The lab shook with every clash.
Fist against fist. Kick against kick.
The sound wasn't just impact—it was thunder inside four walls.
The countdown blinked above them.
[08:00]
Each second ticking away, louder, heavier.
Teji moved like a shadow, his blood-red eyes tracking every shift. His body cut through the air, fast, sharp.
Prof. Toga swung with raw power, each blow heavy enough to shatter steel—but Teji met him, blow for blow.
BAM!
Their fists collided, shockwaves cracking the floor beneath their feet.
WHAM!
A kick flew at Teji's ribs—blocked. Teji countered with a knee, but Toga twisted, barely avoiding it.
The fight was too fast for ordinary eyes.
To anyone watching, it was just blurs of motion, sparks when knuckles met, echoes of bodies slamming into steel and stone.
But inside it—Teji and Toga felt everything.
The force. The weight. The killing intent.
Prof. Toga gritted his teeth, veins bulging, sweat mixing with blood down his face.
(So this is him…)
His thoughts snarled between each strike.
(The one who crushed Agent 2 and 3… The one Boizano feared might awaken…)
CRACK—!
Teji's elbow smashed into Toga's guard, forcing him back a step.
The professor growled, swinging with a hook meant to cave his skull in.
But Teji slipped under, so fluid it was almost inhuman, and drove a punch into his gut.
BOOM.
Spit and blood flew from Toga's mouth as he staggered back.
Teji didn't even flinch.
No smile. No words.
Just those eyes—cold, empty, locked on him like a predator closing in.
For the first time, Prof. Toga felt it.
Not strength. Not speed.
But death.
Like the air itself was telling him—
"You can't win."
The lab was breaking apart with every move.
Glass shattered, sparks burst from crushed wires, machines collapsed one by one.
Every strike wasn't just against flesh—it tore into the room itself.
Teji lunged, fist aimed for Toga's throat.
The professor blocked, twisting his body, then grabbed Teji's arm and hurled him into a steel console.
CRASH—!
The machine exploded in a shower of sparks, but Teji rolled out, unfazed, and shot forward again.
BAM—! BAM—!
Their fists collided, sending shockwaves through the walls.
WHAM—!
Toga swung a kick, Teji blocked it on his forearm, then twisted and slammed his shoulder into Toga's chest.
The professor stumbled back, knocking over a row of equipment that shattered like glass towers.
But he roared and came right back, throwing wild, heavy blows.
Teji slipped under, weaving between the strikes, then kicked upward—sending Toga flying into a lab tank.
The glass burst, liquid flooding the floor.
The countdown flashed red.
[07:32]
The floor was slick, sparking wires hissing in the water.
But neither stopped.
They tore through the chaos—fist to fist, bone to bone.
Then—
CRACK!
Toga's fist smashed across Teji's face.
The hit was brutal, raw.
Teji's body shot across the lab like a missile—
BOOOOM!
He slammed into the far wall.
The concrete shattered.
The entire section of wall collapsed around him in a storm of dust and rubble.
Toga spat blood, grinning through his broken teeth.
"Hah… how about that, stupid kid?"
Smoke and dust filled the air, swallowing Teji's figure.
The professor stood tall, chest heaving, eyes locked on the wreckage.
Then—
The debris shifted.
Slowly, the dust curled.
A shadow began to form inside it.
Footsteps.
Steady. Heavy.
Teji walked out.
Through the smoke.
Through the broken stone.
Not limping.
Not hurt.
Like the punch never even landed.
The glow in his eyes burned hotter.
His face still cold.
Empty.
Prof. Toga's grin faltered.
His breath caught.
"…Shit."
His voice cracked, fear crawling in.
"That… doesn't work at all."
Toga's breath hitched behind his mask of anger.
Even if they were close now, time was on his side. The drug would run out. He'd lose. He could feel it.
(If this drags on, I die.) the thought cut through him cold.
Teji didn't wait. He dashed in—fast, relentless.
Fist after fist, a barrage with no pause. Every strike screamed for blood. No grace. Just force. Nonstop.
Toga raised his forearms and met them. Block. Block. Block.
Each punch slammed into metal and muscle. Sparks flew where Teji's knuckles met bone. The sound was raw—steel on steel, flesh on bone.
(Shit… what do I do now?) Toga thought, breath sharp.
Then he remembered—Teji had taken the same serum earlier. The rule had been clear: a recommended dose, once a week. Twice in a short time? Lethal.
An ugly idea crawled into his mind. A plan that was cruel and clean.
He still had two injectors tucked inside his coat. Two chances. Two ways to buy time. Or to kill.
Toga's fingers brushed the vial in his pocket as he kept blocking. Each of Teji's hits rattled him—but he kept his face calm. Inside, his pulse hammered.
(One more minute of this, and he's out. One more minute and I lose control.)
Teji's fists blurred. His face was a mask—no mercy, no thought. He poured everything into the strikes.
Toga shoved him back with a heavy palm—just enough to break the rhythm, just enough to reach for the injector.
His eyes flicked to the two syringes hidden inside his coat. He could feel their weight like cold promises.
He didn't hesitate. Not long. Not now.
Toga's hand shot out, injector glinting under the flicker of the dying lights—aimed straight for Teji's neck.
But—SMACK!
Teji's palm slapped it away. The glass cracked against the floor. Serum spilled out, hissing against the concrete.
Toga's eyes widened for a second. Then he snarled.
"DAMN YOU!"
They clashed again.
Fist against fist.
Kick against block.
Every strike thundered through the lab, each one strong enough to shake the broken machines around them. Sparks rained from hanging wires, smoke thickened from the collapsed wall.
(Shit… I need a way to get it into him… or I'm finished…) Toga thought, arms burning as he blocked another of Teji's savage punches.
Then—CRACK!
Teji's fist slammed into Toga's jaw. The force was brutal—sending him flying back across the lab.
BOOOOM!
The wall caved in with the impact, concrete breaking apart as dust and smoke swallowed him whole.
Teji stood firm, chest heaving, eyes locked on the smoke.
His empty, blood-red gaze scanned the fog. Waiting. Watching.
A shape appeared.
A tall shadow, walking out of the smoke—slow, steady.
Teji's fists clenched. His stance lowered. He was ready.
Then—TCHHH.
Something cold jabbed into the side of his neck.
Teji froze. His eyes went wide. He turned his head—slowly.
Behind him.
Professor Toga.
Grinning. Needle buried into his flesh.
The serum emptied into Teji's veins.
Teji's breath hitched. His knees buckled. His fists shook as he tried to swing back—but his body was already failing him.
He glanced at the shadow still walking through the smoke.
His mind scrambled. What… the hell?
Toga leaned close, lips curled in madness.
"You like that? That shadow you're so scared of…"
He chuckled.
"…Just a hologram."
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Teji's eyes went dim. His body dropped—knees hitting the ground.
The countdown blared in the background.
[SELF-DESTRUCT: 07:00]
The moment the serum hit his veins, Teji's body convulsed.
Every nerve screamed. Every muscle tore itself apart.
Even in that inhuman state—blood-red eyes, black veins crawling through his stare—his body was still human. Still had a limit.
And now, that limit was breaking.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!"
His scream ripped through the lab, raw and guttural.
His hands clawed the floor, nails scraping concrete. His chest heaved, veins bulging against his skin, as if they were about to burst.
Toga watched—grinning, eyes wide, drinking it in.
"Yes… YES! That's it!"
He tilted his head, listening like it was music.
"I need to enjoy this scream. Hahaha… it amuses me."
Teji rolled onto his side, shaking violently, trying to hold on.
His eyes—still red, still monstrous—fought to focus. But his mind was drowning in darkness.
His heart pounded like a war drum, fast and uneven, each beat threatening to be the last.
His muscles felt like they were burning alive, tearing apart from the inside out.
And then—
Silence.
His body went still.
His breath stopped.
The monstrous glare in his eyes froze—then dimmed.
Teji lay flat on the floor.
Unmoving.
Unbreathing.
Dead.
Toga stared down at him, a twisted satisfaction curling on his lips.
"That's your limit, boy."
He spat the words like venom.
"If you had just followed me… you would've been the peak of mankind. The proof of my genius. The best human this world ever touched."
He smirked, shaking his head slowly.
"But now… what a shame."
Turning away, he fixed his coat, straightened his stance, and walked with calm steps toward the exit.
The door loomed ahead, glowing faintly in the smoke and sparks.
Behind him—
The countdown kept ticking.
[SELF-DESTRUCT: 06:30]
[End of Chapter 18]