The moment Rika stabilized, the battlefield changed again.
Not louder.
Not bigger.
Just heavier.
Ryu felt it first.
"…Yeah…"
He rolled his shoulders, grin fully back now.
"…That's the kind of pressure I wanted."
Takeru stepped forward.
No frame tricks.
No shortcuts.
Just raw forward movement.
Ryu met him halfway.
The impact wasn't a clash anymore.
It was a collision.
Fist against guard.
Cursed energy against reinforced body.
Ground cracking beneath them with each exchange.
Yuta stayed back now, watching closely.
"…They're syncing with Rika's output…"
Uro hovered above, arms crossed, still cautious.
"…This is turning into a stamina war…"
Mahoraga stood in the distance, unmoving—but present.
The wheel turned once.
Slow.
Patient.
Ryu swung again.
Harder.
Heavier.
Takeru didn't retreat.
He adjusted.
Minimal movement.
Maximum efficiency.
"…You're getting cleaner," Ryu muttered mid-fight.
"…Confirmed," Takeru replied instantly.
Another exchange.
Another shockwave.
Ryu laughed.
"…You're actually learning mid-fight…"
Takeru didn't answer.
Because he didn't need to.
Rika behind him pulsed slightly—
the shared system reinforcing his output.
Yuta narrowed his eyes.
"…He's adapting like Copy is already active…"
Uro clicked her tongue.
"…That connection is dangerous…"
The fight escalated.
Fast.
Brutal.
Precise.
Then—
something shifted.
Rika's presence flickered slightly.
Not weakening.
But counting down.
Yuta felt it immediately.
"…Five-minute window…"
Ryu noticed the change in rhythm.
"…Oh?"
A grin.
"…Time limit?"
Takeru exhaled once.
Eyes locked.
The battlefield slowed just slightly in perception—
not physically—
but in awareness.
And then—
the narrator returned.
"…One minute remaining in full manifestation."
Silence.
Even the air felt like it paused to listen.
Rika stood still behind Takeru.
Her presence still massive—
but now marked.
Finite.
Ryu's grin widened.
"…There it is."
Uro's eyes sharpened.
"…Now it gets interesting…"
Yuta tightened his grip slightly.
"…Takeru…"
Takeru didn't move.
Just stared at Ryu.
"…Sixty seconds."
A pause.
"…Understood."
Ryu cracked his neck.
"…Let's finish this before your buff runs out."
He stepped forward.
Takeru stepped forward too.
Rika's shadow loomed behind them both.
The ground broke again.
Faster now.
Heavier.
Final stretch.
Ryu swung.
Takeru met it.
Impact—
CRACK.
The battlefield shook.
Yuta's eyes widened slightly.
"…They're pushing past the limit…"
Uro muttered.
"…This is going to break something…"
Mahoraga's wheel turned once more.
And then—
The countdown continued.
59 seconds.