Chapter 12: Complete Team

Lin didn't back down and launched a kick at Jasper, but Jasper swiftly stepped back and deflected it with his hand.

"Not bad, Neo 7! You've gotten stronger. But... aren't you a little too cocky for calling me weak?" Lin snapped, throwing another strike.

This time, Jasper didn't retreat. He lunged forward, clashing his claws against Lin's.

("In the cave, my copy was physically stronger than the XCP. Let's see if that still applies.") Jasper thought, gritting his teeth and increasing the pressure on Lin.

"You bastard, what the hell are you doing?!" Lin shouted as he watched his claws begin to crack.

The theory was correct. Jasper's claws were stronger.

Realizing he was at a disadvantage, Lin quickly backed off, taking several steps away while his claws slowly regenerated.

"Wow, Snow... I've got to admit, you're impressive," she said with a faint smile.

Jasper stepped forward calmly, never taking his eyes off her.

"I'm glad you haven't been wasting your time."

But then, a familiar voice echoed from behind.

"Too busy talking to watch your back?"

Before he could react, Jasper was launched into the air by a sudden blow from a wooden sword.

Suse had appeared, swinging the weapon with precision.

"Neo 5, want to make a deal?" she asked, locking eyes with Jasper.

"I always get the short end when I deal with you," Lin replied with a crooked grin.

"You were going to lose anyway. I need you to watch the alien girl today... it's impossible for me."

Suse began walking toward Jasper as she spoke.

Lin shifted her gaze toward Neo 8, who was floating beside a multicolored unicorn.

"Just say Neo 7 is more fun," she muttered, walking toward Neo 8.

Jasper, regaining his stance, understood what was happening. It was now his turn with Neo 4.

Without hesitation, he charged at Suse. She reacted instantly, and the two clashed evenly.

Despite using a wooden sword, Suse had no problem deflecting the blows from Jasper's claws.

"You're stronger, Neo 7. I'm glad. But it doesn't change anything. You can't beat me."

Suse unleashed a barrage of slashes. Jasper barely managed to dodge them.

He countered, but her movements were erratic, impossible to predict. Every strike missed.

("I can't let her overwhelm me.") Jasper thought, retreating a few steps.

He closed his eyes and felt the energy building up inside him.

Suse, seeing an opening, went in for the finishing strike.

But she froze the moment Jasper opened his eyes. His pupils now glowed with numbers... like hers.

"This is insane..." Jasper muttered.

He had copied Suse's power.

His vision had changed. He could only partially see what was in front of him, as if his field of view was restricted.

If he focused, he could widen his range of sight, but everything else became faster, distorted—like the world was speeding up.

He understood now. Neo 4's ability wasn't just speed.

"Welcome to my world, Snow. I call it Glitch."

Suse's voice sounded close. Too close. Jasper tried to turn—but he didn't see her. The hit came first.

Still, he got back up, staggering as he adjusted to the new vision.

"My body and mind exist in both this reality and a parallel one. There, I can manipulate frames: speed up or slow down my perception," Suse explained, launching another attack.

Jasper focused and managed to see the strike. But it wasn't enough. It was too fast.

"But there's a price. The more you manipulate perception, the more distorted reality becomes. You see the world based on your chosen frame rate. The trick... is learning to fight through that distortion."

She pinned him down and slammed him into the ground.

"And you, Jasper... you're still green."

She raised the wooden sword for the finishing blow.

But Jasper vanished—and reappeared behind her.

"You know, Suse, I play a lot of video games," Jasper said with a grin.

Suse spun around, but Jasper had already thrown a punch.

("I just have to keep the pressure on!") Jasper thought, pushing the frames to their limit.

His body moved at an inhuman speed, throwing relentless strikes. The air trembled between them, like time was melting away with each blow.

Suse noticed the shift and increased her frames too, matching Jasper's pace. The scene became chaotic—two nearly invisible figures exchanging attacks at lightning speed.

For a moment, Jasper thought he had the advantage. He noticed brief lapses of sluggishness in Suse's speed and thought he was wearing her down...until a sharp jab went through his face.

His eyes began to bleed.

Forced backward, he gasped for air. Suse stood in front of him, unfazed.

"Cognitive overload, Neo 7," she said, serious but not mocking. "You pushed your mind too far."

"Why do you think I slowed down?" she continued, approaching calmly. "My ability might be better, but my body's still human. I had to give my brain a break."

It was clear: he had lost.

"Not... not yet," Jasper muttered, swaying as blood ran down his face.

"When a girl gives you an order, you should listen... especially this one."

A hand rested on his shoulder. Jasper turned in surprise. F16 stood behind him, smiling.

"Oh, okay, sir, I'll—" he started, but stopped as he looked up.

Another F16—identical—was still floating, holding the pear.

("Wait... there are two?")

Before he could react, a blade cut through the air.

"What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?!" Suse screamed, punching the imposter.

The fake F16 dodged easily. Jasper looked at Suse. She was furious—truly furious.

"Geez... so that's what makes you yell like that, Suse. Turns out it was you, you son of a bitch."

Lin appeared, holding Neo 8 in her arms, who was fast asleep. Her tone was playful, but tension filled the air.

"Come on, guys, long time no see," Fake F16 said, smirking without a hint of shame.

"Who is that?" Jasper asked, confused.

"That asshole is the bastard who claims to be our teammate," Suse spat, her eyes still burning with hatred.

The figure began to glitch, slowly revealing his true form.

He looked about Jasper's age. He wore a leather vest, and his long hair fell messily over his shoulders. The look in his eyes... was pure chaos in style.

"That bastard is Neo 6. Or, as he calls himself... Slavik," Lin growled through clenched teeth, clearly furious.

"Relax, guys. No need to be so mad," Neo 6 replied, pulling out a pair of golden cards with a wicked grin.

Each card bore a single word: Mission.

"We're heading to the Old West tomorrow."