‘So in the end, he won’t unlock the final implant, huh.’He’d clearly activated several implants, yet the last one—there were no signs of [Awaken].He was still holding that final trump card.To activate [Awaken] would be no different from throwing the upcoming operation to the wind.And yet, his one-sided assault began.Each strike—sharp and precise.His speed had already surpassed human limits, and the dagger’s movements grew almost dizzying to follow.‘Hmm.’At this rate, it might get a little dangerous.As expected of the Liberation League’s second-in-command.Even so—‘I’m still a bit faster.’My body moved to match his speed.Once again, I could feel it.How far I’d come.“Grraaaaah—!!”“Hup—!”Clang!The crisp clash of dagger against dagger rang out.I slipped past his hand as he reached for my throat.+[Status Effect: Slight Fatigue]There is no issue with stamina.My blood was still burning hot.If anything, my dagger was moving faster—keeping perfect rhythm with Khan’s.Beads of sweat gathered on my brow.As I grew accustomed to his movements,his assault—deprived of [Awaken]—naturally began to dull.His physical capacity simply couldn’t keep up.Defense turned to offense.Offense rolled into a relentless counter.Khan, with his implants active, was indeed formidable—but so long as he withheld that final one,he was nothing more than a perfect test subject for me to measure my own growth.I wanted to see it now—the limit of my current speed.“Fuu…”I exhale deeply.My stance lowered.Somewhere in the distance, Xenon’s cry pierced the air—a fitting signal.‘Then I’ll start getting serious too.’Fortunately, the dagger in my hand wasn’t a real blade.A mere training knife.Even if I swung with full force, Khan wouldn’t die.I reversed my grip and raised the blade, adopting a military combat stance.Khan’s own fighting style—the one I’d learned from clashing with him.“…!?”Kan’s pupils widened slightly.And in that instant, I darted in—sliding straight into his guard.“Kh—!”The speed was even beyond my ability to control.Barely keeping my balance, I began slashing wildly.“Grhhk!”A groan of pain, laced with disbelief, escaped Khan’s mouth.For some reason, I found that sound irritating.Was this all it took for him to dare invoke the Ark’s name?“So you wanted to test me. Fine.”The dagger drove down on his foot and rose again.Each thrust climbing higher—from shin to thigh,from abdomen to ribs,liver to solar plexus—the dull training knife hammered without pause as my voice stayed steady.“But you should’ve known not to cross the line.”“Gaaahhh!”Crunch!“Otherwise—you should’ve been ready to face me at full strength.”***Those calm, unblinking eyes.Their depths were like an abyss—full, yet empty.Khan couldn’t tell what the man before him was thinking.‘What… are you?’The pressure was suffocating.Had there ever been anyone who could make him feel such weight?He shook his head internally.No one—except Mother.That was how extraordinary this «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» man was.He recalled their first clash.Back then…he’d thought it was a fight he could handle even without activating any implants.The man had seemed full of openings, as though lacking in close-quarters experience.But at every critical moment, those animal-like reflexes blocked and countered every strike.And as time went on, the man’s movements only grew sharper—more refined.Gone was the awkwardness of their first bout.Now, he moved like a seasoned swordsman.Could he really have grown this much in such a short span?‘No… that’s impossible.’Even a genius couldn’t achieve such evolution mid-battle.Khan began to think—perhaps it was he who was being tested.From the start, the man hadn’t regarded him as an opponent.He’d simply adjusted his strength, gauging Khan’s every move.And now, as the test neared its final act—Khan felt utterly helpless.It was like standing unarmed before a tidal wave.The black-haired man before him left no openings whatsoever.Even with his implants active—his body beyond human limits—Khan still couldn’t keep up.‘If I were to…’What if he activated [Awaken]?That implant—the one that directly tampered with the nervous system.The worst of them all.If he used it, maybe… maybe he could bridge the gap a little.He quickly shook his head.‘No.’That was his last resort.With the upcoming operation being so close, using [Awaken] now would be irreversible.Even if he somehow defeated the Ark’s leader, the cost would be destructive.And besides—he couldn’t shake the feeling that even with [Awaken], he still wouldn’t win.‘A fight that never should’ve started…’Just as he’d held himself back—the other man had, too.No matter how he looked, the black-haired man clearly wasn’t fighting seriously.If Khan activated [Awaken], the man would undoubtedly respond in kind.‘Just how strong is he?’   (TL: bruh Kyle literally have [Humanity's Ultimate Weapon] as his skill. He's like a living, walking weapon..)Strength beyond humanity.Not just brute force or reflexes—in every aspect, he transcended human limits.A chilling thought crossed Khan’s mind.‘Don’t tell me…’To possess power surpassing Transhumans—while not being one himself—there could only be one explanation.‘Could that project… have succeeded?’But the thought didn’t last.“You seem distracted.”Boom!“Ghhk!”The accumulated damage made his mind go hazy.Khan steadied his breathing, barely holding his stance.

***Khan, with his implants active, was indeed different—fast, strong—but that was all.He still couldn’t match me.His movements were solid, flexible—enough to escape danger multiple times—but he had taken too many hits.After dozens more exchanges too fast to track by eye,his breathing grew ragged.“Kh… hhh…”It was as good as over.His body was battered and broken.The surroundings fell into heavy silence.Rin and Erik Palmer stood back, unable to intervene.They knew as well as I did—any interference now would only hinder Khan.‘Still, he’s lasted longer than I thought.’I was mildly impressed—by his endurance, at least.But my true opponent was Behemoth.Not the Liberation League’s captains.If I couldn’t even overpower them,how could I claim to face Behemoth alone?Especially when Khan hadn’t even activated [Awaken]?That would be arrogance—pure and simple.The reason the League’s captains were excluded from the Behemoth Subjugation was simple:they weren’t useful enough.The enemies I must face are on another level entirely.“Fuu…”I measured the gap between us.Without firearms and without his unit,Khan could never surpass me.No—no one should be able to.That was the resolve I had chosen.And now, with everything laid bare,I offered him one last kindness.“Shall we end it here?”Khan gave a faint, bitter smile.“Too late for that, I think.”“In that case…”I drew in a deep breath.My focus peaked.Khan crouched low,his body coiled like a predator waiting to strike.The grip on the dagger whitened with pressure, and his calves tensed as he compressed his stance.Then—I saw it.A single line.Following that line, I released the built-up force in my legs.It happened in a flash.[Flash Strike LV.7]A technique I’d honed for slaying beasts,now unleashed against a man.All I heard was the wind tearing past my ears—and the gasps of those around us.Khan’s eyes widened in shock.And just as the finishing blow was about to land—“That’s enough.”Before I could even sense the presence,someone stood between us.“Erich Mergeng.”“Kyle. That’s far enough.”Mother.Her dry expression unchanging,she caught my dagger effortlessly.A strange standoff—but one that couldn’t last long.“…”I withdrew my blade and glanced around.The crowd had grown—twice as many as before.Those who knew Khan’s position stared at me, wide-eyed, aghast.“I seem to have unintentionally damaged the Liberation League’s reputation. My apologies.”“Think nothing of it.If our prestige could be ruined by something like this, it wasn’t worth much to begin with.”“Mother…”Her gaze fell on Khan—calm, measured.Even knowing the situation, she betrayed no emotion.“Khan. The operation is imminent.What were you thinking, doing something so reckless?”“…My apologies.”With his implants deactivated, Khan looked visibly unwell.But at least he wasn’t critically injured.Mother let out a faint sigh.“Focus on recovery.”It was a dismissal.Khan bowed without protest and was led away by his subordinates.“…Perhaps I overdid it.”“Khan insulted the Ark publicly.”“…”“If it had been accidental—where his emotion get the better of him—I might have let it slide.But what he did was intentional. He wanted to provoke me.”“I see.”Mother nodded.She understood—Khan’s actions couldn’t simply be brushed aside.To insult the Ark in front of its leader was one thing—but forcing me into a false choice was something else entirely.Either let it go and be branded a fool,or fight him and become his entertainment.He’d only dared because he underestimated me.So I responded accordingly.His humiliation didn’t bother me.Still, I felt a twinge of bitterness.Such discord could only harm both sides.Thankfully, Mother had intervened before it went too far.It wasn’t the worst outcome.“Well, at least this saves me the trouble of explaining myself to the others.”Even now, Mother could make a joke.Most of the unit leaders had been watching.If the fight hadn’t occurred, they probably would have opposed the plan from the start.Now, perhaps, they’d changed their minds.Actions prove more than a hundred words.From their perspective, watching Khan fail to even wound me—that had to be a shock.Mother’s eyes, too,now carried a subtle, complex glint.

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