Chapter 32: The Perfect Enemy

Silence weighed heavily after those words. Mayu felt her breath catch for a moment. "What I should have been…" Those words echoed inside her like a sentence. The man in front of her was not just an enemy. He was the culmination of Project Azur. A version of her… enhanced.

The clone, or whatever he was, moved first. He didn't run; he glided through the air, quick, fluid, unstoppable. Mayu narrowly dodged a first strike, feeling the rush of air brush her cheek. She countered with a quick knife attack, aiming for his flank, but her blade met only empty space.

A violent impact exploded against her stomach. Her breath was knocked out as she was hurled backward. She rolled for several meters before painfully getting back on her feet, pain radiating throughout her body.

Haru and Akira leaped into the fray, attacking in unison. Akira aimed for the clone's leg with a sweeping kick, while Haru struck directly at his torso. But the enemy moved like a ghost, evading each assault with insulting ease.

He didn't just dodge. He anticipated.

He seized Akira's wrist in a swift motion and twisted brutally. A sinister crack echoed, followed by Akira's cry as he collapsed, his arm hanging uselessly.

Haru roared in rage and charged again, this time with fierce speed. But his opponent parried each blow with icy precision before delivering a knee strike to Haru's ribs, followed by an elbow to his temple. Haru crumpled to his knees, breathless.

Mayu was already on her feet. Rage boiled within her.

This man… This monster…

She couldn't lose here.

She gripped her knife tightly and leapt.

The enemy watched her approach and raised an arm to block. But this time, Mayu wasn't aiming for a direct hit.

At the last moment, she spun around, using her momentum to circle her opponent and strike at his back.

Her blade found its mark.

A metallic sound echoed.

Mayu's eyes widened.

She had just struck… armor beneath his suit.

The enemy seized her arm before she could pull back. An inhuman strength lifted her off the ground and slammed her against the wall with incredible force.

The impact blurred her vision. Her body refused to move for a fraction of a second.

She looked up.

The enemy stared at her, emotionless.

— You are obsolete.

Mayu gritted her teeth.

She knew it.

But that didn't mean she was going to give up.

She took a deep breath and stood up.

— We'll see about that.

She plunged back into the battle.