The atmosphere in the arena was different now.
It wasn't just the crowd, the roaring voices echoing through the stadium. It wasn't the referee, who stood tense, watching with sharper focus than before.
It was Seiji.
The moment Takeru landed that hit, the first real, clean strike against him, everything changed.
The smirk had faded, just for a second. His body had staggered against the force. It was small, but it happened.
And now…
Seiji wiped his mouth, staring at the bit of blood on his thumb. Then, he clicked his tongue, spitting the remains of his shattered lollipop onto the floor.
For a moment, he was still. Too still.
Then, he laughed.
A low, amused chuckle that sent a chill down Takeru's spine.
"You figured something out, huh?" Seiji rolled his shoulders, shaking off the pain like it was nothing. But his eyes, his eyes were different. Sharper. Darker. Hungry.
It was the look of someone who had just found something interesting.
For the first time in this fight, Takeru realized, Seiji was actually enjoying this.
But not in a good way.
Takeru took a cautious step back, his mind racing. "I forced him to change tactics. But what now?"
Seiji lifted his hands from his hoodie, cracking his knuckles. "I was just gonna mess around a little, y'know? Have some fun." He flexed his fingers, shaking them out as his smirk stretched wider.
"But now?" His presence changed. "I'm gonna make sure you don't get another hit in."
The ground beneath Seiji shattered.
The moment he moved, Takeru's instincts screamed.
Seiji was already there.
Takeru barely twisted his body as a fist whizzed past his face, slicing through the air with deadly precision.
A rush of wind followed, the sheer force of the strike sending a shockwave through the arena. The ground beneath them cracked, dust flying into the air.
Takeru's heartbeat slammed against his ribs. "He's faster."
Before he could react, Seiji's foot was already swinging toward his ribs.
Takeru threw up his arms, the impact blasted him backward.
He crashed into the ground, rolling over himself before skidding to a stop.
His breath hitched. His entire left side burned, his arms trembling from the sheer force of that kick.
His system flickered in the corner of his vision, glitching.
[ WARNING. MAJOR THREAT DETECTED. ]
Takeru gritted his teeth. "No shit."
Seiji tilted his head, rolling his neck. "You slowed that one down." His smirk widened, but his tone sharpened. "Not bad. But you're still too damn slow."
Takeru forced himself up. His arms ached, his ribs throbbed, but he wasn't done. Not yet.
Seiji sighed dramatically, stuffing his hands back into his hoodie. "Alright, new rule." His tone was playful, but his eyes weren't.
"I stop holding back-"
The next words sent a chill down Takeru's spine.
"and you try not to die."
Then he moved.
Faster.
Faster.
Takeru barely had time to think before Seiji was everywhere.
A blur, too many feints, too many angles.
Takeru threw himself to the side, just in time.
A fist grazed his jaw, the sheer wind pressure behind it sending a sharp sting across his skin.
Takeru rolled, barely dodging the next strike. Seiji's movements were flawless, not a single wasted motion. Each attack flowed into the next, a perfect chain of aggression.
Another kick.
Takeru ducked, but Seiji twisted mid-air, adapting instantly.
A knee slammed into Takeru's stomach.
His vision blurred. The breath was knocked out of his lungs as he was launched backward, skidding across the battlefield.
Takeru gritted his teeth, forcing himself to his feet. He was getting destroyed.
Seiji cracked his knuckles again, shaking out his hands. "What's wrong? You were just starting to impress me."
Takeru wiped the blood from his lip.
In the stands, Akari asked Rin. "His precognition…do you know how it works?"
Rin replied "It isn't perfect, it couldn't be. Otherwise, your friend wouldn't have landed that first hit."
Akari looked at Takeru, worried. "So what was the gap.."
Takeru's eyes widened. Then, he grinned.
Seiji raised an eyebrow. "What's with the look?"
Takeru rolled his shoulders, exhaling. "Alright," He muttered. "Let's see if you can keep up."
Then he moved.
Not toward Seiji. Not in a direct attack.
But sideways.
Seiji's eyes narrowed slightly. His stance shifted, adjusting, reading.
Takeru kept moving. He didn't attack.
He feinted. He stutter-stepped. He changed directions erratically, never fully committing to a motion.
Seiji's gaze sharpened. He stepped forward, but hesitated. "Again..?"
Takeru grinned.
That slight pause to break the rhythm.
Seiji's precognition wasn't automatic.
Takeru moved in. This time, he didn't telegraph a thing.
Seiji reacted a second too late.
Takeru's fist slammed into his stomach.
The impact sent shockwaves through Seiji's frame. His body staggered backward, his sneakers dragging against the cracked floor.
He slowly straightened, his head tilting slightly.
Takeru exhaled sharply, his heartbeat pounding. "Your precognition is strong…but if i don't commit to an action, what is there for you to predict?"
But then, Seiji's hands clenched into fists.
And his eyes? They were full of something much, much worse than before.
Takeru barely had time to react before the air around Seiji shifted.
And then, he disappeared.
Takeru's pulse spiked.
The moment Seiji vanished, his instincts screamed at him to MOVE.
But there was nowhere to go.
A gust of wind slammed into him from behind. Too late.
Seiji's knee smashed into his back.
Takeru's vision blurred as he was launched forward, his body crashing into the ground and rolling over itself. Pain ignited through his spine, his breath caught in his throat.
He barely pushed himself up when Seiji's foot dug into his ribs, kicking him across the battlefield.
The crowd gasped, along with Akari.
Takeru coughed violently, blood staining his teeth. His entire body ached, but he forced himself up.
Seiji stood there, his hoodie still lazily draped over his shoulders. His face no longer held amusement.
Just calm, cold calculation.
Takeru wiped his mouth. "Tch… Guess I pissed you off."
Seiji tilted his head. "Pissed off?" He scoffed. "Nah."
His foot nudged the shattered remains of his lollipop, the pieces scattered across the floor. "But I did like that lollipop."
Takeru tensed.
Then Seiji moved, Takeru threw up his arms again to block just in time. The impact sent shockwaves through his bones, his feet skidding backward as he barely blocked the punch.
Seiji didn't let up. His fists came like a storm, a relentless assault of precise, deadly strikes. Each blow aimed for weak spots.
Joints. Ribs. Throat.
Takeru dodged what he could, barely managing to parry. But he was slipping.
Seiji's attacks weren't just fast.
They were refined. Calculated. Efficient.
No wasted movements. No excess strength. Everything was optimized to break him down.
Takeru clenched his jaw. "I can't keep this up..!"
He needed another counter.
Seiji's foot shot out, aiming low.
Takeru jumped, but Seiji had already accounted for it.
His body twisted, elbow swinging toward Takeru's head.
Takeru's instincts flared, he didn't have time to dodge.
So instead, he rewrote the rules.
[ REWRITE COMBAT RULES: IMPACT FORCE DIVERTED. ]
Seiji's elbow connected, but the force dispersed.
Takeru twisted mid-air, absorbing the motion, using it to reposition himself. He landed behind Seiji, spinning on his heel and struck.
His fist shot toward Seiji's back, but Seiji was already ducking.
Takeru's knuckles whizzed past empty air.
Seiji grabbed his wrist. His fingers tightened.
Takeru barely had a second before he was yanked forward, and a devastating knee slammed into his stomach.
The world flashed white.
His body buckled, breath violently ripped from his lungs. His vision swam, stomach twisting as pain exploded across his entire torso.
Takeru stumbled back, gasping. His body screamed for air.
Seiji sighed, stretching his arms over his head. "Man… You're actually a pain in the ass."
Takeru coughed. "Yeah… takes one to know one."
Seiji smirked at that, shaking his head. "I get why they are so interested in you now."
Takeru's breath hitched. "Them?" His fingers clenched. "So you really are working with them."
Seiji didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it, either.
Instead, he stuffed his hands back into his hoodie, tilting his head. "Say, Takeru… You ever wonder why you're still alive?"
Takeru narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Seiji stepped forward, his presence suffocating.
"I could've killed you already." His tone was casual. "A few broken ribs, maybe a snapped neck. Wouldn't take much."
Takeru's body stiffened.
He wasn't lying.
If Seiji had wanted him dead, this fight would've ended already.
Seiji leaned in slightly, voice dropping.
"So why do you think you're still breathing?"
Takeru swallowed hard, his mind racing. "They really don't want me dead… yet."
But why?
Seiji watched him, amusement flickering in his gaze. "Looks like you're figuring it out."
Takeru gritted his teeth. "Screw you."
Seiji grinned. "That's the spirit."
Then Seiji vanished once more.
Takeru's breath hitched.