The Rift Giant loomed over the wrecked gym, its limbs twitching like broken machinery after it got hit with a computer virus. The air was thick with dust. All that was left of the ceiling was a couple of broken beams. Sparks flickered sadly where the lights used to hang. You could feel the building breathe, sucking in bad energy and spitting out pure dread.
Then Kaze moved.
He didn't even hesitate.
You couldn't see any fear in his eyes.
Every move he made was precise.
Riko watched him, impressed and scared. "Kaze! Stop!"
But Kaze was already on the go.
He didn't disappear, he was just too fast. Riko struggled to keep up with his afterimages. One second he was next to Riko, and the next he was a blur, cutting across the gym floor.
The air seemed to bend around him. Even the dust seemed to pause when his foot slammed into the cracked ground, sending him flying. The pattern he left behind looked like a spiral carved into the floor.
Suddenly, he was high in the air, right in front of the Rift Giant's face. The giant's head kept shifting, trying to settle on a form, flickering between a skull, a mask, and nothing.
Kaze didn't care at all.
He pulled his arm back. His glove glowed, energy swirling within it that wasn't from a computer. Riko started to suspect that his power wasn't digital, not anymore. He saw that look in Kaze's eyes the time he took out three Assimilators like they were nothing.
But this was different.
Kaze breathed out once.
Then he punched.
A burst of energy blew from his fist, controlled and precise. It was like a perfect snap of air, the shockwave rippling in the air. The sound didn't echo, it just cut straight through everything.
The Rift Giant's head jerked. Digital static exploded where Kaze's fist had hit. The giant's face glitched wildly, like a file trying to load.
Riko was suprised to see that."He actually did something!"
Kaze landed on the giant's shoulder, bending his knees to absorb the impact. He immediately struck again, slamming his palm into the giant's collarbone.
Another shockwave erupted.
Another ripple tore through the air.
Another wave of distortion.
The giant stumbled, just a little.
Riko's mouth dropped open. "He's actually doing damage to it. Bro, he's moving it!"
Kaze moved across the giant's shoulder, like he was running on solid ground, his hair flying behind him. He twisted, diving downward in a tight arc. He slammed both hands into the giant's upper arm.
A blast of force shook the gym, and the giant's arm flew backward.
Riko could feel the shockwave across the room. Dust flew everywhere. His shirt fluttered in the wind it created. "What ARE you?!"
Kaze didn't reply.
He didn't need to.
He was back in motion, hitting the giant in specific spots, like the elbow, shoulder, jaw, ribs. Each hit caused blasts of air and digital debris. The blows didn't break the giant, but they kept it off balance.
The giant roared, a horrible digital sound that shook the floors and walls. Its body flickered, trying to stabilize, trying to keep up with Kaze, but he was too quick.
Riko held his ears and winced. Luna crouched next to a fallen wall, looking terrified. "Is he even human?"
"I don't even know anymore!" Riko shouted back.
Kaze jumped higher, clearing the giant's head. He spun in the air, turning himself into a weapon. His fist slammed down on the giant's skull.
A clean shockwave pulsed downward. The floor shook.
Riko almost fell over. "Bro! He's tearing this thing apart!"
The Rift Giant dropped to one knee. Its leg crashed down, shaking the gym. Wood splintered and debris fell from the ceiling.
Kaze landed lightly on a metal beam, not even bothered. He brushed dust off his glove.
"It won't fall," he said. "But I can disrupt it."
Riko yelled, "Then do it!"
Kaze ignored him.
His eyes narrowed.
He stepped off the beam, straight down, hitting the ground like a bullet. The floor cracked. He launched again, appearing at the giant's midsection.
He struck once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each hit released a burst of force. The shockwaves echoed through the giant's body. It glitched repeatedly, collapsing, stabilizing, collapsing again.
Riko stared, out of breath. "This guy he's unbelievable."
Luna nodded, looking shaken. "He's scary."
Kaze jumped to the side as the Rift Giant swung a glowing blade-arm down. The attack shredded half the gym floor. Digital dust exploded in the air.
But Kaze wasn't touched.
He slid under the swing, spinning smoothly, his hand ready for another strike.
He slammed his palm into the giant's arm joint.
The shockwave rippled, and the giant's arm dissolved into static before reforming.
Riko noticed that its regeneration was slowing down.
"Kaze!" he shouted. "You're slowing its regen!"
Kaze didn't look back. "Only slightly."
"Slightly is good!"
The Rift Giant roared again, a distorted sound blasting through the gym. Its body glowed red, its form stabilizing.
Kaze knew what was happening.
Riko saw his expression shift, just a little.
"Kaze?" Riko asked. "What's it doing?"
Kaze muttered, "It's adapting."
Before Riko could react, the giant's arm snapped around faster. It moved like a glitch, skipping frames, its limb rising, then completing the motion.
Kaze launched forward, aiming for the giant's chest, ready to release another shockwave.
But this time, the Rift Giant was too fast.
Its hand shot out, and red code spiraled across its fingers as its shadow swallowed Kaze.
Riko gasped.
"Kaze, WATCH OUT!"
But Kaze was already attacking, already in motion.
The giant's hand closed around his arm.