Meanwhile, the intense battle on the rooftop of a research institute continued.

However...

"Ha... ha..."

Heartless gasped for air, relentlessly panting.

Although the opponent couldn't cause any harm to him, he couldn't land a hit either. Moreover, the opponent's method consumed even more of his energy. Despite his confidence in his own stamina, he couldn't help but feel disadvantaged due to the opponent's overwhelming energy. Under normal circumstances, he would never be at a disadvantage because of his stamina.

But that guy, even after fighting for so long, showed no signs of exhaustion. It wasn't because his stamina was lacking, but rather because the monster he was facing had an incredibly strong stamina, like an endless abyss. There was no chance of winning if things continued like this, and he was well aware of it.

However, even though he knew this, there was still no way for him to do anything about it.

This realization angered him even more.

Now, he finally understood the secret behind the opponent's disappearances. In the end, the opponent wasn't using any tricks or extraordinary speed. It was, in fact, a simple and pure method of movement.

The reason he disappeared was just an afterimage.

That's right, his actions created afterimages in the eyes of others.

Starting from stillness, he suddenly accelerated. After his eyes adapted to the high speed, he would become still again, repeating these two processes continuously.

It was like suddenly turning on the lights in the darkness. In the moment the lights came on, you couldn't see anything. Then, once your eyes adjusted to the light, the lights would suddenly go off. This cycle continued, ultimately resulting in being unable to see anything.

Of course, even if you knew the reason, it was not something an ordinary person could imitate. After all, it wasn't easy for an ordinary person to reach the speed required for their eyes to create afterimages. It also required precise timing to change speeds when the opponent was adapting quickly. This was only possible with a thorough understanding of the opponent. After all, each person is different. Had he completely fallen into the opponent's control? And...

Different from his bloodlust, he knew that his specialty was close combat. As a result, he had studied various martial arts thoroughly and could counter any martial art his opponents used with the most efficient techniques. That was why he was known as an A-ranked fighter. He was practically unmatched in close combat. However...

No matter how long he observed, he still couldn't figure it out.

Boxing, Jujitsu, Aikido, Jeet Kune Do, wrestling, karate, taekwondo... none of them fit. So, maybe it was a combination of several martial arts that created this new martial art?

He dared to make this bold assumption.

No, it wasn't. But soon, he dismissed this conclusion.

Ultimately, he couldn't see any trace of any martial art on that guy. It was completely erratic, without any pattern. From his perspective, that guy was simply throwing punches, with movements so simple that it was hard to believe. Yet strangely, he had no way to counter it, no matter which martial art he used.

Then...

After eliminating various possibilities, only one possibility remained, the one he least wanted to admit. That was...

This guy didn't know any martial arts at all. He was simply acting on instinct, or rather, his body was moving naturally. This was the highest state in martial arts – "No-self."

"Tsk..."

"Boom!"

The sound of another wall collapsing reverberated, but of course, it didn't cause any damage. Furiously, he stood up from the rubble, glaring at the youth standing still in front of him.

Nothing could be worse than now.

"The state of 'no-self' is an realm that few martial artists can reach. Of course, I don't have the possibility either. So I thought, maybe there is no one who can reach that realm at all."

But... such a person actually exists, and it's even a brat with such an inferior status. There is nothing more humiliating than this. My self-esteem absolutely cannot accept it.

And...

Facing Ryuto's casual kicks, I block them mercilessly with my hands, and finally come to a stop after sliding for meters.

"Hah... hah..."

While gasping for breath, my heart is filled with anger.

How is this superhuman physical ability possible?

Clearly not using any abilities, but possessing body abilities on par with, or even superior to mine. I can't tolerate this, not only does he lack any emotions, but his physical abilities are also abnormally grotesque. He's like a monster.

Although I don't know what kind of mutation has happened to this guy, right now, this guy in front of me is undoubtedly a monster, a creature that can destroy everything.

"Boom..."

The sound of collision continues to explode in the dark night.