Sora clenched his teeth with a terrified look — staring at Ris, who stood atop a wall. The scent of fresh blood permeated the air, and for a moment, everything fell silent.
Ris clenched his jaw tighter and tighter. His wide eyes locked onto the decapitated bodies on the ground — killed by his own hands.
Blood flowed across the ground, yet the city, strangely, remained calm.
In the blink of an eye, Sora could no longer see Ris. Suddenly, he reappeared right in front of Sora, wearing a sadistic smile and eyes filled with utter contempt for humanity. He raised two fingers, aiming them straight at Sora's eyes.
In a swift, strategic move, Sora pulled his left leg back and lifted his body, dodging the strike with precision. Ris, his red eyes glowing, stared at Sora and, with a cold and seemingly impressed voice, said:
— "Impressive..." — the serious tone was accompanied by a twisted smile. — "For a human like you, that's truly impressive."
Sora glared back, filled with pure rage, his mind trying to process what had just happened. His body trembled, his breathing ragged, and his feet stood in the blood of four decapitated comrades.
— "What the hell is going on…" — he muttered, voice trembling and desperate. — "This guy… that look… he doesn't seem human…"
Ris's steps were slow. The sadistic smile never left his face. He paused for a moment and cracked his neck.
Crack. Crack.
— "I'd love to stay and play a little more… but I'm in a hurry," said Ris with a firm voice and eyes that gleamed intensely. — "So don't resist. Let me kill you painlessly… human."
In the blink of an eye, Ris reappeared in front of Sora with a kick ready to land. But Sora, at high speed, held his position. He crossed his fingers and, desperate, shouted with a trembling voice:
— "Absolute Space: Swap!"
Pinck! Pinck!
Before Ris could react, he had already swapped places with Sora.
— "What is this?" — Ris asked, surprised, eyes wide.
Where Sora once stood, a white energy field formed: Absolute Space. Sora now stood in Ris's position — and launched a kick fueled by white energy.
The ground cracked around the field. The impact was devastating, hurling Ris into a building and smashing him through the wall.
Sora stopped, breathing heavily, unsure if his blow had any real effect.
Chunks of the wall crumbled and flew. Ris stood back up, with an even scarier, impressed grin. His gaze was that of a predator who had found worthy prey.
— "Whatever that power of yours is… I have to admit," said Ris, savoring the battle. — "That was even more impressive. Show me more!"
Ris moved like lightning. The speed was overwhelming. Dust rose. He reappeared behind Sora, fist ready to strike his back.
Sora raised his eyes just in time to catch the movement. Barely. The punch nearly landed. He crossed his fingers again:
— "Absolute Space: Swap!"
Again, Ris failed to understand the power. They swapped positions once more. Ris was now inside the white energy field. Sora appeared behind him and landed a punch powered by Absolute Space.
The impact was fast and brutal. Ris was sent flying, rolling at high speed, face and body scraping the ground, crashing into another wall, which cracked under the impact.
Sora held his stance, focusing on where Ris had crashed. With confidence and a firm voice, he declared:
— "If I keep this up, he'll never beat me. I'm going to finish this now."
The wall Ris crashed into cracked all the way to the top. He stood up, looking broken. He spat blood and glared at Sora.
— "I think I underestimated you…" — said Ris, sarcastic but also acknowledging. — "I'll kill you right now."
Ris, confident in his power, dug his foot into the ground. A chilling whisper escaped his lips:
— "First Resurrection."
BOOM! BOOM!
A devastating aura surged around Ris. Everything darkened. The air grew heavy. His eyes now had two colors: red and black.
Sora, shocked and desperate, tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
— "Shit… what is this…?" — his eyes trembled with despair. — "I won't lose! If I keep using my power… I'll never lose!"
Ris vanished at insane speed. Sora focused completely. His eyes tracked Ris. Just before the attack, Sora joined his fingers:
— "Absolute Space: Swap!"
Ris appeared very close, wearing a demonic smile. He also crossed his fingers and spoke with a cold voice:
— "Reversion: Power Mediator."
BOOM!
The Absolute Space energy was reversed into an opposing force — a cold energy — and launched at Sora. The impact was brutal. He was thrown into a wall, spitting blood.
Before he could hit the ground, Ris was already there. With a brutal strike, he sent Sora crashing through several walls. He collapsed, stones falling on top of him.
Ris appeared, grabbing Sora's head and staring into his bloody eyes.
— "You're strong… don't tell me that little power of yours is already spent?" — said Ris with cold delight.
Sora tried to speak, but couldn't. He was thrown against the ceiling. As he fell, Ris landed a kick to his chest, sending him flying out of the building. Sora could barely move.
— "Help… please…" — his trembling voice barely escaped. Fear consumed him. His broken body struggled to resist.
Ris, still smiling, prepared for the final blow.
BOOM!
A burst of light erupted. The ground split. Glass shattered. Ris was thrown into a wall but stopped himself by driving his arm into the ground.
Nina appeared. Her eyes showed the kindness and resolve of a determined woman.
— "You're badly hurt! Are you in pain?" — she asked, concerned.
Sora, vision blurry, replied:
— "What's your name?"
— "Oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself… You can call me Nina!"
— "Thank you, Nina…" — said Sora, exhausted.
Ris glared at Nina with even more pleasure, thrilled to face two powerful opponents. He whispered:
— "Third Resurrection."
A dark aura engulfed the area. He vanished at extreme speed. But when he reappeared, Nina was already holding Sora by the neck, teleporting with him.
Ris, standing still, bit his lip and whispered with rage:
— "Running won't save you from death."
---
Elsewhere…
In a luxurious room in the real world, everything looked pristine. A man in a white suit with black hair, somewhat tall, sat beside a bed where a pale girl, around 10 years old, lay with chapped lips.
— "You'll wake up soon, my daughter… I'm so close to having the elixir… Nothing will stop me from saving you. I promise…" — he said, shedding tears.
He left the room and walked into a hall full of employees working at computers, monitoring the game. Stopping next to one of them, he asked:
— "How many players actually have the potential to reach the elixir?"
His voice was cold, calculating, without remorse.
The employee respectfully enlarged the screen. Four faces appeared: Nemor, Sasuke, Nina, and Revild.
— "At the moment, these are the top contenders, sir."
— "Good. Keep me informed at all times," said the man, his tone that of someone on the verge of losing everything in the real world… drowning in despair.