[ Marble Courtyard - Amidst the Dust ]
Murphy crouched amidst the rubble of the collapsed wall.
His left arm throbbed as if the bones were about to shatter, but what was more agonizing was the "Energy" compressed within him.
The impact from the Pale Boy's backhand hadn't vanished... it had been absorbed and stored within Murphy's muscles until they were overflowing. His veins bulged and pulsed like a ticking time bomb waiting for release.
"Ugh... My body can't hold this much longer..." Murphy gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain.
He assessed the situation through the thick dust cloud... That speed... That destructive power... Fighting head-on was suicide.
He needed an opening... just a split second.
Murphy glanced at Philip, who was lying not far away. Though obscured by dust, their brotherly instinct connected them.
Do it, Philip!
The pale-skinned boy was about to step toward the rubble where Murphy was hiding.
But then... the sound of heavy, dragging footsteps came from behind him.
Philip forced himself to stand on trembling legs, his face pale and covered in grime.
One hand reached into his backpack and pulled out a "Cylindrical Metal Object" the size of a soda can.
It was a modified Capacitor, filled to the brim with natural lightning harvested from Radar Mountain.
"Hey..." Philip rasped, a weak but mocking grin on his face.
"Don't... ignore me... asshole."
Whoosh!
Philip hurled the cylinder with every ounce of strength he had left!
It cut through the air, heading straight for the boy's back.
BOOM!!! ZZZZTTTTT!!!
The moment it hit, the mechanism detonated, unleashing millions of volts of stored azure lightning!
A blinding flash illuminated the marble courtyard, accompanied by a deafening crack of thunder.
The boy paused. He turned sharply to look at Philip with an impassive gaze, his eyebrow twitching slightly as if annoyed by an ant bite.
"NOW!!!"
The second the boy turned his back... Murphy burst from the smoke like a bullet!
He transferred the massive kinetic energy stored in his body, channeling it all into his right arm and into 'Dark Fang'.
Shing!
The pitch-black blade glowed with a blinding blue light. Static electricity crackled wildly along the steel, screaming from the compressed power.
Murphy's speed broke past human limits!
"DIE!!!"
Murphy swung his blade in a horizontal slash, aiming straight for the boy's neck from behind!
It was the fastest, most powerful strike he had ever delivered in his life!
...............
[ The Unbridgeable Gap ]
Swish...
Dark Fang sliced through... empty air.
The boy didn't even turn around. He simply "tilted his head" slightly to the side.
The blade, packed with destructive power, missed its target by a hair's breadth.
"Damn it!" Murphy's eyes widened, but his fighter instincts screamed at him not to stop.
Using the momentum of the missed swing, he spun in mid-air for a follow-up attack!
"Hraaaagh!"
Slash! (A horizontal cut – The boy ducked without moving his feet.)
Thrust! (A straight stab – The boy swayed aside like a shadow.)
Uppercut! (A vertical lift – The boy took a mere half-step back.)
Murphy attacked with a frenzy, utilizing every sword skill he possessed, every technique that had felled countless demons.
His sword became a storm of blue light, raging against the small figure.
But...
The pale boy stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression completely blank.
He moved only the bare minimum.
A tilt of the head... a shift of the shoulder... a step back...
Every single one of Murphy's strikes... whether the fastest slash or the most complex feint...
Could not touch even a single strand of hair or the hem of the boy's robe.
It was as if the boy could see the future... or perhaps... Murphy was simply "too slow" in his eyes.
Clang!
Murphy slammed his final strike into the floor, shattering the marble. He panted heavily, his body exhausted from the continuous explosion of power.
The boy stood still right in front of him, less than a meter away.
He looked down at the heaving Murphy with empty eyes.
"Out of tricks?"
His cold voice cut deep into Murphy's heart.
"Using my own power against me... A clever idea... but useless."