Arashi's eyes narrowed, a faint glint of reflected streetlight cutting across his calm expression. The last remaining gang member—the twentieth man—had escaped into the darkness, but the nineteen who stayed were more than enough to test him.
They charged simultaneously, boots splashing through rainwater, breaths ragged, weapons raised high. Fists, pipes, bats, knives—every angle covered, every intention murderous.
But Arashi was already moving.
To them, he blurred.
To the world, he vanished.
Time itself seemed to bend subtly around him, stretching thin as their attacks sliced through nothing but air. The space he occupied a heartbeat ago was already empty.
One man swung a metal pipe with a roar, aiming straight for Arashi's skull.
Arashi caught it mid-air.
The impact rang sharply, steel vibrating violently in his grip. His fingers tightened just enough to silence the tremor. With a smooth twist of his wrist and a controlled pivot of his shoulder, he redirected the force and sent the pipe spinning away. It smashed into a nearby wall, the clang of shattered metal echoing down the deserted street.
Another attacker lunged from a rooftop, fists raised, descending with reckless momentum.
Arashi stepped forward instead of back.
He backflipped fluidly, coat and hair lifting in the rain-heavy wind, landing with perfect balance. The instant his foot touched the pavement, a shockwave rippled outward in a tight circle. The attacker's trajectory broke mid-air, sending him crashing into a lamppost with a metallic crack that vibrated through the block.
Rain fell harder now.
Arashi's movements became a dance of destruction. Spinning kicks carved arcs through falling droplets. Lightning-fast punches snapped through the air with surgical precision. Impossible dodges left attackers striking each other instead. Dust rose from fractured asphalt. Rain mixed with the aftermath of impact. Debris skidded across the ground.
Yet his breathing never changed.
A bold thug roared and charged with a wooden bat raised high above his head.
The bat never finished its swing.
Arashi caught it mid-strike. The wood groaned under the sudden stop. With a sharp twist, he ripped it free and rotated his hips, driving the attacker's arm downward into the asphalt. The force jolted through the street.
"Still think you can win?" Arashi asked calmly, voice steady, almost instructional.
The thug groaned, trying to push himself up—
Arashi vanished.
A second later he reappeared behind him, delivering a clean knee strike to the ribs. The impact launched the man sideways into a metal trash can, the crash echoing like distant thunder beneath the storm.
Arashi exhaled slowly.
This is the peak of their coordination…
Break the strongest first. The rest will crumble.
Precision, not brute force.
The giant from school stepped forward, fury burning behind his eyes. Even injured, he charged with reckless power, each step shaking loose fragments of pavement.
Arashi didn't retreat.
He leapt upward, spinning through the rain-soaked air. His heel connected squarely with the giant's chest. The impact boomed outward, sending the massive body flying backward into a concrete pillar. Cracks spread across its surface like a spiderweb.
The others hesitated.
That hesitation was fatal.
Arashi moved like a phantom between them. One attacker froze mid-stride as Partial Dimension brushed reality. Another was swept off balance with a precise low kick, colliding into his teammate. Two more stumbled into each other, their formation collapsing into chaos.
"You rely on numbers…" Arashi muttered, rain sliding down his face.
"But strength is solitary."
A knife flashed from the side.
Time slowed.
Every raindrop seemed suspended in midair. Every twitch of muscle, every shift of weight became visible.
Arashi shifted slightly.
The blade missed.
His hand snapped forward, fingers locking around the attacker's wrist with exact pressure. The knife clattered to the pavement. With controlled redirection, he flipped the man through the air, sending him crashing several meters away without even glancing back.
The remaining men regrouped, fear mixing with rage.
"We fight together!" one yelled desperately.
They rushed him again—but their rhythm was broken. One elbow struck an ally. Another slipped on rain-slick pavement. Their coordination shattered under pressure.
Arashi waited.
Then sprinted.
The distance vanished instantly. His fist connected with the strongest remaining fighter's jaw. An elbow followed into the ribs. A swift kick drove into the abdomen. Each strike was clean, efficient, devastatingly precise.
The man staggered, refusing to fall.
Arashi tilted his head slightly, a faint smile touching his lips.
"Impressive endurance… but futile."
He activated the Partial Dimension fully.
The world dimmed.
Sound dulled. Movements stretched unnaturally. The attackers moved as if trapped underwater, sluggish and exposed.
Arashi walked between them.
One controlled strike to the shoulder—sent flying backward.
A compact blow to the torso—another collapsed.
A spinning backhand—one crashed into a wall with a heavy thud.
A gunshot cracked through the storm.
The bullet crawled forward in slowed time.
Arashi stepped aside effortlessly. The projectile lost its purpose, striking distant concrete instead.
He was already inside their formation.
Breaking it from the center.
Systematic. Precise. Unavoidable.
One by one… all fall.
Strength is earned. Fear is temporary.
Moments later, silence reclaimed the street.
Nineteen men lay defeated across cracked asphalt, groaning beneath steady rain. Streetlights flickered above them, illuminating the aftermath in cold yellow light.
Arashi stood in the center.
Untouched.
Breathing steady.
He adjusted his earphones calmly, as if finishing a routine task rather than ending a battle.
The city remained eerily quiet.
He glanced toward the horizon, rain trailing from his hair.
Rin crossed his thoughts briefly.
Work came next.
A faint smile appeared as he walked past the fallen, disappearing into the darkened street as the Partial Dimension faded completely and time resumed its natural rhythm.
Bystanders gasped as reality snapped back into place.
"Did… did Arashi do this?"
"He's… unbeatable!"
"Everyone… stay back!"
Arashi slipped his phone into his pocket and walked away without looking back.
The fight had ended.
His control—flawless.
His enemies—humbled.
And deep within his mind, a quiet question lingered:
What new challenges will someone capable of this power face next?