Kenzo inhaled deeply as he perched on a nearby rooftop overlooking the chaotic battle. His eyes flickered back and forth between Kasumi's crew and the Echo Syndicate members trading blows and gunfire below. He drummed his fingers against the roof's ledge as he contemplated his next move.

Echoes in the alley told him that the Echo Syndicate planned to attack the facility producing the Shiver drug. As much as he didn't want to directly get involved with Kasumi's affairs, now that it had reached this stage...he had no choice but to step in. He knew Kasumi was capable, but she wouldn't be able to handle the lieutenant of the Echo Syndicate alone.

"Reverb" Ray.

A master manipulator of sound waves—someone with power rivaling his own. They'd crossed paths a few times in the past—and each time Kenzo struggled to best the man in battle. Each encounter ended in a stalemate. However, unlike most foes Kenzo dealt with...this man wasn't predictable.

Kenzo’s fingers ceased their idle drumming, falling still against the surface of the ledge. He leaned forward as he focused on a group of Echo Syndicate thugs gathering at a nearby intersection. Six Neon Viper members skirmished with them near an open courtyard. Two Vipers wielded pipe rifles while the others brandished blades or pistols. Some of the Syndicate goons went down in a hail of gunfire...but a handful managed to close the distance with their melee weapons drawn.

His attention drifted towards an Adrenomancer creeping around the edges of the fight. Electrified whips unfurled from the man's bracers, sending sparks arcing through the air as he lashed out at nearby Syndicate thugs. A few tried to shoot him only for their bullets to bounce off his high-tech armor.

Kenzo frowned.

In order to get Kasumi away from Salvatore's grasp, he needed to get rid of these Adrenomancers without her knowing. Easier said than done. Even if she didn't witness their demise, a lot of gangsters on both sides would recognize him. She'd find out about his involvement from her goons...and then she'd hunt him down and ask questions.

No doubt about that.

But...since it's reached this point. It didn't matter if she found out about his interference now. The only question remaining was whether she'd hold it against him once all this was over. That depended on her mental state when they reunited. Best not to let things escalate further than they already had.

He leaped from the rooftop, his body twisting in mid-air as he landed softly on the ground, the vibration of his impact absorbed by a subtle tune that emanated from his lips. He slid a pair of headphones over his ears and rested a hand over his katana he strode casually into the battle zone.

The first to notice his entrance was a group of Echo Syndicate enforcers. They paused, their expressions a mix of recognition and wariness. One of them leveled his pistol toward Kenzo, aiming down its sights. The man opened fire—only for Kenzo to twist out of the way of the bullets' path with a rhythmic flourish.

旋律運動 (Senritsu Undō).

His movements synced perfectly with the music blasting through his headphones—guiding him into place as if he were dancing along with the song playing in his ears. Every bullet shot passed him harmlessly as he bobbed and weaved from side to side. Kenzo rolled his neck to the beat as he sauntered closer to the group with unhurried steps.

The Adrenomancer finally noticed Kenzo. He scowled. His electrified whips lashed out toward him at a blinding speed. Both cables snaked through the air.

Kenzo shrugged as the whips drew near.

拍反射 (Hyō Hansha).

His katana flashed through the air with a quick flick of his wrist. A crisp metallic sound reverberated throughout the alleyway as he deflected each whip with deft strikes. Each impact resulted in a small burst of sparks and electricity.

A few of the Neon Viper gangsters stopped mid-fight and stared in awe at his performance. Another one of the Adrenomancer's attacks came for Kenzo. The man cracked his whip at him with increased ferocity.

Kenzo easily ducked and dodged out of the way while drawing his sword out of its scabbard with a flurry of parries and counters. He jumped high into the air as the whips tried to entangle his legs. They barely missed. When he landed back on the ground—he used a kick to launch himself forward with a quick burst of momentum.

No need to have a fair fight. He needed to end it quick and move on.

リズムライド (Rizumu Raido) + 共鳴刃 (Kyōmei Ha)

Kenzo's eyes flashed.

One moment—Kenzo stood next to the Adrenomancer. The next second—his katana tore through the man's chest. The Adrenomancer grunted as blood poured freely from his mouth. Kenzo's blade retracted before he slashed once more with a fluid, elegant stroke. His blade cleaved through flesh and bone—and in an instant, the man's head fell to the ground.

The Adrenomancer's body toppled over. Blood pooled on the ground where Kenzo stood.

The Neon Vipers stared wide-eyed at his handiwork but soon refocused their attention on their own opponents. It wouldn't take long for them to dispatch the rest of the Echo Syndicate grunts remaining.

Kenzo vaulted onto the nearest rooftop with a smooth lunge. As he sprinted over the roofs of nearby buildings, he began humming along to the tunes blasting through his headphones.

Now to deal with the other Adrenomancer lurking about. It didn't take much time to figure out where the guy went. All he had to do was follow the sounds of gunfire and explosions coming from two streets down. They sounded nothing like the report from the usual pistol or rifle he'd expected to hear in the area. And the explosions...nobody carried around explosives during this kind of skirmish. Not when the gangs always preferred close combat whenever possible.

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He quickly rounded a corner and leaped off another roof toward a pair of Syndicate grunts scrambling along an adjacent alley. He landed gracefully on their shoulders. His momentum smashed their faces against the ground before they even realized what happened.

Kenzo bent his knees and crouched low.

Still got it.

He smirked to himself and continued toward the sound of battle. After turning three more corners, he found himself facing a scene that made his heart skip a beat.

Kasumi was cornered against the crumbling wall of a dilapidated building, her breaths coming in quick, ragged gasps. She was visibly injured—blood oozed from a gash on her thigh while cuts covered her arms and face. A trickle of blood leaked from her lip and a bruise marked her forehead.

Her dark bodysuit bore a multitude of slash marks and tears. A massive chunk of concrete lay on the ground at her feet. A few wires dangled limply from the end of her gloves.

Reverb Ray stood a few meters away, his mask's equalizer oscillating across its display in waves while an ear-grating sound echoed through the alleyway. His silver hair seemed to shimmer with each sonic boom that erupted from his fingertips, directed squarely at Kasumi. He aimed his palms at her as she tried to evade his attacks by sliding along the ground or clinging onto the sides of walls. Each time she attempted to escape the assault—she was hit by another sonic boom that knocked her off her perch.

The ground between them was littered with debris, fallen bricks and steel rebar lay scattered amid scorch marks and blast holes. It looked like a war zone. A handful of corpses wearing both gang colors lay motionless in puddles of blood. None of them remained unburnt or untouched by whatever happened here. Many had missing limbs or exposed internal organs.

Kasumi slid back onto the ground with a heavy thud as one of Reverb's attacks pushed her into a nearby building's wall. Kenzo grimaced as he heard a soft whimper escape her lips.

As he was about to leap to her defense, a massive explosion erupted behind him. The blast knocked him off his feet and sent him hurtling through the air toward a nearby rooftop. He rolled to a stop near the edge of the roof and coughed. Smoke billowed from the source of the explosion, obscuring his vision and filling his nose with a metallic scent. He shook his head and struggled to get to his feet.

From a distance, the other Adrenomancer stared at him through the smoke.

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?" The man muttered to himself as he walked toward Kenzo, brandishing an assault rifle with a grenade launcher attached to the barrel.

Kuso!

Kenzo cursed under his breath and hopped back onto his feet. He gripped his sword's handle tightly as he glared at the approaching Adrenomancer. Meanwhile, Reverb continued his relentless assault on Kasumi while she struggled to block or dodge each incoming blow.

He needed to hurry before it was too late.

Kenzo crouched low, his sword raised parallel to the ground, pointed at his opponent. His free hand hovered by the blade's tip. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. His posture resembled that of a coiled spring ready to strike. His feet shifted slightly beneath him as he adjusted his stance.

音速の槍 (Onsoku no Yari).

Kenzo opened his eyes and thrust his sword forward with a shout. A wave of sonic energy burst out from the end of his katana with an audible screech, piercing through the air toward his target. The soundwaves rippled outward like a shockwave from a detonating bomb—shattering glass and blowing debris away in their wake.

"Wha—" The Adrenomancer stared wide-eyed as the sonic lance pierced his body. A deafening blast of sound waves tore him apart before he even had a chance to react. Blood sprayed everywhere as his remains lay strewn across the ground. His rifle clattered to the floor, followed by what remained of his torso and legs.

Kenzo spun around just in time to catch sight of Kasumi adjusting her intact glove, sending out another flurry of nanowires, this time in a wide arc meant to encircle Reverb. He responded by clapping his hands together, creating a sonic barrier that repelled the wires. The impact generated a symphony of sparks, throwing Kasumi back into a nearby building's wall. Her cry reverberated through the alleyway as her head collided with brick.

She collapsed onto the ground and rolled limply onto her side.

"Kasumi!" Kenzo yelled out to her in panic as he ran toward her fallen form. He ignored Reverb completely and sprinted towards where she lay. Once he reached her side, he knelt beside her.

Kasumi groaned weakly as Kenzo gently shook her shoulder. She groaned again and mumbled something incomprehensible under her breath. Then she passed out. Kenzo quickly checked for any fatal injuries but found none. He sighed in relief.

He glanced back at Reverb, who remained where he stood—observing Kenzo and Kasumi silently. If there were any visible signs of fatigue from Reverb's part...they weren't readily apparent. The equalizers on his mask's display continued oscillating steadily.

"Kenzo... Harmonic Samurai," Reverb remarked softly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now that's a face I didn't expect to see here." He chuckled dryly. "Guess you haven't changed one bit. Still doing what you've always done. Hmph...whatever happened to laying low?"

"Fuck off, Reverb," Kenzo spat coldly as he carefully picked up Kasumi with one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees. "I won't stop you from dealing with the Shiver facility, but I'm taking her away from this mess."

Reverb shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright," he said after a momentary pause. "She's not the reason we're here anyways. Besides...I guess she isn't all that bad...even if she's just another gangster in this shitshow." He cocked his head slightly toward where Kasumi rested limply against Kenzo's chest. "This little lady was putting up quite the fight when I found her earlier. Almost seemed like a fun challenge until your arrival."

Kenzo paid him no mind and carried Kasumi in silence. The music blaring from his headphones continued to pump out a steady stream of bass beats in tandem with the rhythmic steps of his stride.

He made sure to keep a safe distance between himself and any Echo Syndicate stragglers scattered throughout the surrounding area. If any tried to pick a fight—he'd make short work of them. If they didn't, then that was fine by him too.

A few Neon Viper gangsters still stood watch near where he first encountered them. One of them greeted him with surprise while another yelled at him angrily. A third began running towards him with his weapon drawn.

"What are you doing with Cobra?!" The man shouted as he aimed his gun directly at Kenzo's face. "Put her down or else!"

"Your boss lost to 'Reverb'," Kenzo replied coolly as he stared down the barrel of the pistol pointed at him. "We don't need a war right now." He glanced at Kasumi unconsciously as he spoke. "If you're smart...you'll listen to me."

The gangster hesitated but eventually lowered his gun and holstered it away. His comrades followed suit as they glared suspiciously at Kenzo. Eventually, one of them spoke up after exchanging glances with another. "Fine...just give us the boss. We'll take care of her."

Kenzo shook his head. "Not gonna happen. I'm taking her to a good clinic I know. Tell the rest of your guys to retreat and leave this matter behind you. Working for the Mad Chemist won't end well for anybody."

"But—" one of them started to protest before cutting themselves off abruptly as Kenzo narrowed his eyes threateningly. The rest nodded and quickly turned around. They scattered into the nearby shadows of the alleyway without another word.