The unknown man stood beside Ryuu, his presence laced with an air of arrogant refinement. "We need to talk."

  Ryuu sighed, already irritated. He didn't even look at him.

  Behind them, footsteps echoed. The rhythmic tapping of boots, followed by the unmistakable sound of a lollipop clicking against teeth.

  Katashi approached, wearing a backpack this time, his usual carefree demeanor in place.

  "Ryuu, listen. The first encounter was peaceful, but this time... HE will not accept failure."

  Ryuu turned slightly, gazing past them. He was two days away from his destination. His next steps were already decided.

  "So, HE brings in more lackeys after I already told you—if he wants to talk, HE needs to do it himself. Once I arrive at the Academy, I'll go to him personally." Ryuu's voice was firm, unwavering.

  The unknown man smirked. "I'm afraid that's not—"

  Time froze.

  The air stilled. The pedestrians mid-step, the wind halted, even the drifting dust and flickering lights stopped.

  Even Regis Valentine himself was frozen in place, one arm raised, pointing toward Ryuu.

  Time resumed—and a massive figure now stood directly behind Ryuu. "—possible."

  They were nearly the same size, two hulking titans standing toe-to-toe.

  Ryuu exhaled, tired of this charade. "How many?"

  No one moved.

  "How many of you are going to appear? I've already stated my answer. I go where I want, when I want."

  Ryuu began to walk away, unconcerned. That was, until the giant behind him gripped his shoulder.

  "This is not a conversation, Beast of the East. You're coming with us."

  Before he could finish, Ryuu's fist struck with blinding speed.

  A deafening impact shattered the air as Varkas crashed through a nearby building, bursting through its windows, debris raining onto the streets below.

  Katashi had already expected this. Digging into his backpack, he called out, "Regis! Plan B! Now!"

  Katashi quickly pulled out a pair of sleek, mechanized gauntlets with glowing blue cores. "Put these on. His physical strength is off the charts—we have no data on his concept, but we know he can shatter concrete with his bare hands."

  Regis eyed the gauntlets with distaste. "I don't engage in... manual combat." His lip curled in disgust. "It's barbaric."

  "Not much choice now," Katashi muttered, activating a small drone that hovered above them, scanning Ryuu. "The gravity gauntlets will multiply your striking force tenfold and create defensive shields. We need data on him."

  Regis sighed dramatically, reluctantly sliding the gauntlets over his pristine suit sleeves. "The things I do for this organization. If these soil my Tom Ford—"

  Time froze again. Only Regis and Katashi remained mobile.

  Regis adjusted the unfamiliar gauntlets, grimacing. "I hope you know what you're talking about with these garish contraptions. If they fail, I'll have Akuma demote you to—"

  Then he noticed something.

  Ryuu was no longer in the same position.

  Before time had frozen, he had been mid-stride. Now, his arms were tucked into his pockets, standing several feet away—staring directly at Regis.

  Regis' breath hitched.

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  "...No. I must be seeing things."

  Time resumed.

  In an instant, Ryuu closed the distance, unleashing a calculated series of strikes—not wild, but precision-targeted. Each blow aimed at a vital point.

  Regis barely reacted in time, activating the gauntlets' shield function. A blue energy barrier materialized, deflecting Ryuu's fist—but the impact still sent Regis sliding backward, his designer shoes carving trenches in the concrete.

  "Impossible," Regis hissed. "The barrier should have nullified the impact completely!"

  Gritting his teeth, Regis froze time again.

  He repositioned himself behind Ryuu, charging the gauntlets to maximum power. Subtle targeting reticles appeared in his vision, highlighting Ryuu's pressure points and vulnerabilities.

  Then—

  Ryuu's head turned toward him.

  Time was still frozen.

  Regis felt cold sweat bead down his forehead.

  "No. This isn't possible. I only allowed myself to move. How is he tracking me?"

  Time resumed.

  Ryuu spun with unexpected agility, evading the charged punch and countering with a brutal kick to Regis's chest.

  The blow sent Regis crashing into a nearby car, denting the frame. The gauntlet's defensive systems crackled and sputtered from the overload.

  From nearby buildings, civilians began evacuating, panic spreading as they witnessed the destruction. A man recording with his phone whispered in awe, "So that's the Beast of the East... they weren't exaggerating."

  Spitting blood, Regis groaned, staggering to his feet. "I hate this. I hate this so much."

  Ryuu cracked his knuckles, stepping forward. "Be a man and fight me, prick. No concepts. No gadgets. Just hands."

  A roar erupted from behind him.

  Varkas lunged forward, grabbing Ryuu in a full nelson hold. Foaming at the mouth in fury.

  "Nobody—nobody—punches me mid-sentence and gets away with it!" Varkas roared, tightening his grip.

  Katashi's drone hovered overhead, collecting data. "Regis! His blind spot is behind his right ear! The gauntlets can disrupt his nervous system if you hit that exact spot!"

  Regis, taking the opportunity, adjusted the gravity gauntlets to their disruptor setting and charged toward Ryuu.

  Then it happened.

  Time froze.

  And Ryuu moved.

  Regis, mid-charge, saw Ryuu pivot within Varkas's grip—while time was still frozen.

  The force sent Regis flying backwards. As he hit the ground, time resumed—and the pain hit all at once.

  He coughed up more blood as one of the gauntlets sparked and malfunctioned.

  Katashi's mind raced. "Time stopped again—but Ryuu moved. This can't be. What is his ability?!"

  Meanwhile, Ryuu had already broken free of Varkas' hold.

  The two began exchanging devastating blows—a raw display of physical might.

  Ryuu analyzed Varkas's style with each exchange. "No technique, just brute force. Interesting." He dodged a wild haymaker, then landed a precision strike to Varkas's ribs—he spat blood.

  Varkas retaliated with an even heavier punch, his muscles visibly swelling with each blow. Ryuu caught the fist, smiling.

  "A real fight," Ryuu laughed. "No sorcery. Just hands. Give me more, you bastard!"

  The impact of their clashing fists shattered nearby windows. People fled as buildings cracked from the shockwaves.

  A police officer evacuating civilians muttered into his radio, "We need hero support immediately. The Beast of the East is engaged in combat—the destruction radius is expanding!"

  Katashi ran toward Regis, who was still coughing up blood.

  "Katashi, we have no information on this monster?! I stopped time and he's learning how to move within it!"

  "No we don't. I've checked everything." Katashi deployed more drones, their sensors blinking as they recorded the battle. "These readings might give us insight into his abilities. Surely this information will appease HIM at least."

  Regis, furious, spat blood on his ruined suit. "I swear on my Tom Ford—this prick is going to pay."

  The battle intensified. Buildings trembled. Cars were crushed under the pressure of their clashing auras alone.

  Ryuu chopped Varkas in the neck, dazing him, then kicked him in the chest. The impact sent Varkas crashing into a gas station, the structure buckling around him.

  Despite the pain, Varkas only grew stronger. He let out an animalistic roar, his body swelling further, veins bulging across his skin.

  Ryuu approached methodically, analyzing the transformation. "Your punches get heavier the longer the fight drags on. You either know martial arts—or your concept is Berserker."

  Varkas snarled, hurling a piece of debris toward Ryuu.

  Ryuu shattered it with a single blow, closing the distance between them.

  Now grappling, Ryuu began systematically targeting Varkas's weak points—pressure points, joints, nerve clusters. He smirked.

  "You're strong. That just means I get to break you with precision."

  Katashi and Regis finally reached the edge of the battlefield—surveying the destruction. Buildings cracked, streets fractured, vehicles crushed. Thankfully, most civilians had been evacuated from the immediate area.

  Varkas slammed his knee into Ryuu's face, breaking their grapple—then unleashed a fury of punches that finally pushed Ryuu back.

  Katashi was shocked. "He broke Ryuu's guard and is pushing him back!"

  Ryuu's eyes narrowed, analyzing Varkas's fighting pattern. He detected the rhythm, the split-second wind-up before each strike.

  "Too slow, fool."

  He appeared behind Varkas in an instant—slamming both hands against his ears.

  The impact ruptured Varkas' eardrums, knocking him out instantly.

  Ryuu stepped over his unconscious body, not even breathing heavily.

  He looked at Katashi and Regis. "Tell HIM and the rest of your Seven Deadly bastards—I will not be bothered again. Next time, I kill."

  Ryuu walked away, his silhouette fading into the distance.

  Regis wiped blood from his mouth, removing the damaged gauntlets. "How did he know we were the Seven Deadly?"

  Katashi watched Ryuu vanish, licking his lollipop thoughtfully.

  "He knows more than he lets on. And that..." His grin widened. "...is the most interesting part."