Toji just shrugged, a dismissive gesture, as if the fight wasn't even worthy of his attention.
Ryan wasted no time. His body leaned forward, knees bent, muscles tensing like a spring about to be released. His eyes gleamed with determination as he murmured:
"Let's finish this quickly..."
He advanced in an instant. A dry leap, his sword cutting through the air in a deadly arc, aiming for Toji's neck with a precise and lethal strike.
But then—
CLANG!
The metallic clash echoed through the cavern.
Geto and Riko's eyes widened in the distance. Ryan's blow, which should have decapitated Toji, was stopped with absurd ease. Toji held his own blade against his, blocking the attack effortlessly.
"You have good technique, congratulations..." Toji's voice was almost bored, like a teacher correcting a mediocre student.
Then, with a dry twist of his sword, he threw Ryan's guard wide open, exposing his body completely.
"...But you lack brute strength."
The kick came like lightning.
BANG!
Toji's foot slammed into Ryan's stomach like a battering ram.
The air escaped his lungs in a single thud. He was thrown back like a rag doll, the pressure crushing his body as he flew at high speed towards one of the cavern's structures.
"What monstrous strength is this!?" The thought screamed in his mind as his body was about to crash against the wall.
But then—
Time twisted.
Reality distorted like a movie rewinding at high speed.
Ryan stopped time right at the instant before Toji's kick hit him.
Toji was still there, leg raised, about to deliver the blow. But now, Ryan knew what was coming.
Time returned to normal.
"...Brute strength!"
Anticipating the impact, Ryan used his knee to absorb part of the blow. But even with the preparation, the impact was brutal. He was hurled backward like a projectile, his chest burning from the absurd force of the kick.
This time, however, he spun in the air and landed smoothly on the roof of one of the houses, his eyes immediately scanning the area in front of him.
But something was wrong.
Toji was already there.
Too close.
"W-What!?" Ryan barely had time to process before—
BANG!
A sonic boom.
The air vibrated with a dry crack as Toji's fist met his ribs. The pain was instantaneous, a sharp shock that ran through every nerve in his body.
"THE BASTARD BREAKS THE SOUND BARRIER!"
The blow doubled him over. His vision blurred for an instant. He tasted the bitter taste of blood rising in his throat.
But then, he spun time again.
Reality twisted, bringing him back to the moment he had landed on the roof.
This time, he was ready.
The rumble came again. Toji's fist tore through the space where Ryan should have been, but now he had already dodged, sliding back at the last instant.
In the brief space of time he managed to create between them, Ryan saw Toji's cynical smile widen.
"Huh? Don't tell me you're just going to keep dodging, kid."
The taunt came loaded with pure mockery.
Ryan backed away, his eyes frantic, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Tsk, shit."
Toji wasn't just strong.
He was a monster.
Arona's voice sounded in Ryan's mind, with that childish and mischievous tone as always:
"What do you mean, Sensei? You have waaaay more energy than him!"
Ryan kept his eyes fixed on Toji, his body moving instinctively as he jumped from one roof to another, trying to keep his distance. His response came loaded with sarcasm:
"Yes, Arona, I do. But there's a slight problem there."
Her voice overflowed with innocence.
"Problem?"
Ryan gritted his teeth.
"YES, DAMN IT! NOW THAT I DON'T NEED TO WHISTLE TO MARK TIME ANYMORE, I GAINED THE ABILITY TO REWIND MUCH FURTHER AND WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT THE POINT... BUT IT CONSUMES TWICE THE ENERGY!"
Arona let out a muffled laugh, a sound of pure mockery.
"Pfffft, do you seriously think that's a problem, Sensei?"
Ryan landed on another roof, sliding lightly on the worn tiles. His eyes didn't leave Toji, analyzing every movement, every shift in weight.
"Isn't it?"
Arona's voice took on a professorial tone, as if she were explaining something obvious to a stubborn child.
"With your new powers, you can control time better. Of course, you feel a greater energy consumption because you increased the complexity of the technique... But have you ever stopped to think that, if the technique became much more complex and consumes waaaay more energy, you also increased your capacity to store it?"
Ryan frowned. His hands tightened on the hilt of his sword more forcefully.
"I know that, Arona. The problem is that I still can't maximize the efficiency of my energy, it's like trying to flex all muscles at the same time. It's too exhausting!"
Before he could continue reasoning, Toji's voice cut him off like a blade.
"You seem to be daydreaming, kid!"
The assassin shot towards him, his absurd speed turning his advance into a blur of movement.
Ryan reacted at the right instant. His arm rose and the shot came in a quick reflex—
CLANG!
Toji deflected the bullet with a subtle twist of his blade, without losing momentum.
But Ryan had already foreseen this. He used the moment Toji spent blocking the shot to launch himself backward, jumping off the roof at the last instant before the sword reached him.
In the air, he spun his body and squeezed the trigger repeatedly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Toji moved like a demon, dodging the projectiles with minimal twists of his body, each movement flowing instinctively and precisely.
From the ground, Geto watched with clenched fists. His locked jaw made it clear the hatred boiling inside him.
Riko, still shaken, kept her eyes wide open. Her body trembled, but she didn't take her eyes off the fight.
Ryan landed on a new building, sliding one foot back to stabilize his body. With a single movement, he pulled out another magazine of ammunition and snapped it into the gun with a dry click.
"Okay..." he murmured to himself, his eyes returning to fix on Toji. "The best way to learn something is by doing... And the good thing is that I can repeat a few times."
His heart beat fast, his mind burned in constant analysis.
The game was just beginning.
Ryan had no time to breathe.
Toji was already moving again.
"Damn!"
The assassin crossed the distance between them in an instant, his sword coming in a deadly arc.
Ryan barely had time to react. He threw his body back, feeling the blade whiz past his chest, cutting through the air where he had been a second before.
His left foot slipped on the roof, almost making him lose his balance.
Toji was already turning his fist for another blow.
Ryan couldn't continue on the defensive.
With a grunt, he spun his body and fired point-blank.
BANG!
The bullet came fast.
Toji, however, tilted his head at the last second.
The projectile passed close to his face, cutting a strand of his black hair.
His eyes fixed on Ryan, a smile curving his lips.
"Not fast enough, kid."
Ryan gritted his teeth and forced his body to move.
This time, he attacked first.
The sword scratched the air in a diagonal blow.
Toji ducked.
Ryan twisted his wrist and slashed horizontally.
Toji took a step back, escaping by inches.
Before Ryan could continue, Toji counterattacked.
A brutal kick hit his forearm, knocking his blade off axis.
The assassin took advantage of the opening and attacked with his sword.
Tsc!
Ryan threw himself backward, narrowly dodging the blow, but the impact of the blade's wind passed close to his face, making his hair stir.
He landed on the roof of another building, sliding until his feet were firm.
"Shit... He's forcing me into a reflexes game... Then I'll have to dance to a different rhythm..."
Geto watched the fight, his fists trembling.
"Damn it... Ryan, let me help you!"
Riko sobbed softly beside him, tears still streaming down.
But she didn't take her eyes off Ryan.
She wouldn't blink.
She wouldn't miss a single second.
Ryan took a deep breath.
"STAY IN YOUR CORNER AND TAKE CARE OF RIKO DAMN IT!" Ryan yelled as he focused.
Time seemed to slow down in his mind.
His eyes ran over Toji's body.
Every movement.
Every shift in weight.
Every slight tension in his muscles.
He was beginning to understand.
Toji was toying with him.
"Right..."
Ryan bent his knees.
"...I get your rhythm now, you bastard."
Toji raised an eyebrow.
Then Ryan attacked.
And this time, the game changed.
He stepped back a millisecond before Toji's attack came.
The assassin wasn't expecting that.
Ryan took advantage of the surprise.
With a spin, he delivered a direct kick to Toji's chest.
Ryan focused his divine energy into his legs, channeling it with precision; he knew this was the only way to cause real damage to Toji.
The impact made the assassin slide backward.
For the first time, Toji seemed slightly impressed.
He ran his hand over his chest, where he felt the blow.
Then he smiled.
"Hah... Interesting."
Ryan spun the sword in his hand.
His chest rose and fell, his body seethed with adrenaline.
He knew he was still nowhere near winning.
But now...
Now he knew he could fight.
Ryan thought as he stared at Toji, "I'm slower than you... So I need to act a few seconds earlier."