Chapter 28: Monster vs. Clown (II)
The true nature of one's abilities was a Reincarnator's most closely guarded secret. Most experienced Reincarnators went to great lengths to disguise their powers.
Satoshi Suzuki was no exception. The power he wielded came from a high-ranking Reincarnator, from a place where there were many derivative worlds based on novels, filled with a vast and esoteric array of abilities. Since most newcomers primarily experienced worlds based on anime and movies, it was difficult for them to immediately recognize the origin of his powers.
Satoshi had set his codename to [Evans the Clown] and modeled his Nexus avatar after classic clown figures from films. This served a dual purpose: it helped him digest his potion via the Acting Method, and it also served to confuse and misdirect other Reincarnators' guesses about his abilities.
But he had never imagined that this rookie, whom he had met only once, would see through to the true nature of his powers with a single sentence.
This guy… what is he? He's too abnormal.
Satoshi frowned, his guard now raised to its absolute maximum. He wanted to perform another divination on himself, but the current situation was hardly appropriate.
"Aren't you coming?"
Kaito Shirogane also spread his hands, showing he was unarmed. He took another step forward. In response, Evans the Clown took a step back. At a glance, it was Kaito who seemed to hold the advantage.
Kaito's provocative posture made Satoshi's face darken. But he was a cautious man, not a reckless brute. His eyes shifted, and a new tarot card fell into his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying.
Thwack!
Katsu, still on the floor, suddenly turned pale and cried out in agony. "AGH!"
A playing card had pinned the back of his hand to the floorboards. The thin piece of cardstock had somehow shattered the bones in his hand, the intense pain making him howl.
But what puzzled Satoshi was that Kaito's smile didn't waver. He didn't even make a move to help. Satoshi still couldn't find an opening.
Kaito just smiled and shook his head. He seemed to have a strong desire to talk to this man, who might be the first "kindred spirit" he had ever met.
"You may have misunderstood, Evans. My relationship with these people is not as close as you think."
"We are not friends. Nor is there any relationship of subordination…"
Kaito felt no anger or displeasure at seeing Katsu and the others get hurt. He knew very well that they were just thugs who followed him out of fear. If he were to be killed by Evans, they would switch their allegiance to Evans without a moment's hesitation.
Satoshi let out a breath. He sank slightly into his stance, slowly raising his hands into a strange posture. "They ended up like this because they were working for you," he said slowly. "A normal person would feel at least some pity…"
"You, on the other hand… you're too cold-blooded to be human."
Step!
Satoshi lunged forward. The distance between them was short, and he was in front of Kaito in an instant. He raised his right hand, clawing at Kaito's face.
Kaito stood his ground, as if he hadn't reacted at all. Satoshi's hand formed a claw and swiped down.
Whoosh!
The sound of air being displaced. Satoshi's pupils contracted. In his eyes, Kaito's neck suddenly bent at an impossible angle, his head flopping onto his left shoulder, causing the claw-strike to hit empty air.
This is…
Satoshi was horrified. Kaito's movement was the spitting image of the dodge he himself had performed just moments earlier, a move made possible by the supernatural flexibility of a [Sequence 8 - Clown].
The next instant, he felt a rush of wind before his chest. His mind raced, and he instinctively crossed his arms in a block.
BAM!
A fist slammed into the intersection of his arms. Satoshi's upper body couldn't absorb the immense force—a force of nearly a thousand pounds—and he was thrown backward, his feet scraping along the smooth floor.
Such power! This guy's Strength must be over 10! For people from East Asia, where the average adult male Strength was 5, this level of power was something one was rarely born with, except for professional boxers or heavy laborers. Did he get an insanely high rating on his trial mission? Did he get a ton of attribute points, and were they all luckily allocated to Strength?
Satoshi's mind was sharp, but Kaito's assault was relentless. Seeing his opponent's center of gravity break, he immediately stepped forward, grabbed Satoshi's arm, and yanked.
Satoshi's backward momentum was violently arrested. The opposing forces nearly tore the muscles in his arm. Kaito pulled him back with immense strength, then lowered his right shoulder and slammed into him sideways.
Bajiquan - Iron Mountain Leaning!
This was a move Kaito would never dare use on an ordinary person. With his strength, it was powerful enough to completely shatter a man's sternum. But today was different. He was certain that Evans was no ordinary person. And besides… even if he did kill a Reincarnator like him, the risk to himself wouldn't be that great.
The air seemed to explode like a firecracker. Satoshi's pupils contracted, his mind snapping into sharp focus. He hadn't expected this rookie to actually be fighting to the death. No… he's trying to kill me!
For a moment, an absurd feeling rose in Satoshi's chest. A rookie, someone who didn't even fully understand the rules of the Nexus, was actually trying to hunt a veteran Reincarnator who had come for him.
This kid is a complete anomaly. A true monster.
As his thoughts raced, his breathing pattern instantly changed. His body twisted, his center of gravity seemingly vanishing. Though he looked like he was about to fall, he completely ignored inertia, did a half-flip in mid-air, and planted his right foot beside Kaito.
A burst of power, also born from a Strength stat exceeding 10, erupted from his hands. At the precise moment that Kaito was committing his entire body weight into the shoulder strike, Satoshi masterfully pushed against his shoulder with both palms.
Kaito's eyes widened. A terrifying force completely shattered his balance. He felt completely unable to resist it, because it wasn't just Evans's power. It was his own. Evans had expertly redirected his own momentum against him.
His feet tangled, Kaito was thrown off balance and sent flying through the air. The combined force was so great that he flew several meters and crashed into the wall.
Satoshi's expression was indifferent. He calmly lowered his hands to his sides.
[Niko Style - Redirection Kata - Weeping Willow]
As a Reincarnator, he was well aware of the weakness of the low-level Seer Pathway in direct combat. But being a Reincarnator meant he had plenty of ways to compensate. The main feature of a Sequence 8 - Clown was precise body control, outstanding agility and speed, and a superhuman sense of balance and coordination. They almost never fell, and they possessed an excellent intuition for combat.
In Satoshi's eyes, the Sequence 8 - Clown potion was the perfect foundation for a genius martial artist.
BAM!
In mid-air, Kaito violently twisted his body and slammed his feet against the wall, absorbing the impact. The tremendous sound made the terrified Akane's ears ring.
Watching Kaito push off the wall and land, apparently uninjured, Satoshi was slightly surprised, but he had already accepted that Kaito was an anomaly. He no longer questioned it.
He simply beckoned to Kaito with one hand.
"Did you think you could win just because I'm a 'Clown'?"
"I am more than just a Clown."