MEMELAND

Kai barely rolled away in time.

Fais' fist slammed into the floor.

The stone cracked.

Fragments scattered everywhere.

Kai felt a chill run down his spine.

That punch would've killed him.

Or at least broken something important.

Fais stepped forward.

Calm.

Controlled.

Unhurried.

As if the outcome was already decided.

Kai forced himself back onto his feet.

His entire body hurt.

His arms hurt.

His ribs hurt.

His head hurt.

Even breathing hurt.

Across the chamber, Andre was still fighting.

Cultists flew through the air.

Somehow one got thrown into another.

Then both got thrown into a third.

Kai didn't understand how Andre was doing it.

But Andre was still standing.

Kai wasn't doing nearly as well.

Fais moved.

A blur.

Kai raised his guard.

Too slow.

The punch landed.

BOOM.

The world spun.

Kai was launched across the room again.

His back slammed against a support pillar.

Metal groaned.

Pain exploded throughout his body.

He collapsed to one knee.

Blood dripped from his mouth.

Fais didn't even look tired.

"Stand."

Kai clenched his fists.

His body obeyed.

Barely.

Fais looked at him.

Expressionless.

"Weak."

The word struck him harder than before.

Weak.

The crimson imp had called him weak.

The cultists had nearly killed him.

The rabbit village had captured him.

The giant demon would've killed him if not for others.

Even now—

He couldn't win.

His vision blurred.

Why?

Why was he weak?

Fais felt like a wall.

An impossible wall to overcome.

Every fight before hand Kai had a chance at winning.

Escaping.

But not this time.

Why—

The world suddenly stopped.

For a brief moment—

The sewer disappeared.

The cultists disappeared.

Fais disappeared.

Kai found himself somewhere else.

A memory.

Or perhaps a fragment of one.

A courtyard.

Stone tiles.

Wind.

A person stood before him.

His face blurred.

Impossible to recognize.

But the voice remained clear.

"Again."

Kai blinked.

The person shifted into a stance.

Balanced.

Stable.

Every movement precise.

"Your body moves."

The voice echoed.

"But your mind follows too slowly."

The figure stepped forward.

One movement flowed into another.

A strike.

A turn.

A counter.

Seamless.

Beautiful.

Like water flowing around stone.

"The Order of Karma is not strength."

The person continued.

"It is understanding."

Another movement.

Another strike.

Another step.

Kai watched.

Unable to look away.

"Know your body."

"Know your opponent."

"Know yourself."

The memory cracked.

Like glass.

The courtyard vanished.

The sewer returned.

Kai gasped.

Suddenly—

His body moved.

Not consciously.

Instinctively.

Fais approached.

Ready to finish the fight.

Kai stepped forward.

Twisted.

His fist shot forward.

Different.

Faster.

Cleaner.

Fais' eyes widened.

The strike landed.

A direct hit.

The captain staggered.

Only half a step.

But he staggered.

The chamber went silent.

Even Andre paused.

"Wait."

Another strike followed.

Then another.

Kai's movements flowed strangely.

Not perfectly.

Not naturally.

But differently.

Like somebody else's techniques being forced through his body.

Fais blocked one punch.

Kai slipped around it.

Elbow.

Palm strike.

Kick.

The combination connected.

For the first time—

Fais actually retreated.

One step.

Then another.

The captain stared.

"What..."

Kai barely heard him.

His body continued moving.

Fragments.

Pieces.

Incomplete knowledge.

Yet powerful nonetheless.

Fais narrowed his eyes.

"Where did you learn this?"

Kai didn't answer.

Mostly because he didn't know.

The fight continued.

Kai attacked relentlessly.

For several moments—

It worked.

Then—

The cracks began showing.

His footwork slipped.

His timing became inconsistent.

His breathing worsened.

The movements felt unfamiliar.

Because they were.

Kai wasn't using techniques he'd learned.

He was using techniques he'd glimpsed.

Borrowed.

Stolen from a memory.

And his body couldn't keep up.

Fais noticed immediately.

Of course he did.

The captain smiled.

"There it is."

Kai's next strike came.

Fais blocked.

Another.

Blocked.

Another.

Blocked.

The momentum vanished.

Control returned to Fais.

The captain stepped forward.

A clean parry.

A clean counter.

Kai stumbled.

Fais shook his head.

"Interesting."

A punch.

Kai barely blocked.

"Very interesting."

Another punch.

Kai staggered backward.

"But incomplete."

A kick.

Kai crashed into the floor.

Fais stood over him.

Looking down.

The captain's voice remained calm.

"Even with orthodox movements."

He flexed his gauntlets.

Metal clicked.

"You cannot beat me."

Kai tried standing.

His legs failed.

His vision blurred.

The chamber spun.

Fais raised his fist.

Kai saw it coming.

But his body refused to move.

The punch landed.

Everything went black.

Kai's body collapsed onto the stone floor.

Motionless.

Unconscious.

And for the first time during the battle—

Fais looked disappointed.

"I expected more."

Behind him—

The sounds of cultists screaming suddenly stopped.

And Andre finally turned around.