The Un-copyable Truth
Lee Jinwoo spent his flight to Tokyo in a state of intense focus. He finally possessed the blueprint of Pure Harmony from the South Crew Master. This Echo, unlike all the others, wasn't a technique; it was the foundation of all movement—perfect equilibrium, effortless flow, and minimal wasted energy.
He realized Commander Han's "un-copyable" style wasn't random; it was a perfect, rhythmic disruption of this Pure Harmony. By mastering the source of all martial art rhythm, Jinwoo could now feel the gaps and the anti-rhythms that Han used. He could, theoretically, copy the disruption.
However, his immediate problem was the Tokyo King.
The Tokyo King: Kai
Ryu Jae-wook, who had accompanied Jinwoo, laid out the intelligence. "The Tokyo King is Kai. He's known as the 'Bullet.' He's not a master of one style; he's a master of speed. His attacks are so fast they're almost invisible, relying on a perfectly optimized nervous system and a regimen that focuses on pure reaction time."
"Speed versus my synthesis," Jinwoo murmured.
"Precisely. Your Echoes allow perfect technique, but they still rely on your human reaction time. Kai's speed is a fundamental advantage."
Jinwoo found his solution in the bustling, hyper-modern efficiency of Tokyo itself. He observed subway conductors, sushi masters, and professional gamers—anyone who performed complex, repetitive tasks with blinding, inhuman speed and accuracy. He focused his Reflective Mimicry on the precise moment of muscle anticipation and reflex acceleration.
He copied the blueprint for Optimized Reaction Timing—the ability to fire his muscles a millisecond faster than humanly possible.
The Tokyo Arena
The confrontation was staged in a dark, empty indoor street-racing track—the West Crew's choice of arena. Kai, the Tokyo King, was slight, twitchy, and constantly in motion, like a tightly wound spring.
"You're the American King?" Kai challenged, his voice high and nervous. "Slow. Very slow."
Kai moved, and Jinwoo's eyes struggled to track him. He was a bullet, not a boxer. His attacks weren't punches or kicks; they were blurs aimed at weak points.
Jinwoo's usual Footwork Rhythm was useless. He couldn't evade a speed he couldn't see.
He activated his new Echo: Optimized Reaction Timing.
Kai's first lightning-fast blur of a strike shot toward Jinwoo's temple. In the fraction of a second before impact, Jinwoo's copied Optimized Reflex fired, allowing him to barely duck under the blow.
Kai was shocked. His speed always guaranteed the first hit.
The fight became a brutal game of milliseconds. Jinwoo's body, guided by Perfect Harmony, moved just fast enough to compensate for Kai's speed. Jinwoo couldn't hit back; he could only survive and observe.
The Flaw of Speed
Jinwoo quickly realized the flaw in the speed master. Kai's velocity came at the cost of endurance. Every lightning-fast movement consumed massive amounts of energy.
Jinwoo switched tactics, relying on Joo Hyuk's Core Stability to tank the glancing blows and Minjun's Footwork to move as little as possible. He was a shield, forcing Kai to burn himself out.
As Kai's speed began to waver, Jinwoo found his opening. He saw the slight, almost imperceptible drag in Kai's left leg—a sign of muscle fatigue.
Jinwoo struck. He didn't use a powerful punch; he used the Aikido Pivot. As Kai launched a rapid jab, Jinwoo joined the momentum, twisting his body into the precise angle of Pure Harmony, and used the Improvisational Adaptation to throw his weight against Kai's fatigued leg, sending the speed master crashing to the ground.
Jinwoo pinned Kai instantly, leveraging the wrestling grip until the Tokyo King tapped out in exhaustion, not pain.
"I wasn't faster," Jinwoo said, his voice ragged. "I was just more efficient."
The Tokyo Crew quickly submitted to the new North American King. Jinwoo had successfully completed his first global mission.