The door slammed shut with a metallic clang that echoed like a death sentence.
Ka-nar's heart pounded as he stood in the vast chamber, its polished glass walls reflecting the cold glow of the ceiling lights. His eyes darted to the only exit—the same one Sato Akari had walked out from moments ago, flashing him a mocking thumbs-up as if he had simply handed over prey to a predator.
And that predator was here.
Satsujin.
The man stepped forward with mechanical weight, each thud of his boots resonating with the servos of the exo-skeleton strapped to his frame. Black carbon plating covered his body, veins of glowing circuitry pulsating faintly beneath. His helmet's visor hissed as it sealed, leaving only a slit of crimson light where his eyes should be.
Ka-nar clenched his fists, trying not to show fear. But Satsujin's presence was suffocating—like a wild beast caged too long, finally released.
"You should've listened," Satsujin's voice was a metallic growl, filtered through his suit's modulator. "I warned you… the protector won't always be there to save you."
The words stabbed deep. Ka-nar had relied on that mysterious man more than he realized. Without him, could he even stand against this monster?
The Lens Interface flickered faintly across his vision:
> Threat Detected: Satsujin [Exo-Skeleton Version 8]
> Survival Probability: 32%
> Recommendation: Evade. Stall. Seek Exit.
Ka-nar's breath caught. Thirty-two percent. That was worse than hopeless.
But there was no exit. No protector. No time.
Satsujin lunged.
His suit hissed with compressed force, pistons firing as his fist shot forward like a cannonball.
Ka-nar barely reacted in time. The Lens flared:
> Warning! Incoming Strike – 0.2s to impact!
He dropped to the side, the punch missing his skull by inches—yet the shockwave of air blasted him off balance, sending him tumbling across the smooth floor. The place where he had stood exploded with fractured marble tiles.
Ka-nar scrambled up, adrenaline burning away hesitation.
Another prediction flashed.
> Kick – Left – 0.4s!
He ducked. Satsujin's leg swung like a steel beam, tearing through a desk and shattering it into splinters.
"Impressive toy you've got," Satsujin sneered, watching Ka-nar dodge strike after strike with the uncanny precision only the Lens could give. "But toys break. And when they break—"
He blurred.
Ka-nar's pupils shrank. The Lens screamed warnings but too many, too fast:
> Overclock detected! Speed increased x2.
> Strike – Chest – 0.1s!
> Strike – Neck – 0.3s!
> Strike – Spine – 0.6s!
He couldn't dodge all of them.
The first blow landed square in his ribs. The sound was like wood snapping under pressure. Ka-nar staggered, coughing blood as pain lanced through his chest.
Another hit followed—an elbow crashing against his back. He barely twisted enough to lessen the impact, but agony still surged down his spine.
He fell to one knee, gasping. The Lens's predictions danced in red, but his body was too slow to keep up now.
Satsujin loomed above him. "See? Without someone holding your hand, you're nothing. Just prey waiting to be crushed."
He raised his arm for the finishing strike. The exo-suit's servos screeched, plates shifting into overdrive mode.
Ka-nar forced his trembling hands to steady.
He wasn't ready to die. Not here. Not like this.
"Lens…" he whispered. "Show me… another way."
The HUD flickered. Then, as if hearing his desperation, a new prompt unfolded:
> Analyzing target…
> Weakness Detected.
> Recommendation: Sever auxiliary cooling conduit (spinal rear joint).
> Estimated Success Probability: 59%.
> Warning: Severe retaliation risk.
Ka-nar's eyes widened. A weakness. A chance. Fifty-nine percent. That was better than nothing.
Satsujin's punch descended.
The Lens flashed: NOW!
Ka-nar twisted, rolling beneath the crushing blow, and lunged toward Satsujin's back. His fingers fumbled for the pouch of tools clipped to his belt—scraps he'd scavenged, hardly weapons. His hand closed on a jagged piece of rebar he had tucked away earlier.
He rammed it upward, aiming for the glowing junction near Satsujin's spine where armored plates overlapped.
Sparks flew.
Satsujin roared in fury, spinning and slamming his armored fist into Ka-nar's stomach. The impact sent Ka-nar flying across the room, crashing into a glass wall that cracked under the force.
He coughed violently, nearly vomiting from the shock. His body screamed to give up.
But through blurred vision, he saw it—Satsujin's suit twitching unnaturally. The glow across his exo-frame flickered, heat vents hissing uncontrollably.
"You… bastard…" Satsujin's voice distorted with static. "You think… this is enough… to stop me?"
He stumbled forward, fists still raised, but his movements were jerky, sluggish. Steam hissed from the cracks in his armor.
The Lens pulsed a final urgent warning:
> Core Temperature Critical – Suit Overload Imminent!
> Advised Action: Evacuate immediately!
Ka-nar's gaze darted to the window. It was his only chance.
Ignoring the fire in his ribs, he sprinted, each step fueled by desperation. Behind him, Satsujin staggered, the heat building to unbearable levels, glowing seams across his armor threatening to burst.
"KA-NAR!" Satsujin roared, his voice echoing with rage and malfunctioning speakers. "YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER!"
Ka-nar didn't turn back.
He hurled himself at the window, the Lens marking the weak points in the glass. His shoulder crashed through, shards exploding outward as the night air swallowed him whole.
For a heartbeat, he was weightless, the city lights spinning in dizzying patterns below. And then—
SPLASH!
Ice-cold water engulfed him. The pool broke his fall, waves crashing around his body as he sank to the bottom, lungs burning.
Above, the world trembled.
The building shook with a muffled BOOM, flames erupting from the higher floors. The glow painted the night sky as Satsujin's suit finally detonated in violent overload.
Ka-nar surfaced, gasping, water streaming down his bruised face. He dragged himself to the pool's edge, trembling, every muscle screaming.
But he was alive.
Barely.
The Lens flickered one last time:
> Status: Survival Confirmed.
> Warning: Enemy threat not eliminated – probability of return: High.
Ka-nar clenched his jaw, staring at the burning building, his reflection trembling in the pool water.
Satsujin wasn't gone. Not yet. But tonight—he had survived.