The guardian lunged again, faster than before.
Akira raised his dagger instinctively, trying to block. The Mantis's claw came down like a guillotine blade. The dagger's edge met the creature's armoured limb with a shower of sparks, but the metal was too hard; his blade didn't even scratch it.
The force of the impact sent vibrations up Akira's arm, numbing his fingers.
"The skin is too hard!" he yelled. "Nothing's getting through!"
Before he could process that realisation, the Mantis's leg shot out in a vicious kick that caught him square in the chest. The air exploded from his lungs as he was launched backwards, his body skidding across the stone floor for several feet before slamming into something solid.
His back hit a metal support pillar with brutal force. White-hot pain erupted through his spine. He crumpled to the ground, gasping for air that wouldn't come.
"Akira!" Ayaka's voice sounded distant, muffled by the ringing in his ears.
He groaned, trying to push himself up. "I... I didn't sign up for this shit..."
[SCANNING COMPLETE]
The text flashed across his vision, cutting through the pain and disorientation.
Suddenly, a detailed digital sketch of the Guardian materialised in front of him, like a wireframe model rotating slowly.
Most of the creature's body was highlighted in angry red, indicating impenetrable armour. But two specific areas glowed bright green: the cluster of multi-faceted eyes covering its head, and a small joint located between where its two rear legs connected to its body.
[WEAK POINTS IDENTIFIED]
[TARGET ZONE ALPHA: OCULAR ARRAY (HEAD)]
[TARGET ZONE BETA: POSTERIOR JOINT (LOWER BODY)]
"Finally!" Akira wheezed, forcing himself to his knees. "Took you long enough, Ai!"
"Better late than never, darling," Ai's voice purred in his mind. "Those are your only openings. Everything else is Grade-4 demon chitin, harder than steel. Miss those spots, and you might as well be throwing pebbles."
The Mantis was advancing again, moving in an almost playful way. It knew it had them cornered.
"You... hurt... easy..." it chittered. "I... expected... more... from... essence... bearer..."
"Essence bearer?" Ayaka's eyes widened. "It knows what you are?"
"Apparently!" Akira spat blood from his mouth, tasting copper. "Not exactly comforting information right now!"
[CHOICE DETECTED]
The system interface exploded across his vision, two options presenting themselves:
[A: END THIS QUICKLY - Strike at weak points immediately. High risk, high reward. RISK: Single attempt, fatal if you fail REWARD: +100 PERV-POINTS, SKILL: PRECISION STRIKE (LVL 1), TITLE: QUICK KILLER]
[B: TACTICAL EVASION - Taunt and evade for 5 minutes, then strike when Guardian is exhausted. RISK: Sustained concentration required, one mistake could be fatal REWARD: +150 PERV-POINTS, SKILL: ENHANCED REFLEXES (LVL 2), SKILL: COMBAT ANALYSIS (LVL 1), TITLE: TACTICIAN]
"Are you kidding me?" Akira growled at the interface. "Those are my options?"
"What options?" Ayaka demanded, sending another burst of energy at the Mantis to buy time. It barely slowed the creature down. "What is your system telling you?"
"It's asking if I want to go for the kill or just try to survive for five minutes!"
"Can we even last five minutes against this thing?" Ayaka's voice was strained with effort. "The system wants us to wear it down through evasion? That's... actually strategic, but incredibly dangerous."
"Exactly."
"My power is almost depleted. I can give you maybe two more distractions, three if I push it."
The Mantis laughed again, enjoying their situation before charging at them.
"Akira, darling!" Ai purred. "You have to make a choice… NOW!"
Akira's mind raced. Option A was insane: one shot at those weak points with a creature this fast? The chances of success were slim.
But Option B meant taking hits for five full minutes from something that had just kicked him across a room like a soccer ball.
His body screamed in protest. His ribs were bruised, his back was killing him, and the cut on his cheek was bleeding.
But the memory of Sakura's mocking face and words, Kenji's arrogant grin, and every look that dismissed him as a nobody fueled his rage.
He craved power, revenge, and the chance to build an empire.
Five minutes of running like a coward, or one perfect moment of execution?
"Fuck surviving," Akira muttered, tightening his grip on the dagger. "I didn't come here to run."
The Mantis was almost on him now, its blade-like limbs raised for a killing blow.
"I'm going for A!" Akira shouted to Ayaka. "Distract it one more time! Make it count!"
"You're insane!" Ayaka's hands glowed with the last reserves of her power. "But I suppose that's why you were chosen!"
She released everything she had left in a massive burst of crimson energy that exploded against the Mantis's side. The creature shrieked, actually stumbling this time, its concentration broken for a crucial second.
[CHOICE CONFIRMED: OPTION A]
[WARNING: SINGLE ATTEMPT ONLY. FAILURE MEANS DEATH.]
[TARGETING ASSISTANCE ACTIVATED]
Green targeting reticles appeared in Akira's vision, tracking the Mantis's movements, predicting its next position. The ocular array pulsed with a soft glow, marking it as the primary target. The joint between its legs flickered as a secondary option.
"Come on," Akira whispered, watching the creature recover from Ayaka's blast. "Just one opening. That's all I need."
The Mantis turned its attention fully to Ayaka now, seeing her as the more immediate threat after that powerful attack. It moved toward her with murderous intent.
"That... hurt… You... PAY..."
Ayaka backed away, her hands trembling with exhaustion. "Akira... whatever you're going to do... do it NOW!"
The creature raised both blade-arms high, preparing to cut her down.
And in that moment, with its attention completely focused on Ayaka, with its body fully extended and exposed, Akira saw his chance.
He pushed off the pillar, ignoring the pain in his back. His legs pumped, carrying him forward faster than he'd ever moved in his life. The targeting reticles tracked his approach, calculating angles, distances, and optimal strike zones.
The Mantis began to sense that something was wrong. Its head started to turn, but it was too late.
"This is for every time I got knocked down!" Akira screamed, launching himself into the air.
His dagger, still clutched tight in his right hand, gleamed in the sickly green light of the chamber as he drove it forward with every ounce of strength he possessed.
The blade was aimed directly at the cluster of multi-faceted eyes that covered the creature's skull: Target Zone Alpha, glowing bright green in his vision.
Time seemed to slow as he closed the distance, the Mantis's horrible compound eyes reflecting his own determined face hundreds of times over.
Then the tip of the dagger made contact.