I walked towards the cafeteria first, my blank crimson eyes taking in the students around me. Most were taking discreet glances at my face and physique.
How boring...
What the students focused on was merely an outer facade. Beneath my lithe frame were muscles and bones aligned in their most optimal form possible for a human body. A halfhearted punch from me could hit with up to 779 kg of force. A serious punch could reach up to 2357 kg—and that was without using any techniques or martial arts.
I mused silently as I walked into the cafeteria. Students from different classes were having lunch at this time.
One glance was all it took for me to analyze the thoughts, minds, emotions, and hobbies of every student present.
"Boring." I spoke out loud. Not minding the confused gazes landing on me in response.
Ignoring the students, I turned toward an adjacent corridor leading to another section of the school.
However... as I walked through the corridor, another figure approached from the opposite direction.
My eyes analyzed him instantly; the [Ultimate Analyst] talent laying all his secrets bare in moments.
His nametag read: Kuzuki Souichirou.
He was a male teacher wearing a dark green suit and a pair of glasses, his face stoic and expressionless.
Lean muscle mass built by practicing martial arts? Check.
Not even one milligram of useless muscle? Check.
Soundless footsteps? Check.
Consistent 50bpm heart rate? Check.
Estimated punch force? 967 Kg.
This man was an Assassin. A Master Assassin.
Yet... boring.
As the distance between us closed, countless plans flashed across my mind. My streams of thought reached the most optimal countermeasure in a second.
Meanwhile, I could see the slight stiffening of Kuzuki's left shoulder, along with his muscles compressing unto themselves in preparation for a possible confrontation.
Just as I knew he was not simple, he too knew I was dangerous.
But what Kuzuki couldn't know... was that I possessed the [Ultimate Assassin] talent too.
He was a master above thousands...
I stood at the very peak of the horizon he breathed under.
This was why it was boring. Kuzuki might be good. Very good. But he was not an Ultimate.
.
[Ultimate Detective] talent calculated that the nearest student from here would need to walk for 187 seconds to reach here after hearing any noise. Meaning I had to wrap everything up under that time.
.
Kuzuki's steps synchronized with his heartbeat. His presence suppressing itself to the extreme as he drew closer.
My steps followed suit. My own heart beating in rhythm with my stride. My presence erasing itself from human perception as I closed the distance.
I could have ended it right there. [Ultimate Assassin] meant I could have knocked Kuzuki out or broken his neck before the teacher could even react.
But... that would have been predictable.
And I hated anything predictable.
As the distance between us became negligible. I finally unleashed my... [Ultimate Despair] talent.
Bloodlust, the likes of which could drown thousands into lunacy was unleashed without reservation solely against Kuzuki.
Come on, Kuzuki. Show me what hope is... When all you feel is despair.
My presence reasserted itself into his perception. The sheer magnitude of bloodlust and 'despair' radiating from me made even a seasoned assassin like Kuzuki freeze.
I took one more step. My presence rising along with the motion. The killing intent increasing in magnitude.
Kuzuki was forced to his knees, sweat dripping down his entire body.
What stood in front of this assassin was not a fellow assassin or even a monster.
The most appropriate word Kuzuki could use to describe the red-eyed boy before him was a 'natural disaster.'
How could he fight against 'that'?
How could he win against 'that'?
How could he survive against 'that'?
Kuzuki was frozen. His body refusing to move. Every instinct screamed for him to stay still to survive.
I watched him struggle under my 'despair'. The slight intrigue I felt towards him vanishing like burning embers.
Boring.
[Ultimate Despair] was reigned back in.
The moment I did... Kuzuki forcefully launched himself up from his kneeling position like a cornered animal finally seeing an opening. His punch headed straight for my Adam's apple to crush my windpipe.
Swish.
I didn't even need to think. My [Ultimate Precognition] talent acted on its own. My body moved automatically, my head bending backward at a precise angle.
Kuzuki's punch missed my neck by millimeters. Yet... he was not one to give up easily.
Both his hands punched towards me once again. One heading for my face, the other for my stomach.
The stance he held was that of Krav Maga. A martial art developed by IDF.
It might have worked on most fighters across the world. Unfortunately... he had used it against someone with the [Ultimate Martial Artist] talent, a being peerless in all forms of martial arts.
I lifted my body on one leg. My center of gravity tightened to maintain balance. My other leg reaching Kuzuki's chest before his fists could reach me. After all, my legs were longer and had more reach than his hands.
My toes pointed straight at his chest, my heel pulled back. His hands had not yet reached me when I released my heel against his chest like a jackhammer.
One-Inch Kick!
Crack. Crack.
Kuzuki flew back, his spine colliding against the corridor wall. Three of his ribs were broken, blood dripping from his mouth. Yet, this assassin was not done. He forcefully composed himself and attacked again, this time with a fluid kick straight towards my jaw.
Capoeira?
I expected nothing less from a master assassin.
My hand glided upwards, sliding against his flying foot to tilt it slightly. His kick missed my jaw by a mere 2.45 inches.
"Teacher Kuzuki... Let me show you what using multiple martial arts really looks like," I spoke, my voice monotonous and apathetic.
My hand gripping his leg flung him aside. By the time he landed and gathered himself, I was already in front of him.
My right fist was already heading for his face. Karate form.
He blocked, barely.
My left fist slipped through his guard, slamming into his thigh. Jeet Kune Do.
Crunch.
His thigh bone fractured. He ignored the pain to elbow my shoulder.
I let the hit land. My body absorbed the force transmitted from the impact and dispersed it into the ground. Aikido form.
My knee came up to collide against his other leg, which had followed behind his elbow. Muay Thai form.
Our knees collided a moment later.
We continued to exchange blows in a blur of pure movement.
Karate. Jeet-Kune Do. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Judo. Kung Fu. Bajiquan. Krav Maga.
I rotated from one martial art to another like flowing water.
No awkwardness. No delays. No drops in lethality.
Thump. Crack. Thump. Crunch.
... By the time I was done, Kuzuki was barely able to move. His teeth were broken, his glasses tossed aside like trash.
Now... Why would I fight someone as boring as Kuzuki?
It was simple. I needed access to my own and other students' files to confirm some conjectures. And how would I get it without wasting extra time?
By imitating Kuzuki.
Or rather... becoming him.
...
..
.
'Kuzuki' headed for the teacher's lounge.
But in reality, it was not him.
It was me.
And thanks to my [Ultimate Imposter] talent, I knew I looked more real than the real Kuzuki ever could.
...
..
.
Meanwhile, the real Kuzuki hung fully suspended from the ceiling of a locked classroom.
His body was bound with intricate, tight rope bindings—the kind one might see in extreme restrictive knots (S&M). His body was bare except for his boxers, and his mouth was gagged.
If Kuzuki's mouth had been free, he would have cursed Izuru's [Ultimate Binder] talent with every remaining breath he had.
...
Rip our boy Kuzuki.
...
..
.
[Ultimate Assassin]: Maki Harukawa's Talent. Izuru is an ultimate assassin, standing at the very peak in the profession of assassination.
[Ultimate Despair]: Enoshima Junko's Talent. The Ultimate ability to bring and induce despair. Izuru's version is even more staggering. Able to bring despair to anything and everything.
[Ultimate Precognition]: A talent Izuru formulated for the purpose of avoiding to waste his time by fighting boring opponents. Though, he's too talented, so the talent he created lets him predicts the future with 100% accuracy, which lets him avoid encountering boring events and situations when the original purpose of the talent was only to give him instinctive reactions.
[Ultimate Imposter]: Izuru is able to use the data he analyzes from those around him to flawlessly replicate their personality, voice, clothes, hairstyle and skills.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[5 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]