"WHOA—"
Jiza is caught completely off guard—
STCKWHAAAAAHMMN!
The air explodes violently.
—Never expecting it, even in his critical condition, Leon still manages to thrust his fingers forward at the last instant.
A tremendous shockwave erupts.
WKCSLHAAAAHNGMM!
Both of them are hurled apart.
"AND YOU STILL HAD TIME TO DO THAT?!" Jiza shouts loudly.
Leon presses the attack again—
"DAMN IT!"
—swinging his arm swiftly backward before driving it forward—
STCKWHAAAAAHMMH!
Jiza evades completely. The attack cuts through empty air.
"I dodged it, huh?"
Leon presses again, once more drawing his arm back before striking forward—
SCKTWHAAAAAHMMH!
Avoided again. The attack sails through empty space.
"AS IF I'M NOT MYSELF!"
Jiza counterattacks, bending his right arm, drawing it slightly back, then thrusting it straight forward—
"What can I do,"
SCTKLWHAAAAAHSHH!
Leon avoids it. The strike lands in empty air.
"I NEVER UNDERESTIMATED YOU!"
Leon keeps pressing forward. Again, he swings his arm back before striking ahead—
"Huft."
His breath escapes briefly.
SKTKWHAAAAAHMMH!
Once more, Jiza avoids it. The attack splits empty air.
"Do you know?" Jiza says.
He refuses to let himself be pressured without any room to breathe.
"Maybe you don't," he continues.
He counters, bending his right arm, drawing it slightly back, and thrusting straight ahead.
"Then let me tell you!"
STCKWHAAAAAHSHH!
Avoided again. The strike pierces empty air.
"Because I feel..."
He presses again, drawing his right arm back and thrusting forward.
"...that I've caught up to you,"
SCTKLWHAAAAAHSHH!
Avoided once more. It streaks through empty space.
"RIGHT NOW!" he shouts.
He presses harder and harder, once again drawing his right arm back before thrusting forward.
"MY BROTHER!"
SPKSWLHAAAAAHSHH!
Again and again, Leon evades, every attack slicing through empty air—
"EHMPH?!"
Jiza freezes in shock.
His momentum is halted—
Leon instantly swings his arm back before driving it forward—
"EHEKH?!"
Jiza's face tightens.
TSCPKWLAAAAASHH!
The slash carves across his entire body, landing cleanly from end to end.
"HUH—HAH—HUH."
Leon's breathing is harsh and ragged.
"EKH—Damn it."
Jiza grits his teeth, suppressing the pain once again.
Still watching Jiza being thrown briefly through the air, Leon sees countless openings remaining across his body.
KRKKK!
Jiza clenches both fists tightly.
"I keep repeating the same mistake," he mutters.
His gaze remains fixed on the sky before he descends and lands once more upon the ground.
Leon forces himself onward—
STCKHWAAAAAHMNH!
He suddenly leaps higher than Jiza, once again pressing the attack relentlessly, repeatedly drawing his arm back before striking forward—
"U-HUHMPH?!"
Jiza's breath catches. His eyes widen as he stares at Leon suspended above him.
"That attack—"
KSTCKWHAAAAAHSHH!
A barrage of slashes tears across his entire body, landing from every angle as violent winds spin him through the air.
BRUKK—BRAKKK!
Leon lands first, both feet striking the ground.
CTHAMH—CKAAAHMN!
He immediately pushes off again, leaping forward and overtaking Jiza before Jiza can crash down.
The finishing attack.
Leon leaps once more, rising higher than him, drawing his arm far behind his body before thrusting it straight forward—
CRKTPKHAAAAAHMNH!
An air explosion erupts between them.
KRKTWHAAAAWHMMH!
The resulting shockwave blasts them apart.
BRUK—BRAK!
Leon lands with both feet on the ground, hunched forward, his face twisted as he struggles to contain his violently ragged breathing.
BRAK—BRUK!
Jiza lands as well.
Even in his critical condition, Leon manages to thrust his fingers forward and retract them at the exact same instant, creating an explosion from the collision of their attacks.
"HAH—HUH—HAH—HUH!"
His breathing echoes loudly, rapid and rough.
He staggers forward, head lowered, both arms hanging loosely.
He has exhausted so much strength that he can barely lift his head.
SCTKHWAAAAHMNHH!
"EHMPH—"
A fierce gust blows from the front—
Jiza forces himself to look up, searching for Leon ahead—
Gone.
"WHERE—"
Leon has already leapt above him. His arm swings back and immediately drives forward—
"EHEMPH?!"
Jiza freezes, looking higher into the sky, reacting to the strike now only inches from his chest—
TSKCHAAAAAAAKKK!
Leon drives the thrust directly into his heart.
"BLUARKH—"
Blood erupts from Jiza's mouth.
His body is hurled far beyond Leon's reach—
His vision continues to blur.
The pain begins to fade.
"NO—"
Jiza hisses, his voice growing weaker.
His body continues flying through the air.
Darkness creeps into his sight.
His body feels as though it is heating from within, burning itself alive.
"—MY CONSCIOUSNESS—"
he whispers again, his voice nearly inaudible.
The burning sensation inside his body vanishes instantly—
Jiza loses consciousness completely.
BRUKK—CHAAAAMNH!
—His right foot immediately plants into the ground, driving deep into it and stopping the momentum completely.
Leon furrows his brows.
Both feet are firmly planted. He is about to charge, pressing and driving off both legs to launch himself forward.
His body leans halfway forward. His right hand lowers before his chest while his left hand rises into the air—
WRAAKKK—KRAAKKK!
His left shoulder shifts with an audible crack.
Leon grits his teeth, enduring the intense pain coursing through his body.
BRAKK—KHAAAAMMH!
...His right foot remains planted as he raises his left leg before his abdomen.
His body leans forward. Both arms draw back.
His right leg presses harder against the ground before suddenly driving forward—
SKCTWHAAAAHMNHH!
—His body shoots forward at tremendous speed, charging directly toward Leon.
Leon freezes in brief shock.
His right arm swings back, preparing to strike forward—
He tightens his expression.
He is facing someone who has already lost consciousness, yet still continues to move.
The invisible aura surrounding him grows increasingly overwhelming, surging outward with terrifying intensity.