The man lunged toward them with frightening speed, his body coiling and snapping like a beast unchained.
His hand shot out, fingers clawed wide as if trying to grasp something just barely within reach.
No. It was someone.
He was going for Hina.
It made sense.
Her powers were far more destructive than Kouhei's, but her defenses were fragile.
She wasn't built to endure close combat, and the bastard had figured that out instantly.
He was aiming to take her out first.
Kouhei didn't hesitate.
Instinct screamed at him, and he threw himself in the man's path like a shield, arms wide, feet grinding against the cracked concrete.
"Nghhh!?"
But the enemy didn't stop.
He doubled down, using the full momentum of his charge, slamming into Kouhei like a wrecking ball with a roar of raw aggression.
The sheer force of the collision sent Kouhei flying back, his muscles straining, the air crushed out of his lungs.
