He didn't expect him to get used to his speed so quickly.
Whenever Ryu zipped within range the mercenary would increase the gravity of the local area then instantly release it, throwing Ryu off balance in the process.
This time he got in close, kneed Ryu in the stomach, flung him against the platform's wall and followed up with a straight left, creating a massive crater as Ryu narrowly sped out of the way in a green and brown blur.
"Okay, Mr... 'Bone In My Quesadilla' was it?" Ryu taunted between gasps, "Why don't you tell me a little more about how you got that ability of yours."
"Bone Cassidy," he grumbled metallically, "That's one of the names they call me... and even if I were to tell you, it won't change the outcome."
The alias was familiar, but Ryu found no value in questioning further. He just needed to win.
"This is more than just old man strength..." Ryu deduced to himself, "even found a way to fight with, what I can assume, is a crude use of his ability. He's clearly a seasoned combatant..."
He recalled that Yuna had called it gravity manipulation, but she was slightly wrong in her assessment as to how.
Ryu was trained to hone his centre of gravity under the school of Kishinryu.
Through the meditation principle of naishin, a level could be reached where one can reclaim one's energy from around them and forcefully exert their influence.
Though as far as Ryu knew, it was all theoretical.
But he also knew that Bone Cassidy was not a kishinryu practitioner, yet here he was wielding the technique so casually.
This as well as the cube and the Captain... what was the connection?
Perhaps he shouldn't have been so harsh with Yuna earlier, he wondered.
As fast as he was, he was struggling to keep up with the multitude of loose ends before him.
Bone Cassidy fired at him; Ryu instantly raced behind a pillar.
The bullets were moderately fast, but they followed him, leading them to riddle the platform's seats with gaping holes.
He took note that his opponent had now almost perfectly adjusted to his speed, afforded to him by his body modification.
His rate of adaptation was slightly alarming.
"Looks like you got in way over your head kid." Cassidy chuckled, but his tone exposed his dissatisfaction.
As he strolled towards the pillar he saw the edge of Ryu's pale, brown cloak on the ground.
He scoffed, but as he did he just about caught on to the new line that cut through the pillar near the top.
He instinctively stopped.
His gun arm suddenly became lighter, and when he looked down he saw what was left of it.
It was cut clean in half.
The muzzle was gone, now heard as it clattered heavily on the ground somewhere in the background.
The red glow and smoke from the friction was already fading as he saw the subsequent cut on the floor just shy of his foot.
"You couldn't see it could you?" Ryu called out, "That right there was what I call my hypersonic dragon slash!"
Ryu had landed back down to his feet behind the pillar.
The pretentious attack name matched the dragon motif of his Paladin helmet.
A move only possible due to his near instantaneous acceleration, allowing him to displace air for a partially invisible, ranged attack.
He intended to also catch his leg, but Cassidy had remarkably stopped at the last second.
"That sure was dangerous, I'll give you that one…" Cassidy jeered, he noticed it nicked the brim of his hat, "but that's as close as you'll ever get!"
Instantly, Cassidy dented and deformed the tiled floor, seemingly exerting his influence five times more than he had before.
He now stood inside a deep crater, as the station rumbled in response.
The atmosphere distorted around him like a shell while he intended to pin Ryu in his position behind the pillar.
"O-kay! Seems like you really do need to lay off the quesadillas there buddy." Ryu called out, but his voice was unstrained as it echoed throughout the tunnel, "good thing your destructive range isn't as big."
He was already behind a different pillar, this time in the centre platform and saw how Cassidy's influence stopped just short of it, deforming the iron tracks below.
"So he was holding back before," Ryu noted, "...No, he is still evolving. He sacrificed range for intensity..."
Ryu quickly appeared into the open and launched two more slashes in a somersault.
The slashes failed to reach him. Their trajectory drastically altered and cut into the side of the platform's edge below.
"So I can't get close and I can't attack from afar... then again, neither can you," Ryu summarised, "Looks to me like a stalemate, old man."
As if on cue, Cassidy slowly straightened up.
He took a shaky step towards the edge of the platform. Then another.
Each stride grew in confidence while breaking more of the tiling in a disproportionate manner.
"It appears..." Cassidy started, "that I'm getting the hang of this..."
He took a deep breath and his gravitational affect lessened, but as it did its range broadened.
The entire train station platform was now his domain.
He leaped on to the centre platform with the Green Paladin. His ability held.
Ryu was now entirely dependant on his body modification to move regularly.
His muscles strained, he knew he couldn't this up for long, but he accepted his new predicament.
His ability allowed him to consciously trigger a mitochondrial overdrive, giving his muscle fibres an instant surge of energy.
Even though he was further enhanced to accommodate this surplus, the Captain's warning of prolonged activation rang in his head.
He gripped his nagamaki with both hands; he realised he had to start taking this Cassidy seriously.
Instinctively, he assumed his old kishinryu stance, planting his feet and lowering his body.
Cassidy reached for the swords on his back, though he only drew one of them from its sheath.
The swords he carried were of two different kinds. Though Ryu watched as the one he pulled out split into two blades as he assumed his own stance.
They were twin dao swords of high carbon steel, both a metre in length.
The handles were a brownish red, the decorative guard and pummel golden.
The two combatants stood three metres apart in anticipation.
There was an unspoken mutual understanding as they both knew the playing field had evened.
The rain pattered from above. Its monotony helped him to concentrate on his core.
He visualised himself as a grounded immovable object, isolated yet firm.
He felt the weight of his sword, his armour and his helmet. Though it was more like its energy, it was subtle yet distinct.
"Naishin..." Ryu remembered.
The principle of rooting ones self and feeling ones own energy.
"Gaishin..."
This was the principle of being in tune with your surroundings, sensing the energy in all things.
Those two differing practices created a deep divide in the ancient Temples of Tsugai.
Ryu was confronted with the irony of the situation; he despised the country's national religion, it had once torn him apart, however, he found solace in its teachings.
Ryu held the same primary stance in anticipation. The warm and subtle breeze on his face was from the dojo's balcony as it over looked the red and gold valley of Otsukimi Prefecture.
Wooden practice sword in hand, the fifteen elders that sat in a row to his left saw his unwavering concentration.
Ryu could sense the unease of the student opposite, he wore an identical black School of Kishinryu gi.
"Begin!"
It was over in an instant. Ryu brought the practice sword in an upwards arc and with a crack, his opponents weapon flew from his grasp.
They bowed to each other, then bowed to the observers.
"You are dismissed," an elder announced, "Takeshi Ryugetsu, stay."
He was a high ranking priest from Yamada Temple, as were the rest.
They intimidated the young Ryu with their icy cold stares, but he saw his sensei among them, he was the only one with a subtle gleam in his eyes.
Ryu was his pride and joy. Among the rest of his students, new and old, he showed the most promise.
Mastering all eight kinshinryu demonstrations before the age of seven, everyone knew the performance ceremony was nothing but a formality.
The respect and influence he garnered in the Naishin Sect was immense, and though it added to his own, he was greatly concerned about where his brash attitude would lead him.
"The warrior with greater balance will grasp victory with both hands," the high ranking priest continued ceremoniously, "just as your weapon finds perfect balance before the tsuba, so you shall find your own."
"...Takeshi Ryugetsu, your name proceeds you. Your talent in the Kishinryu style at such a young age has piqued the interest of many within the temple."
"This one is thankful for your kind words, elder." Ryu responded as he bowed once more.
It was all rehearsed. From his speech pattern to the thirty-five degree bow, sensei Kanzuro made sure to drill the traditional customs into him.
"Before we officially grant you the last position within the Hoshikan's Shugo-tai, we would like to know... what has your spirit grasped from the Hoshigami Kyo?"
The teachings of the gods from the stars, it was the name of Tsugai's national religion but was also a literal definition of their faith.
As Ryu pondered, the notion resonated with him, he truly believed that he was on the path to enlightenment and that he was close to finding the true answer.
He turned to sensei Kanzuro, he gave Ryu a cautious look. He had prepared him for the question prior to the examination and had warned Ryu to keep to the common response that everyone gave when asked.
"This one has grasped," Ryu began, "that the way of naishin, is the road to enlightenment..." murmurs began to sound within the dojo, the elders looked pleased and nodded to each other in solidarity.
"But..." he hadn't finished and purposefully avoided the gaze of his sensei. "My spar ended as quickly as it did because, I also sensed the unease in my opponents sword. I believe... that naishin in combination with gaishin will lead to true enlightenment!" The murmurs came to a halt.
Ryu believed that he could ignite the unification of the two sects, to set aside their differences and walk the true path of the Hoshigami Kyo, just like the moon warrior of old.
His sensei, however, discouraged this sentiment, even scalded him for thinking so, to Ryu's confusion.
"Surely if I bring this up to the elders..." He thought.
"Takeshi Ryugetsu!" an elder spat out his name like a curse, "What you have said before us, before the Hoshikan…?" He gestured towards the eldest and most senior priest to his right.
He stifled the urge to step back.
The Hoshikan was a frail, old man with a constant subtle grin, though it radiated no warmth. Ryu had only previously heard about him through other students, he could allegedly crush rocks in his open palm.
He was swallowed in a bright orange kimono with a broad red sash, dotted with constellations that Ryu recognised from his studies.
He noticed his presence was slightly more pronounced than the others as he sat quietly on a broad, velvet pillow.
Ryu's forehead glistened, the perspiration glued his short black hair to is forehead. He realised he was sweating more now than he did during his level eight demonstration, but he didn't waver.
What he felt was real and he didn't want to deny himself any longer. He stood firmly in front of the elders.
"Takeshi Ryugetsu," the elder continued "You are to be exiled from the School of Kishinryu and excommunicated from Yamada Temple!"
A sinking feeling permeated through his body. He was ready for the potential consequences, but to be exiled... it was too drastic.
Ryu looked to his sensei. He turned his face away in shame.
"You are a disgrace to the Naishin sect! Leave us at once!"
As the rain came back into focus, Ryu winced at the memory as a bead of sweat dripped down his face. He could still feel the regret and despair in that moment, despite now knowing the truth.
Bone Cassidy ran at Ryu and jumped. He was a tornado of blades as he spun and flipped in the air. Ryu narrowly sidestepped, circling around him as he saw the texture of Cassidy's blade.
A dishevelled, malnourished boy stared back, alone and afraid.
As Cassidy landed, he spun in place with an outstretched sword intended to cut Ryu's leg clean, but Ryu had already stepped back over it and planted his foot firmly.
Pressing forward, he thrusted at Ryu's head. It was deflected along with the subsequent attack that came from the right, then left, another thrust.
The reverberation of their blades rang throughout the platform, red sparks escaping from their collisions.
"Why am I leaning on this style now?" Ryu thought, but he already knew the answer.
It remained with him as he continued to practice kinshinryu in the streets of the village under the mountain.
It gave him comfort; it allowed him to relive the moments training with his peers.
Ryu slipped a wide swing from Cassidy and flipped his grip, obscuring the blade along his upper arm and back.
He built up energy into his right leg and accelerated in a single step.
As Cassidy was at the end of his swing, Ryu closed in on his neck. The move would have brought him shame once more.
Cassidy leaned and spun out of the sudden attack but Ryu anticipated as much as he followed his attacks momentum with a back kick.
The mercenary tumbled on to the ground before flipping to his feet. His oppressive influence faltered for a split second.
"Just when I thought I had figured you out." Cassidy grumbled. "Now you fight like someone of the same ilk..."
It was an astute observation, obvious to only the most skilled. Ryu became nothing more than a tool for the opposing Gaishin sect after his exile.
His affinity for the blade reached their ears and though he wasn't accepted into their temple, he was tasked to take out key figures from their opposition.
He was given forbidden technology and weapons from overseas despite Tsugai's policies.
Now a part of the Paladin initiative, Ryu was utterly ashamed of his past. He kept most of it hidden behind an unassuming smile.
He liked to think that without his experiences, he wouldn't have been where he was now, yet the shame consumed him still.
He was brought back to a sleek, contemporary bedroom, washed in a dull red light.
Several young, naked women dominated his peripheral vision before scrambling to keep their distance.
Light rain pattered on the floor to ceiling window on his right, the full moon was the only source of illumination, bleeding the autumn valley below.
The private living quarters of the Yamada Temple had undergone a westernized renovation, just like Ryu, it felt out of place.
The latest Naishin temple elder, Ryu's target, stared across the room at the veiled assassin from where he lay. Since he had seen him last, he had gained weight and his eyes were wide in fear as he stared down the forbidden barrel of his firearm.
"The Naishin Sect shall prevail!" He exclaimed, he was now even deeper into the doctrine of the Sect than Ryu remembered, "We have an army at the ready to bring divine punishment to you blasphemers!"
"So do the Gaishin..." Ryu thought.
They were undoubtedly being funded by outside governments, Tsugai would become a war zone.
He was in a bind. He didn't realise his former sensei was his target; the names of his victims were inconsequential to him, they only served to hinder his performance.
As he grappled with the dilemma he realised there was no way out. His indoctrination was strong; convincing him to disappear and lay low was not an option.
He saw the fear in the girl's eyes as a few clutched the temple's satin sheets. They weren't much older than he was when he was excommunicated. It disgusted him, but they all stared at him as if he were the monster in the room.
"What have I become...?"
His sensei lunged at him, he had a concealed weapon in his night gown.
He cut Ryu's face, ripping the black cloth that had concealed him.
'Bang!'
Off balance, Ryu turned and squeezed the trigger instinctively.
Blood closed his right eye shut.
He then watched as his sensei crumpled to the ground, clutching his chest in disbelief.
The bare women screamed and backed away from the pooling blood.
"...You?" he managed, "my greatest failure has come to... claim my life. Ryu I'm..."
As the life drained from his lips, all he could do was watch. He had killed him with his own hands.
Ryu hated him. He hated that he had turned his back on him, he hated the elders who had easily cast him aside, and he hated Tsugai's sordid corruption.
But somehow, he now felt a part of himself had gone for good, what was left was a bitter, cold assassin who killed for survival and empathised with reprehensible pigs.
He was a product of Tsugai; he hated himself.
The now further traumatised third party fearfully inched towards the exit, staring at the killer who loomed motionless over the lifeless body.
They lingered before finally deeming it safe to dart out of the room and raise the alarm.
After retreating, he later ruminated on his sensei's incomplete final words; he struggled to interpret them.
He wondered if he was the failure, or was he admitting to failing him?
He would never truly know.
A dull light shone from above. The moon was full and it attempted to illuminate the station from the ceiling window behind a wisp of dark clouds.
Ryu couldn't use his hyper sonic slash nor cut Bone Cassidy's battle suit under the immense pressure, but he didn't need to.
Ever since Cassidy had used his power, Ryu could clearly sense his next move.
His gravitational influence was a refined and amplified expression of himself, and, to Ryu, it carried graspable information and inferences into his intentions.
In the case that it was enough to fully restrict Ryu's movements, this wouldn't be a problem, however, in an even duel...
"I'll end it with this next attack..." He resolved, though his muscles screamed indignantly to be relieved.
He lowered his centre of gravity once more.
He closed his eyes and focused on his opponent.
He sensed a gravitational field, it oscillated in a complex way, and though he didn't fully understand, it's patterns were distinct.
"A gravitational signature?" Ryu posited, he felt as though he was approaching an underlying universal truth.
He noticed the gravity from Cassidy's combat suit, it was impossibly subtle and simple, yet ever present.
"Gaishin is the energy in all things..." He repeated.
It was becoming apparent that the ancient teachings of Hoshigami Kyo was based in a profound understanding of space time.
He didn't know whether to feel validated or concerned, but the finish line was in sight.
Once Ryu had proven himself as a true Kishinryu master, he was involuntarily afforded the privilege to study secret, high level techniques at the enthusiastic behest of his sensei.
At the time, he was disappointed at the lack of real world application for them, and saw his pursuit of perfecting them as a conceited effort to raise his own social status. But what of now?
A sword that bypasses the sturdiest of armour in a single strike, it was a gamble but Ryu was determined.
Cassidy's gravitational signature spiked. He was about to attack.
Ryu launched at him but as he did, the gravity lifted and once again he was off balance.
They sped past each other.
When Ryu looked back, his balance remained awkward, but this time it was different.
He saw Bone Cassidy's back. He gripped his two swords but they were both mangled; they glowed as if they were just superheated.
It's state confused Ryu, did he compress his gravity into them?
But the fading glow acted as a trigger, igniting his own burning sensation that consumed his entire right side.
He fell to his knees and tried to stop his fall but he oddly landed on his own face.
Once on the ground, he could see Cassidy's boots stroll towards him, but there was an awkward green object in the foreground.
"Did I just... lose?"
"Not a fan of that move," Cassidy relented as he casually tossed the mangled metallic mess to the floor. "I can only do it once and those swords weren't cheap."
He continued to stroll towards him; he was going to finish him off.
It dawned on Ryu how alone he was, just like how he was after his excommunication.
It was the same during his days as a tool for the Gaishin.
Ryu came to realisation of what Sensei Kanzuro truly meant:
Takeshi Ryugetsu was the failure...
"No!"
He refused to slip into despair; not at such a crucial moment.
The Peacekeeper Paladins gave him purpose, if he were to fall here and now his failure would spread to the team.
He just couldn't accept that.
Cassidy loomed over him.
yu could feel a vague sense of disgust from above. It was followed by an unstable desire for blood, like a predator seconds before the pounce.
Before Ryu could struggle to his feet, he felt a powerful shockwave from above, cascading across the entire train station.
It was followed by a metallic groan in the distance and the thud of a pair of boots that landed in front of him.
"You owe me one, greenie!"