The horn blared.
I moved.
Noel’s eyes rolled back imdiately. Her body went limp and I caught her before she hit the ground. Propped her against the wall behind a concrete barrier where nobody could get an easy shot.
Her astral form rose up through the ceiling. Translucent and glowing faint purple. She floated upward fast. Scouting the entire arena from above while we had maybe thirty seconds before Team Three figured out where we were.
Usagi crouched next to . "What do I do?"
"Wait for Noel’s signal. When she marks soone you trap them. No hesitation."
"What if I miss?"
"You won’t."
"How do you know?"
"Because missing ans we lose. And you don’t want to lose."
Her jaw set. "No. I don’t."
Good.
Noel’s astral form dipped low over Building C. Circled once. Then shot back toward us pointing frantically at a rooftop position.
Hana. Had to be. She’d set up high with clear sightlines.
Smart play. Barriers from elevation ant she could cover both the hostages and her teammates.
I grabbed Usagi’s shoulder. "Hana’s on the roof of Building C. Northeast corner. You see it?"
"Yes."
"I need you to put gum on her face. Not her body. Her face. Block her vision."
"That’s really specific."
"Barriers require line of sight. No vision equals no barriers."
"Oh." Her eyes went wide. "That’s actually smart."
"Don’t sound so surprised."
She lined up the shot. Aid carefully. Her gauntlets humd as the gum charged. Bright pink and about the size of a softball.
She fired.
The gum sailed in a perfect arc. Hit Hana square in the face and spread on impact. Covered her eyes and nose and mouth. Completely sealed.
Hana scread. Clawed at her face. Lost her footing and stumbled backward off the roof edge.
Marcus caught her. His enhanced strength made catching a falling person look easy. But it pulled him out of position. Left him exposed in the open street.
Noel’s astral form dove on him imdiately. Her fist connected with the back of his skull. The hit made a sound like a hamr on concrete and Marcus went down hard. Face first into the pavent.
One hostage guard eliminated. One neutralized.
That left Kaito.
Who was already gone.
Fuck.
Speed types were the worst. You couldn’t track them with normal reflexes. They hit from angles you didn’t see until after the damage landed.
I pulled Usagi behind cover. "Stay with Noel’s body. Don’t move until I tell you."
"Where are you going?"
"Hunting."
I activated Rubber Body. Felt my bones and muscles shift. Everything beca elastic and responsive. Then I jumped. Used the compression to launch myself three stories straight up. Grabbed the edge of a building and pulled myself onto the roof.
Kaito stood twenty ters away. Watching with his arms crossed.
He was tall. Dark hair buzzed short. His hero uniform was all black with silver accents. Built for speed and nothing else. No armor. No protection. Just raw mobility.
"Ro D’Angelo," he said. "Ranked fifty-eighth."
"Kaito Reeves. Ranked seventh."
"This should be quick then."
"Probably."
He vanished.
I threw myself sideways on instinct. Sothing hit the space where my head had been and shattered the concrete. Kaito reappeared behind already winding up for another strike.
I stretched my arm backward. Grabbed his ankle mid-kick. The rubber absorbed the impact and redirected the force. Spun him off balance.
He twisted out of my grip before I could throw him. Landed on his feet and grinned.
"You’re faster than your ranking suggests."
"I’m a lot of things."
"Not fast enough though."
He blurred again. This ti I tracked the movent. Not perfectly. But enough to know he was coming from my right.
I compressed my entire body. Dropped low. His fist passed over my head close enough that I felt the wind displacent.
Then I expanded. Shot upward like a spring. Caught him in the jaw with an uppercut that sent him flying backward fifteen ters.
He hit the roof. Rolled. Ca up bleeding from his mouth.
"What the hell was that?"
"Adaptive-type. ans I adapt."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s the only one you’re getting."
He wiped his mouth. "Fine. Let’s see how well you adapt to this."
He moved again. Faster this ti. A blur of motion that circled from multiple angles. Testing my defenses. Looking for openings.
I couldn’t keep up. Not with normal speed.
So I cheated.
Gravity Jail activated. My eyes burned purple as I locked onto Kaito’s center mass. Doubled the gravity on him.
His speed cut in half. Not enough to stop him completely. But enough that I could actually see him moving.
He noticed imdiately. "What did you just do?"
"Made you slower."
"How?"
"Trade secret."
He pushed through the increased weight. Ca at harder. Threw a combination that should have been too fast to block.
I stretched my arms. Extended them twice their normal length. Blocked the first three hits. Dodged the fourth. Grabbed his wrist on the fifth.
Then I yanked him forward. Used his montum against him. Threw him off the roof.
He twisted mid-air. Landed on the street below in a crouch. Already sprinting toward Building C before I could follow up.
Right toward the hostages.
Exactly what I wanted.
I jumped off the roof. Free fell three stories. Landed hard but the Rubber Body absorbed the impact. Rolled forward and ca up running.
Kaito reached the building first. Kicked the door open. Disappeared inside.
I followed ten seconds behind.
The interior was dark. Narrow hallways. Multiple rooms. Perfect ambush terrain for soone fast.
I couldn’t see him. Couldn’t hear him. Just knew he was here sowhere waiting.
So I stopped trying to find him.
Instead I opened a gate.
Liminal Step flickered to life. A small disc about the size of a dinner plate. Ringed in amber light. The edges crackled with spatial distortion.
ra’s ability. Copied and barely functional. But functional enough.
I stepped through.
Ca out two floors up. Right next to the hostage room. Three training dummies tied to chairs. All wearing civilian clothes. My objective.
Kaito burst through the door five seconds later. Breathing hard. Eyes wild.
"How did you get here before ?"
"I took a shortcut."
"That’s not possible."
"Sure it is. You just have to know the right people."
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