NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Fratricidal Duel
Time slowed.
Mayu felt the blade brush against her throat.
Her body reacted before she could think.
She ducked sharply, made a circular motion with her knife, and attempted a quick counterattack.
**CLANG**
Her opponent blocked.
Without effort.
A shiver ran down her spine.
He is stronger than me.
The man before her—Subject 09—had perfect posture, impeccable technique.
He anticipated each of her movements.
As if he could read her.
---
A Flawless Fight
Subject 09 lunged.
His sword sliced through the air like a metallic line.
Mayu barely parried, but the impact nearly shattered her wrist.
A second strike.
A third.
A fourth.
She couldn't keep up.
She tried to retreat—a mistake.
Her enemy struck immediately.
Pain exploded in her side.
Mayu was thrown backward.
Her back slammed against a concrete wall.
**Crack.**
Her ribs protested violently.
She fell to one knee, gasping.
He is… too fast.
…Too precise.
Her fingers gripped the handle of her knife.
But at that moment…
A voice rose in her mind.
---
Flashback: The Perfect Experiment
"Two weapons. Identical."
"Two bodies forged to kill."
"But only one will survive."
She saw herself.
As a child.
Facing a boy who mirrored her.
Subject 09.
Her shadow.
Her enhanced version.
"The one who wins this fight will be the ultimate weapon."
"The one who loses… will be eliminated."
---
Present: A Fight for Survival
Mayu's blood ran cold.
She remembered.
The last confrontation.
She and Subject 09 had been forced to fight to the death.
But…
Something had happened that day.
Something her brain still refused to acknowledge.
Why was she alive?
Why was he still here?
A wave of dizziness struck her.
Too late.
Subject 09 lunged.
His sword whistled straight toward her chest.
---
## Akira Intervenes
A silver flash.
A blade barely blocked Subject 09's attack.
Akira.
His sword trembled under the impact.
— You're going to kill her, you idiot! he spat.
Subject 09 showed no emotion.
— It's her destiny.
Akira gritted his teeth.
— Sorry, but I don't believe in destiny.
He shoved Subject 09's sword aside with a swift motion.
Then he attacked without hesitation.
The blades clashed violently.
Sparks illuminated the ruined corridor.
But Mayu…
She couldn't move.
She stared at Subject 09.
And in her memory…
A final memory was about to resurface.