Chapter 105: Already Ten Steps Ahead
The dust had barely begun to settle.
Fragments of shattered stone slid from the broken hillside as Daito forced himself upright, pushing away the pile of rubble that had buried him. Splinters of wood and chunks of concrete tumbled to the ground around him with a series of dull clack... clack... thuds, while crimson blood streamed from the cut across his forehead, tracing a path down his cheek before dripping onto the cracked earth below.
He drew a slow breath.
His ribs ached.
His muscles screamed in protest.
But nothing appeared broken.
"...Still hits like a truck."
Without wasting another second, his hand instinctively rose to the communication device hidden beneath his ear.
"...Wasabi?"
Only static answered him.
KSSSHHHHH...
He frowned.
"...Fried."
The electromagnetic discharge from Monday's lightning had completely destroyed their communications.
Daito lowered his hand and looked toward the horizon.
Far away, flashes of blue lightning continued to illuminate the sky.
Monday was already coming fast.
Daito didn't prepare to meet him.
Instead, he disappeared.
WHOOSH!
His figure shot onto the nearest rooftop before leaping effortlessly across the town.
One building, then another, then another. Each movement was deliberate and calculated. He wasn't fleeing, he was instead evaluating.
His sharp eyes swept over everything beneath him.
Families still evacuating, children crying. Emergency responders rushing toward collapsed streets. Buildings weakened by the earlier impact.
Gas mains, power lines, electrical substations, every possible variable entered his mind at once.
'If I fight him here...'
His gaze lingered on the frightened civilians desperately trying to escape.
'...Ash-En-Town disappears.'
Behind him—
KRAAAAKK—!!
Blue lightning exploded into the sky.
Monday had found him.
The distance between them vanished almost instantly as another thunderous boom echoed through the town.
Daito immediately altered his route.
SWIISH!
Instead of taking the shortest path out of the city, he deliberately changed direction.
Left then right.
SWOOSH!
Across another rooftop.
Through a narrow street over another block, every movement looked random,but it wasn't.
He was drawing a line, a trail, a path impossible for Monday to ignore.
"...Come on..."
The words barely escaped his lips.
"...Follow me."
* * *
Far behind them, the rest of the team sprinted through the outer districts of Ash-En-Town.
The carnival had become nothing more than a distant memory as terrified civilians poured into the surrounding streets.
Champagne led the group without hesitation, weaving through abandoned market stalls and overturned vehicles while Nyx kept pace just behind him. The others followed in a tight formation, every one of them focused on reaching the emergency vehicles hidden beyond the outskirts.
Mardale was the first to break the silence.
Despite the blood covering his clothes, his breathing had begun to steady. He glanced over his shoulder toward the flashes of lightning lighting up the distant skyline.
"...If he actually survived a punch from a Supreme Authority..."
His expression hardened.
"...Then maybe he really can defeat that lightning freak."
Brandon immediately shook his head.
"No."
His answer came without hesitation.
"...Don't misunderstand what you're looking at."
He looked toward the distant horizon, where another explosion shook the clouds.
"...Monday Valhalla is one of the reasons any of us survived Gregor Naught."
His voice carried an unmistakable weight.
"...That man..."
A brief pause.
"...He's a monster."
Nyx slowed ever so slightly.
Confusion mixed with frustration as she looked from one person to another.
"...Then why are we running?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Her voice rose.
"...Why aren't we helping him?"
Mardale quietly nodded.
"...I was wondering the exact same thing."
Wei-Wan let out a small laugh, not because it was funny but because he had expected that question.
"...You two are still new."
He never slowed his pace.
"...So you think Daito simply rushed into this fight without thinking."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"...That's not how he works."
Wasabi adjusted the damaged equipment strapped to her waist before speaking.
"...Daito never fights for the moment."
Her eyes remained fixed ahead.
"...He fights for the outcome."
Wei-Wan nodded.
"...Exactly."
"He studies everything."
"He predicts everything."
"He adapts to everything."
Every word was spoken with absolute certainty.
"...Before most people even understand what's happening..."
"...He's already ten steps ahead."
The only sounds were hurried footsteps and the distant roar of thunder.
Wei-Wan finally looked back toward the battlefield.
"...Critical."
"...Analytical."
"...Adaptive."
"...A prodigy."
Wasabi's voice softened.
"...We wouldn't even be standing here..."
She glanced toward the horizon.
"...If it wasn't for him."
"...And more importantly..."
She adjusted her gadget.
"...He doesn't want any of us dying for his sake."
"So he gave us an order."
"Retreat."
"Trust him."
Nobody argued because every one of them had witnessed it before. Plans nobody else understood. Victories nobody thought were possible. Escapes that should never have happened.
Daito always saw something others didn't.
Nyx quietly lowered her gaze as the frustration in her expression slowly faded, replaced by something unfamiliar.
"...So..."
She spoke almost to herself.
"...This is what trust looks like."
Champagne glanced sideways at her before a faint grin spread across his face.
"...Something like that."
He looked ahead again.
"...Don't waste your energy worrying about him."
A brief pause.
"...He's survived worse."
Nyx didn't respond.
She simply kept running.
This time...Without questioning the decision.
Champagne's expression gradually hardened as the emergency vehicle finally came into view beyond the edge of town.
Everything had already been prepared.
"...Forget what's happening back there."
His voice shifted back into mission mode.
"...We've still got somewhere to be."
The others nodded.
One after another, they climbed into the waiting vehicles.
Moments later—
VROOOOOOM!!
The convoy roared to life.
Leaving Ash-En-Town behind.
* * *
Miles away from the fleeing convoy Daito finally stopped.
The open plains stretched endlessly beneath a darkening sky. No homes, no civilians, no roads, only empty land exactly what he wanted.
A gust of wind swept across the field, carrying loose dust into the air.
Then—
KRAAAAAK—!!!
A bolt of lightning struck the earth less than twenty meters away.
The ground exploded as smoke spiraled upward.
Fwoosh....
When it cleared...Monday Valhalla stood there.
BZZTL!
Electricity surged wildly across his body, illuminating the empty wasteland with flashes of blue-white light.
His grin widened.
"...Done running?"
Daito slowly turned to face him.
His breathing was calm and measured.
"...Yeah."
He glanced briefly toward the distant silhouette of Ash-En-Town.
Far enough that no innocent lives would be caught in what came next.
He looked back at Monday.
"...This is far enough."
Monday rolled his shoulders.
The lightning surrounding him erupted violently.
KRAK! KRAK! BOOOOOOM!!
The earth cracked beneath his feet as arcs of electricity tore across the ground like living serpents.
"...Good."
He lowered his stance.
"So now..."
"...Neither of us has to hold back."
Daito's eyes sharpened.
Every unnecessary thought disappeared. Every distraction faded away. His breathing slowed, his posture lowered, his entire body entered a state of perfect readiness.
The battlefield had been chosen. The civilians were safe. The variables had been removed, only one objective remained.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"...Now..."
He planted one foot firmly into the earth.
"...I can fight."
To be continued....