Shoun felt as if his world had been turned upside down. There was a metallic taste in his mouth mixed with bits of dust. Gathering his strength, the young man crawled out of the rubble he was trapped in and opened his eyes, finding himself on a completely different street from where he had been with his companions earlier.
—(...Why am I here?)—He wanted to keep questioning how he had ended up in this situation, but his confusion was cut short when he sensed something rushing through his detection sense at high speed. By pure instinct, he threw himself to the ground, feeling a black streak pass over his back and crash into the rubble he had just escaped—¡Shit!
It was then that he saw his attacker clearly: a muscular, humanoid figure resembling a tiger. Its gray fur was streaked with black stripes, and vines clung to its skin like ticks on a vestige. The claws at the ends of its limbs were as large as the young man's head, and its malicious face bore fangs jutting out like tusks ready to shred Shoun's flesh.
—Ptoo... Damned things won't even give me a moment's peace—He spat out the blood pooled in his mouth. Despite barely clinging to consciousness, he knew what he had to do—Kill a brute... Did my ascension day come early without warning?
Obviously, the young man was referring to none other than the vestige staring at him like its next meal. With no time to think, the tiger lunged toward him, ready to tear him limb from limb with its razor-sharp claws. It missed by a hair's breadth as Shoun dodged at the last moment with a Balance Voltage Impulse.
Finally regaining his focus, he began absorbing energy from his surroundings, entering the Balance Voltage state.
—(Can I kill a brute?)—Without even considering it, the vestige suddenly appeared before him, launching a powerful punch at his head. With no time to dodge, he used both arms and twisted his entire body to deflect the blow slightly, redirecting it to his left shoulder. The impact sent him flying several meters before skidding across the ground—Guess we'll settle on "probably not for now"...
With no time for jokes, he scrambled away, narrowly avoiding another devastating strike from the tiger. Even the simplest blows from the vestige left cracks and craters in their wake.
—(How is my shoulder even still attached?)—It had been enhanced to withstand impacts, but he was shocked it barely hurt—(Could it be?)—Looking closer, he noticed a faint golden glow shimmering over his skin, warm and protective—(This must be Sein's shield... The others! I forgot about them... Normally they'd have arrived by now. Something must be holding them back. I need to buy time before... Actually, if whatever's stopping them can't even let them help, hoping for the opposite will get me killed. Guess I'll have to face this thing alone)—With iron resolve, he summoned Iron Serpent to coil around his arm—Let's do this!
The brief respite ended, and the battle resumed. The vestige lunged to strike Shoun's head, but anticipating this, he ducked preemptively, dodged the attack, and countered with a punch.
Balance Voltage Strike!
The sudden burst of electricity forced the vestige to stagger back. Seizing the advantage, Shoun moved to paralyze it, buying time to charge another strike. But his plan was interrupted mid-execution by a brutal kick to his cheek, sending him crashing into a building wall and embedding him in the rubble.
—Ptoo...—He spat blood again. Dazed by the blow, he kept his eyes locked on the vestige, now sporting a deep wound stretching from its shoulders to its chest, oozing purple blood—(I can't keep underestimating this thing... Not that I was, really)—His recent battles against Alpha Brutes like the Gardener from the City of Ash or Kalgoros, both magic-types, had skewed his perception of Rank 3 beings—entities capable of erasing cities with their fists—(At this rate, even Sein's shield won't stop me from becoming pulp)—He watched the gentle light shielding him flicker, a clear sign its energy was fading—(I need to end this fight fast!).
Shoun pulled himself from the crater, while the vestige stabilized its wounds. Another round of attacks began.
The vestige cornered Shoun, forcing him to choose between letting his chest be pierced by claws or taking another blow to his shoulder. Naturally, he sacrificed his shoulder again.
Next, Shoun trapped the vestige in a pseudo-trap and tried to land another Balance Voltage Strike. But the tiger predicted this, feinted, and sent Shoun flying like a ragdoll.
Shoun then tried an old trick: long-range attacks. But the tiger dodged them effortlessly, closing the gap in seconds.
When that failed, he tried another tactic. Then another. And another.
This cycle repeated endlessly. Shoun learned from the vestige, applied new strategies, and attacked. The vestige adapted, and by sheer stat superiority, it dominated.
By now, Shoun was a bloody mess. His uniform was shredded, his friend's protective glow nearly gone, unable to keep up with the tiger's overwhelming power. He knelt, gasping for air.
—Haaah... Haaah—No matter how hard he breathed, his body felt starved for oxygen, despite not needing it in the Mirror World's rules. Still, he suffocated—(Why won't it give up!? What am I doing wrong!?)—Desperate, he recalled past battles against Brutes, hoping for enlightenment. But that hope died quickly. The Gardener and Kalgoros were magic-type vestiges, nothing like the physical monster before him. The Infected had been killed easily by Kaze, so why couldn't Shoun do the same?—(The element of surprise... No matter how skilled the apprentice, they can't beat a Rank 3 without that edge)—Even against magic vestiges, he'd relied on tricks and traps—(Does that mean I can't win?).
He looked up. The tiger approached slowly, no longer rushing. It saw no threat in the kneeling Shoun.
Instinctively, Shoun lowered his head. He was terrified—death was no stranger, but he'd always imagined facing it beside his companions. Now he was alone, dying to an impossible foe.
—Is... it truly impossible for me to win?—He muttered bitterly, replaying past battles. By experience, yes—it was impossible. By experience, he was weak. By experience—Shut up!
As if silencing the voices in his head, he slammed his forehead into the pavement, cracking it and smearing his face with grime.
The vestige, now mere steps away, suddenly sensed danger again.
With no pretense, Shoun lunged at it with a Balance Voltage Impulse. The tiger, expecting self-preservation, prepared to block. But instead of retreating, Shoun took the hit head-on, clinging to the vestige like a tick and unleashing a torrent of electricity.
Once paralyzed, Shoun pummeled its skull with enhanced bare fists. Blood gushed as the tiger recovered briefly, but Shoun didn't relent. Iron Serpent slithered from his arm, biting into the vestige's flesh to paralyze it again.
Master and artifact attacked fiercely, drowning the brute in its own blood. The tiger retaliated with full-force blows, but even without his friend's shield, Shoun endured. Pain meant nothing—he kept striking.
Shoun abandoned plans, tricks, and strategies. He unleashed his savage side, channeling Balance Voltage's full offensive potential, disregarding his body's limits. He wasn't stronger, faster, or tougher—just insane. If he didn't go all out, this thing would kill him. And Shoun hated nothing more than being controlled again.
—Grraaaa!—A primal roar erupted from both creatures. Strategy died—they exchanged raw, final blows to each other's faces. The clash was so violent even Iron Serpent shattered. Both were sent flying to opposite ends of the street.
—Haaah—Dazed, Shoun crawled from his crater and stared at the building where the vestige had crashed—Guess I win this time.
Knowing the fight wasn't over, he forced himself toward the building. His body was a wreck—he'd collapse or die the moment he stopped. But he refused to die here.
A few steps in, he faced a grim sight.
—Iron Serpent...—The artifact lay shattered, yet somehow holding itself together long enough to bid farewell—...Sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you. I'll kill it in your name... Rest now, friend.—Even as a tool, Shoun had felt something more in it—a bond. As if hearing his words, the Codex delivered its verdict:
[Your artifact "Iron Serpent" has been destroyed]
—...—Wordless, he continued into the building. In their blind fury, he'd realized: To defeat a brute, he had to destroy every wall, doubt, and shred of despair.