CHAPTER 44: MIRA VS CHAINSAW MAN

Mira and her clone sprinted forward, the ground beneath their feet trembling slightly from the force of their synchronized movements. Both sets of purple-clad legs pumped in perfect rhythm, creating an almost hypnotic visual effect as they closed the distance toward Chainsaw Man.

Their eyes were locked on their target, focused and determined, tracking every subtle shift in his stance, every micro-adjustment of his posture. Chainsaw Man stood his ground, that terrible spinning blade where his right arm should be creating a vicious whirring sound that filled the virtual arena.

The chainsaw roared, teeth spinning so fast they became almost invisible, a blur of deadly metal that could tear through flesh and bone like tissue paper. The sound alone was intimidating—a mechanical scream that promised violence and destruction.

But neither Mira nor her clone hesitated.

They reached striking distance simultaneously, and without any visible signal or communication, both launched into an attack. Their fists became blurs of motion as they unleashed what Jelo could only assume was some kind of rapid-fire ability—Multi-Strike Barrage, perhaps, or something similar.

Successive blows rained down across Chainsaw Man’s torso and shoulders, each hit landing with a sharp crack of impact. The attacks were relentless—left, right, left, right, combinations flowing from both attackers at once, creating an overwhelming offensive pressure that gave their opponent no time to breathe or counter-attack effectively.

Each strike seemed to hit harder than the last, the force building with momentum, the speed increasing until Jelo could barely track the individual punches anymore. It was just a constant stream of impacts, a drumbeat of violence that drove Chainsaw Man backward step by step.

Sparks flew where knuckles met metal-infused skin. The visual effect was stunning—tiny explosions of light with each connection, as if reality itself was cracking under the force of the blows.

Chainsaw Man roared in pain and frustration. His response was immediate and brutal—he swung his spinning arm in a wide, desperate arc, trying to create space, trying to catch one or both of his attackers with that terrible blade.

The chainsaw cut through the air with a high-pitched whine, tearing through chunks of concrete debris that happened to be in its path, reducing solid matter to dust and fragments. If that blade connected with either Mira or her clone, the damage would be catastrophic.

But they were ready for it.

Mira’s clone suddenly leaped high into the air, her legs coiling beneath her before exploding upward with impressive force. She executed what looked like a Jet Kick—a technique where she somehow accelerated mid-air, her entire body becoming a projectile driven by concentrated energy.

The kick connected with Chainsaw Man’s chest with devastating impact.

The force sent him skidding backward across the ruined street, his feet dragging trenches through the broken pavement. His chainsaw arm spun wildly, trying to maintain balance, the teeth tearing harmlessly through empty air where Mira’s clone had been just a split second before.

But Mira—the original—didn’t give him time to recover.

She followed immediately, her speed almost a blur even to Jelo’s enhanced perception. She moved like water, flowing around obstacles, finding angles of attack that seemed impossible. Her strikes were precise, calculated, amplified somehow beyond normal human capability.

She delivered a combination of punches that forced Chainsaw Man onto the defensive. Each blow was aimed at vital points—joints, nerve clusters, pressure points that would disrupt his ability to fight back effectively. The attacks weren’t just about raw damage; they were strategic, designed to control and disable.

Chainsaw Man roared again, louder this time, desperation creeping into his voice. He spun violently, slashing in wild arcs with his chainsaw arm, trying to create a zone of death that nothing could penetrate.

But every swing was met with split-second dodges from both Mira and her duplicate. They moved like dancers, weaving between the deadly arcs of spinning metal, always just barely out of reach but never stopping their own relentless assault.

The clone struck from the left. The original struck from the right. Then they switched angles. Then attacked simultaneously from opposite sides. The coordination was perfect, inhuman—or perhaps superhuman was more accurate.

Chainsaw Man was being systematically dismantled.

Then Mira made her decisive move.

She suddenly dropped low, both fists slamming into the ground with tremendous force. The impact created a visible shockwave that rippled outward through the virtual terrain—Thunder Clap, or Ground Pound, or whatever the ability was called in the game’s mechanics.

The shockwave exploded outward like a bomb had detonated. Chunks of concrete and debris were hurled into the air. Dust clouds billowed up, obscuring vision. And at the center of it all, Chainsaw Man was lifted completely off his feet by the force, his body ragdolling backward through the air.

His chainsaw arm spun uselessly, no longer under his control, just momentum carrying the blade in circles as he flew.

Debris rained down around them like a storm of stone and metal.

Before Chainsaw Man could land or recover, Mira’s clone was already in motion. She lunged forward with incredible speed, closing the distance in an instant, and delivered a powerful strike to his side while he was still airborne and helpless.

The hit connected with a sickening crack, altering his trajectory, sending him spinning sideways through the air.

And Mira—the original—was waiting.

She launched herself forward with that same Jet Kick technique her clone had used earlier, but this time there was something different about it. The acceleration was more intense, the energy more concentrated, the force more devastating. This was a finishing move, a technique designed to end fights decisively.

Her foot connected with Chainsaw Man’s chest like a cannonball.

The impact was explosive. The sheer force of the blow drove him backward like a missile, his body shooting through the air at tremendous speed. He crashed through a crumbling wall that had been part of the urban ruins environment, the structure collapsing around him as he punched through to the other side.

Dust and debris cascaded down, burying him under a pile of rubble. His chainsaw arm gave one final weak spin before going still, the mechanical whir fading to silence.

For a moment, everything was quiet except for the sound of settling debris.

Then text appeared floating in the air above the battlefield:

**[WINNER: THE PURPLE BANDIT]**

**[Victory: Knockout]**

**[Time: 2:47]**

Additional information scrolled past—points earned, ranking changes, combat statistics. Jelo watched as The Purple Bandit’s name climbed several positions on what appeared to be a leaderboard, moving up from wherever she’d been to a noticeably higher rank.

Chainsaw Man’s body disappeared in a flash of light, presumably respawning somewhere else to lick his wounds and consider what had gone wrong. The clone Mira had created also vanished, dissolving into particles of light that faded into nothing.

The arena environment began to fade as well, the urban ruins dissolving back into the neutral lobby space where they’d started.

Mira, back to being singular now—turned toward where Jelo was sitting, a satisfied expression visible even with her mask covering half her face.