DECEPTION (Female Reader) [SAKAMOTO DAYS]

32: "Persona"

"Are you... the ‘Ultimate Puppet’ Kei mentioned?" he asked, his gaze drilling into me, sizing me up.

I held his stare, unfazed. "Depends. You the welcoming committee? Because I gotta say, not exactly inviting."

He scoffed, his grip tightening on the mace. "Kei sent me to see what you’re made of. Test you out, make sure you’re worth all the talk."

"Test, huh?" I gave a dry chuckle, fingers itching toward my cleaver. "Fine. Let’s get this over with."

Without warning, he swung the mace down, fast and brutal. I dodged to the side just as the mace slammed into concrete, cracking the surface beneath it. His strength was no joke, but I wasn’t about to let him know he had my attention.

I drew one of my cleavers, the blade catching a glint of the low light. "You really don’t look like a school teacher. What kind of test you have in mind?"

"Seeing if you last longer than five minutes." he growled, swinging the mace in a sharp arc. I sidestepped again, close enough to feel the air of the swing. This guy was deadly—if I slipped up, I’d be done.

'Kei, if this is the type of welcoming committee you’re sending, we’re gonna have a real problem.'

Before he could even turn from his last strike, I charged at him, aiming for a swift slash while his guard was down. But before I could land the blow, he vanished from view—moving fast enough that all I felt was a sting of pain in my left arm. He’d dodged and countered, striking me with his mace. Luckily, my arm didn’t break, but he didn’t let up. He got behind me, readying another swing.

I reached into my pocket, tossed a handful of tiny bombs in his direction, and leapt back just as they exploded. They weren't meant for damage but to release a weakening agent that would hopefully slow him down. Still, he moved fast, lunging forward and slamming the cube-headed mace at me. I jumped, gripping the spikes on the mace to lift myself away from his line of attack, even as they tore into my hands, making them bleed. He fired the built-in laser cannon, narrowly missing me as I swung myself up. With both hands on the mace, I brought my legs up and aimed a kick straight at his face.

He caught my leg effortlessly with one hand and tossed me through the air like I weighed nothing. His strength was immense, almost unreal, and he showed no sign of strain, no break in focus. This wasn’t a fight to him—it was like a game he was used to playing.

I landed smoothly and caught sight of him preparing to strike from behind again. Reacting on instinct, I pulled out my second cleaver, creating a dual-weapon stance. With a sharp twist, I blocked his attack, shifting the force of his mace away. I lunged forward, using my momentum to headbutt him hard enough that blood trickled down both our foreheads.

He barely flinched. His endurance was terrifying, but I could see the drug was affecting him—if only slightly. Without it, I’d be crushed under his full strength.

'Fuck...'

Using the tip of his mace, he rammed it into my stomach, the impact a shock of pain. But I pushed through it, gritting my teeth and keeping my stance firm. With a quick maneuver, I combined my dual cleavers into one double-edged weapon and spun it, striking at him with as much force as I could muster. His endurance was unreal, taking the hit without a flinch. As I readied myself to strike again, he stepped back, activating the laser on his mace.

I dodged the beam, weaving out of its path and using the momentum to close the distance. My next strike almost missed, but I twisted my weapon, grabbing one of the blades to extend the reach, managing to graze his cheek and leaving a fresh cut.

"You’re tougher than you look." he muttered, smirking despite the blood trickling down his face.

The rhythm of our battle intensified, each of us testing the other’s limits. His attacks were heavy and brutal; mine, fast and precise. I tightened my grip on my cleavers and dashed forward, feinting to his left, baiting him to shift his weight. When he did, I slipped to his right, swinging my cleavers. He was fast, though—too fast. He swung the mace down with sledgehammer force, aiming to crush my torso. I dropped to a crouch, sliding along the slick ground beneath his strike, feeling the rush of air as his weapon sliced just past my head.