The Tyger Claw gang mbers rushed toward David and the others, pulling pistols from their belts.
Under the neon glow of Night City, the weapons glead with an odd, milky-white sheen.
3D-printed guns.
Even at a glance, David could tell both the bullets and the firearms were made from ABS plastic—non-tallic materials designed to bypass his magnetic abilities. Even the firing pins, traditionally tal, had been replaced with advanced composites.
David's eyes narrowed. Smart.
He knew the Tyger Claws didn't fully understand his abilities, but they'd clearly taken precautions. After their previous encounters, they'd adapted quickly. It was a testant to why they ruled Kabuki District—they knew how to use their brains.
Still, David wasn't the sa as before. His strength had grown. The combination of his Magnetic Fruit powers and advanced haki ant he could face even prepared enemies head-on.
As the Tyger Claws raised their weapons, David's arms and upper body were instantly coated in black and purple haki—the manifestation of his willpower. His Conqueror's Haki pulsed outward, shaking the air with invisible force.
The Tyger Claws faltered, their movents slowing as a wave of pressure crashed over them.
"Now!" David shouted.
Jack moved first, his gun barking in rapid succession. A forr rcenary, his marksmanship was deadly—every shot found its mark. Within monts, half a dozen Tyger Claws crumpled to the ground.
Simultaneously, Lucy's eyes flashed red. Thanks to Victor's recent adjustnts, her neural implants synced faster than ever. She hacked into the Tyger Claws' cyberware systems, disabling limbs and paralyzing bodies in seconds.
Sparks erupted from malfunctioning implants as gang mbers collapsed, their nervous systems overloaded.
With the remaining Tyger Claws still reeling from the shock of David's haki, he surged forward.
"Magnetic Fruit: Magnetic Crit!"
Electricity crackled around David's fists as he punched through their ranks. Each strike delivered a surge of magnetic energy, frying cybernetics and stopping hearts mid-beat. The air filled with the sharp scent of ozone as gang mbers dropped like puppets with severed strings.
When the dust settled, more than twenty Tyger Claws lay motionless on the ground.
"Bastard!"
A furious roar echoed down the alley.
David turned, locking eyes with a man approaching through the haze of neon lights and rising smoke. Dressed in a tailored black suit with crimson tiger emblems on the lapels, his presence radiated authority and danger.
Zhumushan Zhengguchi—the leader of this Tyger Claw squad.
"You little punk!" Zhumushan snarled, his face twisted in rage. "Tonight, you die!"
David, Jack, and Lucy imdiately recognized him. There was no need for words—this fight had been inevitable from the start.
But this ti, their enemies were different.
The Tyger Claws flanking Zhumushan wore sleek black suits reinforced with anti-magnetic technology. Their armor fully enclosed their bodies, shielding them from David's magnetic manipulation.
"Go!" Zhumushan barked.
Four gang mbers lunged forward. Their movents blurred as cybernetic enhancents activated, leaving afterimages in their wake.
Sandevistan.
And not just any model—these were Type-3 Sandevistans, far superior to the ones used by the Maelstrom thugs David had fought before. Their speed surpassed what most could follow with the naked eye.
"Shit!" Jack cursed. "They've got Sandevistan—Type 3!"
Lucy's eyes darted across her HUD as she scanned the approaching enemies. "David! What's the plan?"
David clenched his fists. "I'll handle the speedsters. Can you two deal with the rest?"
"No problem!" Jack shouted, already taking aim.
"Got it!" Lucy replied, vanishing behind cover.
Jack and Lucy broke off, engaging the other Tyger Claws with coordinated efficiency. Lucy's hacks crippled their cyberware, while Jack capitalized on every opening with pinpoint gunfire. When enemies got too close, Lucy's monomolecular wire implants lashed out from her wrists, slicing through limbs and armor alike.
Screams and gunshots echoed through the alley as Jack and Lucy tore through their foes.
anwhile, David stood his ground as the four Sandevistan users circled him like hunting wolves. Their degaussed nano-swords glead in the low light—specifically designed to bypass his magnetic abilities.
They think speed will save them.
David's blood-red eyes glead as he activated his next trump card:
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—Activated.
In an instant, the world slowed.
To the Sandevistan users, their movents were still a blur of speed. But through David's eyes, they might as well have been moving in slow motion. He tracked every twitch of muscle, every shift in their stance.
One lunged from behind—too slow.
David sidestepped and drove an electrically charged fist into the attacker's gut. The impact shattered armor and bone, sending the gang mber flying backward, smoke rising from his scorched body.
Another approached from the right—sword raised high.
Magnetic Fruit: Magnetic Electric Crit!
Lightning arced across David's arm as he punched forward, delivering a shockwave of electricity that fried his opponent's neural implants, dropping them mid-stride.
The remaining two attackers pressed forward in unison, hoping to overwhelm him with speed.
But David's eyes saw it all—every feint, every angle of attack.
He ducked beneath one sword swipe, then grabbed the attacker's wrist with an electrified hand. The gang mber spasd violently as electricity surged through his body. Without hesitation, David twisted and hurled him into his partner, sending them both crashing into the alley wall with bone-shattering force.
Four Sandevistan users—eliminated in seconds.
From a distance, Zhumushan watched in horror. His confidence evaporated as he realized he hadn't even seen David move—only the aftermath of each strike.
"What the hell...?" Zhumushan muttered, sweat dripping down his brow. "He's not just controlling tal... He's—"
Zhumushan's thoughts were cut short as David turned to face him.
Those blood-red eyes, spinning like demonic pinwheels, seed to pierce directly into his soul.
"D-Damn it!" Zhumushan stamred. He hurled his degaussed nano-sword at David and turned to flee.
But David had no intention of letting him escape.
"You've caused enough trouble."
David's right eye narrowed.
"Amaterasu—!"
Black flas erupted around Zhumushan, clinging to his suit with an unquenchable hunger. The Tyger Claw leader scread as the flas consud him, burning through his armor and searing flesh.
"No—Nooo! Stop! Aaaghhh!!"
The flas of Amaterasu showed no rcy. No matter how Zhumushan thrashed, the black fire continued to devour him. Within monts, his screams died out, leaving only the crackle of flas and the faint hum of neon lights.
Silence fell over the alley.
Lucy and Jack approached, bloodied but victorious.
"Well... That's one way to end a fight," Jack muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
Lucy glanced at David's eyes, their crimson glow slowly fading. "You okay?"
David nodded, exhaling slowly as he powered down his abilities. "Yeah... I'm good."
They stood among the fallen Tyger Claws—so dead, others groaning in pain. Smoke from burned-out implants and scorched flesh lingered in the air.
David glanced down at the charred remains of Zhumushan Zhengguchi.
No more loose ends.
"Co on," David said, turning toward the alley's exit. "Let's get out of here before more show up."
Jack chuckled, clapping David on the shoulder. "Man, remind never to piss you off."
Lucy smirked. "Too late for that, Jack."
The three of them vanished into the neon-lit streets of Night City, leaving behind only whispers of their battle—a story that would soon spread across Kabuki District.
Because tonight, the Tyger Claws learned a hard lesson:
If the tiger doesn't show its power, don't mistake it for a sick cat.
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