With a thunderous boom, Russell landed with one foot against the wall. Smoke and dust billowed through the air, sending chunks of rubble flying.
He looked up at the upper floors and silently tucked the M9 into his waistband. The era had not changed, but the version had, so that line was no longer usable.
Seraph stood above him, leaped toward Russell's landing spot, spread his fingers in midair, and sent a palm strike crashing down amid rolling bursts of air.
The air currents surged outward. The force of the palm wind crushed the air around Russell until it nearly solidified, while the ground beneath his feet instantly fractured and kicked up a cloud of dust.
His eyes narrowed. He drew his right fist back beneath his abdomen, bent his legs slightly like springs, and shot upward from where he stood. As he neared Seraph, he raised his furious fist and swung with all his strength.
Bang!!
Fist met palm, and raging winds tore through the surroundings, shattering every window in the apartment buildings before and behind them. Cracks spread across the nearby walls.
"Rock, paper, scissors. I caught you." Seraph turned his palm into a claw and clamped Russell's fist in a grip like iron pincers.
"Open your eyes and look carefully. I chose scissors..."
Russell grinned. His left hand shot out like lightning, and two fingers pierced Seraph's sunglasses before jabbing straight into his wide-open eyes.
Critical hit!
Russell won at rock-paper-scissors. He kicked the screaming Seraph away in midair, sending him flying backward like a cannonball. Seraph smashed through several apartment walls in succession and vanished beyond the end of the street.
With Seraph dealt with, Russell closed his eyes and sensed Neo's location. It might have been difficult in the real world, but within the illusory