A glowing blue light fills the room, the digital grid still pulsing around Ryuichi's body.
A follower (in astonishment and anger):
"What the...? How did he move so fast?"
Another (yelling as he attacks again):
"Just a trick... we'll finish him off now!"
The four pounce again, their attacks fast, coordinated, and deadly.
But...
Ryuichi sees everything.
Red and blue lines appear before his eyes, plotting the trajectories of the next moves, strike possibilities, angles of attack.
Ryuichi (inside, stunned):
"This... this is impossible... I see them... before they even move!"
A transparent window appears in front of him:
> Probability of a direct attack from the left: 84%
Dodge backwards at a 23° angle: 96% success rate.
Warning: Double attack from the front in 0.8 seconds
Ryuichi (eyes wide, heart pounding):
"Is that me? Am I really... predicting the battle?"
He dodges the first attack with a side slip.
Then he ducks under another blow as if his body had become a shadow, flowing without resistance.
He bends his knee, spins, and leaps backward with uncanny agility.
The four followers stop, stunned.
He continued (in anger and panic):
"What's going on? He couldn't stand up a moment ago!"
Ryuichi (catching his breath, sweat dripping, but smiling slowly, almost in disbelief):
"Everything is clear... it's as if time has slowed down... no... I'm the one who's getting faster..."
Another screen appears:
> "Predictive Control Mode: Activated."
"Analyzing opponent behavior: Ongoing..."
"Remaining attack probabilities: Precisely defined."
Ryuichi (breathing deeply, eyes shining with determination):
"Aura... you've opened up a new world for me..."
"Now... it's my turn to fight, not only for my own survival... but for all those I promised to protect."
Though he deftly dodges, the chains are still bound around his hands and wrists, restraining him, weighing him down.
He pauses for a moment, breathing heavily, and backs up against the wall. One of the henchmen laughs derisively.
The follower (arrogantly):
"You dance like a monkey, but you're still tied up. You won't escape this."
Ryuichi stares at his bound hands, his body trembling, blood running from his mouth, his eyes filled with heartbreak.
Ryuichi (in a faint, disappointed voice):
"... Ura... I can't attack... I'm not a fighter... I don't have enough mana... I won't even be able to break these chains..."
Aura's inner voice - stern, firm, without hesitation:
"You don't need mana. You have your feet. You have my heart with you. Just... follow me."
Ryuichi (hesitantly):
"... What do you mean? How?"
Ura:
"I will guide you. Step by step. Raise your right foot now."
He hesitates... then raises it.
Ora:
"Now, turn 45 degrees to the right... jump!"
He does. He dodges a blow from behind.
Ora:
"Twist the torso to the left... now kick with all your might, down!"
Ryuichi kicks wildly, guided by her, and the blow hits the knee of a henchman, who screams and falls to the ground.
Ryuichi (shocked, staring at his fallen opponent):
"... you... hit him?"
Ura (in a more emotional tone this time):
"I told you... I'll be your eyes, your arms, even your mana... you just fight for those you love."
The battle begins again...
The followers advance, but this time Ryuichi doesn't just dodge... he attacks.
Each step, each movement, is not entirely his own... but a combination of his exhausted body and Aura's precise instructions.
Like a puppet receiving instructions.
But that puppet is starting to feel the fire in its chest...
Ryuichi (in an inner voice, growing in faith):
"Maybe... just maybe... I wasn't as weak as I thought."
One henchman is thrown against the wall, falling over.
Another falls to the ground after receiving a precise kick to the neck.
Ryuichi breathes quickly, his eyes following Aura's prediction, his body moving as if programmed...no, as if he's risen from the rubble of himself.
The back door opens with a cold creak.
Nakamura appears, accompanied by his long shadow in the darkness.
His face is rigid, holding a tea cup and a small file.
Nakamura (coldly as he walks in):
"I just came to make sure you haven't finished playing yet..."
But his hand suddenly stops.
His eyes widen.
One of his henchmen is being dragged hard and hits the ground in front of him, groaning heavily.
He lifts his head... and sees Ryuichi!
Ryuichi... Shackled... exhausted... kicks his second opponent and knocks him down.
Nakamura (sharply surprised, lowers his tea cup):
"What the hell...?"
He takes a step forward. He sees the faces of his four followers lost in the chaos.
Ryuichi is at the center of the battle... his sweat is pouring... his eyes are unnaturally bright... as if he's seeing the future.
Nakamura (in a hushed voice, as if discovering a betrayal):
"That's impossible... He was about to die moments ago..."
His eyes are trembling.
Nakamura (in a whisper):
"Impossible..."
He looks at Ryuichi again, sees him twist and dodge a third attack, and then kicks his opponent at a perfect angle.
Ryuichi (inner voice, pulsing with faith):
"I don't know how... but... I fight."
Aura (internally):
"Prepare for the final attack, I will guide you to their common weakness... now we finish this."
Ryuichi is panting, drops of sweat mixing with his blood, but his eyes don't glaze over.
The data is still flowing through the lens of his consciousness.
Every opponent... every move... every possibility... is drawn before him in transparent strands of light.
Aura (in a stern inner voice):
"Ready... three... two... one... now!"
Band!
Ryuichi takes off as if the ground has thrown him forward.
The chains dance behind him like broken wings, but he doesn't care.
Aura (carefully guiding him):
"First opponent: Mandibular angle, strike with your left foot!"
Ryuichi makes a quick turn, kicking his opponent's head at the designated point. The opponent falls unconscious.
Aura:
"Second behind you, balance point behind the right knee... now!"
A quick spin, a lightning strike, and the opponent collapses like a puppet whose strings have been severed.
Aura (in a sharper voice):
"Third: He has speed, but he relies on reflexes, confuse him with a fake move and then hit his chest, three centimeters above the heart."
Ryuichi pretends to falter... the opponent attacks...
but a concentrated kick breaks through his defense. He is thrown backward, choking on his own breath.
Aura (voice lower, but more focused):
"The last one... the strongest, his weakness is in the meeting of the lower ribs, but watch out... he'll attack you with a double chain, turn right and then... hit."
Ryuichi moves as if he were a dancer in the middle of a battlefield.
The final kick comes from the bottom up, ascending from the center of the earth to his opponent's rib cage.
BOOM!
The last opponent goes down.
Silence reigns.
The room shakes slightly from the impact of the fall.
Ryuichi falls to his knees, panting... but he doesn't collapse.
His gaze, though exhausted, is full of amazement.
Ryuichi (whispering to himself):
"... I... did it... I... did this?"
But... the silence doesn't last.
Slow applause echoes around the room.
Nakamura's voice (deadly cold):
"Beautiful... so beautiful, Ryuichi, I almost forgot who you are."
Ryuichi lifts his eyes... he sees Nakamura approaching, but he's no longer that calm man.
A black cloud has begun to emanate from his body, and something in his eyes has changed.
Nakamura (in a rising, hoarse voice):
"But the game is over now. I wouldn't let you live after what I just saw, Ryuichi."
Aura (in an inner whisper):
"... this... is not Nakamura's human form... he's transforming..."
The air is getting heavier.
Nakamura advances, each step sending ripples of energy through the ground.
Tainted mana rises from his body in dark, winding smoke, like spirits writhing in agony.
Ryuichi stares, his breath still ragged, his body torn, the chains still binding him.
But he doesn't look away.
He looks at the danger... and stands up.
Ura (in a low, sharp voice):
"Ryuichi... remember, now you're not alone."
Nakamura (in a shifting voice, hesitating as if more than one entity is speaking):
"You defy the one who was created to trample the weak? You... are just human scum."
Ryuichi whispers, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes still unmoving:
"Ura..."
Aura (solemnly calm):
"Yes... now."
Ryuichi (repeating the word, as if firing a bullet):
"...Analysis."
Suddenly... everything changes.
The world around him melts.
Concrete cracks, faces disappear, everything he sees turns into data, lines, angles, frequencies.
Mana Nakamura's compression... is analyzed in real time.
Chains of possibilities appear before him... every possible blow, every explosion, every killing intent, translated into a flash in consciousness.
Ryuichi whispers to himself, stunned:
"I can... see him... before he moves?"
Aura (firmly and clearly):
"Following instructions = survival.
When I say now, kick left, jump right, move diagonally, don't hesitate... we don't have the luxury of error."
Ryuichi (tightening his grip despite the restraints):
"...I see."
Nakamura fires a burst of mana at Ryuichi - a deadly tainted wave!
Aura (quickly):
"Move now, reverse kick to the left! Then pull the chain to knock him off balance!"
Ryuichi, despite the pain, executes...
He dodges the wave, kicks, pulls the chain hard - Nakamura stumbles for a moment!
But Nakamura smiles...
Nakamura:
"What a great scene... I bet you don't know that I can analyze you too."
Aura (in an ominous voice):
"... Impossible..."
Ryuichi (stunned):
"... Who... are you really?"
Ryuichi is breathing heavily, sweat and blood mixing on his forehead, and his arm is bleeding profusely.
Every dodge is a miracle.
Every kick from Nakamura creates a small explosion in the ground, and every blow that goes past him leaves a hole or scar on his body.
Aura (angrily, analyzing nervously):
"He's so fast... this level of tainted mana is completely unpredictable...
My analysis system is only at level one, and that's... beyond human capabilities."
Ryuichi (falters, breathless):
"But... I'm still standing...
I'm... I'm still fighting."
Nakamura (strikes with his left foot, smashing a pillar behind Ryuichi):
"Fighting? You're just running away... like a little rat on a leash...
Give me another minute, and I'll crush you."
Aura (in a low, very serious voice):
"... Ryuichi, I have a plan."
Ryuichi (whispering):
"I'm listening..."
Aura:
"The next attack... will be his strongest.
I'm monitoring the buildup within the mana pressure centers of his body.
When he releases it... don't dodge."
Ryuichi (shocked):
"What?!"
Aura (in a decisive voice):
"Don't dodge the attack.
Receive it... with all its power.
Ryuichi (whispering inwardly):
"To take the hit... on purpose?
That's risking my life...
**Nakamura takes two steps back, stabilizing his feet, all mana concentrated in his fist.
The air around him ignites...
His mana aura turns into a storm...
His final attack... is coming.
Nakamura (in a thunderous voice):
"!!!
Die - Burden Breaker
(Burden Breaker)!!!!"
Ryuichi opens his arms - not dodging - not escaping - not defending.
The chains shine - his heart beats wildly - Aura screams inside him:
"Now, Ryuichi!!! Freeze!!!"
The blow hits his chest...
A deafening explosion...
Dust billows... the ground cracks beneath him...
And the silence... is deafening.
But when the smoke clears...
The chains... fall to pieces.
Ryuichi's gray eyes slowly open... as he stands amidst the rubble...
Blood is flowing, but the smile on his lips doesn't waver.
Ryuichi (in a faint, bloody, but steady voice):
"That... was enough."
Ura (in a proud whisper):
"I broke your chains, Ryo... now... fight like you're free."
The dust slowly fades away...
Nakamura stands motionless, his eyes wide with deadly amazement.
His breathing is rapid, his fist shaking, as he watches the chains shatter like thin glass.
Nakamura (in a hoarse, disbelieving voice):
"... How... How did she not die?
That blow... was enough to shatter a rock!"
Ryuichi (dusting himself off, a deep wound bleeding from his shoulder):
"Something died... But it wasn't me.
Fear died."
Aura (with a sharp voice in his head):
"Data is pouring in... Beware, Nakamura is preparing to attack again!"
Nakamura, his shock transformed into hysterical rage, screams:
"I will crush you!
I will tear you apart until not a single piece of you remains!"
And in an instant...
Nakamura lunged like a rabid beast.
His fists glistening with black mana.
his kicks tear the air.
and his blows crush the walls behind Ryuichi as he dodges them.
Ryuichi moves.
But he doesn't fly like a champion.
He doesn't dodge with the precision of a pro...
He barely survives.
A blow scratches his cheek.
A kick almost breaks his rib.
A fist goes past him and cuts his shoulder.
Blood splashes. The pain is real.
But he's still standing.
Ryuichi (under his breath):
"I'm not a warrior...
But I'm learning...
Your strokes are getting slower... or am I getting faster?"
Aura (in a more certain voice):
"Neither.
You're becoming... alert.
Analyzing, adapting, resisting.
Now... prepare yourself.
The next wave of attacks will be more vicious... but he's running out of energy."
Ryuichi (in a low voice):
"All I need... is one moment.
A moment of weakness... and I'll end this."
The scene slows down.
Dust fills the air...
Ryuichi's body is bleeding...
His eyes stare blankly into space, as Nakamura stands ready for the next attack.
Ryuichi (under his breath, inwardly):
"How long will I keep running away?
How long will I live as a ghost?"
His voice rises within him... boiling, exploding...
screaming in his mind:
"Aura!
How long... will I... keep running away?!"
Aura, in a steady voice:
"Until you survive.
That's all we do now: Survive."
Ryuichi (with genuine anger):
"Survive?
I don't want to run anymore!
I want to fight... fight!
To protect the ones I love!
To protect... my mom!"
Silence.
Then a rare moment... Aura's voice softens, almost a whisper.
Aura:
"...Then listen to me carefully.
I can activate a special technique via the neurostimulation interface...
But it will drain my energy...
It will consume your entire mental focus."
Ryuichi:
"Open it..."
Aura:
"...Ryuichi, if you fail to execute it accurately-"
Ryuichi (interrupting, in a quiet voice that cuts through the darkness):
"Open it, Aura."
Silence.
The pressure builds.
The air burns with tension.
Then-.
System playback:
Phantom Sync:
Mirror Combat Mode
Loading...
100%.
Ryuichi's eyes shine with a glowing dark blue glow.
He advances.
First he stumbles...
Then he stands up.
Supports himself with his right foot...
Adjusts the angle of his body...
His left hand is slightly outstretched, his right shoulder is lowered...
Nakamura stares in amazement:
"...what?"
Ryuichi is now standing exactly as Nakamura is.
With the same movement. With the same aura.
It's as if what he sees... is a mirror.
Ryuichi (in a low, shaky voice):
"I'am... he...