Chapter 6.5 - The First Technique

Adachi: "BRING IT FOUR-EYES!"

The beast and I begin to run towards each other. My legs feel strong, and my body feels lighter than ever before. The midstless seems surprised by my newfound speed, but its confidence is not shaken. Even with this breakthrough, this will still be a tough fight. How can I best take this midstless down...?

Observing the midstless, I see that its upper body is its most robust area. The four arms that I see approaching me are all large in muscle mass, but that just means it's top-heavy. So I should aim for the legs to start.

The beast attempts to grab me with all four arms at once, but with my physically enhanced legs, I vault over his head with ease. Then, using both his right arms, he spins around, attempting to hit me before I can recover. The swing is quick, but it seems he's underestimated my weight once again. Before his arms reach me, I've already hit the ground and ducked underneath his legs. He's completely lost track of me now. Finally, I rear a kick into the back of his right knee.

*Zip* *THWACK*

He drops his knee to the ground involuntarily, and his head is now within my reach. I leap up, doing a flip to gain centripetal force, and attempt to land my heel in the back of his head. However, before my blow lands, I feel his top right arm grab hold of my leg. He swings me around in a circle at high speeds, pivoting on his left leg, which remains undamaged. I feel the blood rushing to my head from the force.

*Swoosh, Swoosh, Swoosh, Swoosh, ZING!"

He hurls me into the woods, and I'm hit by many branches, which slightly serve to lessen my momentum. In the end, my back ends up slamming into a tree trunk which nearly uproots the tree. Damn. I should have aimed for his left leg instead of his head. That would have put me in an acceptable position to win this fight. Instead, I ended up prematurely going for the kill and paid the price.

*Stomp, Stomp... Stomp, Stomp..."

The beast is running over to me, but I can tell he's limping from the pacing of his steps. If I get that other leg, I'll be able to run circles around him. I try to stand up only to realize that I can't move my legs at all. Suddenly, an electric pain shoots up my spine into my brain.

Adachi: "AUUUUUUUUGH!"

The pain is so severe that I see white stars in every part of my vision. I still can't feel my legs. I think the beast has broken my spine near my lower back. My legs are dead weight now. All I have are my arms now. The beast is almost on me, and I'm sitting with my back to the tree. I can't punch him from where I'm sitting. All I can do is block. I channel all my midst into my right arm and brace for impact as his bottom right arm comes in for the killing blow.

*Clap* *BOOOOOM*

His fist meets my palm, and the impact causes a rush of wind that felt like it would sweep away the whole forest. The arm I blocked with is now tattered and broken. My blood has now leaked into both my eyes, making it impossible for me to see. I'm losing consciousness from the pain, and the beast takes notice. It picks me up and begins to absorb my midst into its core, assuming the fight is over. If I can just summon the strength to let one punch fly-

*Whoosh* *Thunk*

The beast's grip softens, and I begin to fall from his palm. What's happening? As I'm about to hit the ground, I'm caught by very familiar arms. Kiichi is here.

Kiichi: "Forgive me, Adachi. I'm about to do something very hypocritical..."

Those were the last words I heard before I faded off into a deep slumber.