The red light pulsed across the chamber as the floor trembled beneath Yū's feet. He ducked, narrowly avoiding a jagged, metallic slash that gouged the wall behind him.
"Man… I just noticed this… something's different about me," Yū muttered under his breath, rolling to the side as another blade whipped toward his head.
Ogre's glowing veins throbbed with a cruel light. "You've grown since our last encounter… I thought you'd just freeze and die again." His metal arms extended like liquid whips, slicing the air with deafening swishes.
Yū's mind raced. Death Trigger or not, I can't just clash head-on. I've gotten stronger, but I still don't know how to use my powers fully. He's faster than me… maybe I can use the chamber itself.
He grabbed a loose pipe from the floor and swung it, forcing Ogre to shift mid-strike. Sparks flew as the metal blades clashed with the pipe. Yū's grin flickered despite the tension. "Okay… this will buy me some time, but I need a real way out of here."
Ogre lunged, stretching his blades toward Yū's torso. Yū dove forward, narrowly escaping. His eyes scanned the room, steel panels, hanging cables, broken monitor screens. If I were Ren, what would I do…?
Then a flash of memory struck him, back when he was still an ordinary student.
---
"So, I'm saying… sometimes fictional stories are useful, you know? Imagine you're trapped in a room with a monster and have nothing. What do you do?" Yū had asked Ren once.
"Me? Well… if I can't fight it, I destroy the whole room. Basic," Ren replied.
"What if you don't have anything to destroy it?"
"Then there's only one option: fight like a character in the story."
"And if that still doesn't work?"
"Then there's only one thing you can do and that's—"
---
Back to the present, Yū muttered, "Yeah… he did say something like that."
He recalled a particular scene from a book he read, a character trapped in a collapsing chamber, using momentum and the environment to turn the enemy's attacks against them. Maybe… he could try that.
He yanked a loose cable, tripping Ogre's extended arm. Sparks erupted, and the chamber shook. He grabbed a hanging steel chain and swung it like the hero in the story, ricocheting off a wall to land a spinning kick onto Ogre's side. The monster stumbled, crashing into a steel pillar.
"Not bad, little Death Trigger," Ogre hissed, eyes narrowing. "But I'm not the one who dies here."
Yū's heart pounded, adrenaline sharpening his focus. He scanned the room for his next move. The memory of the book's sequence guided him— timing, angle, and using the environment, not raw strength. "Now… what's next?" he whispered.
He ducked another slash and rolled behind a pile of broken metal crates. Using his momentum, he hurled a crate at Ogre's face. It barely slowed him, but it bought Yū a precious second to breathe.
The chamber shook violently, and a chunk of the ceiling cracked. Debris rained down, filling Yū's lungs with hot dust. Ogre's laughter echoed through the steel walls, low and menacing.
"You're persistent… I like that," Ogre said. His arms writhed like living metal, striking at unpredictable angles. "But persistence won't save you!"
Yū's gaze hardened. He tightened his grip on the pipe. I have to end this… or at least get away.
He darted forward, feinting left, then vaulted onto a dangling cable. With a spinning kick, he slammed into Ogre's side, sending him staggering into the far wall.
For a brief second, Yū felt the surge of victory… but it was fleeting. Ogre's eyes gleamed silver. "Kikiki… fun, fun… but the game has just begun, Yū Kisaragi."
Yū gritted his teeth, wiping blood from a split lip. Sparks flew around him, and his chest heaved. "I need more time… and I'll figure this out."
---
Ayato's Chamber
"It seems they've already started," Ayato said calmly, leaning against the steel wall as his eyes scanned the dim room.
"Oi! Are you ignoring me?!" The bandaged man shouted, his voice echoing off the chamber walls.
"You did this to me, you traitor!" he spat, stepping forward, fists clenched.
"Sorry, sorry—I'm not ignoring you. It's just… you're not fun anymore. I didn't think anyone would still be alive after what I did," Ayato replied, smirking.
The bandaged man growled, lunging forward with a wild swing. Ayato sidestepped effortlessly, barely moving, letting the man's momentum carry him forward. A faint flash of recognition passed through the man's eyes. He knew Ayato. Had witnessed him before, long ago, when Ayato's true power had been revealed, and now he was here, alive.
"You bastard!!" the man roared, recovering quickly. He attacked again, faster this time, trying to catch Ayato off guard.
Ayato, however, barely shifted, watching every movement with cold precision. His calm gaze never faltered, but his thoughts wandered briefly. Still pathetic as ever brother, even without me using a trigger you won't gazed me with your flimsy affinity, you think I'm a traitor? Sure why not if that's what you want. Ayato thought
The bandaged man's strikes grew frantic, clashing with Ayato's deflections. Steel scraped steel, and the echo of impact filled the room. Despite the man's aggression, Ayato's movements remained casual, almost lazy, calculating the perfect moment to end the fight or maybe just enjoy letting the man exhaust himself first.
---
Kaito's Chamber
Clang! Clang!
"You're not a bad student! You're still holding your own," the massive brute mocked, cracking his knuckles as the sparks flew from their clashing weapons.
"Tch!" Kaito snapped, sweat dripping down his brow.
"Is this all you can do to save your sister? You're so weak!" the brute laughed, flexing his gray, metallic-like arms.
"I'm going to kill you!!" Kaito roared, lunging forward. He remembered the pain from their previous encounter, this was the same man who had injured him when trying to kidnap him before. The memory ignited a fire in Kaito, his movements sharper, fueled by both anger and desperation to save Mari.
The brute swung again, and Kaito ducked, rolling under the arc of his opponent's arm. Metal scraped against metal, sparks flying as they struck a steel pillar behind them. Kaito's heart pounded, every attack was a test, every dodge a small victory. His sister's face flashed in his mind, giving him strength.
"You're still alive after what I did earlier? Luck favors you, weakling," the brute sneered. "Thought you could save her with that kind of trigger?"
"Don't you dare mention her," Kaito growled, launching himself forward, aiming for a weak point in the brute's armor. Each strike was calculated, precise, using the chamber's layout to his advantage, pipes, dangling chains, and broken panels all became weapons in his hands.
---
Ren's Chamber
Plow!
The massive metal club hit the floor
"What the heck—if I were hit by that, I'd die," Ren muttered, ducking just in time.
The tall armored figure swung his heavy metal club again, but instead of striking him directly, it slammed against the case Ren was holding.
"No!" Ren shouted, momentarily panicked. What's inside of that again? Ayato said it'll help us later, but now isn't the time to check.
"D-don't run!" the armored figure growled, stepping closer.
"Why would I run? You're huge, armored, and armed. I've got nothing! This is cheating!" Ren shouted, backing up.
"I—is that so?" the figure replied, oddly calm. Then, to Ren's surprise, it slowly removed both its armor and its massive weapon.
"What… what are you doing?" Ren asked, still keeping a safe distance.
"You said I was cheating, so I removed them," the figure said simply.
Is this guy for real? Ren thought, tilting his head.
"I removed my armor and weapon ," the figure said, now completely unarmed.
"I don't have anything, so don't run away," it added, like a polite invitation rather than a threat.
"Yeah. Sure," Ren muttered, gripping his hand. He started circling, dodging slow but deadly swings as the figure tested his reactions. Ren realized that even without weapons, this opponent was dangerous, moving with precision and patience.
Ren ducked another blow, feeling the air rush past him, then sidestepped and tapped the case. I need to survive long enough to see what's inside… but I can't let him catch me. Not yet.
The armored figure smiled under its helmet. "You're clever, Big Bro. Let's see how long that lasts."
"Wait—'Big Bro'?" Ren shouted, confused. Is this guy even sane? he thought.
---End of Chapter 16---