In a split second, Ryoko disappeared from his spot, leaving behind a barely visible spectral trail. Ryuichi's reaction came a fraction of a moment too late, but he wasn't alone.
Ora: (in a rapid inner voice through the speaker in his glasses)
"Attack from the left at a 73-degree angle! Dodge in 0.4 seconds!"
Reichi dodged with his body, and Ryoko's fist only touched the air, but it created a shockwave that shook the nearby branches!
Reichi: (retreating with quick steps)
"You've gotten faster!"
Ryoko: (Suddenly appearing behind him, he kicks the ground to send gravel flying toward his eyes)
"And you've gotten slow to react!"
Reichi closes his eyes for a split second, raises his arm and covers his face with his inner arm. The pebbles scratch his skin, but he narrowly avoids the worst and staggers backwards.
Reichi (trying to regain his balance):
"Damn... That was close."
Ora:
"I detected a camouflage technique based on linear acceleration. I suggest moving against the air current to detect his next location."
Reichi (inside, ready):
"Here we go..."
Ora (in a quick inner voice):
"Side attack at 2.3 Mach... Duck!"
Reichi slides backward with precision, and Ryoko's fist passes less than an inch from his face. But before he can catch his breath, the next kick is on its way from below.
Reichi: (Tensing his muscles and preventing himself from lunging backward, but the foot collides with his arm, which he raised to protect himself)
"Ah...!"
He winces in pain, the kick leaving a dark mark on his arm, but he doesn't let it slow him down.
Ryoko (sarcastically):
"Oh, it didn't break? Good, your endurance is improving!"
He pounces on him again, using a triple spin technique, attacking from three directions in near-simultaneous succession. But Ryuichi still relies on Aura's analysis.
Aura:
"A gap at the lower axis in 1.1 seconds, pounce from below."
Reiichi ducks at the perfect moment, dodging the kicks and using Ryuko's momentum against him, sliding back quickly and then spinning to try to grab his arm—but Ryuko disappears like smoke.
Reiichi (breathing heavily, sweat pouring from his forehead):
"What is this? Is he even light?"
Ryoko: (appearing behind him again)
"Weight doesn't matter if you have perfect balance!"
He hits him on the right rib with a targeted punch, hearing a faint sound of internal cracking...
Ryuichi (in pain, stifling a scream, falling to one knee):
"Ora... Can I still stand?"
Ora (in a calmer but precise voice):
"Your sixth rib is cracked. You can still move. I advise you to keep dodging until I find a critical opening."
Ryuichi (slowly getting up again):
"Okay... Ryoko, I'm not done yet."
Ryoko smiles, but there is a fighting glint in his eyes... he knows his opponent will not give up easily.
Ryoko:
"That's what I wanted to see, Reichi."
Ryoko (bending slightly, smiling half a smile):
"Ready for phase two? It's time to dance... "Mana Dancer: Flutter of Free Fall!""
His body disappears completely. Suddenly, he appears above Ryuichi with a series of spiral kicks in the air, as if his body is moving like a miniature tornado—each kick echoing metallically in the void.
[Close-up camera – Reiichi's eyes widen, sweat pours from his forehead, he raises his arms tensely]
The ground shatters beneath his feet from the pressure, stones fly, and Reiichi is pushed back dozens of meters, sliding across the dirt and leaving behind a deep line like a meteorite slide.
Ora (in a quick inner voice):
"Strike rate 12.8 attacks per second... Impossible to dodge without distracting him!"
Reichi (slowly getting up, putting his hand on his sore side, breathing slowly):
"This... is a whole other level..."
Ryuko (stamps his foot on the ground—a golden mana circle forms under his feet, the horizon lights up behind him):
"This one... I used it to prevent two dragons from escaping after the battle with the Lower Flame Lord!"
"The Whip Technique: Cutting Mana Artery!"
A strip of light shoots out from his palm, twisting like a huge snake of concentrated mana, then swoops down on Riichi at supersonic speed, leaving a trail of light in the air.
[Slow Motion Effect – Riichi raises his arm, and Aura screams in his head:]
Aura:
"You'll definitely get hit if you don't react now!! Use the reverse slide – now!"
Reichi tries to dodge, but the artery hits the ground in front of him before completely disappearing – the resulting explosion propels him into the air, rolling over the dirt and coming to rest against a huge tree trunk that shakes from the impact.
*[The camera focuses on his half-closed eyes – his face is dusty, blood is on the corner of his mouth, and the light is fading in his eyes]
Reichi (inner whisper):
"...Is this the limit of my power? Is this all I can do?"
Ryuko (advancing calmly, pulling up the collar of his combat jacket):
"I didn't say you were weak, but you have a long way to go, my friend. And you have a strong girl like Aura with you... I just wanted to test the limits."
Reiichi (Aura's image appears to him – she appears beside him as a faint specter):
"Ah... Aura... Can you hear me? Can we... turn the tables?"
Ora (calmly, her eyes shining brightly):
"Turn the tables? ... If you're ready... I'll show you a different possibility."
Boom!
Ryoko launches himself! His body disappears completely from in front of Reichi, as if even light itself couldn't keep up with him!
Reichi (inside, stunned):
"What is this... this movement... I didn't even see his body flash...!"
Ryuko (appearing behind him, with a devilish smile):
"My first lesson for you... is to not blink."
He swings his fist!
[Ryuko's technique: "Wind Spike – Fūjin Spike"]
The air around his hand condenses and explodes in one burst, as if Ryuko's fist carries a concentrated tornado!
Reichi barely dodges it, flipping in the air, his body crashing to the ground as he gasps for breath!
---
Reichi (inside, gritting his teeth):
"If the fight continues like this... I'll be crushed."
Ora (in a calm voice inside his consciousness):
"Reichi... How about we start with the layers?"
Reichi:
"Fire it."
---
🔬 StrataScan: Layer Analysis Mode
His vision darkens for a moment, then the lenses in front of his eyes glow with dazzling cyborg design, and the strata begin to separate:
Thermal – Ryoko's body is outlined with dancing heat.
Manic – Energy currents appear, fluctuating within him.
Structural – revealing abnormal tension behind his left shoulder joint.
Aura:
"Weakness detected... Response probability: 73%"
Reiichi (breathing slowly):
"Wonderful... A small target, but worth a try."
---
Ryuko lunges forward again, kicking the ground with such force that the dirt explodes beneath his feet.
[Ryuko's technique: "Shinkiro Step"]
He moves with illogical speed, leaving behind illusory shadows, as if his ghosts are fighting on his behalf.
But this time, Reichi makes an unexpected move, striking precisely at his shoulder joint—
Boom!
A surprise blow hits the target... but Ryoko is not greatly affected, only laughing:
Ryoko:
"Well done... You're starting to see more than I expected..."
---
Reichi (retreating, panting):
"Even though I hit the spot, the impact wasn't enough... This beast has a body of rock!"
He notices that Ryoko's movements, despite their power... follow a subtle pattern.
Reichi:
"Aura... activate the second system..."
---
🌀 PhantomTrack: Motion Prediction System
Faint arrows begin to appear inside the lenses, like ghostly predictions of the future, drawing precise trajectories for Ryoko's next movements.
Aura:
"Attack pattern: spiral rotation. I recommend moving back at a 37-degree angle... Now!"
Reiichi moves exactly as requested... Ryoko strikes the air, glancing at his opponent with momentary surprise.
Ryoko (whispering):
"...He started dancing with the wind?"
But Ryoko smiles... He prepares his right hand, and mana flows around it like a liquid vortex.
---
🔥 [Ryuko's technique: "Sun Blade – Taiyō Fang"]
The air rises with sudden heat... Ryuko stabs with his hand as if it were a dagger of flame! Golden light tears through the shadows around him!
Reiichi doesn't survive completely this time—the blow touches his skin and throws him two meters back.
---
Reiichi (groaning, blood flowing from his arm):
"I broke his pattern for a moment... but any small mistake means my death..."
His gaze suddenly changes... as his right eye glows dark blue.
Ora:
"Neural synchronization... automatically activated..."
---
🧬 NeuroLink: Neural Synchronization Pattern
A flashback hits him—a scene of him as a child, running toward his mother in the rain, while she shouts:
"If you fall, get up with your heart, not your legs!"
His eyes burn with determination, his body trembles, as if he has been engraved with life again.
---
Reiichi (slowly getting up):
"...I won't fall twice from the same blow, Ryoko."
Ryoko (with savage enthusiasm):
"Now we're talking! Show me everything, heir!"
---
Ryuichi's feet froze to the ground. He didn't move. He didn't even breathe.
Reichi (inside, stunned by something deeper than fear):
"That word...?"
The trembling in his heart drowned out the sound of the fight. Lost in thought, Ryoko had closed the distance and leaped toward him with an unreadable attack.
[Ryuko's technique: "Meteor Blitz"]
A double punch broke the sound barrier, then exploded like a meteor striking the ground.
Reiichi was struck directly in the chest... He flew two meters into the air before crashing heavily to the ground, letting out a painful groan as dust swirled around him.
Reiko (stepping forward, staring at him anxiously):
"...Why did you stop? You could have dodged it."
Reiichi (in a choked voice, raising his eyes to the sky):
"...That sentence...
It's not the first time I've heard it.
The masked man... said it to me before he disappeared."
Reiko (in a tense voice, her tone more subdued than usual):
"...The masked man?..."
"...I heard it from him too..."
"It stuck in my mind... for some reason I don't understand... and when I saw you fighting... it came out unconsciously."
He lowers his head slightly.
"I... didn't mean to awaken his ghost inside you."
The air becomes heavier. It's as if the dust itself has begun to think.
Reichi (slowly getting up, breathing heavily):
"...It's okay."
Reichi clenches his hand, forms a fist, and exhales with concentration. But he doesn't attack. He closes his eyes for a second...
Reichi (whispering):
"It's time... for a little escape."
---
📡 CloakCast: Tactical Jammer System
His body begins to blur, as if light and shadow refuse to locate him, appearing as a distorted flash in Ryoko's eyes.
Ryoko (with pure surprise):
"Blurred? No... this is another level..."
Suddenly, Ryuichi appears behind him, touching his shoulder... but he doesn't attack.
Ryuichi:
"...If I wanted to, I could deliver the final blow."
Ryoko (laughing):
"And you think I didn't leave an opening on purpose?"
He lunges backward with all his strength, striking the wind—but it was a trick! Ryuichi has disappeared again!
Ryoko (in a deep voice):
"...Now, I'll show you... why I am Ryoko."
Energy suddenly explodes from his body, like a flash of lightning bursting in the heart of a cloud. A violent blue glow surrounds him, and lines of blue light begin to dance around him, tearing through the air with a rising crackling sound.
Ora (in Ryuichi's ear, in a warning tone):
"Warning: Radical manic change detected... New phase discovered: Flashburst Mode."
Reiichi raises his eyebrows. For the first time, he feels that Ryoko's superiority is not a joke... but a deadly determination.
Ryoko (slowly raising his head, his eyes burning like two stars of lightning):
"This is the extension of my body... where time becomes secondary, and movement becomes desire."
"Get ready."
[Ryoko's technique: "Thousand Volt Mirage"]
He disappeared.
No, it didn't disappear... It became thousands of shadows, moving like refracted light in a broken mirror. Lightning bolts rained down on Riichi from all directions, as if time itself had been torn apart around him.
Riichi barely dodged the first, then the second... But the third hit his shoulder, and the fourth grazed his cheek.
Ryuichi (in a breathless inner voice):
"It's not moving... It disappears and reappears before my eyes can register what's happening!"
"Ora... I need you now more than ever!"
Ora:
"Activate: StrataScan + PhantomTrack"
"Simulating attack probabilities: Temporary light shadow created by Mana's refraction—repositioning in 0.2 seconds."
Light arrows began to appear inside Reiichi's lens, each one alerting him to a fake attack... before the real one happened.
He narrowly dodges a blow from behind, spins around, then jumps to block an incoming kick from above... but the real shadow appears from the right, knocking him to the ground again.
Ryoko (standing over him, extending his right hand behind his head to prepare a finishing blow):
"Don't be sad... Even I can barely comprehend this phase."
"It's... my dream."
A massive explosion of lightning shakes the place, forming a vortex of light and sound around him. In the midst of this hurricane, Ryuko launches his new attack.
⚡ Ryuko's technique: "Storm Quake"
He rises into the air, spreads his arms as if the entire sky has gathered in his fist, then swoops down on Riichi with lightning speed...
Ryuko (in a rapid, powerful voice):
"Let's end this...!!"
The blow hits Riichi directly in the chest.
💥 BOOM!!
His body flies like a broken doll, flying toward the far wall at tremendous speed, smashing it as if it were glass, then falling amid the rubble, covered in dust and stones.
The camera slows down, the sounds fade away... All that remains is his weak breathing.
[Internal monologue – Riichi]
"Why... am I always... weaker than them?"
"Everyone I've faced... Nakamura... Takashi... Naoko... even Ryoko now... I'm always defeated."
"Was my dream of becoming something... just an illusion?"
"I... don't deserve this world."
His eyes are about to close, blood is flowing from his forehead... But suddenly, a faint voice comes out of his ear, with a calm, mechanical tone, but saturated with determination.
Ora (dramatically calm):
"Activate NeuroLink. Emotional synchronization protocol... now."
And here begins a moment of rapid flashback — scenes flashing by like an emotional manic flash...
Nakamura's voice mocking him... a shot of Naoko's boasting... the moment he collapsed in class... his mother's gaze in one of her recordings, saying:
> "Even if you fall, my child, don't forget to get back up... because you are the heir to the light."
Ryuichi's eyes slowly open... but this time, there is something new in them...
A light mana begins to surround his body... Not Ryoko's pure blue mana, but a wavy gray mana... Then a transparent facade forms above him — mimicking Ryoko's aura — but mirrored.
Ora:
"Temporary Synchronization Mode: Phantom Sync"
"Mirror Combat Mode"
The camera pans around Reoichi as he slowly rises from the rubble, sweeping away the dust around him with a transparent aura of air pressure.
His eyes glow with graphic lines. Every movement of Ryoko's spirit... appears on him... before it even happens.
Ryoko (eyes wide, stepping back involuntarily):
"...Impossible."
"That stance... It's... my stance?"
Reiichi now moves with predictive speed, dodging the incoming lightning bolts, and... returning them, but not with the same energy, but with the same technique. Like a deadly mirror.
Reiko (inner voice):
"But... he doesn't have the mana to copy this speed... How can he..."
Ryoko is a few steps away, standing on charred ruins, blue mana flying around him... but now he's not moving.
Ryoko (inner whisper):
*"This silence... this posture..."
"He mimics my movements with strange precision... but he's not copying my power, just my rhythm."
Reiichi takes one step forward.
At that moment, Ryoko suddenly moves with lightning speed, lunging at him from the left...
💥 Flash Step – "Zantetsu Arc" ⚡
An instant side slash technique, creating a crack in the air behind him...
But—
Ryuichi turns his body at the same angle, his feet moving with perfect precision, similar to Ryuko's movement... As if he saw the attack before it happened.
The sword passes by him... by just one inch.
Amidst the smoke, a side screen opens inside Aura's lens:
Aura:
> "Movement sequence repetition match rate: 87%."
Reichi (inner voice):
"He can't see what I see right now... Every step he takes is preceded by shadows on my lens."
Reiko turns around in shock, stabbing again—
⚡ "Burst Waltz"
A continuous attack, dozens of thrusts as if his body were disintegrating and reforming with each strike.
Reiichi begins to dodge—step by step, copying the same movements...
Every time Ryoko strikes, Reiichi moves like her.
Not with superiority, but with mirror-like precision, activated by aura.
A slight collision occurs—
Ryoko strikes from above, Reichi raises his arm at the same angle, and returns the blow with little force but enough to break the momentum.
The sound of metal, the collision of auras, white lightning illuminates the scene...
Ryoko (taking a step back):
"You... don't fight me."
"You... mirror me?!"
Ryuichi does not respond. His eyes are focused on the prediction lines... His screen is filled with arrows and curves.
Aura:
> "PhantomTrack activated. Opponent's paths intersect by 91%. Approaching physical collapse."
Ryoko strikes again, this time with a counterattack, shouting:
⚡ "Thundering Crescent"
A strike in the shape of an electric semicircular arc.
But Reiichi anticipates it, with the same arc, the same leg, the same angle, but...
Without mana. Just raw analysis.
They collide... and at the moment of impact, a flash appears... and...
Ryoko takes a step back for the first time.
Ryoko (inner whisper):
"Am I... too late?"
Dust swirls around the ground. Reichi breathes heavily, his eyes fixed on his opponent. It was not a battle between two powers... but between two determination.
Reiko raises his right hand. His blue mana condenses, gathers, and swirls around his arm.
His voice breaks the silence:
Reiko:
"Are you going to do it? This isn't just a blow... it's my name, my identity."
Then, with a fiery rush that splits the ground beneath his feet, he unleashes his deadly blow—
⚡ "Blue Rend"
A blade of mana forms from his palm, slicing through the air at a speed that almost tears the light apart, and hurtles toward Ryuichi.
But—Ryuichi extends his arm in the same manner.
Aura's voice rises quietly, as if announcing the start of a test never before attempted:
Aura:
> "Regenerating the movement pattern."
"Activating Mirror Combat – Subroutine: Phantom Edge."
And here, for the first time...
A faint aura is generated around Reiichi's hand, not mana, but a cold mana echo. It is not real power, but a perfect reflection.
With all his stubbornness... with all his inner violence... he mimics the strike.
Ryoko:
"Impossible... It can't be..."
Reiichi:
"Blue Rend."
The two strikes meet...
Two identical arcs at the same angle... Unequal in power... But the shock—
A bolt of light tears through the arena, shattering the ground beneath them and creating a massive explosive vortex.
And after a few moments...
Silence.
The air calms. The dust slowly clears.
Reiichi is kneeling, his hand bleeding from the palm. His breathing is ragged. His chest rises and falls.
And... Ryoko is standing in front of him, his gaze steady.
A drop of blood falls from the corner of his mouth.
It falls to the ground...
Then...
Ryoko smiles. For the first time. A sincere, unconditional smile.
Ryoko (in a low voice):
"...You made me bleed."
The sound of the wind rises, carrying the echo of those words. The lens in Reiichi's eye displays a small notification...
> "End of phase – Synchronization status: Stable."