Simulated Sol lowered his stance slightly.
Faced with a near-certain death trap, his battle instincts, sharpened by the Demon Brain, instantly calculated every attack trajectory and measured the power behind each strike.
The muscles in his arms tightened. The monstrous physical strength granted by the Hanma Bloodline, together with the dormant power of his Demon Back, surged through his body. It was not for a direct clash.
Just as the Serpent Gaze Binding was about to completely restrain him, his arms twisted with inhuman flexibility. Like a slippery eel, they slipped through the narrow gaps of the binding at the very last moment.
At the same time, his body spun on the tips of his toes like a weightless phantom.
He pushed the Energy Dissipation technique to its absolute limit. With flawless precision, the backs of his hands struck the sides of Nobara's three flying nails with only millimeters to spare.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Three faint but distinct metallic sounds rang out as the nails were effortlessly deflected, grazing past his body before embedding themselves in the ground.
At the same moment, Yuji's devastating punch arrived from the front.
Simulated Sol rotated with the momentum of his spin to face the incoming fist. He neither blocked it directly nor fully avoided it.
Instead, he used Energy Dissipation once again.
The instant Yuji's fist connected, Sol's body rippled like flowing water, dispersing the overwhelming impact throughout his entire frame. The force traveled into the ground beneath him, instantly cracking it into a spiderweb pattern.
But during the brief instant required to neutralize the attack, Nue descended from above.
Rip!
Lightning flashed as Nue's claws ripped deep gashes across Simulated Sol's shoulder and back. Sparks scattered, and the faint smell of scorched flesh filled the air.
"Did it work?!"
A flicker of excitement crossed Yuji's face.
Then he met Simulated Sol's crimson eyes.
They remained completely calm.
Ignoring the pain from the lightning-infused wounds, Simulated Sol used the remaining force from Yuji's punch, combined with the rebound from the shattered ground, to launch himself backward at incredible speed like a fully compressed spring.
His target was Nobara.
"Nobara, watch out!" Megumi Fushiguro shouted.
Nobara had just thrown her nails. Her previous motion had exhausted her momentum, leaving no time to react as Simulated Sol appeared before her like a ghost.
His hand rapidly filled her vision.
She could even see the fresh wounds left by Nue beginning to heal through Peristaltic Healing.
Bang!
A perfectly placed hand chop struck the side of her neck.
Nobara's vision instantly faded, and she collapsed unconscious.
The moment the ranged threat was eliminated, Simulated Sol moved again without hesitation, charging straight toward Megumi Fushiguro, who was already forming hand signs to summon another Shikigami.
"Nue... Rabbit Escape!"
Megumi hurriedly summoned a massive swarm of rabbit Shikigami to block Simulated Sol's vision while retreating as fast as he could.
It was useless.
Simulated Sol completely ignored the sea of rabbits. His Demon Brain and extraordinary dynamic vision effortlessly identified Megumi's true position.
Yuji roared as he sprinted after him, trying to intercept.
Without even looking back, Simulated Sol executed an almost impossible right-angle turn at full speed, slipping cleanly past Yuji's tackle before instantly closing the distance to Megumi once again.
Megumi gritted his teeth, abandoning his hand signs and crossing his arms in defense.
Simulated Sol answered with a simple straight punch.
Energy Dissipation.
One-Inch Punch.
Bang!
An overwhelming force exploded through Megumi's guard. The impact pierced straight through his crossed arms, sending intense pain through his entire body.
He was launched off his feet before crashing heavily onto the ground, unable to stand.
In moments, two members of the trio had been defeated.
Only Itadori Yuji remained.
Panting heavily, he stared at Simulated Sol.
The wounds across Sol's shoulder had already nearly disappeared.
"Bastard..."
Yuji muttered through clenched teeth as cursed energy surged around him once more.
"Again!"
He charged recklessly, unleashing a relentless barrage of punches.
Without his teammates supporting him, however, there was no suspense.
Against Simulated Sol's Demon Brain and overwhelming combat skill, Yuji stood little chance.
Simulated Sol moved like a phantom, weaving effortlessly through every attack. Every dodge was perfectly timed, and every block dissolved the maximum amount of force through Energy Dissipation.
Whenever he countered, whether with a light tap, an elbow strike, or a simple finger jab, every hit landed on Yuji's weakest point of leverage or a vulnerable joint and pressure point, sending waves of pain through his body and disrupting his movements.
Yuji felt as though he were fighting a shapeless mass that absorbed every blow while punishing every mistake.
His overwhelming strength had nowhere to go.
Instead, he was being completely controlled.
Finally, Simulated Sol seized the briefest opening created by Yuji's faltering movements.
A seemingly gentle palm strike landed beneath Yuji's jaw.
Buzz!
Yuji's vision blurred.
The world spun around him as he collapsed backward, unconscious.
The training ground dissolved, and the simulation came to an end.
Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara regained consciousness almost simultaneously.
All three collapsed onto the floor, drenched in cold sweat as they struggled to catch their breath.
"Still... not enough..." Nobara muttered, pounding the ground in frustration.
"His reactions... were flawless," Megumi Fushiguro said hoarsely, clutching his aching chest. "Especially the way he counterattacked after taking damage. It was almost inhuman."
Yuji lay flat on the ground, staring at the ceiling.
Despite his exhaustion, determination burned brighter than ever in his eyes.
"But... we hurt him. Even if it was only his simulated body..."
Watching from the sidelines, the S-Class Heroes nodded in agreement.
Tanktop Master crossed his arms.
"Their teamwork has improved tremendously. Their coordination was nearly perfect. They came close."
Metal Bat clicked his tongue.
"Too bad. Sol's freaky techniques and insane reaction speed are just disgusting."
===
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