The shrine's gate burst open, shredded by the force of an invisible impact.
And there he stood.
Virex. Unit Null.
Steam hissed off his shoulders, crimson lines glowing like veins carved into black steel. His face was eerily human—sharp jaw, emotionless gaze—but it was just a mask stretched over tungsten alloy and liquid processors.
Ryo stepped forward slowly, motioning for the kids to stay back. His hands clenched, veins bulging, every part of his body trembling with contained energy.
Kineta was already activating. The subtle hum of momentum gathering, of muscle amplifying.
But Virex was already watching.
> "Target Confirmed. Ryo Kinezora. Heir of Thanatos. Eliminate."
The sentence was spoken with no tone. No hate. Just code executing itself.
Ryo didn't speak.
He just glared.
The machine moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
In less than a second, Virex closed the distance. Ryo barely raised an arm before—
CRACK.
His forearm shattered, bending inwards at an unnatural angle. The pain was blinding. Before he could react, Virex drove a spinning back kick into his stomach, launching Ryo into the shrine wall. Wood and stone exploded outward from the impact.
Ryo hit the floor, coughing blood.
> "Threat Level: Moderate. Resistance acceptable. Continue suppression."
Virex stepped over the broken wood like it was mist. His left hand opened, fingers shifting into a curved blade. He swung downward.
Ryo rolled.
The blade missed—but not really.
Even his dodge had been calculated.
The blade rebounded off the ground and caught Ryo in the side, slicing through muscle and ribs. Blood sprayed. A scream escaped Ryo's throat before he slammed into the wall again.
Lysa had seen enough.
Lightning erupted from her fingers as she dove at Virex, blades spinning with electric arcs. "You tin-plated bastard!"
Her twin daggers lashed out with frightening speed. One aimed for the throat, the other for the spine.
But Virex didn't flinch.
His head tilted, shoulder rotating backward mid-step.
Aim Assist: Active.
He grabbed her wrist before the blade got within an inch of his neck. The other dagger struck air.
Then he struck back.
THWACK.
He drove his knee into her gut with such force it lifted her off the ground. As she gasped for air, he slammed an elbow into the base of her neck, then whipped her around by the arm like a ragdoll.
Lysa screamed as he dislocated her shoulder mid-throw and hurled her across the room. She smashed through a supporting pillar and rolled to a stop beside Ryo.
> "Combat Analysis: Opponent Speed – insufficient. Precision – insufficient. Evasion – irrelevant."
Ryo groaned, forcing himself to stand. Blood dripped from his lips. His broken arm hung limp. Still, he raised his other fist.
Lysa staggered up, lightning flickering across her body in wild arcs.
"I'm… not done," she gasped.
Virex walked toward them slowly.
His head scanned the room like a targeting system. His vision fed him everything: micro-movements, breath patterns, the rate of muscle twitching.
> "Kineta Acceleration Detected. Predictive Patterns Calculated. Counter-strikes... Guaranteed."
He was untouchable.
He wasn't human.
And because he wasn't human…
Aim Assist had no limit.
His system kept the predictive module running at all times, calculating trajectories, angles, and intervals. He couldn't miss—not because of skill—but because his programming wouldn't allow it.
No dodges mattered.
No block mattered.
Every strike from Virex would land. No exceptions.
---
The floor cracked beneath them as Ryo surged forward with raw Kineta momentum. Despite broken ribs and a failing arm, he launched three rapid kicks, chaining them into a reverse elbow.
Each movement increased his speed.
Each movement made him stronger.
The room shook.
But each strike was swatted aside with perfect angles, as if Virex had rehearsed the entire fight a thousand times already.
Ryo screamed and launched one last blow—his knee glowing with pure momentum.
Virex sidestepped with less than a centimeter of space.
His hand shot forward, spearing Ryo in the side of the neck and pinning him to the wall.
Ryo's feet dangled.
Blood oozed from the wound.
Lysa tried to help again, launching a bolt of lightning at point-blank range.
Virex raised a single finger.
The bolt twisted in midair and shattered against an invisible force—a calculated deflection.
His hand lashed out again, smashing Lysa in the face, breaking her jaw. He followed it with a ruthless sweep kick that sent her flying through the shrine wall, splinters and stone scattering like birds.
Ryo crashed out after her.
Their bodies rolled across the wet dirt outside, blood mixing with rain. Both of them groaned, battered, broken, on the brink.
And Virex walked through the hole calmly.
> "Thanatos Heir identified. Subjugation in progress. Recommend full system override."
He raised both arms, twin blades extending from his forearms.
"You can't… even miss…" Ryo gasped, one eye swollen shut.
> "Correct. Aim Assist: Permanent Function. Machine limitations: None. Lethal precision… absolute."
Lysa coughed beside him, her fingers twitching, barely able to hold her blades.
"Ryo," she croaked, "We… we can't hit him…"
"I know."
They were standing against the perfect killer.
Unless they could find a way to either use Aim Assist themselves… or stop Virex from wanting to fight…
They were already dead.