Kawao didn’t know what to make of it. He had never thought there were Nyds that could cause such mutations.

But while he was still stumbling back in surprise, Kunojo attacked him again with the claws on her back. Only thanks to his quick reaction and energy field was he able to dodge in time.

"Oh? Well, let’s see how long you can keep that up!"

Suddenly, all her claws attacked at once, turning the corridor into a dense storm of blades.

But Kawao had prepared.

Ever since he had been chasing the Reaper, he had been gathering energy from his surroundings, readying himself for just such a battle. With extraordinary precision, he dodged every attack as his opponent became more and more consumed by the fight.

'I can dodge, but that won’t get me anywhere! If I try to run again, she’ll attack, and it’ll be harder for me to evade. The risk is too great! I have to fight!' he decided, continuing to gather strength.

Then, after a short while, he saw an opening in her attacks. He took it and charged forward. In an instant, he gathered all the energy he had into his fist and delivered a powerful punch to her gut.

A small shockwave rippled out.

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'Did I do it?' he wondered.

But at that moment, he felt his answer. Whatever he hit was hard. Extremely hard!

He felt something warm on his fist. Blood! His blood!

"Nice try! But it’ll take more than that to bring me down," she whispered to him, as saliva slowly dripped from her mouth and landed on his outstretched arm.

'Damn! What do I do now?'

At that moment, the ground beneath him gave way. A hole had opened up beneath them.

As he began to fall, he caught sight of the bishop, who waved at him with a tired smile. Kunojo held herself up with her claws over the hole, watching him fall.

"Ugh! Why did you have to stop the fight, Ultis? It was just starting to get fun!" she replied, annoyed.

"You know what happens when you ‘play’ with your opponents, Kunojo. And our master wants him alive, not as one of your mindless puppets."

Reluctantly and pouting, she followed him.

----------------------------------------

Kawao, still falling, overheard fragments of their conversation.

The only useful thing he caught was the bishop’s name: Ultis.

He landed safely on the lower floor.

It was very dark here. Coming from the bright light above, he needed a moment to adjust to the darkness. But after a short while, he could make out something. Were those... bones?

Yes! Scattered throughout the hallway were bones. And it looked like no one had lived here for years.

'What is this? I thought I was in a hospital?'

He looked around in horror. Suddenly, he saw a beam of light. At the far end of the hallway, there was a boarded-up window.

'I need to get out of here!'

Without looking back, he ran toward the window and leaped. With a loud crash and the sound of splintering wood, he broke through the window and landed safely on the open street.

People were here again. He was safe!

He turned to look at the building. Whatever he had thought was there, it wasn’t. Because the only thing standing there was a small, rundown shed with a now broken window.