The Shanghai Docks
Jinwoo arrived in Shanghai, met by a local Syndicate representative. The fight was scheduled for the crowded, humid docks.
The Shanghai King, The Dynamo, was powerfully built and unnervingly calm. She didn't move much, but her eyes never left Jinwoo.
"You copy movement," Dynamo said, her voice resonant. "I copy force. My technique can break your organs without touching your skin."
Dynamo launched her first attack—a short, sharp motion that sent a wave of unseen concussive force washing over Jinwoo.
Jinwoo activated his new Echo: Internal Defense. He channeled his breathing, hardening his core and consciously directing the shockwave through his body's musculature, minimizing the damage to his organs. He felt the impact—a sickening shudder—but he didn't collapse.
Dynamo was stunned. No fighter, external or internal, had ever withstood her full-force attack.
The Inner Battle
The fight was waged on two fronts: the visible and the invisible. Dynamo launched relentless concussive waves. Jinwoo, using Perfect Harmony and Flow Disruption, maintained distance and absorbed the attacks with his Internal Defense.
Jinwoo realized he couldn't hit her with his current arsenal. Dynamo was a master of unpredictable counter-force.
He needed a final, desperate move. He activated Rage's Explosive Recruitment to launch himself toward her, sacrificing his defense for a moment.
As he closed the distance, he used Master Kim's Pinpoint Precision to land a feather-light touch on the precise point on her ribcage that was the source of her internal power.
In that same instant, he launched his final, ultimate Echo: Dynamo's Internal Force. He didn't copy her attack; he copied the release of energy.
The Echo of Force
Jinwoo landed his touch and, simultaneously, replicated the internal energy release he had copied. He didn't use her power for an attack; he used it to disrupt her own internal field.
The Dynamo screamed as her internal power turned against itself, neutralizing her ability.
Jinwoo followed up with a Minjun Cross—a clean, external punch to the jaw—knocking her out instantly.
Jinwoo stood victorious, the King of the city and the victor of his first global fight. He had the power of Internal Force in his arsenal.
He had won, but he was deep inside the Syndicate's game. His next call was from Chairman Kwon himself, who had a new, terrifying message.
"You have conquered your world, Jinwoo. But your biggest challenge is coming home. The Syndicate is hosting its global final tournament. You will fight the other regional Kings, and the final match will be against the only fighter who has achieved an integrated, synthesized style like yours—the original natural mimic, the one who escaped the Syndicate years ago... Your Father."
Jinwoo has defeated his global opponent and learned the horrifying truth: the Syndicate is a global tournament, and the final boss is his long-lost father.