"?"
"Something is... inside my body..."
Goku was experiencing a sensation that was entirely foreign to him. It was a strange, buzzing energy that seemed to resonate with the very air he breathed. He felt as though every time he unleashed a strike, the world itself would react differently than before.
Experimentally, he threw a tentative punch toward the [Reflection] field.
Instead of the immediate, violent pushback he had encountered earlier, his fist caused a visible ripple to spread across the invisible barrier.
It was like a stone skipping across the surface of a perfectly still lake.
'!'
Accelerator's eyes widened as he processed the anomaly. He took an instinctive step back, his brow furrowed in concentration.
The [Reflection] hadn't triggered!
'That brat... what did she do?!'
He could tell his incoming calculations were being "Disrupted" in real time. It was a sensation he had never experienced in all his years of mastering the physical laws.
"Ohh!"
"It went through!"
Encouraged by the lack of feedback, Kid Goku threw a rapid flurry of punches. Each one bypassed the invisible wall as if it were never there.
The sudden shift in the tactical reality forced Accelerator to retreat even further.
"He broke through the [Reflection]?"
"Miyu, what exactly did you give to Lancer?"
Homura and Subaru watched the scene unfold with a mixture of awe and confusion.
"Based on Subaru Natsuki's description, Berserker's ability is rooted in [Vector Manipulation]. That is to say, it's the control of physical quantities."
"The underlying principle of his [Reflection] is the active manipulation of 'Vectors' at a level where he can effectively rewrite local physical laws."
"In a conceptual sense, his [Reflection] is a form of 'Distortion.' And so... one simply needs to 'Restore' the state to its original configuration."
Miyu watched the confused Goku and the stunned Accelerator as she delivered her explanation.
"You say 'Restore'...?"
"How is something like that even possible?"
Even Subaru found the explanation difficult to wrap his head around.
"In this city of Morioh, there exists a single Stand user who possesses that specific power."
"As long as he can touch an object, he can 'Restore' it to its previous, intended state..."
"And as luck would have it, I happened to encounter him in battle earlier. I recorded the essence of his ability within [Sakatsuki]."
'!'
Homura realized immediately who Miyu was referring to.
The Master of Caster.
Josuke Higashikata!
His Stand, [Crazy Diamond], possessed the primary ability to "Repair" objects and return them to their original state.
When pitted against a being like Accelerator, this meant that every vector transformation he calculated would be systematically "Undone" the moment Goku's strike made contact.
"I see... so no matter how he tries to manipulate the outcome, the [Reflection] is constantly being 'Repaired' back to a neutral state..."
"And as long as Lancer is fast enough and hits hard enough, he'll eventually find the gap in the calculations."
Subaru whistled in appreciation. He hadn't expected Miyu to be holding such a potent trump card.
"However, such a feat is only possible because Lancer's base constitution is so absurdly high."
"If it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to close the distance and sustain the pressure. Accelerator would simply 'Recalculate' faster than they could 'Repair'."
Miyu nodded, her gaze fixed on Goku. There was a flicker of genuine envy in her eyes as she watched the boy, who was roughly her own age, move with such effortless power.
She wondered how a child could achieve such a level of combat proficiency.
Perhaps she should follow Subaru's suggestion and look into those "Dragon Ball" records he mentioned.
"Is it like Kamijou Touma's [Imagine Breaker]? No, I suppose it's more of a 'Correction' than a negation..."
"Regardless, it looks like we might actually be able to put Accelerator down."
Subaru rubbed the back of his head, his face splitting into a grin of pure relief.
Not far away, hidden behind some wreckage, Yuuki peered out at the struggling Accelerator. Her expression was one of deep concern as she watched the predator finally become the prey.
It was the first time she had ever seen him look so vulnerable.
THUD!
A shockwave from a nearby strike caught Accelerator on the cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. The vampire's composure shattered instantly.
"I don't really get it, but it looks like I can finally hit you properly!"
Goku let out a joyful, wide-mouthed laugh as he realized the invisible wall was truly gone.
'!'
BOOM!
The feedback from the punch was a sensation Accelerator knew all too well.
That sudden, jarring impact... the "Repair" of his manipulated vectors followed by the raw power of the physical blow...
He had felt this once before.
That's right.
Kamijou Touma.
He never imagined he would encounter a second being who could treat his [Reflection] as if it were nothing.
CRASH!!
"Berserker!"
Yuuki watched as Accelerator was sent flying, crashing through several buildings before coming to a rest in a cloud of dust. She took to the air, her spectral form blurring as she raced toward him.
"Hmm?"
"Is that... Berserker's Master?"
"She looks a bit... different than I expected. Almost like a ghost."
The group watched Yuuki's flight, her ethereal presence leaving them with a sense of unease.
"Whatever the case, it looks like it's finally over."
Subaru crossed his arms, leaning back as the tension finally began to bleed away. He hadn't expected to find a solution so quickly.
"Whoo! That guy was really strong..."
Goku rubbed his stomach, looking toward the wreckage of the buildings with genuine admiration.
He didn't understand what "Vectors" were, but he knew that reaching the opponent had been a significant challenge.
In his experience, this pale-haired man was one of the most troublesome "Martial Artists" he had ever faced.
Perhaps this was what they called "Esper Powers"? It was certainly interesting!
Goku's smile was bright and genuine.
"Dammit! Where the hell did Yoshikage Kira go?!"
"I'm telling you, I saw [The Hand] cut him and that gloom-faced accomplice of his clean in half! They should be dead!"
"Keep searching! If we let him escape now, we'll never get another chance like this!"
On the other side of town, Josuke and his group were facing an unexpected crisis.
They had used Sakuya's pocket watch to freeze time, during which Okuyasu had delivered what should have been a terminal blow.
They had clearly seen the two bodies being cleaved by the erasure of space.
Yet, the moment time resumed, both Kira and Itachi had vanished.
Despite the clinical impossibility of surviving such an attack, the psychic link told them their targets were still very much alive.
The group fanned out, their eyes scanning every alleyway and rooftop with desperate intensity.
"I won't let you escape this time! Yoshikage Kira!"
Josuke's roar echoed through the empty streets of the commercial district.
Huff... puff... huff...
"That was... way too close for comfort."
"I have you to thank for our survival."
Yoshikage Kira pulled himself up from the riverbank, his breathing ragged and his suit a tattered mess. He leaned back against a willow tree, his heart hammer-beating against his ribs.
He had been certain his life was over. Within that frozen pocket of time, he hadn't even been able to activate [Bites the Dust].
Fortunately, Saber possessed a power that could rewrite reality itself.
Kira looked at Itachi, whose left eye had turned a dull, lifeless grey. He knew the cost of their escape had been high.
[Izanagi].
The ultimate ocular technique of the Uchiha Clan.
It was an ability that allowed the user to bridge the gap between illusion and reality. By sacrificing an eye, the castor could erase any unfavourable outcome from existence, choosing only the thread of destiny that served their needs.
It was a power that distorted the very concept of "Truth" and "Fiction."
Even death could be "Undone" by such a horrific technique.
Naturally, the penalty was permanent blindness in the eye that channeled the power. For an Uchiha, it was a move of absolute last resort.
Before the temporal suspension had broken, Itachi had activated [Izanagi] as a fail-safe.
He knew that if they remained frozen, they would be slaughtered. Without the sacrifice of his eye, [The Hand]'s erasure would have been the end for both of them.
Step... step...
The sound of soft footsteps on the gravel path caused both Itachi and Kira to snap into a defensive posture.
A man stepped out from the shadows, his figure backlit by the flickering streetlamps.
His pink hair, mottled with darker spots that looked almost like mold, was his most striking feature.
"I can feel it... you don't have a Dragon Ball, but you definitely have a Servant."
"How fortunate for me."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]