Jin barely registered the motion before she closed the distance, her bloodstained hand snapping forward toward his face. Instinct took over. He raised the pipe, bringing it up just in time-
CRACK.
The impact rang through the metal as if struck by a hammer. Jin's arms jolted violently, the force rattling through his shoulders, but the hit itself… felt off.
But his brain didn't have time to question it.
A second later, the world exploded.
A shockwave tore through the pipe, ripping it out of his hands like it weighed nothing. Jin's body lifted off the ground, slamming backward into a parked car hard enough to dent the metal. Pain flared across his ribs, his breath vanishing from his lungs as he hit and dropped to one knee.
"What- !"
He coughed, forcing air back into his chest, eyes snapping up.
That didn't make sense.
The hit hadn't felt strong enough to do that.
The girl tilted her head, watching him, her smile still soft.
"That looked like it hurt," she said gently.
Seul-ki reacted first.
"Move!"
Her hands shot forward, fingers trembling as she focused. The air around the girl warped slightly, as if pressure were building in invisible layers.
The girl's next step slowed.
Just a little.
Like she was pushing through thick water.
"…Oh?" the girl murmured, eyes lighting up. "What's this?"
Seul-ki gritted her teeth.
"I- I'm trying-!"
Her voice shook. The pressure wavered. It wasn't stable.
Joon-seok stepped in beside her, hands already sparking with violet energy.
"Back off!"
He thrust his arm forward.
A jagged blast shot out wild and uncontrolled.
The bolt tore past the girl's shoulder and slammed into the street behind her, exploding asphalt into fragments.
The girl blinked.
Then giggled.
"Missed me."
She moved again.
Even while being slowed down, she was fast.
Jin pushed himself up, ribs screaming in protest. His eyes locked onto the pipe where it had landed near the car.
He forced his legs forward.
The girl turned toward him immediately.
"Oh, you're getting back up?" she asked, almost pleased. "That's good."
She stepped in fast.
Jin ducked instinctively as her hand swept past his head. He felt the brush of her fingers against his shoulder-
It was light, barely anything in fact.
Then she walked past him as she'd already lost interest.
Jin froze.
That was-
"Jin!"
The delayed force hit.
His entire body seized as something slammed into him from the inside out, sending him stumbling forward, vision blurring as pain tore through his shoulder. He crashed into the car, gripping the hood to stay upright.
"…What the hell is that…?"
Behind him, the girl hummed softly.
Seul-ki's voice broke through, strained.
"I can't hold her much longer!"
The pressure around the girl collapsed.
She moved freely again.
Joon-seok fired another shot, this one worse than the first. It scraped the side of a nearby vehicle, sending sparks and molten fragments scattering.
"Damn it-!"
"Watch it!" Jin snapped, barely turning as he forced himself upright again.
This was a mess; there was no coordination between them at all.
The girl watched it all, her expression bright and amused.
"You're all trying so hard," she said lightly. "It's nice."
Then she moved again.
Straight for Joon-seok.
He flinched, stumbling back as her hand snapped forward. He threw up his arm instinctively.
Tap.
Her fingers brushed his sleeve.
She smiled, then stepped away.
Joon-seok blinked.
"…What?"
A second later, his entire arm jerked violently as the delayed force hit. He cried out, staggering sideways as the impact sent him crashing into the side of a car, denting the metal with a sickening crunch.
"Joon!"
"I'm- fine-!" he gasped, even as he clearly wasn't.
Jin's eyes narrowed.
That was it; he figured out her ability.
He grabbed the pipe, fingers tightening around the handle as he forced himself forward again.
The girl turned toward him immediately.
"Oh," she said softly. "You must really need my help?"
"No," Jin muttered under his breath. "I just don't go down easy."
He swung.
The pipe cut through the air in a tight arc toward her side.
She slipped around it easily, her movements fluid, almost lazy.
Then her hand snapped forward again.
Jin twisted his body, letting the strike graze the pipe instead of him-
Tap.
He stepped back instantly this time.
Waiting and watching to see how long it would take.
One second.
Two-
The pipe jerked violently in his grip as the delayed force hit, the impact nearly ripping it free again.
Jin gritted his teeth.
"Okay, so two seconds..."
Seul-ki tried again.
"Hold- still-!"
The air around the girl distorted again, heavier this time, but unstable. The girl's steps slowed unevenly, her balance shifting as if the ground beneath her wasn't consistent.
"…That tickles," she said, smiling wider.
Joon-seok forced himself upright, hands shaking as energy sparked erratically.
"Just- stay-still-!"
Another blast was fired.
It was closer but still off.
The girl tilted her head as the bolt grazed her side, then exploded behind her.
She didn't even flinch.
Min stood frozen.
His hands trembled at his sides, his breathing uneven.
There were too many sounds, too many sensations.
The echoes were starting again.
Jin saw it out of the corner of his eye.
"Min!"
No response.
The girl moved again.
Straight at Jin.
He braced for it this time, but he didn't block.
He stepped in.
The moment her hand moved, he shifted his body to the side, letting her fingers brush past him instead of hitting him directly.
Tap.
He didn't wait.
He moved again immediately.
The pipe swung and connected with a solid hit to her ribs.
She gasped slightly, more surprised than hurt.
Jin didn't stop.
He swung again.
She twisted away this time, her expression changing slightly.
She looked annoyed.
Her hand snapped out again.
Faster now.
Tap.
Jin tried to move-
Too slow.
The delayed impact hit him mid-step, slamming into his side and sending him skidding across the pavement. The pipe slipped from his grip this time, clattering a few feet away.
"Jin!"
Seul-ki's voice cracked.
Joon-seok fired again, forcing the girl to sidestep.
Min finally moved, but not forward; he stepped back.
Hands gripping his head.
"Too loud…"
The girl's smile flickered then cracked.
"You're all being so difficult."
Her voice dropped.
She moved faster now, hitting the ground in several different places, which Jin saw too late.
He pushed himself up and ran straight into it.
The impact hit him like a truck.
His body lifted, slammed back into the ground hard enough to knock the air from his lungs again. Pain exploded through his ribs, his vision going white for a split second.
The pipe rolled out of reach.
He couldn't breathe and couldn't move.
The girl stepped toward him slowly, smiling like her usual self.
"They always fight at first," she said softly. "But it's okay."
Seul-ki tried to move forward butstumbled.
Joon-seok raised his hands, they shook too much.
Min's breathing grew louder.
"Jin!"
"Get up!"
"Move!"
Their voices overlapped.
And the girl tilted her head, listening.
Jin forced air back into his lungs.
His body screamed at him to stay down but he didn't.
He rolled.
Barely avoiding her next step.
Her foot touched the ground where his chest had been-
Tap.
He knew what came next.
He forced himself up but was too slow.
The delayed force exploded beneath him, launching him forward again, slamming him into the side of a car with a bone-rattling crash.
Pain tore through him.
This time deeper it felt deeper.
He dropped to one knee, vision shaking.
The pipe lay just out of reach.
The girl walked toward him.
"I'll help you now."
Behind him, voices broke.
"Jin!"
"Move!"
"Get up!"
He tried.
His body didn't listen.
And this time, she was already reaching for him again.
Her hand came down, slow and certain, like she had already decided how this would end.
"You don't have to fight," she said softly. "It'll stop hurting soon."
Jin's vision blurred.
His chest burned.
His arms felt heavy.
He couldn't move fast enough.
Not this time-
"Move!"
The shout cut through the air.
"Jin, get up!"
"Move!"
"Do something!"
Their voices crashed together, overlapping, sharp and desperate.
Behind him-
Min froze.
His hands rose to his head again, fingers digging into his hair as his breathing hitched.
It was all too loud.
The present bled into everything else.
Jin hitting the ground.
Seul-ki's strained voice.
Joon-seok shouting.
The girl's soft, twisted tone-
And beneath it all there were other sounds. The things he couldn't sense earlier started pressing into his skull like it was trying to break out.
Min staggered.
"…Stop…"
His hands trembled violently.
"I can't-"
He tried to push it down.
Tried to shut it out like before, but like before, it didn't stop.
The pressure inside him grew, and when he couldn't take it anymore, Min screamed, and a wave of sound waves was released.
It sounded like a hundred voices speaking at once.
The street shook.
Windows shattered.
It was focused and directed straight towards her.
The girl froze, then cracked.
Her hands flew to her ears.
"What- what is-"
The sound hit her fully.
It was so overwhelming that it flooded her senses.
Every fragment of pain Min had felt in that moment was forced into her.
She tried to move but she was too slow.
Her body jerked.
The control she had over her ability slipped.
She tapped the ground, but nothing followed.
To her, there was too much noise to use her ability.
"Stop!"
Her voice cracked.
Her composure shattered.
Her movements lost all precision.
She stumbled back.
Her footing uneven.
Her eyes unfocused.
Jin felt it too; in fact, it rattled his bones, but it wasn't aimed at him.
He forced himself up slowly, pain screaming through every movement.
His grip found the pipe again.
His hand shook.
His body didn't want to move, but he did anyway.
And as he moved closer to the girl, she tried to react.
But she was too overwhelmed to avoid him.
Jin swung.
The pipe connected with her shoulder.
A solid hit.
She staggered.
Jin didn't stop.
He stepped in again.
Swung again.
This time, her side.
She gasped.
Her balance collapsing further.
She tried to tap him-
Her hand brushed his arm, but nothing happened.
Her ability wasn't syncing up with what she wanted it to do.
Jin pushed forward, taking advantage of Echo's barrage.
Another hit.
Her knee buckled.
She dropped slightly.
But she refused to go down.
Her eyes snapped up at him, wild and unstable.
"You-!"
She lunged.
Jin misread it and ended up barely avoiding it, so her hand grazed his chest.
Tap.
The delayed impact exploded.
It caught him partially, throwing him off balance, sending him skidding sideways.
He hit the ground hard and pain flared through his body but his grip didnt break.
The impact was considerably weaker than before which had to be a good sign so he held the pipe and turned to face her.
Across from him, she was still standing.
She was shaking, her breathing uneven.
Her control slipping.
He stepped forward.
She tried to move, but her body didn't respond fast enough.
He closed the distance.
Raised the pipe and brought it down on her with all the strength he had left.
The strike landed across her temple, and her body went slack as she collapsed onto the pavement.
Min's scream cut off abruptly as he saw her fall
His body hit the ground, coughing violently as blood spilled from his mouth.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
"I-"
He couldn't finish.
Seul-ki collapsed to her knees next, her body giving out completely.
"I can't…"
Joon-seok lowered his hands slowly, the violet sparks flickering weakly before fading.
"…That was insane…"
Jin stood there.
The pipe slipped from his grip and hit the ground with a dull clatter.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Everything hurt.
Absolutely everything.
But he was still standing.
He looked down at the girl.
She was still breathing, though it seemed faint and unsteady.
A part of him wanted to end her right there before she could hurt someone else, but he couldn't raise the pipe again, so he just stood there.
Behind him, Min coughed again, a bit weaker this time.
Seul-ki didn't move.
Joon-seok leaned back against a car, eyes unfocused.
Jin exhaled slowly.
His chest felt heavier than before.
This was what the system wanted, not just for them to survive but for them to fight to the death.
His gaze lingered on the girl, then lifted.
The empty street stretched ahead.