The city felt wrong.
Not broken.
Not destroyed.
Just… tense, like an animal holding its breath before a fight.
---
The containment field Authority Enforcer deployed didn't silence chaos.
It compressed it.
Fear didn't disappear—it condensed.
Uncertainty didn't fade—it sharpened.
And I could feel every fragment of it.
---
I drifted lower, closer to the city's skin.
Rooftops.
Alleyways.
Crowded intersections where humans stood still for half a second too long, unsure why their chest felt tight.
That hesitation…
That was mine now.
---
> [Chaotic Flow: Micro-Scale — Active]
"…This is risky," I muttered.
Mira's voice answered calmly.
"Yes. But this is also where you're strongest."
---
Above me, Authority Enforcer shifted position.
Its chains no longer searched.
They restricted.
Zones of influence snapped into place, invisible walls forcing movement into predictable lanes. Hunters and exorcists adjusted quickly, unknowingly becoming extensions of the containment logic.
Efficient.
Cold.
---
Across the containment boundary, the unknown entity moved again.
This time—
Directly toward Authority Enforcer.
No hesitation.
No disguise.
---
"…So you finally chose," I whispered.
Mira replied, "They've reached a mutual conclusion."
"Which is?"
"Only one predator can control the hunt."
---
The unknown entity struck first.
Reality around its arm collapsed inward, forming a narrow distortion blade—not raw power, but perfect focus. It sliced through a golden chain.
Not shattered.
Severed.
---
Authority Enforcer reacted instantly.
Dozens of chains snapped forward, weaving into a three-dimensional lattice. Space tightened. Gravity warped.
The city groaned.
---
> [System Alert: High-Tier Combat — Urban Integrity at Risk]
"…If they keep this up," I muttered,
"…people are going to die."
Mira didn't sugarcoat it.
"Yes."
---
I clenched my jaw.
This wasn't a fight I could ignore anymore.
---
I expanded Chaotic Flow—not outward, but between them.
Not to attack.
To interfere.
---
The flow slipped into the cracks where their control overlapped.
Authority Enforcer's chains hesitated by milliseconds.
The unknown entity's stabilization field fluctuated—just slightly.
Enough.
---
> [Observation: Dual-Predator Desynchronization Detected]
The unknown entity turned its head sharply.
It looked straight at me.
This time, there was no curiosity.
Only recognition.
---
"…Yeah," I said quietly.
"You see it now."
"You're not hunting alone anymore."
---
It vanished.
Reappeared directly in front of me.
No warning.
No buildup.
---
I didn't dodge.
I let go.
---
Chaotic Flow surged—not as force, but as absence of certainty. My position blurred, existing in several probable locations at once.
The entity's strike passed through one.
Missed the others.
---
> [System Notification: Chaotic Flow — Probabilistic Drift Achieved]
Mira's voice sharpened.
"Rei—this is dangerous. You're pushing conceptual boundaries."
"…I know," I replied, breathing steadily.
"But it's working."
---
Authority Enforcer struck next.
Not at me.
At the unknown entity.
Golden chains slammed down, pinning space itself.
The entity reacted instantly—distorting reality to escape—
And collided with my Chaotic Flow interference.
---
For the first time—
It faltered visibly.
---
> [System Alert: Unknown Entity — Instability Spike]
The air screamed.
Reality bent.
Both predators recalculated simultaneously.
---
I felt it.
That moment.
That narrow window where neither of them fully controlled the field.
---
"…Now," I whispered.
---
I didn't attack either of them.
I attacked the assumption.
---
I redirected Chaotic Flow into the humans below—not controlling, not manipulating—amplifying natural reaction.
Fear caused movement.
Movement caused unpredictability.
Unpredictability shattered perfect models.
---
Hunters broke formation.
Exorcists mistimed arrays.
Containment zones warped unevenly.
---
> [System Update: Containment Integrity — Degrading]
Authority Enforcer reacted too late.
The unknown entity reacted too aggressively.
They collided—methodologies clashing violently.
---
I drifted backward, watching titans struggle.
Not as a bystander.
But as the terrain.
---
Mira spoke softly, almost in awe.
"You're no longer a participant."
"You're becoming the environment they fight in."
---
"…That's one way to put it," I muttered.
Another, darker thought surfaced.
Or maybe…
They were fighting because of me.
---
The unknown entity stabilized again—but slower.
Authority Enforcer restructured chains—but less efficiently.
Both were adapting.
Both were learning.
And both—
Were learning about me.
---
> [Status Update:]
— Predator vs Predator Conflict: Active
— Authority Enforcer: Control Model Compromised
— Unknown Entity: Stability Degrading Under Chaos Exposure
— Chaotic Flow: Probabilistic Application Unlocked (Unstable)
— Rei: Classified as Environmental-Level Threat
---
The city below shuddered—but held.
For now.
---
I floated above the chaos, eyes sharp, mind cold.
"…So this is what it means," I murmured.
"To stop being prey."
---