Swoosh!
The winds howled and the tiles cracked as the two’s speedy figures zipped across the street in what would appear as a complete blur to your average Ganurgian.
With a weave from Rei, Charlie’s punch hit nothing but air.
Bam!
His failure cost him another crack to repair as Rei countered with a gut punch.
‘Damn it, hit already!’ Crying out in frustration, Charlie shot out his fists once again, hoping that this flurry would be the exception.
But it wouldn’t be.
The difference in skill between the two fighters couldn’t be starker. While Charlie fired off wild erratic attacks, Rei moved with the manner and deftness of a master. He redirected and dodged his opponent’s attacks with minimal force and motions. While doing this, he sent his own attacks every so often, leaving cracks with each impact.
With Automatic Aura unavailable to him, Charlie was forced to consciously repair his armour. The near-constant need to, ended up furthering his helplessness as his attention was split between more and more tasks.
‘Fuck this!’
Missing another punch, Charlie threw in the towel on close-quarter combat. His opponent was just too skilled. Concluding this, he rushed to get some distance.
However, while he was sick of close quarter combat, Rei wasn’t. He chased after Charlie’s fleeing form. Left fist cocked back, he dove in.
Charlie grounded himself and prepared to tank the hit, but a punch didn’t come, at least not initially. Using it as a feint, Rei’s right shoulder barreled into the gangster’s chest, jolting him backwards, then followed up with a left straight to the gut.
The next few seconds in Charlie’s life would be one of increasing agitation and frustration.
*Crack* *Crack* *Crack* *Crack* *Crack*...
Rei entered ultra-close quarters, sticking to Charlie like a shadow, and continued to assault and pepper the other with attacks, while effortless dodging or redirecting the other’s attacks.
Charlie gnashed his teeth, and a maddening light flashed from his eyes. ‘Just one hit!’ he roared his desire internally.
All he needed was for one of his punches to connect. Rei’s scurrying form was practically defenceless. Just one hit would allow him to devastate the youth’s body. However, despite throwing dozens of attacks, none had even come close - or rather, coming close was all he was allowed to achieve.
*Bam* *Crack* *Bam* * Crack* *Bam*…
‘Damn it damn it damn it damn it,’ Charlie cursed as his blood continued to boil.
Despite Rei hitting dozens of times him already, his armour had yet to be punctured. Still, while his body remained unscathed, the same couldn’t be said of his ego.
Turned into a human pinball, it was clear to Charlie that his opponent was just toying with him. He was totally outclassed. The unbothered, almost bored look in his opponent’s gaze confirmed this fact.
‘How can this be, it’s just not possible!’
While Charlie was amidst a mental meltdown, more casual thoughts were swimming through Rei’s head.
‘Morris would easily win against him,’ Rei assessed while slipping past attacks.
He was unimpressed with the bald gangster. Charlie’s combat prowess was lacking in many ways. His martial skill, Psi control and Psi talent were above average at best. Rei could read him like an opponent book, anticipating every action with clockwork accuracy.
On paper, Charlie was favoured. While his perception was lacking compared to the duo’s, he had significantly higher attack power and defence, and his Blinking technique was faster. These stats didn’t translate well into reality though.
With Rei’s exceptional martial ability, Psi control, semi-automatic technique and lightning-quick Psi, Rei’s combat speed was nearly double that of his opponent, allowing him to effortlessly zigzag through Charlie’s frenzied barrage.
‘Stronger than Jeff, but weaker than Morris and Lady Martel,’ he mentally ranked his opponent. ‘Though, his defence sure is something,’ Rei thought as he eyed the Psi armour.
Not only was it dense with Psi, but Charlie’s armour was also extremely well crafted. Running his gaze over it, Rei noted the intricate internal structure and layering. It wasn’t as complex as their own, but it was impressive nonetheless.
While Rei didn’t utilise rotational energy, his punches landed with a hefty oomph, akin to a shotgun blast at close range. Even so, he couldn’t penetrate the other’s armour.
Swoosh!
Rei weaved leftward, causing Charlie’s right straight to sail over his shoulder. The gangster followed up with a left hook, which Rei evaded with a back step. Missing, Charlie continued his rotation and did a spinning backhand punch with his right hand.
It started low and flicked upwards to make its trajectory hard to follow. But to Rei, its path was clear. He ducked under it and found himself before the other’s torso. Psi rushed to Rei’s left side and quickly flowed from his leg to arm as he executed an Asura punch.
Bam!
His left fist collided heavily on the armour.
‘Huh?’ Taking in the resultant damage, Charlie’s heart quaked in equal parts shock and fear. ‘His punch, it’s even stronger?!’
Asura attacks.
This was the label given to attacks that utilised their physical body in conjunction with their psionic powers to deliver a more powerful attack than either would be capable of doing on their own.
Their physical body’s stats was monstrous. Relying on their physical brawn alone, they could bend metal like hot tofu, punch through concrete walls and lift several hundred kilograms with ease. Their body was overflowing with power, which had been, for the most part, wasted…at least until Asura techniques were thought up.
The first of its kind was Asura Punch. The difference between it and a regular punch was: instead of having their Psi doing the initial acceleration, they used their own muscles. They fired off a punch with their physical strength, then had their Psi take over.
It was harder to move an object at rest than one in motion, this was basic physics. The Psi accelerated the limb further, pushing it to speeds well beyond a regular Psi punch, resulting in a more devastating impact.
Of course, there was a trade-off. Asura techniques initial speed was slower than their regular counterparts, so they couldn’t always use it, but when they could, they always did. The difference wasn’t level breaking, but the duo welcomed anything that would up their combat prowess.
*Bam* *Crack* *Bam* *Crack*…
Charlie’s woes continued.
[[Knocking him around like that must feel good, but don’t drag it out, people will be here soon,]] a helmet-wearing Ralf commented from his couch.
[[I know,]] Rei replied. He could already hear the footsteps and chatter approaching from the distance. [[I’ll just test out a few things, then end it.]]
[[Hey, let me get a punch on him before this is over, okay.]]
[[Sure,]] Rei replied with a smile.
Seeing this, Charlie’s face paled, as he imagined what the young man had in store for him next.
‘He’s too quick, I need to restrain him. As soon as I catch him, it’ll be over.’ At this thought, his punches became grabs. But this change, didn’t change anything. Rei remained phantom-like.
Swoosh!
In a manner Charlie couldn’t fully comprehend, he found himself back-to-back with his opponent. Incensed, he spun clockwise while doing an elbow attack.
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Rei ducked under it and when Charlie’s claw-like left hand moved to grab Rei’s neck, he shifted forward. Out of range, Rei’s body turned as well and his ‘orb’ wielding left hand swung around and swiped at Charlie’s outstretched palm.
Air Knife.
‘Argh!’ Charlie exclaimed at the sudden injection of pain. Trickles of blood flew from his hand. Registering that his palm was cut, the gangster was hit with equal parts panic and confusion.
He had no idea how his opponent landed a hit on him. His armour was still intact, so how?
While he was trying to solve this puzzle, Rei’s next attack was already in the chamber. Sensing its arrival, Charlie snapped out his daze, but not before Rei could close in again.
Seeing the other’s right palm thrust toward his chest, Charlie thickened his barrier. However, against this attack, such actions were pointless. Rei’s palm arrived quickly but landed gently. In an instant, all of Rei’s Psi gathered at his palm.
Then…
Oscillation Wave!
Following the technique’s activation, Charlie’s armour immediately began disintegrating into Psi particles.
“Ah!?” Charlie’s body and soul shook at the happening. Survival instinct kicked in and he flung himself back at desperate speed. To his relief, Rei didn’t chase after him.
Stopping ten metres away, Charlie stood like a deer in headlights. Body coated with sweat, his thumping heart sounded like cannon fire in his ears. The gangster took rapid breathes as he tried to regain his calm.
‘That was a…vibration technique, but how,’ he questioned in complete bafflement.
To his knowledge, only Rank 6 Telekinetics and above, who had access to Automatic Aura could use this high-level technique. Rei’s display of it made absolutely no sense to him.
[[Hmm, needs a lot more work. That was too slow to use in active battle,]] Ralf commented.
Rei nodded. Compared to when they used it on Hana, its effect was lacking.
[[Its the first time we use it against anyone else, so it is what it is.]] Saying this, he refocused on his opponent, [[Ralf, I’ve had my fill, come over and end it. And be quick about it.]]
Ralf’s face beamed. Seeing Rei pummel Charlie was satisfying, but he much preferred doing it himself. He crossed over in a flash and took control. The ‘cold’ mental signal was replaced with a ‘lukewarm’ one, then a ‘fiery’ one as Rei returned to the Mental Space.
‘He’s switching personalities,’ Charlie concluded as he remembered the rumours. ‘This one is the one from before, definitely.’ he thought, as sweat fell from his brow.
Ralf flashed a smile then titled his head. “Hey, what’s with that nasty expression on your face?”
The comment only further twisted up the gangster’s face. Smitten seeing it, Ralf strode forward. The machine guns floated back to his hands, much to Charlie’s dismay.
Ralf assessed the guns while saying, “You said you wanted to remind me of my place,” he nodded. “Indeed, you’ve done your job superbly. I know my place now,” he glanced skyward, “while it’s not somewhere in the stars just yet, I can be assured that,” he paused then lowered his gaze back down until it fixed on his opponent’s, “it’s above you,” he ended with a mischievous smile.
‘Damn him!’
Veins flared up on Charlie’s scrunched up expression as anger erupted within. He began fuming, turning red even. Looking at him, Ralf was reminded of the berserk state of the orc he had fought earlier; the resemblance was uncanny.
‘Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!’
Charlie’s rage boiled. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to attack the other, at least not physically.
‘Ah!’ Suddenly, the reason he had come here in the first place, dawned on him. Remembering it, his mood instantly switched. The feeling of being backed up against the wall dissipated from his mind, and this change quickly reflected in his manner and expression.
“Ha ha ha ha…” Cold chuckles left the gangster’s mouth.
Ralf quirked a brow at the sight.“What’s gotten into you?” He paused his steps and asked. His body and mind tensed up at the other’s behaviour. The other wasn’t just acting, Ralf could feel something amiss.
Charlie’s laughter increased at the question. Only seconds later did he manage to collect himself.
“Ha ha…oh sorry. I was just thinking about something,” the bald gangster said, a gleeful light swirling in his gaze. He smirked. “You wondered what’s gotten into me, when the better question is,” Charlie paused for effect, then slowly spoke the words that would shatter the duo’s present reality, “what has gotten into your mom?”
A deafening silence followed the gangster’s words. And then a moment later, laughter.
“Hahaha,” Charlie burst out. His opponent’s expression had been nonchalant throughout their match. Seeing it suddenly crumble as it did, brought forth a surge of delight in the gangster’s heart. Nothing felt better in the world than this moment he was experiencing.
“What…do…you…mean?”
These words had to scrap through Ralf’s lips to get out.
Charlie smiled a rotten smile. “You didn’t think I came here alone, right? While you were off doing your daily adventure, Stuart’s group kidnapped your mom off the streets. That was ages ago. By now, she’s back at the tavern, and knowing the boys…and recalling your mom’s sexy figure, ahaha, I imagine that she’s being fucked every which way even as we speak. Drenched in semen, struggling to breathe with tears streaming down her cheeks, all the while cursing her son’s name, who placed her in this position…just picture it,” Charlie creaked a smirk as he finished.
The duo needed no invitation, their exceptional minds had already involuntarily recreated the scene the other’s words had spoken of. When they did, a bottomless wrath and madness bloomed within their souls. The feeling overwhelmed the two, even paralysing them. Understanding the danger of letting this persist, and knowing they couldn’t deal with it as they were, they did the only thing they could do.
“Haha, enough laughs. Now, listen closely.”
Charlie cut the laughter and moved to the ‘relaying the terms for the hostage agreement’ stage. To him, he now had the upper hand and was out of danger. So comfortable did he feel, that he even began approaching the other.
“If you want your cum rag of a mother back, follow my instruc-”
Charlie’s words instantly died in his throat. The aura of the youth before him shifted again. The previous two auras were intense, but they were nought in comparison to the aura that was currently assaulting him.
He felt as though he was suddenly placed amidst a fierce thunderstorm; his mind became paralyzed by both frost and lightning while his body was shredded by cutting whirlwinds.
‘Uh uh ah, what’s happening…’ Doused with the immature Ruler’s Domain’s electromagnetic energy, Charlie’s thoughts, sensations and emotions were thrown into disarray.
While Charlie was battling to control his body, Silver took two steps forward. Psi gathered at his right hand. From his fingertips, Dragon Tail’s whip began materialising.
‘That rope…dangerous!’ As soon as he registered the object, Charlie’s instincts screamed at him to flee. He obliged at once, driving his Psi to their limits. He rushed to activate his Blink Step to shift away. However, by then, it was already too late.
‘I’ve got to get aw-’
With a flash of blue light, the once visible whip vanished from both fighters’ perceptions and then.…
*BOOM*
A loud sonic boom ripped through the street at Dragon Tail’s execution. Colliding with Charlie’s temple, the attack had instantly ended the gangster’s life. Now, a headless body reflected off Silver’s retina. He didn’t linger on the sight. Before the corpse could hit the ground, Silver was off.
Swoosh!
Using the street as a runway, he Flickered several times in quick succession then took to the air. Doing a few more, he materialised Psi Plane around him, and a moment later, he was streaking through the sky at high speed.
‘Mom, just wait. I’m coming.’
With a heart in turmoil, Silver rushed to his destination, Lagner.