Ryan let out a half-smile, full of mockery and cold menace. "Second round," he murmured, flexing his muscles, ready to strike again. His voice, now deeper, echoed across the room: "Run, Alya!"
A thunderous impact reverberated through the room, cutting through the confused screams of the students. Ryan advanced with precision and caution, delivering a brutal punch below Yuno's ribs, aiming for a vital point. He wasn't going to underestimate his opponent again. Taking advantage of her pain and distraction, his quick hand slipped under Yuno's skirt, grabbing the knife he knew she had hidden there.
Yuno recovered swiftly, her eyes brimming with hatred. She tried to retreat, but not fast enough to prevent Ryan from taking the weapon. He spun the knife between his fingers, letting out a sarcastic laugh. "Hiding this here? How creative, huh, bitch?" His words were as sharp as the blade in his hand.
Without wasting time, Ryan charged again, aiming directly at Yuno's chest. But before the knife could find its target, she vanished. In the blink of an eye, she was behind him. "I'll kill you as many times as necessary!" Yuno roared, her voice laden with an almost supernatural fury.
Ryan, however, had anticipated this. With an acrobatic move, he flipped backward, dodging the attack. In mid-air, he threw the knife with lethal precision, striking Yuno directly in the eyes. Her body fell heavily to the ground, lifeless like a doll.
Ryan approached, still panting, observing the fallen body with a mix of coldness and relief. "Sorry, girl... You surprised me with that teleportation trick. But in the end, you're just a hysterical little girl, crazy for di—"
Suddenly, the world started spinning unnaturally. The scenery around him began to unravel, rewinding before his eyes. He felt the weight of the knife vanish from his hand, the room returning to the exact moment before his attack.
"What the hell?" Ryan whispered, his gaze fixed on the now perfectly reconstructed room. He saw Yuno standing again, untouched, as if nothing had happened. A single question echoed in his mind: "Can this bitch rewind time too?"
His breath quickened. Now it was clear that this battle wouldn't just be about strength or strategy, but also about understanding the rules of this twisted game.
Ryan observed Yuno's face for a moment, catching something unexpected: confusion. For a brief moment, both of them seemed equally perplexed. "I didn't rewind time," he thought, feeling a chill run down his spine. His lost expression was enough to lower his guard.
"Yuno Gasai," the teacher's voice echoed through the room, snapping Ryan back to reality. But not fast enough.
When he focused again, the scene he found was Yuno charging at him, her knife slashing through chairs and tables like paper. The screams of terror from the students pierced Ryan's ears, triggering his reflexes. He reacted instinctively, kicking Alya's chair out of the knife's path. The movement saved the girl, but at the cost of feeling Yuno's knife sink deep into his leg.
Alya fell to the floor, screaming in pain, but before she could comprehend the gravity of the moment, Ryan's voice exploded across the room:
"RUN, ALYA!" His command echoed with urgency and desperation, like a roar for survival.
Yuno, with cold eyes and a predatory smile, pulled the knife to sink it even further into Ryan's flesh. He ignored the pain, gripping her wrist tightly and pulling her close, limiting her movements. Yuno, like a wild animal, began delivering frantic punches directly to the wound, trying to provoke any reaction of pain. But Ryan remained impassive, driven only by the instinct to protect.
Alya, trembling, couldn't obey the order. Her scream, full of panic and tears, cut through the air:
"MASACHIKA!"
Yuno paused for a second, sensing an emotional weakness. A wicked smile formed on her lips.
But Ryan had already anticipated this. He grabbed her by the hair with brutal force while his other hand delivered a devastating punch to her face, knocking out a few teeth. Taking advantage of the moment, Ryan hurled her through the window with a savage scream.
The sound of glass shattering echoed through the room, blending with Alya's sobs. Ryan turned to her, his eyes glowing with determination but laced with desperation. "What are you waiting for, Alya? I told you to run, damn it!"
Before he could do more, he felt a sharp pain in his back. Yuno had reappeared, making a deep cut that caused him to stagger.
Ryan reacted immediately, spinning with a kick toward her. But his mobility was compromised, and Yuno easily dodged, rolling to the side. Assessing the situation, he broke a chair leg, improvising a weapon to keep her at a distance, but the bleeding was draining his strength.
Yuno laughed grotesquely, hatred growing in her eyes like an uncontrollable flame. She then looked at Alya, who was huddled against the wall, trembling amid the chaos. Her smile twisted even more.
"So this is it," Yuno murmured venomously. "You care about her."
Without warning, Yuno lunged at Alya, the knife aimed like a deadly spear. Ryan didn't have time to think. He leaped in front, using his hand to intercept the blade. The knife pierced his flesh and stopped between his bones, but he didn't falter.
"Disgusting bitch," he said, breathing heavily, struggling to catch his breath. "Our fight doesn't involve her!"
Behind him, Alya screamed, tears streaming down her face as she saw him in this state.
Yuno tilted her head, laughing like a demon as she twisted the knife in Ryan's hand, intensifying the agony.
"Don't come at me with that crap," she said, her voice filled with scorn and fury. "As if you're some good guy now."
Ryan gritted his teeth, consumed by rage. Without hesitation, he pushed his hand further against the knife Yuno held, forcing her to lose her balance and nearly fall. The pain, which would be incapacitating for anyone else, seemed only to fuel his determination. He was an unrelenting predator, and for the first time, Yuno faltered, realizing the brutality of his pain tolerance.
Without giving her a chance to react, Ryan began landing relentless punches to her face. The blood dripping from his wounded hand splattered onto Yuno's face, mixing with hers. But Yuno wasn't an ordinary opponent. With a quick, calculated move, she spun the knife in her hand, aiming for Ryan's throat. He dodged by a hair, but not completely, receiving a superficial cut across his neck.
Taking advantage of Yuno's guard being down, Ryan delivered a precise punch to the center of her chest, knocking all the air out of her lungs. The force of the blow made her stagger. Ryan didn't waste any time. Fast and fierce, he tried to snatch the knife from her hand, but Yuno disappeared before his eyes again.
Predicting where she would reappear, Ryan spun with a calculated move, landing a direct punch to Yuno's chin the moment she materialized. The impact was brutal, dislocating her jaw with a loud, dry crack.
In the background, Alya cried uncontrollably, her hands covering her face as she desperately prayed to wake up from this nightmare.
Even injured, Yuno didn't give up. Her hatred seemed to fuel her every move. She raised her arm, aiming the knife at Ryan's shoulder. He tried to dodge, but his wounds made him too slow. The blade sank into his flesh, drawing more blood.
The two stood face-to-face, their eyes locked in a gaze of pure hatred and contempt. But to Yuno's surprise, Ryan smirked disdainfully. He raised his free hand like a spear and plunged it into her chest with force, piercing her flesh.
"A tie again?" he murmured, his voice hoarse and breathless, as blood poured from his many wounds.
Yuno, unable to speak due to her dislocated jaw, answered with her eyes—two orbs overflowing with absolute hatred.
Both of them collapsed to the floor at the same time, refusing to let go, their bodies exhausted and bloodied. Behind them, Alya sobbed, tears streaming down her face as her voice was lost in the chaos.
And then it happened again. Time began to rewind. Blood flowed back into their bodies. The students who had fled returned to their initial positions. The chaos unraveled, and the room returned to its original state.
When everything was restored, Ryan and Yuno exchanged glances for a brief moment. Their lips moved in unison:
"Third round."
Without hesitation, they both charged at each other like wild animals, their intentions clear—to tear each other apart until only one survived.
But before they could collide, a sharp, childlike voice rang through the air:
"STOPPPPPPP!"
Suddenly, they froze mid-motion, as if an invisible force had immobilized them. Their eyes turned in the same direction, landing on a small, angelic-looking girl.
She had long, silvery-blue hair that flowed straight down her back, and a glowing halo hovered above her head. Her large, luminous eyes held a gentle yet strangely authoritative expression, unusual for her fragile appearance. She seemed completely out of place in the violent scene, yet her presence was undeniably powerful.
Yuno and Ryan stared at the little girl, confusion evident in their eyes. The silence was broken by Ryan's hoarse, sarcastic voice, which, even amidst the chaos, couldn't resist mocking:
"What the hell is this? Did Arona escape from my game and end up here?!"
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