As Gavo fully entered combat mode, that familiar sense of control over her body appeared once more.
Looking at Mir, who had spread his arms in provocation, she took a deep breath.
In the next instant, her whole body lowered to the ground like a leopard, like a predator coiling itself for the hunt.
Her strength was not weak, but her weight class was too small.
With such an absolute gap in mass, trying to shake Mir through speed and strength alone was about as realistic as taking flight by stepping on her own foot.
So she needed to borrow force from the outside.
Mir looked at Gavo, crouched low like a little cat, with a faintly mocking expression.
Her attack power really was not bad.
But that was all.
A difference in weight class was not something easily overcome.
He appreciated Gavo's strength, but the reason feral children could survive in the underhive was because of their unmatched unity.
So unfortunately, after the remaining two punches, he would stop playing defense.
No matter who had been right or wrong in the matter with Rabbit-Mouth, Gavo had to pay a price.
At that thought, a trace of coldness flashed through Mir's eyes.
As the leader of the feral children, only ruthlessness allowed him to barely keep them alive in this gang buffer zone.
"You smashed Rabbit-Mouth's teeth, so I'll break every one of yours."
"You provoked us, so I'll break one of your legs too."
Mir spoke coldly, already declaring the ending he imagined Gavo was about to face.
But very quickly, his expression changed.
Because Gavo made a strange move.
She suddenly jumped backward, light and agile like a clouded leopard, lowering her body even further as her right leg stretched back halfway until the front of her foot bit hard into the concrete wall.
"What are you do..."
Before he could finish, Gavo's right leg exploded with force, the muscles of her back contracting as well. Both hands, planted on the ground, yanked her body forward, and in an instant, she shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, appearing before Mir in the blink of an eye.
Using the wall for leverage, combined with the explosive posture of her body like a drawn bowstring snapping loose, Gavo focused all the strength in her body into her tightened right fist. The moment she closed in on Mir, she unleashed a heavy punch.
That powerful fist carried terrifying force, and just before striking the most vulnerable part of his abdomen, it completed the difficult motion of twisting at the wrist.
In that instant, the penetrating spiral force of the punch drilled deep into Mir's stomach like a bore, ignoring the resistance of muscle and the cushioning of fat and landing directly inside his undefended abdomen.
Violent agony erupted through Mir's organs and instantly swept through his whole body.
At that moment, veins bulged across Mir's forehead. Tears, snot, drool, and blood all ran uncontrollably down his face.
The intense pain made his rock-solid legs tremble and bend...
But he still did not take a single step back.
"Good..."
A word of praise squeezed out from his winded lungs. Then his thickly muscled arms shot up, and his iron-clamp hands seized Gavo's seemingly slender arms.
Terrifying grip strength like a hydraulic press came from his hands, though fortunately it did not cause any real damage to Gavo's arms, which had already been tempered by Infinite Growth.
"There's still one punch left!"
With a low roar, Mir firmly grabbed her light body, yanked her to his left side, then twisted his waist and abdomen and hurled her away like a toy.
As the concrete wall behind her grew closer in the corner of her eye, Gavo remembered the rebar that had been buried deep inside it earlier.
If she crashed into the wall like this, she would definitely have to endure that same terrifying level of force.
"Such monstrous strength... This is something the current me can't come close to doing."
"This guy really isn't simple. No wonder he can lead the feral children without depending on any gang."
"But your strength is also my chance to beat you!"
Gavo did not choose to twist her body in midair to reduce the force. Instead, gritting her teeth, at the very last moment before crashing into the wall, she violently planted her right foot against it.
Boom!
With a loud blast, a clear footprint was stamped deep into the cracked wall.
"Here's the last punch you wanted!"
Attack on Bat-Man ignored the intense pain surging from her right leg. Gavo roared and used the recoil to launch herself at Mir once more.
Using the opponent's force to create your own attack, this was the famous combat technique of ancient Terra:
Receive, Redirect, Strike!
Accompanied by a sharp howling wind, Mir's pupils contracted violently. All mockery had vanished from his eyes, leaving behind nothing but blazing battle intent.
"You're aiming for my neck... smart."
Mir's pale green eyes reflected Gavo's figure as she tightened her right fist.
"But that's assuming you can hit me!"
Mir growled with confidence, then raised his sturdy left arm at equal speed, preparing to block Gavo's inevitable right punch with his hardened forearm.
It's over.
That was what he thought.
And then he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
That small figure flying toward him suddenly retracted the right fist she had been tightening in midair, and then, with her left hand moving so fast it left an afterimage, she threw a jab so quick it vanished from his sight.
"Yeah. It's over."
Gavo said softly.
As that left jab struck the exposed artery on the left side of Mir's neck and his jaw, his vision instantly blacked out.
"That's impossible..."
Before losing consciousness, Mir muttered those words.
"Under normal circumstances, yeah, it is."
"But who told you I wasn't cheating?"
Gavo looked calmly at Mir's collapsing body and grumbled inwardly.
With his brain briefly shocked into blackout, Mir staggered backward several steps like he was dancing, then crumpled onto the ground like a deflated tire and fell into a sleep as deep as a baby's.
"Now really isn't the time for a nap."
Gavo looked at the sky, which was now almost completely dark, and shook her head in mockery.
Nighttime in the underhive was synonymous with hell.
Even this relatively safe gang buffer zone would become the most dangerous hunting ground once darkness fully fell.
"Boss!"
Rabbit-Mouth screamed, ignoring Fish-Eyes trying to stop him as he jumped down from the wall and threw himself beside Mir.
Everything that had just happened had been too sudden.
He had never expected Mir to be taken out by the third punch.
"Heh. Night is coming. If you leave him behind and run for it yourselves, you might still have a chance to live."
Gavo spoke indifferently.
Rabbit-Mouth and Fish-Eyes, who had jumped down after him, hoisted the unconscious Mir up and ignored Gavo's words.
After giving her an extremely venomous glare, Rabbit-Mouth prepared to leave immediately with Mir.
But that look irritated Gavo.
"Sometimes, cutting the grass and pulling out the roots really is necessary."
Gavo narrowed her eyes and slowly walked toward them.
"What are you doing, you..."
Under Rabbit-Mouth's horrified gaze, Gavo suddenly pounced on him and raised her fist high.
Just as she was about to bring it down, a distant light flashed and brushed across her eyes.
Gavo only lifted her head out of curiosity and glanced at it.
And then her body immediately trembled as if struck by lightning.
(End of Chapter)
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