“Damnit!” Usagi bats at her stomach, a pain surging from it as she gets weaker. Okazaki is in the same boat, struggling to stay on his feet. She utters under her breath.

“This battle has been going on for a while, and I’m starting to feel weak. Even if he’s also feeling the same way from the beating, he’s still not defeated, nor does either of us have a clear advantage over the other. Damn it… this is going to end in us both losing… no… No, damn it… I can’t…” Her body slouches over, and a dark shadow covers her. The urge to hurl up is immense. Her battered flesh is taking its toll. Am I truly this weak? Am I a pushover, a nobody when it comes to this? What happened to me fighting Mr. Pond? I was so much stronger in that moment than I am now. Why? Why?

Her teeth bite into her lip. “No… I refuse…” With one fist, she beats her chest, extinguishing the hurt in her belly, the pain in her limbs, the blood soothing down her eye. “I won’t be weak… I won’t give up until I win! I’ve never been one to back down ever!” Her heel kicks the ground, her body lunging like a bullet, and she immediately hits the shin of Okazaki. He puffs forward, and she lifts her leg, kicking his chin pile, driving him upward. His body is a shooting comet, and the rate of his movement is harder to follow than before.

“Oh my!” Angel exclaims.

“She…” Kubo is rendered speechless.

The shock of the suddenness stunned Okazaki. He isn’t able to recover before Usagi extends past him in the air, planting both her boots on his belly and barreling him down into the ground with one swift motion. All air escapes him, and he gasps, wanting to give up then and there, but he doesn’t.

“I can’t give up either, even if that hurt like hell…” He grips her ankle, attempting to twist her off before she launches herself into the air and comes down like a meteor into his belly.

“Stay down, or else I’ll have to make sure you don’t move at all anymore.” A smirk draws across the side of her face. Her fangs are glistening, and she has a pure sense of sadism, rendering Okazaki stunned to see this side of her. It appears she has the taste of her own blood seeping into her.

“Usagi, it’s almost like she’s dripping at the mouth like a bear or something!” Keiko exclaims.

Kubo examines the fight closely. The terrifying look on her face is intriguing to him.

“Don’t give up yet, Okazaki,” he says, catching his attention.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Though you may be cornered now, realize that this will happen when fighting the Remnants. Show no signs of backing down or giving up, even when your body can’t take anymore. Remember you have Takei to help you, so don’t be afraid to go all out.”

Kubo knows this is reckless thinking, and normally, he’d offer better advice, but there’s something he has to see for himself.

Okazaki resists the urge to give in; he uses more strength, but she doesn’t budge at all. She’s like a feral animal capturing her prey. He knows there’s only one way out of this. His unguarded hand conjures a dagger quick, and he shoves it fast into the air. It cuts her cheek deeply as she stares up at it, piercing the sky. Okazaki gets out. He gasps, his breath still far from stable. Meanwhile, Usagi gains her composure. Her head tilted, giving a most wicked smile.

“My, something about her isn’t quite the same as it was before,” Angel says. “It’s as if that aura of concise confidence has faded and taken place, a more sinister rabidity.”

“Would you all say this is how your friend is when she’s cornered? Is this all that you witnessed when she fought Mr. Pond?”

Before anyone can answer, an overcast begins to form. The world is a darker gray as rain drips down on everyone. A river of red comes from the scar left on her face, and it drenches the ground. Her eyes follow it.

What the hell is wrong with her? I can feel what Kubo was talking about, her emotions. But it’s almost psychotic right now. This isn’t her. Okazaki keens into her. This is dangerous.

“I will. Break my body, Okazaki,” she says, dead serious.

He gets up. “Usagi, I think we’re taking it a bit far already. This is our first session, and we’re already reaching the limits. Any further and one of us might end up dying. I don’t think it a good idea to go further about it, and y’know damn well I ain’t the type to say such things.” There’s a pain in his lungs while breathing. He’s already going beyond what he’s able to handle. He hasn’t ever been this beaten up, even by the people who jumped him in the past. This is a whole other level, one he can’t keep himself up to without collapsing a lung. Damn, if I keep this up, I’m done for. My body will keel over.

“No. I refuse your proposal to stop.” She pushes forward, launching a deadly kick at his head, missing only by the strained of a winded morsel. There is concern bathed on his face seeing her this way. It’s no use. He guards for a moment and shoves his body into her belly, tackling her to the ground with all his might.

“Stop! We can’t keep going! I’m getting weaker!”

“Then get stronger!” She kicks him off.

“This seems to be getting out of hand, Kubo. I suggest we stop this soon. I’ve never seen Usagi act this unhinged,” Ishimoto states.

The fight doesn’t stop. She punches him hard in the gut, immediately followed by the head, leaving him a bleeding mess. His head becomes woozy, his gaze glazed over.

“Fine, then I’ll have to go even further beyond my limits!” He stretches a dagger out, this one longer, almost appearing as a sword. He swipes it at her, cutting her stomach. She backs up, the sliced fabric covering her stomach still. Only the gushing of blood reveals the damage she took. The cut is so fine it is as if it has gone straight through her clothes and directly to her flesh.

“Damn, didn’t expect you to pull that one out of your bag. That’s more like it!” The battle is serious now.