Editing City Series:Volume4a Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===

'''11:06 PM

Ichiyama Yuusei was calm.

He successfully used several reactive Techs that did not require initiative.

—''Ichiyama – Steel Tech – Take – Activate False Eye “Akashi” – Hit.

:—''Ichiyama – Steel Tech – Take – Activate Reinforced Organs – Hit.

::—''Ichiyama – Steel Tech – Take – Cut Prosthetics Limiter – Hit.

:::—''Ichiyama – Steel Tech – Take – Activate Internal Rhythm “Explosion High” – Hit.

By the time Hisahide got close, the steam of activation blew from both false arms.

The power of Ishiyama’s false eyes allowed him to ignore the darkness of the night.

Losing the initiative was the only way he was at any disadvantage.

Hisahide quickly reached him and threw a kick.

“!”

He rotated his compactly bent knee. Rather than a karate roundhouse kick, this kick focused on speed and aim as in Muay Thai.

But…

…''There’s nothing much of note. Is he testing me?

Ichiyama had faced countless people with kicks at this level.

—''Ichiyama – Dodge Tech – Take – Sway Back – Hit.

After confirming that his opponent was neatly rotating on the heel of his pivot leg, he bent his upper body back to escape the path of the kick.

Or he should have.

“!?”

The strike from the armored hit pointer attached to Hisahide’s white sneakers scored a solid blow on the side of Ichiyama’s broad jaw.

With a dull sound of impact, Ichiyama’s large body floated up into the air.

…''What just happened!?

He had successfully dodged with his Tech.

…''So why did the kick still hit me?

—''Ichiyama – Gym Tech – Take – Stabilize – Hit!

Using a sway back to dodge had been a stroke of good luck. If he had ducked, he would have been hit by a counter.

The kick had been stronger than it looked.

—''Ichiyama – Steel Tech – Take – Control False Eye “Akashi” – Miss.

The impact had removed the effects of his false eyes.

With the power of Akashi gone, Hisahide had suddenly become a mere silhouette as he rushed further forward.

Ichiyama was at a disadvantage.

However, he did not rely on the power of his false eyes. He instead worked to solve the mystery of how his opponent had broken his Dodge Tech.

…''It would be dangerous not to take this seriously.

With a metallic flavor in his mouth, he sang his Words.

''In the cold, still air

''The force that disturbs the field via destruction

''Is born of a grand power

That song caused his arms to explode.

This was the Explosion High Rhythm.

A series of explosions resided in the fists of his false arms.

The ether floating in the air was not transformed into gunpowder or fuel. It was transformed into pure impacts and explosions.

A roar came from each fist.

The destructive power of an impact from them was at its highest level.

If his opponent blocked, their arm would be blown off and a solid hit would blow them away altogether.

—''Ichiyama – Explosion High/Boxing Tech – Multiple Take – Consecutive Attacks – Hit.

“…!”

The pistons of his false arms began to run, giving him complete control over both straight and curved motions.

With the limiters cut and with the reinforced organs contained within his body to endure the extreme movement, he could pull off a barrage of twelve hits a second.

His Boxing Tech had succeeded, so if Hisahide’s Dodge Tech failed…

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Nakamura Hisahide did not even use a Tech.

He simply danced into Ichiyama’s storm of fists as if nothing was happening at all.

…''Is he insane!?

Despite Ichiyama’s question, his fists never hit his opponent.

Hisahide avoided all of the attacks as if bending his body in a dance.

He bent forward, right, left, forward, and back.

Even as the bottom of his mountain hoodie was torn by the explosions, he slowly walked forward.

There was no hint of excitement or worry on his face.

Even a grazing hit from the Explosion High Rhythm would blow someone away, so people were normally filled with fear.

The Explosion High Rhythm briefly slowed, so Ichiyama frantically opened his mouth to send the Rhythm’s Message to his body.

But…

“That’s not going to help.”

With those words, Hisahide arrived right in front of Ichiyama.

His clothing was torn up, but he himself was completely unharmed.

Ichiyama came to a stop when he saw it, but Hisahide took action.

While standing right in front of Ichiyama, he thrust his knee up to chest height and threw a kick.

His lower leg drew a swift sideways arc and his toes flew toward Ichiyama’s jaw.

This kick required great flexibility.

…''!

A belated chill ran down Ichiyama’s spine.

His response was entirely powered by instinct.

He tried to block the kick from below using his Explosion High fist.

—''Ichiyama – Dodge/Boxing Tech – Take – Block – Hit!

Instead of dodging, he defended. He would take a good bit of damage, but the technique was guaranteed to succeed unless his opponent’s attack failed. After all, he was using the Explosion High Rhythm.

Hisahide would not escape this unscathed.

However, that assumption was completely overturned when the kick struck his jaw from directly below.

“…Gh!?”

He did not understand.

He had never heard of an attack that could slip past an absolute defense.

…''What’s going on?

He truly did not understand, but he did know two things: First, he was collapsing backwards.

“Seaaaaaaaahhhh!”

And second, Hisahide’s right heel was swinging down toward his face like a battle axe. 

His consciousness cut out almost immediately.