He looked at Emma and said. -Don't tell anyone.
-All right, but how about giving me some more of the little girl's hair...- Emma asked, her eyes shining.
Ringo looked at her for a moment and finally spoke. -Emma... I'll only say this once, don't touch that girl, her sister, she won't care about position or anything, she'll kill you and... I won't stop her.
Ringo looked at the woman seriously before turning and leaving.
Emma looked surprised as she watched him leave. she noticed his clenched fists and narrowed her eyes.
"Does he feel the same way about me?" - She wondered to herself. - "Is that why he's always staring at me? Could his genetic awakening have been taking effect when he was a child, in a semi-awakened way…"
While Emma was lost in thought, Ringo finally left the room, his eyes bulging.
He really wanted to yell at her right then, but he couldn't, hence his anger.
This woman is a real problem.
Ringo could only think of two ways to get rid of this subpersonality.
The first is to become a transcendent (Grade S).
The second is to fulfill the desires of the Sub-personality to the point where it fully integrates with your soul again.
Since it is not growing, if he fulfills it wishes, it will probably disappear.
But... he still hasn't decided.
Even though he doesn't hate Emma, after all, he wasn't the one who was deceived by her, he doesn't know if this woman is truly someone who can be loved.
If he lets her in only for her to betray him in the future...
Sure, he can fulfill the subpersonality's wishes and then control it like a nightmare, but he instinctively felt that as long as he doesn't give up on harming Emma, that subpersonality won't go away.
In other words, he has to truly accept Emma wholeheartedly in order to use this method.
But how can we accept this type of person?
Ringo sighed, feeling that his relationship with Emma was becoming increasingly complicated.
Ringo went back to Hila's room to sleep. he started using that room and just kept using it anyway. That's how their relationship is, regardless of whether he stays there.
Without Hila, he went to bed early. the next day he would have to continue his training.
--x--
Boom Boom Crash~
The sound of constant collisions echoed across the reinforced training field. Li and Ringo had been fighting for a long time.
More than a month had passed while Ringo made steady progress.
Sure, Ringo was still getting beaten up.
Punch after punch, Ringo was still constantly getting beaten up, even with his heightened perception.
-Do you think my perception is greater than yours? Or that my speed is greater than yours?- Li asked, smiling, his face visibly younger. His evolution had reached the point where he could continue advancing, so the man was incredibly happy.
Well, he looks like he went from 100 to 80 years old, so the change isn't really extreme.
To be more direct, he now has hair on his head, even if it's still white. there was clearly already some thinning hair there, in addition to his skin being less cracked and his muscles having grown a few centimeters.
Even though he has progressed enough for his species to no longer be a limiting factor, Ringo hasn't stopped helping the man evolve. He truly wants to see if this guy can reach Grade S on his own. Besides, with time spent training together, Ringo has come to truly consider the man a friend and teacher.
Ringo had no friends, not before. at most, he had a close relationship with Han Xiao.
Ringo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, breathing heavily, he replied. - Both?
Li laughed and said. -No, none of them.
-What do you mean?- Ringo seemed confused.
-I react faster because I don't need to think. I'm quicker because my movements aren't excessive. You do something similar. I see it in your response when I attack you. But what if I move something unnecessary just to confuse you and still manage to complete my movement?- Li smiled at Ringo.
Ringo narrowed his eyes and the next moment saw Li's arms move around his body like two snakes, his joints and bones seemed to be made of ropes, moving randomly. He couldn't tell where the blow would come from, but when he realized it, his fist had already struck his chin, sending him flying.
-I basically create various possible movements for you to analyze. the problem has always been with you, kid. I keep varying things so much that I overload your mind with useless information, and when I finally attack, you're already confused.
-Hahaha! boy, besides, you always wait to see what move I'm going to make to counterattack, what a waste of time, let your body feel! Let your energy be your guide! When the blow comes, receive it and then neutralize it, send every ounce of force through your body to a point of support or let it be lost in the air!- Li smiled as he looked at Ringo's fallen body on the ground.
-You saw my move, didn't you? I call it Rope Art. Have you ever punched a rope before? No matter how hard you punch, they keep scattering the movement and even counter-attacking, so I became a rope.- Li smiled, satisfied with his surprised look.
Ringo stood up thoughtfully, and when Li punched this time, at the moment of impact, Ringo didn't receive it head-on, but let the energy pass through him. he felt his cells propelling the energy to each other and finally sending it to the sole of his foot.
At that moment, the punch that would have sent him flying didn't. with his fist on his forehead, Ringo stood still while his legs were firmly on the ground.
-That's right, don't expect to be able to defend yourself against everything, that's impossible, but learn how to deal with each attack!- Li's eyes widened in surprise, then he laughed happily. -Boy, I'm really happy to have met you before I die.
Ringo chuckled lightly. -You're not going to die anytime soon, old man.
Li smiled without caring. if it were before, he wouldn't believe it, but now he has fire burning in his veins again, but he's not one to get sentimental, so he continued to attack.
Another thing Ringo noticed was that the feeling in his cells returned when he moved Li's energy through his body.
It was as if his energy resonated.
Ringo narrowed his eyes and stopped dodging, he absorbed every blow and Li smiled, unconcerned he continued to punch, faster and faster, his attacks leaving afterimages.
Ringo narrowed his eyes as he continued to dodge. he seemed to sense what Li had said, even before receiving a blow, he felt something.
He seemed to vaguely understand where it would come from.
But it was still weak, very weak, but the number of times he trimmed it increased, slowly.
At the end of the day, he was sprawled on the ground, too tired to move, breathing heavily, but there was a happy smile on his face. he moved a little further. -Old man, why didn't you tell me the trick before?
-Because it wasn't the right time before. You didn't have a good foundation. It took you more than a month to progress to the point where you could learn my skill, which is incredibly fast.- Li shrugged as he put his shirt back on.
Ringo was quiet for a moment, remembering the progress he'd made in the last month. he'd gone from a muscle-bound idiot to an idiot who knew how to fight. -Old man... thanks.
Li waved his hand dismissively and left soon after. he was going to do his own training. Ringo had already helped him improve a bit earlier and he didn't want to waste that time to advance any further.
While Ringo lay there catching his breath, he heard the door open. Looking towards the door, he saw Lena tiptoeing inside.
Ringo raised an eyebrow and she smiled at him. -I saw on the cameras that you two broke up, so I came to see you.
Ringo nodded without caring. he didn't ask why Eva or the cubs weren't there, he just lay there, catching his breath.
Lena approached with an energy drink, sat down with her knees beside him, rested his head on her legs and slowly gave him the drink.
Ringo just looked at her for a moment before drinking.
Lena carelessly stroked his sweaty hair and blushed slightly as she looked at his sweaty, shirtless chest.
Ringo noticed, but didn't comment.
-What's wrong? You don't usually come to see me randomly.- Ringo asked curiously, taking a sip of his drink.
Lena looked away from his chest, a little embarrassed, but still sighed and spoke. - Well... something happened outside.
-What was it?- Ringo asked, curious.
-The bases of the six nations we left behind were attacked, but they were all already empty. It was really fun to see the reaction of the six nations through the cameras, but it's still worrying, after all, they found all the old bases.- Lena narrowed her eyes, concerned.
Ringo paused for a moment, remembering that Han Xiao had actually released the information about the bases around that time. He chuckled lightly, unconcerned. -It was Han. He really knows how to cause trouble.
-Zero? Did he really know about that?- Lena asked curiously.
-Why do you think I asked you to relocate all the bases?- Ringo shrugged, taking another sip.
Lena paused for a moment, thoughtfully stroking his hair. -Isn't he your friend? Aren't you going to tell him?
-Han Xiao is truly reliable in important moments, but don't mistake him for a good person. He's the type who prioritizes profit over friendships. Of course, if you're his friend, he might soften the blow, but he won't easily give up on the desired outcome.- Ringo shrugged.
Lena nodded and immediately thought of something important. -Does he know where the headquarters is? Or where the missiles were?
-Yes.- Ringo nodded slightly.
-I understand, luckily, the new headquarters is almost ready and besides, the launch pads were the first to be relocated.- Lena sighed in relief and was happy that Ringo had thought of that early on.
Ringo, on the other hand, was smiling very happily, imagining how Han Xiao was feeling now, but then he thought of another point. the Germinal Leader had given Han Xiao the talent of immunity to true damage.
If Han Xiao doesn't confront the leader, his Tank skill will decrease significantly and he might even die facing Ember¹ in the future.
This made Ringo thoughtful. should he use the Leader one last time?
--x--
1- Ember is the Esper who controls carbon from Dark Star. Han Xiao first encountered him during the Silvers' rescue mission on the floating dragon.