User blog:Seieireppa/God Eater:Universitas, chapter 56: Precognition

The five members of the anti-Feldman task force could only watch in awe as unfolding before them was something they had only seen in classic martial arts films from the old era.

Before their eyes, Feldman and the newcomer clashed fists, with punch after Horizon-augmented punch meeting in midair faster than the eye could track completely. It looked at a glance like a perfectly-choreographed fight scene, but in reality, both sides were at each other’s throats, each of them searching for openings and waiting for the perfect opportunity to deliver the decisive strike.

But as the fight dragged on, two things became painfully clear.

First, even though both sides appeared evenly matched, only Feldman was currently short of breath, with the mystery man showing no visible signs of fatigue—

—and that was because of the second of these facts, which was that he was only making the minimum possible movements. Every time he parried a strike, his hands only moved slightly from their previous positions, meeting Feldman’s fists with practiced precision.

This disparity was beginning to take its toll on Feldman in other ways, as well.

“What…” panted Feldman, his fatigue all too apparent. “How are you…?”

“It’s rather simple,” came the mystery man’s reply. “I can read your mind.”

“Preposterous!”  Feldman shouted his anger on high. “That’s simply not possible!!”

The mystery man smirked, dropping his guard as he began to dodge Feldman’s pugilistic assault by dodging and weaving his body in such a manner that Feldman appeared to merely be missing entirely. “In that case,” he began, “let me prove it to you.”  He turned his back to the enraged Feldman, his hands at his sides.

“I’m giving you one opportunity to strike me while my back is turned, Feldman,” spoke the mystery man. “If you truly think I cannot read your mind as I claim to be able to do, then now’s your chance. Come on… I’m wide open.”

Feldman did not hesitate. Instantly, he lashed out with a high kick, intending to deliver a debilitating strike to the man’s head—

—but, sure as time itself, Feldman found his foot intercepted by the mystery man’s own as he kicked backwards and upwards, meeting Feldman’s ankles in a picturesque pose.

“Hey…” Nia began, whispering to Beo, who stood next to her. “Haven’t I seen something like this in a manga from the old era?”

“Yeah,” came Beo’s whispered reply, “but that was in the air, remember?”

Nia smiled and let out a slight chuckle. “True enough.”

As the two of them spoke, Feldman and the mystery man remained locked in place, neither of them moving an inch. Feldman’s face displayed an image of ultimate rage and frustration, whereas the mystery man’s was perfectly calm.

“Out of the goodness of my heart,” proclaimed the mystery man, lowering his leg, “I shall give you one more chance. Don’t waste it.”

The man dropped his guard once again and turned to face away from Feldman, but once again, Feldman did not hesitate. This time, he reached behind his back and drew a familiar sight, his Boundary God Arc—a twisted and eldritch weapon emitting a sinister aura—

—but the mystery man’s hand was already upon his God Arc, which he swung backwards in an arc so as to knock Feldman’s weapon out of his hand, sending it tumbling through the air and onto the ground.

“You’ve wasted your chances,” proclaimed the mystery man, as he turned and advanced towards the defenseless Feldman. “And now you’ll pay for your error… and for the countless lives you and your Boundary Aragami have taken!”

But as the man swung his buster blade downwards, Feldman did something that made the task force members jump.

He smirked.

“You idiot,” he exclaimed, “did you really think I came without a backup plan?!”  As he spoke those words, he reached out his hand behind him and opened a familiar portal, a hole in the fabric of space and time.

The mystery man, undaunted, brought his sword down with inhuman speed—but as the blade cleaved across Feldman’s torso, he merely smiled as the force of the blow served only to knock him backwards into the portal, which closed behind him.

“He’s gone…” spoke the mystery man, wiping sweat from his brow, “…for now. At any rate, we need to—”

“Hey, hey, hey!”   Beo’s voice rang out across the now-silent snow as he approached the mystery man. “I think a bit of explaining is in order, don’t you?”

The man shouldered his God Arc and gave a shrug.

“Fair enough,” he replied. “I suppose I owe you all a bit of an explanation… starting with my name.”

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