The punch Riko threw was so quick, the whole street went quiet. You could have heard a pin drop.
Then, the boss's fist, clad in armor, shot toward Luna. The air around it seemed to ripple because of how strong it was coming in. Riko yanked Luna back with all his strength, her heels screeching on the road. But deep down, he just knew he couldn't pull her far fast enough to get her completely out of the way.
His brain was screaming at him to do something.
His heart pounded in his chest.
And something inside him just gave way.
Not a bone breaking or a muscle tearing, nothing like that.
This was deeper, something else.
Something linked directly to the screen and whatever it had brought to life inside him.
Suddenly, his chest felt like it was going to explode, a wave of super-heated energy spreading out. He gripped Luna's wrist tighter, and she cried out as he pulled her behind him with a desperate surge of power.
Then, Riko spun around.
His body moved at a speed that didn't feel like speed at all. It was felt like he was watching a movie scene. Time seemed to stop for him, waiting for the punch.
The street turned into a blur.
The glitchy lines around him seemed to intensify.
The boss's fist appeared to slow down.
Riko pulled his arm back.
He put every last bit of power he had left into it.
Every level he had gained.
Every stat increase.
Every survival instinct that had kicked in.
He moved into the punch.
And then he let his own punch fly.
The impact didn't sound like a crack, a boom, or even an explosion.
It was more like utter silence.
A hollow, jarring absence of any sound, like world had forgotten how to make sound.
Then the boss was gone.
Not gradually fading, or even being knocked back.
It disappeared into the distance like a doll shot from a cannon. The monster's armored body flew through the first building. Stone and steel exploded outwards like paper. It didn't even slow down. It smashed straight through a second building, leaving a perfectly round hole with glitchy lines around it. Pieces of the building hung in the air for a split second.
Then a third building was hit.
This one finally stopped the monster, just barely. The building caved in, sending out a cloud of dust and glitchy bits.
Then—
Nothing.
Total silence.
Everyone on the street stopped moving. Dust hung in the air like falling snow. Pieces of the destroyed walls floated in strange, glitched spirals. Even the broken streetlights froze, flickering strangely.
Luna stared at the wreckage in the distance, her mouth open as if she was trying to scream but nothing was coming out.
The people around them stared at Riko like he was something they had never seen before. Something impossible. Something terrifying.
Riko was shaking. His arm felt like it was on fire from the inside out, like his veins were filled with lightning. He gasped for air, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. His legs were about to give, but he stood his ground.
He turned slowly toward Luna. Are... you okay?
Luna nodded, just a little at first. Then a bigger nod. Then she let out all her breath at once. Dude... DUDE... you sent him like, miles away.
She punched him lightly on the shoulder, but her hand was shaking. Give me a warning before you do anime moves!
Riko laughed nervously, but it sounded more like a panicked hiccup.
He looked down at his hand, still trembling with leftover power. His knuckles glowed softly, with sparks jumping between the joints. It felt like touching a hot engine - alive, dangerous, and way out of his control.
He mumbled, I didn't even know I could do that.
Luna stepped closer. Well... now we know you can. And that you probably shouldn't do that to anything you don't want to break.
Riko nodded slowly.
Then his knees almost went out.
Luna quickly grabbed him to steady him. Whoa—hey! Easy! Don't pass out on me now, dude!
I'm not passing out, Riko groaned, leaning on a half-collapsed wall for support. I'm just... really, really, REALLY tired.
Luna glanced down the street. At least it's over, right? That thing's not coming back after that hit.
The ground rumbled softly, but they didn't notice. Or maybe they were just pretending not to.
Riko looked at his arm-screen—still cracked, faintly glowing, but quiet.
Too quiet.
Why isn't it saying anything? he muttered. No warnings? No new enemy? No—
A shadow fell over him.
Luna saw it first. Her eyes widened. Uh... Riko?
He straightened up, slowly. He took a steadying breath just enough to turn around.
The rooftop.
The figure.
Still there.
Still standing perfectly still.
But now—something about him felt different. He wasn't just watching them now.
He was moving closer.
Not by walking. But by stepping right off the rooftop.
His foot left the edge, and he dropped through the air—but it wasn't like falling. It was like he was coming down slowly, gravity barely affecting him. His coat floated behind him, his movements smooth and controlled.
Riko froze. Luna grabbed his sleeve.
The people around them ducked behind whatever they could find.
The figure landed without a sound. No crack. Not even a scuff from his boots.
Riko swallowed hard. "It's you again."
The man tilted his head a little, as if he was trying decide if Riko was worth talking to. His eyes moved over the three buildings the monster had crashed through. Then he looked back at Riko.
No emotion on his face.
No admiration.
But no anger either.
Just cold calculation.
He stepped closer. Luna stepped back without thinking.
Riko stood his ground, his stance shaky.
The figure stopped a few feet away. It was close enough to reach him, but far enough to show that he didn't need to.
He looked at Riko's shaking fist.
Then at the rubble around them.
Then straight into Riko's eyes.
When he spoke, his voice calm, quiet, and almost bored. But there was also an sharp edge beneath the softness.
he said: "Good. I am next"