Guns and Blades

The Tyger Claw gang's convoy, consisting of six motorcycles and ten men, sped towards the affluent district of Wellsprings. At the forefront, a man wearing a red oni mask wore a grim expression.

He despised working for Jotaro.

"Sota-san, Jotaro is a coward. Working for him is a disgrace to us."

"Akuhara," the man addressed as Sota, who wore a green oni mask, spoke calmly, betraying no emotion. "Perhaps this is our opportunity to attain enlightenment."

"Enlightenment? What kind of nonsense is that?"

"There are many who can fight, but few who can make money.

We excel at combat, but Jotaro excels at making money. That's why the gang listens to him. Perhaps we've been pursuing the wrong path."

"That's nonsense."

"I'm intrigued by your perspective, but this isn't the time to discuss philosophy. Prepare for battle."

Their motorcycles roared as they accelerated, swords and guns raised, blades glinting in the city's neon lights, all aimed at the hurtling Mackinaw truck.

Behind them, the rest of the convoy followed closely. The orderly streets of Wellsprings erupted into chaos as the deafening sound of engines filled the air.

The first to be intercepted was Maine's van. Two masked figures flanked the vehicle with terrifying precision.

Perched by the van door, Rebecca cursed, shotgun in hand. "Die, you bastards!"

Boom!

Bullets sprayed in all directions. The skilled bikers dodged effortlessly, accelerating to evade the incoming shots. Rebecca's rounds struck one of the motorcycles trailing behind them instead, causing it to veer off course and crash into the roadside.

From the van, Maine shouted, "Get down!"

A storm of bullets rained upon the van. One round ricocheted inside, striking Dorio's shoulder. Blood splattered, and Maine's fury boiled over. With a sudden turn of the wheel, he rammed one of the motorcycles.

Crash!

Caught off guard, the biker lost control and collided with another motorcycle behind them, causing a chain reaction. The van wobbled dangerously, nearly tipping over but managing to stay upright.

"Warn us next time you pull a stunt like that!" Rebecca yelled angrily as she returned to the window to fire again.

Maine grinned despite the chaos. "I just took out two of them! Trust my driving skills!"

"Make that three!" Rebecca corrected as her shots found another target. One more Tyger Claw biker flew off his bike, crashing into a storefront.

The two masked leaders, Sota and Akuhara, slowed their bikes as they approached the van, swords raised high. Their movements were so fast, they were a blur.

Maine noticed their intent—one aimed for the steering wheel, the other for Dorio. Without hesitation, Maine used his cybernetic hand to shield the wheel, letting the blade embed itself into his arm.

The van veered violently, tipping and rolling over, sending Sota and Akuhara flying.

Akuhara managed to regain balance mid-air but saw Sota's blade stuck in the cybernetic hand of Maine, now trapped beneath the overturned vehicle.

"Akuhara-san," Sota muttered through clenched teeth, "this time, we underestimated them."

David, witnessing the chaos from his Mackinaw, saw the two leaders approaching his vehicle. Their speed was unmatched, their movements almost impossible to track. But David wasn't new to chaos.

When the van tipped over, David braked abruptly, timing his stop so one of the bikers would collide with the Mackinaw's tires.

The other, Akuhara, dismounted in a fluid motion, drawing his blade.

David stepped out of the truck, gun raised.

Akuhara, calm and collected, muttered, "Aiming reveals your intent, just as the eyes reveal one's soul."

David fired. Akuhara deflected the bullets with his blade, the sound of metal ringing through the street. But David didn't stop. Bullet after bullet grazed Akuhara's limbs, though none were fatal.

In response, Akuhara threw a flashbang.

The sudden burst of light blinded David, but his advanced hearing module caught the faintest sounds of Akuhara moving.

David fired blindly, his shots instinctively targeting the source of the sound. But Akuhara anticipated this and closed the distance, slashing at David's abdomen.

Pain exploded as blood poured from the wound. David staggered but didn't fall, emptying his clip in Akuhara's direction.

The two combatants, battered and bloodied, paused as sirens echoed in the distance.

Lucy and the team hurried to extract David. Despite his injuries, he gave a thumbs-up, assuring everyone he was fine. The group loaded into the Mackinaw and sped off, escaping before the NCPD arrived.

Behind them, Akuhara emerged from cover, lifting the unconscious Sota onto his motorcycle. Though badly injured, he mounted the bike and retreated to the Tyger Claws' base.

As the sounds of battle faded, Akuhara whispered, "Sota… we underestimated them. But next time, we won't lose."