Face to face once again, in the corridor cracked open by their assaults. Mike held his large kitchen knife, still handling it awkwardly. In front of him, Entity No.260 held its sword with insolent calm, as if the weapon were nothing more than an extension of its body.
They froze, eyes locked onto each other. A brief silence settled in, broken only by the dripping of the sticky liquid hitting the floor. Then, in the same instant, they lunged toward one another.
Their final blows would decide the young man's fate.
The Entity's sword came down diagonally.
Voice ? — "Step back!"
Mike dodged; a crash rang out, debris flew. Another section of wall exploded.
Mike — "TCH"
His eyes scanned the rubble: shards of plaster, broken bricks, a cloud of dust. He coughed, his eyes burning from the powder.
「That was close… again.」
Entity No.260 — "You're dodging better and better, but don't lose focus!"
The Entity pulled its sword out of the wall and followed up: a quicker, sharper strike.
Entity No.260 — "Try dodging this one! Or even blocking it!"
Voice ? — "He's going again— hurry, your knife!"
Mike raised his knife too late. The blade flashed diagonally, grazed along his side until it brushed his ribs. A dull pain exploded inside him.
Mike — "Ghh"
His body was thrown against the left wall. The impact knocked the air out of him. His head rang, his ears screamed with a sharp whistle.
「What is this…? I could never beat him.」
He pushed himself back up, legs trembling, breath short, a shaky hand pressed to his side. Blood dampened his fingers.
「He really just brushed me?」
Mike — "Hhh It's… not o— over…"
He gripped the knife, stepped forward and launched a jerky strike. The Entity brushed it aside with the back of its hand, the way one swats away a fly.
Entity No.260 — "Is that it? So weak… Makes me wonder what you're even doing here."
「It's not over… Not yet…」
Voice ? — "Put more impact in your strikes."
Mike — "Rahh"
He attacked again, harder, faster, letting out a hoarse cry. His knife traced desperate arcs, a rain of clumsy strikes. But the opponent's sword parried every blow as if it were nothing. Metal clanged, useless sparks instantly swallowed by the corridor's shadows.
Entity No.260 — "Pathetic… even a fly would do better."
Mike's arms felt heavy as lead. His chest burned, his breath was shallow, his vision blurred under the strain. And yet his body refused to give in. Fear pushed him, rage held him upright.
Voice ? — "This is pointless, fall back, quickly!"
The voice grew more authoritative. As if it were about to lose something important.
He took a shaky step backward, his right arm hanging. He refused to collapse.
「If I fall… I die… if I stop… it's over.」
The Entity tilted its head slightly, disappointed.
Entity No.260 — "How disappointing. Maybe you don't have what it takes to go deeper."
It brought a hand to its helm, as if about to yawn.
Entity No.260 — "Boring…"
Mike — "I have to defeat you. I have no choice!"
Those few words were thrown out as a last hope, as if he wanted to force strength into himself. They were ripped from his lungs.
He slapped his arm and legs hard to wake himself up… motivate himself…
He got back into position, or at least what remained of one. Determined to finish this somehow.
Voice ? — "Kid, what you're doing is pointless…"
The Entity watched him, almost indifferent, then stepped forward. With a precise thrust, it struck Mike straight in the stomach.
The impact folded him in half. His stomach twisted, a metallic taste filled his mouth. In a final reflex, he raised his knife: the blade hit the mineral armor, sliding off without leaving the slightest scratch.
Voice ? — "Mike! Mike… Mi—"
His vision blurred, the armor's outline becoming hazy, drowned in a fog.
Entity No.260 — "Your… hair…?"
The Entity's surprised voice grew distant, muffled, as if his ears were submerged underwater.
His muscles refused to obey. His heart pounded wildly, but his body grew heavier and heavier. A crushing darkness flooded his mind. Everything gave way.
「I can't… do anything anymore…」
He lost consciousness.
The corridor faded into a blank white.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
He slowly came back to himself. An even stronger pain radiated through his body. Still standing in the same corridor, his knife—now broken—still clenched in his hand.
As he lifted his head, he saw the Entity still there.
Mike — "Ahh"
「It's not over?…」
He noticed light spilling from the armor.
Entity No.260 — "Well done! Remarkable, really— you managed to land blows on me. Truly impressive."
The Entity seemed to be applauding. Unfortunately, Mike could only hear its voice.
Entity No.260 — "Look at that, there are about ten of them."
「Ten? Ah, I see… those white lights are cuts.」
He tried to get back into a fighting stance, but his limbs were at their limit… unable to move at all.
Mike — "The voice? It didn't— what?"
He muttered the words as best he could.
Voice ? — "Mike? It's really you? You managed to wound him! It was incredible… You didn't stop, you kept going, and going…"
Mike — "Really? That was me?"
「Impossible… he must still be hiding something…」
His legs gave out, he stumbled and collapsed to the floor with a dull thud.
Entity No.260 — "Here is my gift… for the one who managed to injure me with a simple knife!"
The Entity approached and gently laid its sword in front of him.
Mike — "…"
Entity No.260 — "I'll be waiting for you further down. You'd better survive and get stronger!"
The Entity sounded satisfied. There was a freshness in its tone.
It walked toward the door. Upon touching it, a white light burst forth. It vanished and, with a metallic click, the door opened. The seal was gone.
Meanwhile, the young man was once again alone in the corridor, lying on the floor, unable to move a single muscle. Agonizing.
He hadn't won. But he wasn't dead either. So his fate was… to keep on living.
Or rather… surviving.