The air grew thin. Just as Zack was about to speak, a blur too fast for his eyes to follow shot through the corridor, aiming straight for the hooded man's head.
With calm, effortless reflexes, the man raised a hand and stopped the attack inches from his face.
"You're fast. I'll give you that," the blur said, slowing just enough to be seen. His features remained hard to make out.
The mysterious man stepped back, melting into the wall as if it were an illusion, then reappeared a few steps away.
"I like you," the blur continued, grinning. "Name's Torita. I prefer knowing my opponent before we have fun. Mind sharing?"
Silence.
Without warning, Torita drew a dagger and launched himself forward, the sheer speed of his movement tearing a sound wave through the corridor.
The mysterious man answered instantly golden light flaring in his eyes as a blade formed in his hand. The two collided, steel screaming as sparks skidded across the floor.
Zack staggered back, feeling the pressure of their power crash over him like a wave. Whoever this man was… he wasn't here by accident.
The mysterious man swung his katana in a blur of golden light, aiming for Torita's head. Torita ducked just in time, feeling the blade whistle inches above him. Without hesitation, he countered, slashing a precise blow toward the man's body.
The mysterious man didn't flinch. In one fluid motion, he drove a knee into Torita's chest, sending him stumbling back, gasping for air.
Zack's eyes widened. Every strike, every movement carried a weight he couldn't fully grasp speed, precision, power beyond anything he'd ever seen.
Torita's dagger gleamed as he steadied himself. "Not bad," he muttered, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. "You're strong…"
The mysterious man's golden eyes narrowed, unreadable, calm, and deadly. "And you're reckless," he replied.
The corridor felt smaller now, compressed by the energy radiating from their clash. Sparks danced across the walls with every impact, shadows flickering like living things in the chaos.
Torita rolled his shoulders, the dagger spinning once in his hand as he lowered his stance. The playful grin was gone.
"Guess I should stop holding back," he muttered.
He moved again faster than before.
The mysterious man barely had time to react as Torita split into afterimages, each step cracking the floor beneath him. Strikes came from multiple angles, dagger flashing in rapid succession. The katana moved just as fast, deflecting blow after blow. Sparks burst with every clash.
Steel screamed.
Zack felt it then. A sharp pulse surged through his head, his vision blurring for a second as the pressure in the corridor intensified. His chest tightened, breath growing shallow.
That feeling… it's getting stronger.
The mysterious man slid back, boots grinding against the floor. His grip tightened on the katana, golden light flaring faintly along the blade but no more than necessary.
"Enough," he said calmly.
Torita skidded to a stop, eyes narrowing. He felt it too the shift in the air, the weight pressing down on them.
"…You sense it as well," Torita muttered.
From deeper within the facility, something answered.
Heavy.
Powerful.
Coming fast.
Zack swallowed hard as the alarms began to scream.
The corridor tightened around them. Sparks of light danced across the walls, but the true pressure was invisible an aura pressing down on every muscle, every nerve.
Torita glanced at the mysterious man. " I didn't think she would show up already had this under control but u should surrender now" .
The man didn't answer. His golden eyes scanned the corridor, calm, controlled, unshaken, yet every inch of his body exuded readiness. Whatever was coming… he was prepared.
Zack's chest tightened further. From deep within, something stirred. A low, humming pulse the same feeling he'd felt during the testing chamber. His hands tingled. And above it all, the facility's alarms screamed, warning of the approaching threat.
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