Starboy Azure

Mina and Evan stood face to face, their blades locked in an intense clash, their eyes burning with mutual hatred.

"Come on," Evan snarled as he pulled back. "Don't you dare hold back against me!"

"Likewise…" Mina replied coldly, vanishing in a flash. Before Evan could react, she reappeared behind him, pink petals in the form of an orb manifesting in her hands before she detonated them near Evan, sending the Division 3 captain flying across the battlefield.

"Fair play," Evan said as he rose to his feet with a low chuckle. He brushed his shoulders. "I'm ashamed I fell for something so predictable!"

As his laughter grew louder, his eyes began to glow a bright green as his smirk widened.

"Kani Technique: Second Sight!" Evan shouted, oozing confidence. "I didn't think I'd have to power up this early, but I'd be surprised if you could keep up from now on!"

Evan's Kani technique is Second Sight. With this ability, Evan can perceive incoming attacks before they are executed. Its true time limit is unknown, but Evan has trained to keep it active for as long as possible before he becomes stressed.

Before Mina could even approach him, he had already witnessed her next sequence of attacks. She dashed towards him, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, but Evan was one step ahead, effortlessly sidestepping as he taunted her.

"Too slow," he whispered.

With a single calculated motion, he swung his bat, slamming it into Mina's back with full force.

"And STRIKE!" Evan bellowed, his voice echoing across the park as Mina was launched through the air.

"I just knew it…" He said, giving a sinister chuckle before mocking her. "Trying to act hard in front of your friends, but deep down, you're still the same predictable, scared little Mina…"

Mina clenched her fists as she struck the ground, her expression darkening. She slowly rose to her feet, her glare sharp as she focused on the bully before her.

"A lucky shot won't decide this fight…" Mina scoffed, her confidence unwavering despite the supposed disadvantage.

"We'll see…" Evan said as he smirked as he turned his gaze to the others and barked orders "Anna, Darius—go after the green and cyan-haired ones… Jonah will take care of the other."

"But this one…" He turned back to Mina, his grin widening. "This one's mine!"

"Yes sir!" Anna and Darius responded in unison as they were ordered to go after Okoro and Rae.

Anna moved swiftly, drawing her gun as she honed in on Okoro and Roman. As she closed the distance, hesitation flickered in her mind.

'These are actual children…' She thought, her grip on her weapon tightening as she began to feel a bit uneasy. 'N-no! This is for the mission… As long as I can make him proud, I-I can't slip up. It'll feel better if I don't think about it.'

Okoro caught her approach, his eyes darted over as he shifted his posture.

'They're serious about this…' He thought while glancing at the boy on his shoulder.

"Hey!" Anna called out, stopping a few feet away as she stood before him. "Just hand over the child and no one gets hurt. Got it?"

"No can do," Okoro exclaimed as his jaw tightened. "If I hand over this child then he'll get hurt!"

"Fine," Anna said as her glare hardened. "Then you leave me no choice."

"Sorry!" Okoro exclaimed, taking a step back as he realized her determination overwhelmed her hesitation. "I don't hit women, so… see ya!"

'I gotta find a way to get them off of me without him getting hurt.' Okoro thought as he looked over at the boy on his shoulder. 'I can't hit her either… Only bad men hit women, and I'm nothing like him…'

Without another word, he bolted, holding the child securely over his shoulder.

Anna hesitated for only a moment before giving chase, her movements swift as she pursued him across the park.

…

During a clash of blades, Uzoma's kick struck Jonah hard in the gut, his feet sparking with electricity. The attack sent Jonah flying backward into a wall, a dull thud being heard as he landed on the ground.

Uzoma now stood straight, an aura of electricity dancing around him and his katana. His sharp gaze fixed on Jonah as he slowly walked forward.

"I'm still not used to how things work around here…" Uzoma said sternly. "But Mina told me you guys are the ones responsible for our problems."

He paused, his tone softening as a hint of emotion was shown.

"She was supposed to have a good day today…" He said in a quieter tone, his eyes narrowing. "It's a shame you had to go and ruin it."

Jonah wiped the blood from his lips as he laughed mockingly, standing on his feet.

"Stop bringing up shit no one cares about, you gloomy emo freak!" Jonah said. With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed to the side.

Jonah lunged, his katana glowing with energy as he sliced toward Uzoma. Their blades met once again in a series of loud, metallic clangs. Jonah swung side, narrowly missing Uzoma who countered, his blade grazing Jonah's cheek. The wound made Jonah wince as he stepped back, his crimson hair flowing in the wind. The air between them grew still, their eyes locked onto each other as the tension grew thicker.

Jonah smirked before lunging at Uzoma once again, but this time, he had a new strategy in mind. As Uzoma raised his katana to block, Jonah's form shimmered. A second Jonah split off, darting around Uzoma like a ghost. The clone lunged at Uzoma's blind spot, but the white-haired boy's instincts were sharper than expected. In a blur, Uzoma vanished, reappearing several meters away, the faint crackle of electricity marking his retreat.

'This fool can clone himself…' Uzoma thought as he squinted his eyes. 'How irritating.'

"What's wrong?" Jonah taunted as his voice echoed with confidence. "Can't handle a little jump session?"

Uzoma didn't respond immediately, he simply twirled his katana around as it crackled with electricity. His expression darkened, his voice carrying a certain eeriness as he glared at Jonah.

"Create as many as you want…" Uzoma said, his locs flowing with the wind as a purple glow formed in his eyes. "One me is enough for a billion of you."

"Tch!" The two Jonahs scoffed in unison as they dashed toward Uzoma from opposite directions.

Uzoma's eyes darted between the attackers as he drew his second katana, sparks of electricity forming around both blades. With a sharp exhale, he entertained their assault. Each strike was parried with ease, his movements flawless and his defense solid.

He danced around Jonah, countering each strike with great concentration. But as the fight wore on, Uzoma's brow furrowed. The identical movements of the two Jonahs made it harder to determine which one was the original.

'I'm sure it's…' Uzoma's mind raced, his instincts narrowing down the possibilities.

"That one!" Uzoma yelled as he blocked a high slash with one blade while swinging the other. That strike disarmed one Jonah, his weapon dropping to the ground. With no time to waste, Uzoma thrust his katana forward, piercing his target with deadly precision.

For a moment, Uzoma was allowed peace-–until the body vanished into thin air. His eyes widened in realization as the remaining Jonah dropped a smoke bomb to the ground. The thick cloud of smoke filled the air, masking Jonah's escape.

'I couldn't let him notice,' Jonah thought as he appeared in another spot.

'That's a shame…' Uzoma thought, squinting as he scanned the shadows. His irritation grew by the second. 'I thought I had the right one… Actually, I wonder if it's possible that he can switch bodies.'

Meanwhile, Jonah crouched behind a tree, his breaths shallow as he created yet another clone, much to Uzoma's annoyance. The boy was losing patience.

"I can sense you…" Uzoma said, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. In an instant, he appeared before Jonah and his clone.

"Damn it!" Jonah yelped, the panic clear in his eyes. He and his clone bolted in opposite directions, barely escaping.

In a flash, Uzoma reappeared in front of one Jonah, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the ground. The ground cracked due to the impact, and without giving him time to breathe, Uzoma tossed the body into the air and launched him into a brutal aerial combo.

He began with a punch to the gut, stunning Jonah midair as he followed up with an electrified uppercut that sent him even higher. Uzoma spun, performing a devastating kick that sent the soldier spiraling down before vanishing once again. Uzoma reappeared below him before performing another sequence of lightning-charged punches and kicks which brutalized the poor Nixidia soldier.

Suddenly, the second Jonah emerged from the shadows, his blade raised high in the air before bringing it down, aiming at Uzoma's exposed back.

Uzoma didn't even need to look, he already sensed the attack. He vanished once again at the speed of light, causing the second Jonah's blade to slam into the ground, inches away from his counterpart. This forced the other Jonah to roll away to avoid being impaled.

Above them, Uzoma descended like a thunderbolt, his foot glowing with electricity as he brought his heel down with enough force to send shockwaves rippling through the ground.

'This monster!' Jonah thought, his body trembling as he rolled away. He barely escaped Uzoma's assault, his expression was fearful as he struggled to regain his composure.

'Evan's right about them... But, I've never faced something like this before! Can we really do something about these demons!?' His thoughts spiraled.

His fists were clenched, and he grit his teeth, shaking the panic away as he took three steps forward, a clone manifesting into existence from each step. Each one steadied their blady, setting their eyes on Uzoma as they prepared to strike. Uzoma leaped back, landing lightly on the ground as his expression darkened.

"Of course…" Uzoma muttered, his voice low and intimidating. His glare spared not a single soldier before him.

Without hesitation, the clones attacked him in unison, their blades slashing from every angle imaginable. Uzoma moved like water, weaving through the flurry of blades with inhuman precision. He danced around, entering his flow state as he calmed down. His movement became more fluid as he concentrated.

"I hate playing the guessing game…" Uzoma muttered, his mood clearly soured. "Instead of wasting my time trying to figure out which one is the real you, let's just do this the easy way!"

"Eternal Storm: Tempest Ring!" Uzoma shouted.

As Uzoma used this ability, a circular wave of electricity released outward, shocking everyone in his vicinity before they could react. Jonah and his clones dropped instantly, all but one dissolving into nothingness. With one last crackle, the scene went silent as the electricity dissipated.

Uzoma glared, his eyes caught movement as he witnessed a shadow flickering in the distance. He tilted his head, letting out a heavy sigh.

"I get it now…" Uzoma said, shaking his head as his eyes narrowed. He managed to put the puzzle together.

'When the clones disappear, he rewinds back to his original spot…' He thought to himself. 'It seems he can switch between them as well, how annoying.'

Before he knew it, Jonah darted around him, materializing seven new Jonahs with each step. Their forms solidified, every single one of them in a healed state as they aimed their blades at him. Their movements synchronized, and Uzoma's gaze hardened as he analyzed his new situation.

"You figured it out huh?" They said in unison, their voices echoing ominously as they taunted the white-haired freedom fighter. Each clone wore a smug grin, flashing with confidence.

Jonah's Kani Technique is Checkpoint. With Checkpoint, Jonah can create a clone of himself mid-combat. The first clone is spawned from his current location and begins the first save point, allowing him to either retreat or follow up with an attack while his opponent is distracted. He can repeat this process until he reaches eight clones. If they are all severely injured, he rewinds to his first location. While the clones are active, he can switch his consciousness between them as if it were an 8-player game. The rewind also heals any injuries he received after the first save point.

"Now, meet my ultimate formation…Squadron J…" Jonah said as his voice rang louder. "CHARGEEEEE!"

From every direction—front, back, left, right, and even above—they lunged at Uzoma, their blades slashing at him with deadly precision. As expected, Uzoma didn't even flinch, his movements remained fluid. He ducked under one blade, parried another, and spun clear of a downward strike from above. He deflected each attack, his body only appearing as a blur.

As expected of Uzoma, he kept his composure, his expression eerily calm. He fought every Jonah off with ease, the soldier and his squadron struggled to create a single opening. Despite being outnumbered, he was ready to show them he was not the underdog here…