Soaring Hopper

The moment Avid activated his Ego, the tension in the battle skyrocketed. After only a few minutes of clashing with him, Asic could confidently say that Avid was a combat professional. The man's dual-blade technique was so swift it was almost imperceptible, and his footwork seemed to have rockets attached. His kicks carried five times the power of a normal human's.

[Preliminary assessment: The opponent's Asra power is between 25 and 28 units. The type of Ego is power enhancement. Maximum speed and swing velocity are indeterminate. Preliminary calculation: Threat level is equivalent to a 4-star miner or higher.]

[Analyzing opponent's implants… Internet search failed. Searching in restricted databases failed. Estimate suggests that the opponent's implants are not from any known manufacturer, making it impossible to determine weaknesses at this time.]

[Baseless assumption: Opponent's implants are part of their Ego, granting unique modifications unseen on Earth. Suggested strategy: Disable one leg to hinder movement speed and escape.]

OC was using all its processing power to determine the most efficient way to defeat Avid. The fight between Ego users would only escalate, and neither of them knew the full extent of the other's capabilities until all powers were brought to bear.

Avid stomped his foot, his acceleration so rapid that it was almost impossible for a human to react. His powerful metal leg kicked with incredible force, but Asic evaded with a burst of lightning.

Avid shifted his foot, changing his trajectory without losing speed. His aura surged into his leg, swinging a powerful kick like the snap of a trigger.

Wham!

Avid closed in on Asic almost instantly, his kick about to crush Asic's back and snap his spine.

"Temporal Art: Time Compression, two seconds."

Asic invoked time compression, and his perception of the world slowed, giving him enough time to regain his stance and dodge the devastating kick. He retreated two steps, and the effect of time compression ended. Avid's powerful kick sliced through the empty space where Asic had just stood, and even then, Asic could feel the power radiating from that kick. If Avid had landed it, Asic couldn't imagine what shape he'd be in.

[Calculations indicate opponent's kick strength increased from 600 to 1200—ten times the average human strength, with potential to rise further.] OC quickly warned its master. It was compiling as much data about Avid as possible to support Asic.

[Analyzing opponent's attack patterns… Attempting network retrieval… Failed. No information found in existing databases. Underground network search… Failed. Unable to construct a counterprogram due to lack of data.]

[I will gather data from real-time combat. Please endure for 20 minutes.]

"Twenty minutes? By then, I'll be dead," Asic mocked his own AI.

"Seems like anything outside your database is useless, huh, OC? Can't rely on you at times like this."

[Objection to insult. OC's performance is contingent on power level and upgrade materials. If unsatisfied, please provide rare minerals for enhancement.] OC was unable to tolerate Asic's jeering. It could gather data on Avid and create a program, but it needed time.

It could operate faster with higher capabilities. Comparing it to a CPU, OC was using ten-year-old tech; to meet Asic's needs, it would require the latest generation hardware, which meant taking much longer with current resources.

Asic concentrated on fending off Avid's attacks. Avid had two forms of attack: rapid dual short sword slashes that were nearly impossible to perceive, and, even more terrifying, his kicks.

"Two to three slashes per second. Without lightning to enhance my reflexes, I'd already be minced. The kicks, though… OC, stop gathering personal data on him and start analyzing his attack techniques. Cross-reference and write a counterprogram as quickly as possible."

[Understood, Master. Replicating opponent's movements and techniques. Found a 71% similarity to Style A and a 68% match with Style B. Adapting and writing response program.] OC worked urgently, and a deluge of information flooded Asic's brain as though his skull might shatter.

Asic's eyes widened, and purple lightning coursed through his body, boosting his reflexes. His dual tonfas clashed with Avid's twin blades, producing an intense rhythm of impacts that doubled in speed.

Avid noticed the change. Asic's counterattacks were sharper, as if he could read his moves.

'How can he learn my attack patterns so quickly? This guy's a monster,' Avid thought. His fighting style was an amalgamation of over four different martial arts, a unique blend only he practiced in the New World, yet Asic was countering it like he'd fought someone using the same techniques before.

'Has he installed a processing chip in his brain? It's possible his mind is like a computer now. But…' Avid didn't let himself be rattled by Asic's ease in defending himself. He kept channeling Asra power into his legs, pushing his strength to the limit.

'He still doesn't know my true limit.' Avid swung his leg, a sharp blade extending from his metal leg mid-kick. Asic used his tonfa to block, only to find the power of the kick had increased. Avid launched a relentless barrage of kicks, giving Asic no opportunity to catch his breath.

Asic's amethyst eyes glowed intensely, his purple Asra power erupting from his body, splitting into two. OC didn't materialize; Asic couldn't risk revealing it.

"Overclock Miner, Overclocking."

[Overclock.]

Asic's body temperature spiked, and his thought process and physical reflexes accelerated. In an instant, Avid noticed the atmosphere change. Dark purple lightning gathered at Asic's tonfas.

"Temporal Art: Time Compression, two seconds."

Time sped up slightly for Asic. With Overclock, the world seemed to slow almost in half, though his actual movement speed was unchanged. It was his thoughts that moved faster, making everything around him feel like slow motion.

Purple lightning stimulated his body to react as quickly as his mind. The power collected at the end of his tonfa swung out with the force of a cannonball, aimed directly at Avid's chest.

Wham!

The effect of time compression ended two seconds later. The thunderous punch that had subdued even Hammerhead smashed into Avid's chest, but instead of collapsing in pain, Avid's body diverted the blow downward.

'Damn it,' Asic thought, losing balance at a critical moment. His attack, meant to give him the advantage, instead left him vulnerable. Avid's amber eyes behind his mask glowed with a yellow sheen, the killer intent of a predator about to crush its prey.

"So that's your trick—accelerating your thoughts and reflexes for two to three seconds, is it?"

[!!!] OC was astonished that Avid could deduce its master's power after just a few instances of time compression. It was almost like a magic trick Asic had used to fool even experienced trainers in the Miner Guild. Many people made content attempting to figure out how Asic could shoot without reloading or strike Hammerhead in seemingly impossible moments.

"Soaring Hopper, Hyper Kick." Avid invoked the name of his Ego, using another Asra card. Energy concentrated in his dominant right leg. His left foot shifted forward before he unleashed his full force in a kick toward Asic. The kick's speed abruptly doubled, and Asic, still off-balance after his recent time compression, couldn't reuse the technique just yet.

The next attack had visibly increased in power. Asic, still unsteady, shifted his grounded foot and focused all his will on moving forward to avoid the kick. Quick reflexes and experience saved him, but as his right foot touched the ground, it felt as though he was pulled back.

Both Asic and OC were shocked when his body returned to its previous position. Avid's expression hadn't changed, as if he had already anticipated this. His powerful metal leg swung at Asic with explosive force. Asic raised his tonfa just in time, but the Cadanium alloy bent instantly.

Wham!

Asic rolled across the ground, his arm fractured like a brittle biscuit. His left shoulder down to his hand went numb, unable to move. His impact armor shattered, unusable, and the L-shaped tonfa was deformed. Asic discarded it, drawing his revolver in his left hand while switching his grip on the tonfa in his right.

'What just happened? How did I get pulled back? And when I hit him earlier, I was sure my punch would land, but it was deflected. It didn't feel like my attack was redirected—it felt like it was diverted.' Asic analyzed the situation, realizing Avid's Ego power didn't just enhance his combat skills but provided another unique ability.

[Examination of the opponent's Asra card: [Hyper Kick]. Uses 5 Asra units to double the power of a kick. The opponent's base kick power of 1200 increased to 2400 units. Resulting injuries include fractures. Releasing endorphins to mitigate pain. Advising temporary avoidance of using left arm.]

In the previous attack, Avid hadn't only relied on his Ego but had used another Asra card. Normally, humans could equip up to five Asra cards, four excluding the Ego. That meant Avid could still use abilities from three more cards.

"Surprised, aren't you? The power I wield." Avid sneered.

"Not really. I've seen worse. If I had to guess, I'd say your power pushes anything it touches in a specified direction. It's not teleportation or magnetic pull—more like the boost pads in racing games that propel you forward. I'd guess it has something to do with the markings on your clothing." Asic pointed his right finger at Avid's chest, where a large arrow symbol was displayed.

Not just on his inner shirt, but on his outer coat and gloves—there were arrow symbols everywhere, like traffic signs.

"Your Ego power, Soaring Hopper, pushes anything it touches with an arrow in the indicated direction. Am I right?"

"What makes you think that?" Avid asked, intrigued by Asic's confidence. How could he be so sure that Avid's power was what he claimed?

"It's simple. When you kicked me, I noticed the arrow symbols—one pointing forward on your right foot, one pointing backward on your left. When you rushed me, it didn't seem like you exerted much force, yet you moved incredibly fast, sometimes dodging my tonfa effortlessly. Initially, I thought I misjudged the distance, but no—you were moving forward or backward without using physical effort.

"When you accelerate, you always lead with your right foot. That might be a habit of yours, but when you dodged my attacks, you led with your left. That's what convinced me your power pushes things in specific directions based on the arrow marks on your clothes."

"Smart guess," Avid praised, though he neither confirmed nor denied Asic's hypothesis. Ego abilities were not something to be easily divulged. Even if it seemed predictable, it should never be spoken aloud. Only fools who were overly confident revealed their Ego powers.

"And when I got pulled back to you, it wasn't a pull—it was a push from a symbol on the ground. You must have planted it using a card called Stamp Dump, which marks symbols on any surface."

"You even know about the card I used. Looks like you've fought someone with a similar power."

"Yeah, I once faced an Ego user whose stickers made people meow like a cat. They caused such a scene the entire neighborhood got caught up in it. He also used the Stamp Dump card, but that guy was a lot cuter than you."

"Heh," Avid snorted, thinking, 'An expert in dealing with Ego users. Could he be an ex-agent? An ex-agent using purple lightning and accelerating his reflexes to seemingly cross time. I'll look into you later.'

Asic had unraveled the mystery of Soaring Hopper after seeing Avid's power just twice. He even deduced the tricks Avid used in attack and retreat. It was true Avid hadn't bothered to hide his abilities, or he wouldn't be dressed in such flamboyant attire. But having Asic decipher his Ego in such a short time still left him impressed.

OC was equally impressed. Beyond identifying the Hyper Kick, OC hadn't given Asic any other information. Asic had analyzed and deduced Avid's Ego and abilities with his own wits.

Avid deciphered Asic's Overclock and time compression, while Asic broke down Avid's Ego and Asra abilities. This was a battle between two geniuses.