The Rogues Of: No Man's Land

The jungle pressed in around them, thick with vines and towering trees.

Air was humid, heavy with the scent of damp earth and unseen predators lurking beyond the foliage.

Tao kept his steps light, hands twitching at his sides.

He wasn't like Rex or Seraphina, he didn't have some monstrous power welling up inside him, ready to be unleashed. He was just a thief, a street rat who had learned to fight only because the world had given him no other choice.

And right now, he was face to face with three warriors who looked like they could tear him apart.

Nepar, the sleek, sharp-eyed leader of the Nepit, cracked his knuckles. He moved with the ease of a trained fighter, muscles fluid but tense, a coiled spring waiting to strike. His feline ears twitched, his emerald eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Nepo, the largest of the three, loomed like a living wall of muscle. His fur was darker than the others, his jagged teeth flashing in a sneer. He didn't move much, he didn't need to. His sheer bulk was an unspoken threat.

Then there was Necada, the smallest but somehow the most unsettling. He barely spoke, his ears constantly shifting, tracking their movements like he was already three steps ahead of them.

Tao swallowed. "Look, we don't need to fight," he tried. "We're just passing through. No reason for anyone to get hurt."

Nepar chuckled. "That would be true, if we hadn't just overheard you plotting to steal from the Vault of Eternity"

Rex cracked his neck. "So what?"

"You human's talk too much," Necada sneered, his small feline form slinking closer. "Your words have sealed your fate."

Before Tao could react, Necada's eyes gleamed with a crimson glow. His Primal Engine, Possescada, was activating.

Necada leapt forward, his small body vanishing into a ghostly blur before lunging toward Sister Seraphina. Before she could react, his form sank into her chest like a shadow slipping through cracks in the light.

Her body went rigid.

Tao and Rex's eyes widened in shock as Seraphina's elegant posture twisted into something foreign. Her hands clenched into fists, and a sinister smirk curled across her lips, a smirk that did not belong to her.

"Oh, this is interesting," her voice came out, but with an unmistakable echo of Necada's tone. "Let's see how your precious nun fights against you."

Necada had taken her body.

The fight had just become a nightmare.

Rex had no time to worry about Seraphina. A massive fist came hurtling toward him.

The sheer force sent him skidding backward, his boots digging into the jungle floor. Nepo laughed, his enormous frame shaking the ground with each step forward.

"That all you got, mutt?" Nepo taunted, rolling his thick shoulders. "I've cracked skulls bigger than you."

Rex growled, eyes glowing gold as his Primal Engine activated. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpening. He could hear the shift in Nepo's stance, the rustling of the leaves underfoot, every subtle movement feeding into his primal instincts.

Nepo charged again, swinging his arm like a wrecking ball. Rex dodged, rolling under the strike and countering with a feral uppercut. His fist slammed into Nepo's gut but.. 

It did nothing.

Nepo grinned. "That tickled."

The fat feline grabbed Rex by the collar and threw him like a ragdoll. Rex crashed through branches before slamming against a tree with a bone-rattling impact.

Rex coughed, wiping blood from his mouth. "Alright, cat-man. No more holding back."

He lifted his head to the sky and let out a bone-shaking howl.

Alpha Howl.

The sound rippled through the jungle, an explosion of primal energy. The ground vibrated. Nepo's grin faltered for the first time.

Rex vanished from sight.

Before Nepo could react, Rex appeared at his side, moving faster than before. A devastating roundhouse kick smashed into Nepo's temple, sending the massive cat stumbling.

Rex was in his element now. Faster, stronger, deadlier.

As he watched from the sidelines, Nepar made the decision to leap down at the rex, pounding his fist into the ground beneath and sending a shockwave in Rex's direction.

"That's my brother you're fighting, dude." he said, angry. 

Tao barely had time to think before Seraphina, no, Necada controlling her, attacked.

Her movements were fluid and deadly. She disappeared, her form blending into the darkness. Silent Sanctity.

Tao's heart pounded. "Shit, where is she?"

Before he could react, she materialized behind him, a glowing hand raised.

"Holy Smite."

Tao barely ducked in time. The energy blast seared past him, igniting the jungle floor. If that had hit him directly, he would've been done for.

Necada laughed, Seraphina's voice tinged with malice. "Pathetic. You don't even have a Primal Engine activated. You're nothing."

Tao gritted his teeth. He was outmatched. He couldn't even lay a hand on her like this.

But then he got an idea.

He didn't need to beat her in combat.

He needed to beat Necada in his own game.

Tao ran, leading Necada toward Rex's Battle 

Rex was overpowering Nepo and Nepar now, his wolf instincts predicting every move. But then Tao arrived, leading Necada right into the chaos.

"Rex! Knock her out!" Tao shouted.

Rex saw the possessed Seraphina and understood immediately. With a burst of speed, he dodged Nepo's final swing and lunged toward Necada. His fist glowed with primal energy as he aimed for her stomach.

BOOM!

Seraphina's body crumpled. Necada was forced out, his shadowy form ejecting from her chest as she collapsed, gasping.

Tao immediately grabbed her, pulling her away. She was back.

Necada screeched, his form flickering. "You, damn you-"

Before he could possess anyone else, Rex turned his full attention to him.

"It's over, furball." One final, devastating punch from Rex landed right between Necada's glowing eyes. The small cat hit the ground, unconscious.

Before Tao or Rex can even catch their breath, a sudden surge of blinding white energy erupts from Nepo and Nepar.

Their bodies glow with raw Primal Energy, the sheer force of it distorting the air around them. Muscles tighten, movements sharpen, and their forms become eerily refined. Tao's instincts scream at him; something about this transformation feels primal, untamed, yet devastatingly precise.

"Rex, what the hell is this!?" Tao shouts, stepping back.

Rex's eyes narrowing as he watches the two enhanced cats stretch their limbs, flexing their newfound power.

"They're not using a simple Primal Engine," Rex mutters, realization dawning on him. "They're doing something else entirely… condensing pure Primal Energy into their bodies instead of manifesting a special ability."

Tao blinks. "Wait, so they're just... boosting themselves? No flashy techniques, no weird tricks?"

"Exactly." Rex exhales. "It's the most instinctive, brutal way to fight. No gimmicks, just raw power turned into speed, strength, and resilience."

''Let me handle em'.'' Nepo mutter's as he start's walking forward.

Before Tao can respond, Nepo vanishes. No, not vanished, moved. In a single blink, he closes the distance, his clawed hand already swinging for Tao's throat. Tao barely ducks in time, the force of the attack splitting the air where his head had been.

"Shit!"

Nepo pivots, his next strike aimed at Rex. But something in Rex's instincts snaps into place. He's been too focused on his Lupus Core all this time, relying on its primary functions, its rules. 

A snarl rumbles from his throat as he leans into his animal instincts. His hands tremble, fingers curling, and suddenly-

His claws extend, not like a wolf's, but like a beast's fangs.

"Heaven's Claw!"

Rex lunges forward, his entire body twisting like a predator in motion. His attack doesn't just slash, it bites. Tears. Rips through Nepo's enhanced form like a wolf's jaws clamping down on its prey.

A sickening crunch.

Nepo's body spasms, the white glow around him shattering as he stumbles backward, clutching his chest where deep, jagged wounds now mar his flesh. His enhanced state flickers, then vanishes completely. With a final, disoriented step, he collapses.

Rex, panting, drops to one knee. "One down."

But before they can react, Nepar starts laughing. ''Nepo, You fool.''

The deep, guttural sound vibrates through the battlefield as his body begins to twist and swell.

His fur bristles. His limbs expand. Muscles bulge grotesquely as his frame nearly doubles in size. His once-fluid movements are gone, replaced by raw, destructive mass. His aura thickens, pressing down on Tao and Rex like a solid wall of suffocating force.

Nepar steps forward, and the ground beneath him cracks apart under the sheer weight of his power.

"You thought we were done?" His voice rumbles, eyes gleaming with monstrous intent.

Rex grits his teeth. "Shit. That ain't good."

Nepar cracks his knuckles, his newly bloated form casting a monstrous shadow over Tao and Rex. His aura pulses like a living entity, each breath he takes sending ripples of power outward.

Rex spits to the side, wiping sweat from his brow. "Tch… We don't have a choice, Man. We gotta take this freak down now."

Tao rolls his shoulders, eyeing Nepar's massive frame. "Yeah? And how exactly do we do that when he just turned into a goddamn muscle demon?"

Nepar smirks before charging forward, the ground shattering beneath each thunderous step.

The Battle Begins.

Rex lunges first, claws bared, swiping at Nepar's legs to cripple his movement. But Nepar is too fast, he slams his foot down, sending shockwaves through the ground that knock Rex off balance.

Before Rex can recover, Nepar's fist is already swinging.

Rex barely raises his arms in time to block, but the sheer force sends him flying backwards, slamming into a rock formation with a sickening crash.

Tao doesn't hesitate. He dashes in, throwing a rapid series of punches at Nepar's midsection. His blows land, but Nepar barely flinches. Instead, he grabs Tao by the arm, effortlessly lifting him before slamming him into the ground.

WHAM!

Tao gasps, pain shooting through his body. Nepar lifts him again, ready to finish the job but-

Rex returns with a vengeance.

"Lupus Fang!"

He dives in from above, his claws glowing with primal force as he slashes at Nepar's head. The impact is enough to make Nepar stumble, forcing him to release Tao.

But Rex pays for it immediately. Before he can land, Nepar swings his massive arm, catching him in the ribs with a bone-crushing impact.

Rex's body twists mid-air before he smashes into the ground, coughing up blood. He twitches, trying to move, but he's completely spent.

Tao is the last one standing, he pushes himself to his feet, breathing heavily.

Rex is down. Tao is alone. His fists tremble, not from fear, but from frustration. Why? Why is he so powerless? Why does he always end up like this?

Nepar smirks. "You're done."

He lunges, his massive fist aimed straight for Tao's head. Something ignites.

Tao's eyes widen. His body moves, faster than ever before. He sidesteps at the last second, narrowly avoiding the killing blow.

Nepar's eyes flicker with surprise. "Huh?"

Tao looks at his own hands. A strange purple aura flickers around them.

He feels lighter, stronger, faster.

Nepar rushes him again. This time, Tao doesn't hesitate, he attacks first.

His fist slams into Nepar's stomach.

Nepar grunts, but before he can react, a second hit appears.

A phantom strike, identical to Tao's first punch, connects a moment later, hitting the exact same spot.

Nepar staggers, blood dripping from his mouth. "What… the hell?!" he mutters. Tao clenches his fists, his breathing steady. Rex, watching from the ground, sees the truth.

"That's his Primal Engine…" Rex whispers, realization dawning on him.

Tao's newfound ability, Phantom Striking.

Each attack he lands creates afterimage clones of himself mid-fight, spectral echoes that repeat his strikes a second later.

Nepar growls, wiping his mouth. "You little…!"

But Tao isn't done. He vanishes from sight, reappearing behind Nepar.

"You're the one who's done."

He strikes again. One punch. Then another. Then another. Each one followed by a delayed phantom strike, doubling the impact.

Nepar stumbles back, blood spraying from his mouth. His massive form shudders, then starts to collapse.

Rex grins, despite his pain. "Took you long enough, Tao."

Tao smirks. "Yeah… but now?"

He clenches his fists as the purple aura flares.

"I'm just getting started."