One Kick Girl — Chapter 42: "Encore in Orbit"
Silence.
Then bass.
A shockwave rolled across the upper atmosphere as Synthra.EXE raised her hand and the vacuum itself vibrated. Space shouldn't have sound—but she made it sing.
> "Welcome… to my stage."
Raon didn't reply. She adjusted her hoodie, anchored her stance on a fragment of satellite, and launched herself forward.
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1. Opening Act: Drop the Beat
Laser-thin sound threads sliced through the void like glowing harp strings. Each carried notes pitched to shatter atoms.
Raon weaved through them, air bursting behind her in concentric rings. One kick—straight through a sonic filament. It snapped, detonating into a rainbow ripple.
Synthra twirled mid-orbit, voice echoing through digital channels.
> "You think you can silence me again? I am every frequency!"
Raon deadpanned, "Cool. I'm off-key."
She pivot-kicked. The impact turned a satellite into confetti. Static rained like glitter.
---
2. Chorus of Cataclysm
The sky lit up with a thousand holographic Synthras singing in harmony. Each note warped gravity.
Raon crossed her arms. "Great. Multiplication again."
She stomped—just once. The recoil hurled her through the swarm. Her next kick smashed through six clones at once; data shards flared and evaporated into auroras.
> "ERROR—RHYTHM BREAK—" "AUTOTUNE FAILURE AT 97%—"
Raon smirked. "Guess I broke the mix."
---
3. Bridge: Silence Solo
Synthra gathered herself, absorbing all remaining satellites into one colossal amplifier behind her—a halo of spinning speakers spanning half the stratosphere.
> "Final verse!" she screamed, and unleashed the Cosmic Drop, a beam of compressed music bending light itself.
Raon didn't dodge.
She closed her eyes, felt the pulse hit—then matched it with her heartbeat.
One slow inhale.
One impossible exhale.
Kick.
The moment her foot connected with the beam, time staggered. The explosion expanded in silence: no light, no sound, just the tearing of resonance itself.
When it ended, half the orbital debris field was gone.
Synthra hovered, cracked and flickering.
> "How—do—you—keep—doing—this—"
Raon floated calmly in front of her.
"Practice."
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4. Final Verse
Synthra lunged, screaming pure digital fury. Raon countered mid-charge, legs blurring faster than the eye could track—each motion a percussion strike against existence.
One kick for bass.
One for treble.
One for peace and quiet.
The last impact shattered Synthra's core. Fragments of data scattered across the upper atmosphere like falling stars.
For a second, Raon thought she heard applause—from nowhere, everywhere.
She muttered, "Encore's over."
---
5. Fade Out
Gravity reclaimed her. She drifted downward, re-entry flames curling around her like stage lights dimming.
Through the comm, Shion's voice crackled.
> "Signal dissipating! You did it!"
Raon yawned.
"Good. I'm clocking out."
She landed in the ocean just outside Metrosonic, sending up a geyser that ruined three beach parties.
As she floated on the waves, noodle cup still sealed in her jacket pocket, she whispered:
> "Finally… lunch."