"The fuck…"

Carmen floated above the massive Spawn Crystal, her crimson wings beating lazily as she scanned Adam from head to toe. Not a single inch of him wasn't covered by blood, and his clothes made a cracking sound with even the slightest of movements due to the parts that had already caked up.

And in particular, she stared at the hole in his armor… and then at his mouth that was perfectly fine.

"I knew it. I just knew it was you creating all these fucking problems, you fucking motherfucking midget. How are you even fucking alive, you fucking puto?"

Adam didn't respond to her. He wasn't even looking at her at all, and was staring blankly at the giant crystal behind her. His hand that was holding the Shion was trembling, as if just a little wind could make him let go of his weapon.

But still, he stood. Almost as if Carmen was just an obstacle between him and victory.

"Hoy, chico. I'm fucking talking to you. The fuck. You not right in the head already, puto?"

Carmen waited for a reaction. A flinch. Some sign that her words had gotten under his skin. But Adam's expression never changed. His breathing remained steady. His grip on the weapon stayed relaxed.

Nothing.

"Hey!" Carmen's voice cracked. "I'm fucking talking to you, you piece of shit! How are you alive after sticking that large sword in your mouth?!"

Still nothing. Adam's gaze didn't waver from the crystal. The pillar of light stretching into the sky seemed to pulse with each beat of his heart, calling to him.

Carmen scoffed, narrowing her eyes as she once again scanned him. "What, you think ignoring me makes you tough? You think—"

And finally, she realized that Adam wasn't looking at her at all—and since she was right in front of him, she realized that she wasn't even looking at Crystal, no. His eyes were empty now, or perhaps looking beyond the Crystal.

Well, wherever he looked, Carmen was going to make sure he wouldn't be able to look anywhere anymore.

Carmen's wings flared wider, lifting her higher into the air. "Fine. You wanna play silent? Let's fucking play."

She shot forward, her small frame cutting through the air. But instead of attacking Adam directly, she stopped right in front of him, and the Shion's blade with both hands and wrenched it from his grip.

The massive sword spun through the air, embedding itself in a distant dune with a muffled thud.

"There," Carmen said, hovering just out of reach. "Now what are you gonna do, midget?"

Adam watched his weapon disappear into the sand. For a moment, something flickered across his face—not anger, not fear… disappointment, probably?

But it didn't matter; he took a step toward the crystal.

"You really have lost it, huh?" Carmen sighed at this. "What a fucking shame. Oh, well… Sorry, I'll really have to kill you now, or they might suspect of fucking fixing the Games—and I don't even like gambling."

She flew closer to Adam, but then… a boom.

Something dashed across the desert, shattering the air as it slammed into Carmen from the side, sending her tumbling across the sand.

"What the…?!" She rolled to a stop near the crystal's base, spitting blood and cursing.

"Who…?" Even Adam, who had been completely focused on just winning the Game no matter what, reacted. His eyes, widening as he saw the figure that tackled Carmen—it was a man wearing what looked like a motorcycle helmet, and a blue tight armor suit that matched it.

The name floating above his head, however, wasn't blue at all.

[Kenichi, the Slow Speedster]

Kenichi called out to him, but Adam couldn't quite understand a word of what he said. But from his name alone, Adam was sure this hero was from Japan.

And since he couldn't understand him at all, he didn't waste time and sprinted toward the Crystal—he also didn't have time to find and grab his weapon.

As soon as he reached the giant Crystal, he started hammering it with his fists. He could do this, because finally... he had help.

But the crystal's surface felt like solid steel under his strikes. Each punch sent shockwaves up his arms, but left barely a scratch on the translucent surface.

Carmen was already back on her feet, her wings spreading wide as electricity crackled between the feathers. "You fucking speedster piece of shit! Why the fuck are you here?!"

Kenichi was, not his fault, confused at the situation. How could he not be?

He left his position to help the Hero who segwayed their way straight through their enemy's Spawn Crystal… only to find just a single Creep fighting against a Hero.

He looked back and forth between Adam and Carmen at first, but then chose to deal with Carmen first.

He blurred around her, his movements creating small sonic booms that kicked up clouds of sand. But… Carmen was stronger—much stronger.

"The fuck?! Fucking mosquito!" When her fist connected with his ribs, the sound it made was almost stronger than the sonic booms he'd created.

"Gah!" Kenichi flew backward, his armor cracked and smoking.

Adam pounded against the crystal with growing desperation. His knuckles split and healed, split and healed, but the surface remained intact. The pillar of light above pulsed mockingly, as if laughing at his efforts.

And he couldn't take this. Not at all.

He glanced back, and for the first time after what seemed like forever, he screamed.

"Help me break the Crystal! Help me break it! Ignore her!"

Kenichi struggled to his feet, blood trickling from his mouth. He also glanced at Adam, not knowing what he was talking about.

"You think this chink can fucking help you?!" Carmen's wing sliced through the air where Kenichi's head had been a moment before. The speedster ducked and rolled, but she was already following up with another attack.

"The crystal!" Adam screamed, his voice almost cracking. "Attack the crystal!"

But, of course, Kenichi was too busy dodging Carmen's relentless assault. And even if he could understand, it was obvious he also wouldn't have the chance to help Adam at all.

Yes—Kenichi was able to dodge Carmen's attack, and he had higher reflexes than her by a long shot. The only problem here was that even though his entire power centered around his speed and his reflexes… Carmen was as fast as him.

And physically stronger.

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