Riko gets a crazy speed boost—times a hundred.
He pushes himself up, his fingers all shaky. His lungs are burning, and he can barely see straight. His legs feel like they're about to give out, but then he sees what's happening, and it all becomes super clear and scary.
The boss is going after Luna!
This huge, armored thing is charging at her, claws out, eyes burning with this look that makes Riko's heart pound.
No! No, no, NO! Riko yells, stumbling forward. Stop! Fight me, I said!
But the boss doesn't even notice him
Not even a quick look.
Luna's holding the kid close, trying to protect them. She's standing her ground, even though she's shaking. She knows they're trapped.
Her voice cracks as she speaks Riko, run! Just run!
Riko gets mad and punches the ground. He's so angry that his body is failing him. He can barely see straight, and his veins feel like they're full of ice.
But he keeps going.
his body isn't quick enough
Not strong enough.
Not enough of anything to stop the boss
He drops his head. That's when the screen on his arm flickers.
A tiny bit of light flashes on the cracked screen. Riko doesn't really see it at first, then the screen explodes with these weird symbols.
Then one word pops up in the middle:
UNLOCKED.
Riko stops moving. Huh?
The screen changes again, showing a new window that's bright green and jagged. It looks like the system can barely handle it.
STAT BOOST: SPEED ×100
Riko blinks, confused. Speed?
As soon as he says the word, something happens to his body.
It feels like a shockwave explodes from his feet. His senses become super sharp. His heartbeat seems slow. The world around him starts to move like he's underwater.
Dust floats up slowly. Headlights from cars that were left behind shimmer slowly. A metal pipe falls in slow motion.
Everything is moving so slow
Except for him.
Riko doesn't think.
He doesn't even breathe.
He just moves!
And everything around him becomes a blur.
His foot hits the ground with a bang, sending him forward fast like a bullet. The ground cracks behind him. The wind is so loud in his ears.
He shoots across the street faster than a car can start . Faster than headlights can flash. Faster than he can even think.
People standing on the street who are frozen are past him like statues.
The weird spikes around Luna stretch as he rushes past.
He doesn't feel tired anymore. No weakness. No pain. Just this incredible feeling of pure motion.
His feet don't touch the ground again until he's almost to Luna.
The boss is right in front of him, still frozen in the middle of its charge. Its armored legs are bent, its eyes are locked on Luna, and its claws are reaching out.
But to Riko, it looks like it's standing still.
Almost not a threat.
Almost slow.
He pushes his legs harder, and a blast of air shoots out behind him. The kid's hair moves in the wind. Luna's head moves slightly because of the pressure.
Riko is only a few steps away.
Then closer.
Then right there.
He reaches out, ready to grab Luna and pull her out of the cage, no matter what it does to him.
Move! he yells, but his voice is all messed up because of the speed. It sounds like a broken recording.
He sees Luna's eyes widen as she sees him there.
Riko? she says, but the word is drawn out, like she's talking underwater.
He grabs her wrist.
His fingers barely touch her skin when the world flickers.
The weird spikes flash once.
A digital sound goes through the air.
And then the boss speeds up!
Not in real life.
But through the glitch.
Its body jerks forward, snapping back to real speed.
The distortion around Riko collapses, sending the monster forward.
Riko's eyes widen.
Its fist—huge, armored, deadly—is coming down toward Luna's head.
Right at her.
Right at her.
Right at her.
Riko's new speed isn't enough to stop it.
Not completely.
Not in time.
He pulls Luna back as hard as he can, his arm hurting, his feet digging into the ground. The kid falls back into the arms of the other people as Riko pulls Luna toward him—
But he's not quick enough.
The boss changes direction in the middle of its strike.
Its visor glows bright red.
The armor on its arm shifts.
It swings again!
Faster.
Harder.
Its massive fist tears through the air with a roar of metal, just an inches from luna
The boss swings anyway, fist inches from Luna.