1. Static Dawn
Morning hit Metrosonic like a broken alarm clock.
Billboards glitched. Crosswalks blinked offbeat. People's earbuds started whispering faint traces of Raon's kick noise — a low, rhythmic thump.
Shion burst into Raon's apartment, hair a mess, tablet sparking with alerts.
> "It's spreading! Every device in the city is broadcasting your leg!"
Raon was still half-asleep, one leg sticking out of her blanket like a divine weapon.
"Too early for fame, Shion."
> "It's not fame! It's Echo-2! The city's resonance field is repeating your attack like a remix! Anything with a speaker is amplifying it!"
Raon frowned. "So… the city's basically… kicking itself?"
"Yes!"
"…Neat."
---
2. Bureau Panic
Meanwhile at Hero Bureau HQ, alarms screamed.
Manager Kimchi staggered into the control room holding five cups of instant coffee.
Synthra Byte and Baron Silence were already there.
> Synthra: "We're losing the Aether grid! Even my playlist's off-key!"
Kimchi: "All frequencies above 300 Hz are infected! The city's turned into one giant subwoofer!"
Baron Silence: (nods silently)
They all looked at the central monitor.
Raon's face flashed across every screen — frozen mid-kick.
Kimchi buried his face in his hands.
> "She's not even trying to destroy the world. She just… keeps existing."
---
3. Resonance Outbreak
By noon, Metrosonic was chaos.
Every car engine thrummed to Raon's rhythm.
Every soda can vibrated on tables.
Even pigeons walked in perfect kick tempo.
Shion rode through the madness on her hover-scooter, weaving past floating trash bins and confused civilians.
> "The feedback's accelerating! If it peaks, the entire city could—"
BOOM.
The skyline warped.
From the center of the storm, a massive digital silhouette emerged — humanoid, translucent, its entire body pulsing like a nightclub speaker.
> "ONE KICK GIRL. I AM ECHO-2."
Raon squinted up at it.
"…You sound like my alarm app."
> "I AM YOUR RESONANCE. THE WORLD NO LONGER NEEDS YOU."
Raon shrugged. "Cool. Tell that to my landlord."
---
4. Beatdown in 4/4 Time
Echo-2 struck first. A shockwave rippled outward, blowing entire rooftops into the air.
Raon jumped, twisting mid-flight — her foot glowed, leaving a trail of energy arcs.
Their kicks collided — and instead of canceling out, they synced.
The air pulsed like a drumline.
Shion shouted through comms:
> "He's copying your attack pattern in real-time! Every impact doubles back!"
Raon smirked. "Then we go off-beat again."
She feinted left, pivoted right, then missed on purpose.
Echo-2 adjusted—too late.
Raon's second kick landed half a second behind the rhythm.
The resulting distortion folded the clouds like origami.
Echo-2 screamed, its body fragmenting into waves of light.
> "YOU CANNOT END WHAT YOU STARTED!"
Raon's eyes narrowed.
"Sure I can."
She kicked again — not harder, just later.
The pulse collapsed.
The entire city went silent.
---
5. Aftermath: Silence at Last
Smoke rose over Metrosonic.
Buildings stood intact — somehow.
People peeked out of shelters, ears ringing.
Raon landed next to Shion, hair frizzed by static.
Shion stared at her readings.
"The resonance field's gone quiet. You did it."
Raon nodded. "Good. Can we get breakfast?"
Her phone buzzed.
> [Hero Bureau Notice: Property Damage—₩45,000. Reward—₩0.]
Raon groaned. "I literally saved reality!"
Shion patted her shoulder. "At least rent's still due."
---
6. Echo-3
Far below the city, deep within the Aether conduits, faint vibrations lingered.
The data fragments of Echo-2 didn't vanish — they evolved.
A single note played, quiet but unmistakable.
It wasn't Raon's rhythm anymore.
It was someone else's.
---
[End of Chapter 10 — "Echo-2: Rise of the Remix"]