The Hellion specialist lunged, energy blade humming with a low, murderous whine.
Ryo moved to intercept.
Faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
Their attacks collided, sending out sparks and shockwaves as steel met raw kinetic force.
But something had changed.
Ryo wasn't just reacting anymore.
He was predicting.
The Evolution of a Killer
> [COMBAT ADAPTATION ENGAGED.]
[ANALYZING ENEMY MOVEMENT PATTERNS…]
[PROCESSING…]
[SPEED MATCHED. STRENGTH MATCHED. EXECUTING COUNTER-STRATEGY.]
Ryo's mind snapped into place.
The specialist **vanished again—**his blink-speed movement faster than the eye could track.
But Ryo saw it coming.
Not with his eyes.
With the system.
He shifted before the attack even landed.
> [CALCULATED DODGE SUCCESS: 98%]
The blade missed his throat by millimeters.
And Ryo struck back.
A punch—no, an execution.
Full power.
His fist slammed into the specialist's chest plate—
The armor cracked.
The bastard staggered.
For the first time—the Hellion soldier looked… surprised.
Ryo grinned.
Predator Mode Activated
> [NEW THRESHOLD REACHED: PREDATOR MODE UNLOCKED.]
[ALL PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES ENHANCED FOR 30 SECONDS.]
Ryo's **body burned—**but in a good way.
Like a machine revving up for war.
He vanished.
The specialist's visor flickered.
He barely had time to react before—
Ryo was behind him.
> "Holy shit, rookie. You're the monster now."
A brutal elbow to the spine.
The specialist **lurched forward—**but Ryo was already moving again.
> [STRATEGIC MOMENTUM CALCULATED.]
He grabbed the back of the soldier's head—
And drove his knee into his helmet.
CRACK.
The visor shattered.
The specialist stumbled, disoriented.
Ryo didn't stop.
He was on him.
A punch to the ribs. Armor buckled.
A roundhouse kick to the skull. Servos sparked.
The specialist tried to **counter—**but he was too slow now.
Because Ryo had evolved past him.
The Breaking Point
The specialist swayed, bleeding from the mouth.
> "Impossible."
His voice was distorted. Glitching.
Ryo tilted his head. "Not really."
The system pinged.
> [OPPONENT HAS REACHED CRITICAL DAMAGE THRESHOLD.]
> [FINAL STRIKE RECOMMENDED.]
Ryo clenched his fist.
His next move wasn't an attack.
It was a decision.
Did he kill this bastard?
Or did he spare him?
The answer would change everything.