Ran didn't answer. Her second kick followed, aiming for his ribs.
Shinichi didn't even bother to block, letting the kick land on his body.
His body just swayed slightly, then remained as steady as a rock.
"How can this be..." Ran gritted her teeth.
Her current strength was at the level of almost reaching Jonin-level in the Naruto World.
But facing this childhood friend who used to only talk to her about Sherlock Holmes, she was being completely suppressed.
"You betrayed me." Shinichi's voice deepened.
He suddenly swung his hand.
Ran instinctively sensed danger, crossed her arms in front of her, and was pushed back several meters by the force, her shoes leaving two tracks on the ground.
"I can forgive this betrayal, Ran."
Shinichi walked towards her, each of his steps causing fine cracks to appear on the ground. "Let's go away together."
Ran looked up at that face, both familiar and strange.
The contours of his features were still there, but without a doubt, he had turned into a monster.
"..."
Ran's voice was very soft. "I will free you."
Her answer was Shinichi's suddenly accelerating figure.
'So fast!'
Ran barely managed to dodge that straight punch by relying on her combat instincts.
The wind from the punch brushed past her cheek, and the wall behind her exploded into a hole nearly two meters in diameter. Rocks flew, dust filled the air.
Ran instantly realized that if she didn't use her trump card, she was no match for him.
"First Gate, Gate of Opening... open!"
The Chakra inside her surged, the shackles binding her brain forcibly released.
Ran felt her reaction speed begin to increase... the world became a bit clearer in her eyes.
"Second Gate, Gate of Healing... open!"
Her muscles began to swell, veins bulging slightly.
She took the initiative, a side kick sweeping towards Shinichi's head.
The speed and power of this kick were more than double what they were before.
Shinichi raised his arm to block, and his body finally swayed a little.
"Oh?" He looked down at his arm that had been kicked. A small crack had appeared in the scales. "So this is the power Ran got from that other world?"
Shinichi swung his hand back. Ran crossed her arms to block and was sent flying, not stopping until she had crashed through a wall.
In the dust, Ran knelt on one knee, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
She took a deep breath, her eyes becoming resolute.
"Third Gate, Gate of Life... open!"
As the Gate of Life opened, the body's limitations were further lifted. Blue Chakra steam rose from her body, and her skin began to redden.
Ran looked up, the world in her eyes extremely clear.
Ran stomped her foot, the ground cracking, and she shot forward like a cannonball.
Shinichi still raised his arm to block, but the moment they made contact, his expression changed.
"What—"
Boom!!!
Ran's right foot landed heavily on his shoulder. The sound of scales shattering was sharp and clear.
Black and white fragments flew in all directions, revealing the bright red flesh underneath.
Then, the force of the kick penetrated his body. The dull sound of flesh and bone separating was accompanied by Shinichi's scream.
Blood gushed from the wound like a fountain.
Shinichi staggered back, clutching the wound on his left shoulder with his right hand, looking at the bloody mess in disbelief.
His arm hung limply at his side... the bone was already shattered, only a few tendons reluctantly keeping it attached.
"You... you actually..." He looked up, the madness in his eyes intensifying.
"Not only did you betray me, but you also hurt me!!!"
Shinichi completely lost control.
The Anomaly power inside him, ignited by anger, grew wildly. Black and white scales sprouted, and fur like a teddy bear emerged on his face.
Even the Lion Devil and his group couldn't help but show looks of caution.
Suddenly, Shinichi moved.
Ran, with the Gate of Life open, only saw a blur, and Shinichi was already in front of her.
She instinctively threw a punch, but it hit nothing but air… an afterimage!
The real Shinichi appeared behind her and kicked her flying with a sweep.
Ran tumbled through the air a few times, barely landing, stabilizing herself with her hands on the ground.
Before she could catch her breath, Shinichi was there again.
Punches, kicks, elbows, knees… each strike carried monstrous strength, each aimed at a vital point.
Ran tried her best to block and dodge, but the speed difference made her defense increasingly difficult.
The boost from the Gate of Life was still insufficient against the berserk Shinichi.
A heavy punch slammed into her crossed arms... the sound of cracking bones was clear.
Ran grunted, her whole body sent flying, rolling several times before stopping.
She pushed herself up with the ground, but found her left arm had no strength left.
And Shinichi didn't pursue.
He stood still, one hand pressed to his waist.
The claws on that hand dug deep into the scales on his waist, and then—
Ran's eyes widened.
The black and white scales on Shinichi's waist rapidly swelled and detached, like some kind of biomass self-proliferating.
Those scales, the moment they left his body, began to deform and reorganize—
Into a soccer ball.
A black and white soccer ball, its surface covered in spikes and scales, emanating an ominous aura.
Shinichi held the 'soccer ball' with one hand, a twisted smile forming on his lips.
"Even if I have to break both your legs, I'm taking you with me, Ran."
The next instant, Shinichi moved.
His right foot kicked the ball hard.
The ball flew out with a piercing screech, leaving a deep trench in the ground wherever it passed. The air was compressed into a visible conical shockwave.
Like a small meteorite.
Ran's pupils contracted sharply.
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain... open!!!"
The Chakra inside her went berserk again. The Chakra steam became thicker, veins bulging… signs of blood vessels rupturing.
But Ran didn't care about that.
She planted her feet firmly, crossed her arms in front of her, and concentrated all her Chakra in her arms and chest.
Boom!!!
"Aaaaaaah—!"
She roared, pouring all the power from the Fourth Gate into her arms, desperately pushing the ball upwards.
Finally, the ball's rotation began to slow, its force diminishing.
Using her last ounce of strength, Ran threw the ball diagonally upwards.
The ball grazed her shoulder, spraying blood, and then crashed into the medical building in the distance.
With a loud rumble, a hole several meters in diameter was punched through the side of the entire building.
Ran gasped for breath, blood dripping from her arms.
Her legs were trembling, her vision growing blurry.
'I was reaching my limit. Should I open the Fifth Gate?'
"Not bad, Ran."
Shinichi's voice suddenly came.
Ran snapped her head up, only to see a blur. A large hand grabbed her throat directly.
Her feet lifted off the ground, her throat making gurgling sounds, her breathing completely cut off.
Shinichi's twisted face held a smug sneer.
"Since you won't accept me..." He brought his face close to hers, his amber vertical pupils reflecting her pained expression. "Then I'll take you by force."
Ran grabbed his wrist with both hands, trying to pry the hand off her throat.
But the strain of the Gate of Pain was taking its toll... her fingers slipped, little by little.
"Let go of Ran!!!"
Sonoko's voice sounded like it came from the horizon.
Through her blurry vision, Ran saw her best friend's figure rushing up.
Sonoko's fists hit Shinichi's body, making dull thuds, but to the current Shinichi, it was no different from an annoying itch.
"Let her go! Let her go! You bastard!!"
Sonoko was punching and kicking like a madwoman, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't stop for a moment.
Shinichi frowned, as if annoyed by a fly.
"Scram."
He threw a back punch, hitting Sonoko square in the abdomen.
The force of that punch would knock a grown man unconscious on the spot.
Sonoko didn't even have time to scream. She flew back like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the rubble and not moving.
"Sonoko!!!" Ran screamed hoarsely. She didn't know where she found the strength, but she kicked Shinichi in the chest with both feet.
Shinichi was forced back a step by the kick, his grip loosening slightly.
Ran took the opportunity to break free, falling to the ground and coughing violently.
The Nakano Quintuplets rushed over.
Yotsuba picked up Sonoko, checked her breathing, and shouted back, "She's alive! Just unconscious!"
Ran sighed in relief, but before she could stand up, Shinichi's figure loomed over her again.
"You've exhausted my patience, Ran."
The Lion Devil and the others finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Ma'am, we'll help you—"
Just as they were about to move, Shinichi grabbed Ran and held her in front of him.
His scale-covered hands were around her neck, his claws against her artery. With just a little force, he could easily slit it.
The Lion Devil and his group looked at each other, not daring to act rashly.
They were all close-combat Devils. Attacking from this distance, it was impossible not to hurt the hostage.
With impunity, the Anomaly Shinichi turned to leave with Ran in his grasp. "When Nishikawa Makoto isn't here, I'm invincible!"
But just then—
"Your daddy once said, among Devils, you're just a… loli."
A voice came from behind the crowd, lazy, frivolous, and with a strange, mocking tone.
Everyone turned to look.
A bipedal teddy bear was walking beside Makoto, approaching at a leisurely pace. His height was that of a short adult male, and his eerie smile would send chills down even an Anomaly's spine.
And the previously arrogant Anomaly Shinichi, the moment he heard that voice, the color drained from his face at a visible speed. His hand holding Ran loosened involuntarily.
The Anomaly Shinichi's body trembled uncontrollably.
The nightmare he couldn't shake even after becoming an Anomaly, the figure that had toiled diligently behind him countless nights, was now standing before him.
The head of Makoto's [Four Gay Bros], the Teddy Devil, Nickname: Foreign Teacher.
The legendary Devil who had eaten the Kudo father and son combo meal, the lifelong nemesis of Shinichi.