In the dim darkness, the sound of sharp intermittent cutting of the sky echoes the room, followed by the sound of a heavy and dull impact that shakes the surrounding air. The moonlight creeps through the gaps on the flowing night clouds and shines through the holes of the collapsed roof and peeled walls of the abandoned facility. In a room where rusted steel frames, shattered glass shards, concrete, and brick rubble set the stage, a man repeatedly kicks and thrusts endlessly at an old humanoid wooden dummy.

The dummy is shaken violently up, down, left and right as it’s being crushed by the brutal attack the man launches. It’s a wonder how long he has been training, as he continues to attack without resting. The sweat stains of the man have spread widely. His name is Zen, the fighter who survived Valor and was feared as “Diablo”. He was also the 5th winner of the F.F.S, an illegal underground fighting tournament hosted by PROBE-NEXUS. Zen entered the 5th F.F.S to meet Rogue and defeat him in combat. He was waiting for the chance to defeat Rogue for many many years, and in the F.F.S he was finally able to achieve his goals. But at the same time, it was unbelievable for him, as he had seen Rogue’s overwhelming strength up close from an early age. Maybe it was because he had pursued Rogue as a goal of strength.

I want to beat him, but I don’t want him to lose

Did Zen have such conflicting thoughts? Rogue was a big threat in the Valor era. And that’s still the case now.

“Did I really beat Rogue…? Did I really get stronger”

He kept asking himself those questions deeply in his heart.

*CRASH*

The old dummy was finally crushed by the momentum of his jabs and pushed the debris into the air from its impact on the ground. While adjusting his exasperated breathing, Zen sits down and casually reaches for the debris near his feet. He picked up a piece of the debris and threw it sharply into the darkness near the exit. However, the debris did not make a sound on impact, and a human voice came back instead.

“Did you find it?”

A man appeared in the moonlight. It seemed as if he were hiding there for some time. It was Hazama, the former secretary of Mr.Brad of PROBE-NEXUS.

“What is the winner of the F.F.S doing in a place like this? With how desperate you look, it’s hard to believe you beat Greed.”

Hazama provoked Zen with a teasing tone and threw the shards like a sharp knife back at him. The momentum would cause injury if it hit. Zen’s fist blew the air and shattered the debris, causing a plosive sound to echo in the room, twice. Hazama threw two pieces at the same time.

“What do you want, jackass? Is peeping around really your hobby?”

Zen gently shakes off the wood chips from his fist and looks sharply at Hazama. Hazama began to talk about what he came there for while lightly parrying his line of sight.

“I have something to tell you today. To summarize it, the 6th F.F.S has officially been declared. Therefore, I would like to invite the previous champion to participate. What do you say?”

Zen turns his back on Hazama’s words without showing any signs of interest. But this got his attention:

“That man– Greed, may appear.” Hazama added as if he knew that would solidify his answer. He set aside a jet-black envelope and disappeared into the darkness. After he left, Zen solemnly stared at both of his fists. For him, his fists were everything, his only belief.

“When I meet Rogue again… I will find my answer.” Zen firmly engraved into himself.