I ran in a wide half-circle, then launched a heavy roundhouse aimed straight for Toda’s midsection. The air whistled from the force of the kick. Toda barely managed to block it in time, his forearms snapping up as he activated Reinforced Fist, a faint ripple of veins flickering across his arms to fully mitigate the impact. Even so, the sheer weight of my attack forced his stance to slide back slightly in the dust. He swiped his arm across the air with a grunt, creating a massive gust of wind that tore through the space between us, sending loose debris flying and forcing me to shield my eyes for a split second.

  By the time the wind cleared, I was already gone.

  I appeared on his blindside in a blur, punching the air hard enough to generate a concussive shockwave. The compressed force bolted toward Toda, slamming into his torso before he could react. The impact sent him sprawling onto his back, his body bouncing once against the hard earth.

  I surged forward, following up with a brutal stomp aimed at his chest. He crossed his arms just in time to absorb the blow, his muscles straining under the pressure. Before I could retract my leg, his hand shot out like a viper and clamped onto my shirt collar.

  “Got you now.” he snarled, his eyes narrowing as his fist pulsed with veins.

  He reinforced his fist again. You will not get the upper hand! I fired off three precise jabs into his adam’s apple, knuckles striking with enough force to crush bone. He coughed violently, a spray of blood misting into the air, but he still managed to swing the heavy punch.

  I acted on instinct, slicing my shirt collar apart with a sharp motion and leaning back just far enough to avoid the lethal strike. My balance shifted, and as I arched backward, I thrust out my leg with a vicious kick. The heel connected squarely with his butt, launching him backward like a ragdoll. His body slammed into the wall.

  I exhaled sharply and glanced up. Even from thirty feet above, chunks of rock were dislodging from the cave ceiling. Toda’s punch had been so powerful that its mere pressure fractured the stone, sending debris raining down around us. Smoke and dust billowed in the confined space, clouding my vision in a choking haze.

  Suddenly, I felt it—an arm half a second away from coiling tightly around my neck.

  A chokehold!

  I bent my knees instinctively, driving my elbow straight into Toda’s abdomen. The impact forced a sharp exhale from him. I fired a back kick, but his hand clamped down on my ankle with iron grip, stopping me cold.

  Leaning on my other leg, I smirked through gritted teeth. “Copy this.”

  I formed a spear hand, channeling every ounce of power I could muster into the strike. Veins were abdunant—far more destructive than anything I’d unleashed before. My hand shot forward and pierced through Toda’s elbow joint. Blood sprayed as I tore my fingers back, leaving a grotesque hole where his elbow had been. Toda let out a guttural roar of pain, releasing his hold on my foot. I twisted my trapped leg hard, wrenching it free from his weakening grasp.

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  Staggering back, Toda glanced at his mangled arm, eyes blazing with a mix of fury and calculation. He shifted his stance, adopting a new rhythm. This time, he led with a sharp pointer kick that darted straight toward my heart like a spear thrust.

  He’s recognized the weak spot.

  He flipped forward suddenly, body curling like a wheel as his leg swung around in a devastating wheel kick. I raised my arms in a block, the power pushing me back as my feet dug deep grooves into the ground.

  Then he dropped low, his right arm pulling back near his waist in a stance that mimicked a swordsman drawing his blade. Another one of his copied styles.

  With a flash, Toda quickdrew his arm from its imaginary sheath. Two searing cuts slashed across both my arms, blood dripping freely from the fresh wounds. That’s dangerous. If I fight for the entire duration of Perforated Heart now, I’ll bleed out. I have to finish this now.

  I vanished from his sight, moving so fast the air itself seemed to bend. Circling him, I waited for the perfect opening.

  Toda’s voice echoed in the cavern, rough with rage. “You don’t have much time left!”

  He stayed coiled in that deadly quickdraw stance. That was his only chance of catching me.

  I circled him with light steps, keeping my weight low and my eyes locked on his center. My spear hand stayed by my side, fingers stiff, ready to thrust. The dust shifted under our feet with every calculated move. I lunged forward, cutting the air in front of him with a sharp, slicing motion.

  He quickdrew his hand in a blur, and we clashed. The crack of our collision echoed loudly. I immediately disengaged, stepping back with controlled urgency before resuming my circular motion. My gaze didn’t leave him. I zigzagged to disrupt his rhythm, letting my footwork confuse his timing, my body weaving in erratic angles. I launched a quick jab, my spear hand flashing toward him.

  He caught it cleanly with his palm. He was steady and unfazed, then mimicked my stance. He copied my Piercing Hand again. Without warning, he shot his own piercing strike straight toward my abdomen.

  I twisted sharply to the right, narrowly avoiding the blow, feeling the air shift by my ribs. In the same motion, I stepped in and kicked off his back, using him as a platform to create distance and reset my encirclement.

  If that’s the case... I’ll need even more speed.

  I twisted my feet, pushing every muscle in my body past its limit. I became a blur, my form barely visible even to my own eyes. But I couldn’t rely on a single reckless attack, if he dodged like before, it would all be over. Mingling Cuts is too predictable. Severed Soul is too slow. There’s only one technique that has saved me from certain death before.

  I charged forward, blindingly fast, approaching from Toda’s unguarded back. At the very last second, Toda twisted around, eyes locking onto me as our ranges overlapped.

  But before he could quickdraw, I raised my middle finger and thrust it forward with pinpoint precision. My digit pierced clean through his skull, punching into the soft tissue of his brain.

  Toda’s eyes went wide in shock. His arms, poised for a counter, faltered and dropped limply to his sides. With sudden resolve, they tensed again as he whispered, voice defiant: “One day, you too will die.”

  I lowered my arm slowly, withdrawing it from his head. He staggered to his feet for a brief, impossible moment. I could only pity him. “On my own terms.”

  He fell.

  My heart lurched violently, pounding out of rhythm. The pain in my chest surged with unbearable intensity, worse than anything I had ever felt. I dropped to my knees as the Perforated Heart’s toll finally caught up. Agonizing heat spread through my chest cavity. Fluid was building in the pericardium, each breath shallower than the last.

  I heard it—shuffling footsteps echoing from the cave entrance.

  It wasn’t two people. It was many. The mercenaries Toda talked about.

  I gritted my teeth, fighting the darkness encroaching on my vision. I tried to push back against unconsciousness, clawing for even a sliver of strength. Could Unconscious God activate in this situation? And if it did... would I ever recover?

  I took a risk.

  And it didn’t pay off.