Inside the building, Josh stood alone. The hallway felt longer now, emptier, like the world had narrowed down to just him and the thing in front of him. The distant echoes of the others escaping had already faded, leaving behind a silence that pressed against his ears.
Silar faced him.
There was no hesitation in his stance anymore. No instability. Whatever struggle had existed before was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous. His body looked tighter, refined in a way that didn't belong to a human anymore. Every slight movement carried intent.
Josh exhaled slowly, adjusting his grip on the sword.
His body felt like it was falling apart.
His chest throbbed from the earlier hit, his side burned where his shirt had been torn open, and his arms felt heavy every time he tried to lift the blade properly. Even his breathing had become uneven, shallow.
He could feel it clearly.
He wasn't going to last much longer like this.
Silar moved.
Josh saw it—
But his body lagged behind.
The attack came fast, a straight, crushing strike aimed at his upper body. Josh forced himself to react, raising his sword just enough to deflect the worst of it, but the impact still broke through his defense.
His footing slipped then his balance shattered.
The next strike came immediately after.
Josh twisted his body, barely avoiding it, but the force of the movement threw him off completely. He staggered back, struggling to stabilize himself.
This one was too fast.
He couldn't keep up anymore.
Silar didn't stop.
Another step, another strike, sharper this time.
Josh tried to counter.
He was late as the blow landed his back blade , bring the pressure from it to his chest.
It didn't send him flying this time, but it hit deep enough to force the air out of his lungs. His body bent slightly from the impact, and for a split second, his vision blurred.
Silar closed in again.
Josh raised his sword on instinct, but his arms felt too slow, too heavy.
Everything felt delayed,His thoughts weren't clear.
But his body couldn't follow.
"So this is how it ends…" the thought came quietly but without panic.
He had pushed too far.
Struggled too long. For what exactly??
If he had left earlier, when Silar first started changing, he might have avoided this completely.
A faint frustration settled in his chest, as a trace of regret criped in.
He had been dragged into all of this without choice, and now he was about to die for it.
All he wanted was a normal life.
Something simple, at least he could have gotten money and took care of his aunt. But now...
He tightened his grip on the sword again.
Even now…
He didn't want to go down without fighting, Even if he knew he won't be able to win.
Silar attacked again.
Josh forced himself to move.
Their bodies clashed once more, but this time they wasn't a way as it seem luck didn't smile on him.
Every exchange pushed him further back.
Every block felt heavier.
Every second drained what little strength he had left.
Silar's movements became slow but rough, more direct, as if sensing the weakness in front of him.
Josh's reactions slowed just enough for it to matter.
While he was starting to go berserk, he fucked up as a clean opening. Making him vulnerable.
Silar's strike broke through his defense.
The impact slammed into him and sent him crashing to the ground.
The sword slipped from his hand, landing just out of reach.
Josh tried to push himself up, his arms trembled they didn't respond properly.His breathing became rough, uneven.
His vision dimmed slightly at the edges.
Silar walked toward him, like a predator stalking on its prey
Slow, but with a Certain vibe that made the air around cold.
Josh just lay there, staring forward.
This time, his body didn't respond at all, as he could feel it.
This was the end.
A strange calm settled over him.
His thoughts became quieter.
He didn't think about running anymore.
He didn't even think about resisting anymore.
Just… a faint sense of disappointment on himself.
Then------
The system sound rang in his head, if it didn't he wouldn't have remember he had this, but what was the use now....
Synchronization complete.
Josh's eyes shifted slightly.
A second message followed immediately.
Full system access unlocked.
Something inside him responded.
Like something that had been building quietly had finally reached its limit and opened.
Time seemed to stretch.
Silar's next movement slowed in Josh's vision. The angle of his arm, the direction of his step, the shift in his balance all of it became clear in a way it hadn't before.
Then the change reached his body.
The exhaustion disappeared first.
The heaviness in his limbs vanished like it had never been there.
The pain in his chest dulled, then faded.
The burning along his torso cooled, his muscles tightening with renewed strength.
His breathing steadied.
His heartbeat became firm and controlled.
Vitality surged through him.
It felt like his entire body had been reset and reinforced at the same time.
Josh's fingers tightened.
This time, when he tried moving, his body followed perfectly.
Silar's strike came down.
Josh rolled, his hand grabbing the sword in one smooth motion as he pushed himself up in the same movement. The blade rose instantly, intercepting the attack.
The impact rang out.
But this time—
Josh didn't get pushed back.
Silar paused for the briefest moment.
The hesitation showed it was confused.
Josh stepped forward.
His counterattack came fast and direct, the blade cutting across Silar's side and forcing him back a step.
The difference was immediate.
Silar attacked again.
Josh met him with his.
Their movements clashed, but the rhythm had changed.
Before, Josh had been reacting late.
Now, he was matching each movement as it came following a rhythm
Strike....block.....Counter.....step.
The fight accelerated as Josh started getting a hang and also dominating this time.
Their bodies moved faster, sharper, each exchange blending into the next. To anyone watching, it would have looked like flashes of motion colliding in the hallway, too fast to properly follow.
But Josh could see it.
Every movement....every opening.
Silar pressed forward with raw strength and speed, but Josh adapted in real time, his body responding without delay. His strikes became cleaner, his defense tighter, his movements more efficient.
The gap between them had disappeared.
No ....It had reversed as it was clicking to Josh favour now
Silar lunged again, aiming for a direct finish.
Josh sidestepped and redirected the attack, his blade cutting across Silar's arm before following through with a second strike that forced him back further.
The hallway fell into a tense rhythm of continuous impact as it only lasted for few minutes as Josh neutralize the mutated silar