The sound of alarms mingled with the echoes of exchanged blows.
The walls trembled under the force of their confrontation.
Mayu Zero was no longer the same.
She moved with an almost organic fluidity, abandoning the rigid, calculated movements of a machine.
It was instinctual. Wild.
And Mayu was struggling to keep up.
She narrowly dodged a lightning-quick strike, but a second blow hit her in the ribs.
A flash of pain coursed through her body.
She tried to retaliate, throwing a straight punch at her double's jaw.
Mayu Zero blocked it.
With ease.
— You hesitate.
The voice was calm, composed.
Mayu gritted her teeth.
No.
This wasn't hesitation.
It was something else.
Something she couldn't grasp.
Why did she feel a shiver of unease facing her double?
Why… did it seem like she was being overwhelmed?
She must fall.
Mayu lunged forward.
Her fist sliced through the air.
But Mayu Zero vanished.
A cold breath behind her.
Mayu had no time to react.
A violent impact exploded in her shoulder.
Her body flew several meters before crashing against a metal wall.
A taste of blood filled her mouth.
Mayu pushed herself up, breathless.
She raised her eyes…
And saw Mayu Zero motionless, just a few steps away.
Her clone was staring at her.
But not attacking.
That was what was unsettling.
— Why don't you finish me off? Mayu growled.
Mayu Zero tilted her head slightly, perplexed.
Then, she smiled.
A strange smile.
— Why would I?
Mayu felt a shiver run down her spine.
Is she toying with me?
No.
That wasn't it.
She observed her opponent, and suddenly…
She understood.
She was no longer a program.
She was a person.
A consciousness coming to life.
A fight that was no longer just a struggle for survival.
It was a battle against something unknown.
Something that could surpass her.
Mayu clenched her fists.
She had to put an end to this.
Before it was too late.