutting him off.

Reluctantly, Ryuhei began escorting the VIPs out of the circus. As the VIPs departed, several men in suits arrived, surrounding Jake.

"Jake of Big Deal, what are you doing here? You just appeared out of nowhere and caused trouble in the circus." Neko said as she made her way down to the arena, looking at Jake with a smile. "Does Eugene know about this unexpected behavior? Or did you forget we're in an alliance? It's not too late to back off now." Neko's smile widened. "Sinu is happy here. Don't interrupt, and go back. Otherwise-"

"Princess, I didn't expect you to be this crazy." Akira suddenly appeared beside Neko, wrapping an arm around her neck, making her eyes widen. "Doing that kind of shit to this guy." Akira said, glancing at Sinu, clearly understanding what Neko had done to him. "I think we suit each other well, don't you?" He smiled at Neko, who coldly stared back.

"I wanted to leave." Jake said. "If Hyung looked happy, I would have left. But he doesn't. His face doesn't show happiness." Jake smiled bitterly, then continued, "I want to talk with Sinu Hyung."

"Hey, you fucker." Akira snapped at Jake, irritated. "What's your problem, interrupting our moment?"

"Jake of Big Deal," Neko removed Akira's arm from her neck, her voice serious as she took off her mask. "Are you saying you're not afraid of war?" She smiled as her face was revealed.

Akira whistled, eyeing her face with interest. He licked his lips. 'I'll make sure to have my way with her' he thought.

"Even if it's you, a war would-" Neko began, but she was interrupted by a man in a suit whispering in her ear.

"Are you sure?" Neko asked, her expression shifting after hearing what he said.

"Y-yes, I'm sure!" the man nervously replied. "B-big Deal is coming!"

"If I was afraid of war, I wouldn't have taken the mask." Jake calmly replied. "The reason I came here was to find Sinu Hyung." He looked at Neko with disdain. "Workers? I never liked you guys in the first place."

"Alliance and shit." Jake muttered as he started putting on gloves. His expression turned deadly. "I'm going to talk to Sinu. Don't stop me, or you'll die."

"Oi, what did you just say?" Akira's voice was cold as he walked toward Jake, hands in his pockets. "Whoever stops you will die? Man, there are always people who don't know their level." Akira stopped in front of Jake, his expression fierce. Then, with a maniacal smile, he added, "But I'll never get bored putting them in their places."

"Jake, stop!" Another voice interrupted, coming from the entrance and halting Jake's movements.

The figure was tall, short black hair, black eyes, wearing a suit, Big Daniel.

"Daniel?" Jake asked, confused by his sudden appearance.

"This guy's mine to deal with." Daniel said, his expression full of rage as he glared at Akira.

"He ki-" Daniel didn't finish his sentence. Akira had already appeared in front of him in an instant. 'How?' Daniel thought, shocked by the sudden appearance. He was confident his body could match Akira's, but he had clearly miscalculated.

"Deal with me?" Akira smiled, grabbing Daniel's collar and slamming his face into the floor, forming a deep pit. "You think…" Akira continued, grabbing Daniel by the back of his shirt, lifting him, and with a 360 spin, he struck Daniel's face. The force sent Daniel's body spinning in mid air.

'This strength…' Daniel thought, his mind flashing back to someone. Slick black hair, eyes with black sclera, and white irises and pupils ,Gun. The strength reminded him of Gun.

"You're above me?" Akira's voice cut through Daniel's thoughts as he timed a perfect left fist to strike the spinning Daniel's face, sending him crashing into the ground. A deep crater formed from the impact. 'Strong...' That was Daniel's last thought before losing consciousness.

"Your friend over here is pretty pathetic." Akira said, turning to face Jake, who stood wide eyed along with everyone else witnessing the fight. It wasn't a fight, rather a massacare.

"So, let's wrap you up as well." Akira began walking toward Jake, but just a few feet away, he stopped.

"Well, what a surprise…" Akira smiled, turning around. Standing before him was Daniel, but something had changed. His pupils changed, the sclera had turned black, and his irises and pupils were now white. The air around him was dangerous.

Daniel's gaze locked onto Akira as he slowly walked forward, ignoring Jake and the others.

'It's like that time..' Jake nervously thought, this was the same Daniel that he risked his life to fight against with the others.

"Heh, I didn't expect to face you now." Akira chuckled, watching Daniel approach. "I hope you'll excite me."

Daniel stopped in front of Akira, his face expressionless. The tension was high as their eyes met.

"Let's dance, fucker." Akira grinned, as he looked at Daniel's unusual eyes.