"I am strong, you know. Today's a poor day for heroics," said Awakened Cockroach with an amused expression on his face.
"Don't lump me in with them. I only fight monsters when I feel like it." Suiryu regarded the uneven footing of the wide, carless road caused by those two monsters from earlier. "Alright, there's no time to waste. My date's waiting."
Suiryu closed the gap between them with a quick burst of speed. He shifted his weight and twisted his torso, right leg rising in a wide arc. The kick swept high, his heel cutting through the air like a slashing blade.
His swift and perfectly executed kick that should've connected instead met nothing but air.
Awakened Cockroach had bent backward, spine folding as if hinged, causing Suiryu's heel to pass inches over his face.
He dashed back, returning to his previous position, adopting a tight stance — knee raised, guard up, weight centered.
"Your speed is not terrible for a human, but your attacks can never reach me."
Suiryu remained silent, locked eyes with Awakened Cockroach and then launched forward again. He drove his leg straight out. No windup. No feint. Just raw speed. The sole of his foot reached the monster's face, only to be met with air again.
Can he read my movements or is reacting automatically through instinct?
Awakened Cockroach mocked. "Is that it?"
He needed to end this right away or he would embarrass himself in front of tonight's date.
Suiryu raised his leg high and then unleashed a flurry of low and high kicks, but much to his growing frustration, they were dodged or deflected by one of Awakened Cockroach's six arms. Having had enough, he brought his foot high and kicked down at a sharp angle.
Awakened Cockroach didn't bother blocking the kick as it cut through his body, which evaporated by the time Suiryu finished his attack's motion while his actual body was flying backward through the air before landing beside a crater.
"Hahaha! It is my turn!" Awakened Cockroach's body blurred sideway at a speed Suiryu found difficult to track. He then kicked off a building, disappearing from Suiryu's line of sight. "Hey hey, over here!"
He sent a fist strike to his left but to his shock, Awakened Cockroach appeared to his right, delivering a three-fisted punch. Two of the fists met the side of his face while the other his neck sending him on an airborne collision course into a building.
"No!" Lin Lin's worried shout reached his ears
Tsk. He's using my blind spots to ruin my image. Suiryu twisted in the air and landed on his feet. This monster is pretty strong.
"What else can you do besides eat my fists!?" Awakened Cockroach didn't cease his frantic movements as he flickered about every which way.
"I'll show you. And maybe you can let me experience an enjoyable fight." Suiryu took a breath and clenched his fists. "Let's get started for real."
His words seemed to catch Awakened Cockroach's interest as he stopped. "Oh!? You still got some special kicks or punches? Or maybe you will fire energy blasts from your palms?"
Two heroes rushed past Suiryu.
"'Lightning Kick!'"
"'Biting Snake Fist!'"
He shook his head, listening to their tortured shrieks as Awakened Cockroach unleashed his full repertoire of pain upon them.
¤ ¤ ¤
Genos' suspicions of the ninja carrying him grew. He didn't expect this individual to go to such lengths. It would seem instead of a fight, they planned to assassinate him.
It made sense to him as this person wouldn't be able to defeat him in a head on fight, anyway. Right now wasn't the time to deal with them, so he would play along and act clueless. But within the next week, he would put an end to this game.
"Lightning Max and Sneck should've consulted with us before attacking again."
Shadow Ring's voiced sounded. "That's the first agreeable thing you've said. Is it almost time?"
Knowing your true identity, the fact you can sound so different, like a woman, disgusts me.
"Yes." Genos gazed focused on Suiryu before he shouted. "Hey! Awakened Cockroach can dodge automatically based on killing intent!"
Both Suiryu and Awakened Cockroach turned to face them, each surprised but in different ways.
His words caused Lin Lin to ask, "Will that genuinely help? Even if he erases his killing intent, that monster's speed is still super fast."
Genos nodded in response.
I have enough energy for a single use of 'Incinerate.' And a single use of my ''Instant Adhesive.' I wish an opportunity would arrive soon… Regardless, if Suiryu can conceal his killing intent, our chances will soar.
"Morons! Knowing that information won't save you!" Awakened Cockroach flew straight up.
Genos glanced over at Shadow Ring, into their familiar eyes, that now were covered with fake contact lenses to change their eyes color, and said in a low tone, "Throw me ahead at the ground beneath him when I command."
"Very well."
When he turned his back, Suiryu's body disappeared, reappearing upside down above Awakened Cockroach.
"Now!"
Shadow Ring used their superhuman strength to send him flying.
What followed required only three words: a wish granted.
But how could Genos know that a shooting star was passing over C-City?
¤ ¤ ¤
Shadow Ring tracked Genos' aerial trajectory, still shaken by that soul-piercing glare. His eyes had scraped away her layers, exposing every hidden truth.
Does he know my true identity? His earlier ninja remarks suggested prior encounters... Is he acquainted with the 'Ninja Village?'
Regardless if she hadn't planned to cull him, only one path remained: uncover his knowledge, then erase him. He knew too much.
Her pupils contracted as Suiryu disappeared from view, only to materialize above and behind the monster. Yet what shocked her was Awakened Cockroach's reaction: his head twisted rightward, mouth open in disbelief.
She mirrored his astonishment when a giant severed head came rocketing toward them.
Suiryu, upside-down, drove a devastating kick straight onto the monster's head.
Perhaps the flying head had overwhelmed the cockroach's senses. Or maybe Suiryu had concealed his killing intent. In the end, the reason mattered less than the result.
Awakened Cockroach hurtled downward in the same brown blur that had blazoned his arrival.
Shadow Ring spotted the amber puddle an instant before his chitinous body cratered into the pavement. He thrashed, but the viscous substance anchored every limb to concrete. "What is th—"
Genos, prone, stretched his arm and clamped a palm over the monster's mouth.
"'Incinerate.'"
The last word the roach would ever hear.