"Tch… they've already surrounded us," Lysa said, her eyes darting to the rooftops.
"You two stay back. Let us handle this," Drex said, stepping forward.
"Yeah, you're right," Duke agreed.
"Yeah," Samaira echoed, gripping her weapon tighter.
Derius glanced down at his hand — his Kendra energy flickering weakly. "…It's no use," he muttered.
"What?"
"Are these brats done babbling? Kill them already!" the masked leader barked from above.
In an instant, assassins leapt from every direction, blades flashing in the moonlight.
"There's a lot of them!" Duke shouted, then pointed at Drex. "But none of them look stronger than you!"
Without waiting for a reply, Duke charged forward.
Drex grinned proudly, staying just behind him.
From the rear, Derius's eyes scanned the chaos, his voice cutting through the noise. "Don't waste too much Kendra energy! None of these small fry can use it — their physical strength is weaker than ours! But…" his eyes flicked upward to the rooftop, "…the leader can."
Up above, the masked leader narrowed his eyes at Derius. "Tch… that brat's sharp."
"Aaaahhhh!" Duke roared, clashing swords with one of the assassins.
"Ahhh—this… this is heavy!" the assassin grunted, straining against him.
With a shout, Duke shoved him back, then spun — WHAM! — a brutal bicycle kick slammed into the man's gut.
"Ghhuhhh!" The assassin's breath exploded from his lungs. Without Kendra energy to strengthen him, his body couldn't withstand the force. He was sent flying, smashing through a wall and crumpling into the rubble.
Duke blinked in disbelief. "Whoa… when did I get this strong?"
He didn't notice the shadow moving behind him until it was too late.
Crap—! He's gonna hit me! Duke thought, muscles tensing.
BAM!
The attacker was sent flying sideways as Drex's fist — metal gloves gleaming — slammed into his ribs.
"Ahhh—!" The assassin tumbled across the ground.
"Don't let your guard down," Drex said firmly.
"Yeah," Duke replied, catching his breath.
"Ahhh—uhhh!" The assassin Drex had hit was still screaming, clutching his side. His ribs were clearly shattered.
Duke froze, staring at him. "You… you never landed a serious hit on me before."
Drex smirked. "Who said that was a serious punch?"
A bead of sweat ran down Duke's temple. Around them, the other assassins faltered, their eyes fixed on their injured comrade. Fear rippled through the group — they had just seen one of their own broken with a single blow.
Meanwhile…
Samaira's glaive swept in wide arcs, steel singing through the air.
"How are we supposed to get close to her?!" one assassin shouted as her strikes crashed against their blades. Each swing was so heavy it rattled their bones.
"Tch… can all these brats use Kendra?!" another hissed, backing away.
Up on the rooftop, the masked leader's gaze locked on Derius. That brat… he keeps looking at me. Could be a problem.
On the ground, Derius's voice was low but sharp. "Lysa, stay on guard. The leader's strong."
Lysa's eyes narrowed. "Got it."
The leader's eyes swept over the battlefield — his fallen and struggling comrades.
"…Useless. All of you."
He stepped forward, his boots crunching against the shattered tiles.
Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he shrugged off his coat.
It fell to the ground in a heavy thud, dust kicking up around it.
Underneath, his arms were corded with muscle, biceps bulging like coiled steel. Veins stood out along his forearms, and faint trails of Kendra energy rippled under his skin.
The air seemed to grow heavier.
"Alright… I'll do it myself."
The leader dropped from the rubble, his boots smashing into the ground with a heavy thud. Blue Kendra energy surged into his legs, swirling like lightning around his calves.
"Everyone—jump!" Darius shouted.
But it was too late.
SLAM! — BOOM!
The ground exploded where he landed, a shockwave ripping outward in all directions. Tiles shattered, dust blasted into the air, and bodies were thrown like ragdolls.
Duke, Drex, Samaira, Lysa, even Darius himself — all hit the ground hard, groaning. Even the leader's own comrades weren't spared, collapsing under the force.
The dust cleared just enough to see the leader standing in the crater he'd made. A small, cold grin curved on his face.
"Legendary jump…" he muttered to himself.
"Even that jump didn't help," Derius muttered, pushing himself up onto his knees.
"Ahhhh!" Samaira roared, charging straight at the boss, her glaive spinning in a deadly arc. The boss moved to dodge, but her swing was so wide he couldn't avoid it. The sharp edge was about to bite into his neck—until it crashed against the armored plating on his forearms.
Clash!
"You brat… you're not one of the ordinary ones," the boss growled, holding her attack in place.
The boss charged his second arm with blue Kendra energy. "Goodbye," he muttered.
Samaira's eyes widened.
"Ahhh!" Duke roared, rushing in from behind, his blade raised with intent to cut him down.
SLAM!
The boss suddenly swung his charged arm backward, smashing Duke across the jaw. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled.
Duke hit the ground hard, blood streaming from his nose.
"Duke!" Samaira screamed.
"Didn't they teach you—never take your eyes off the opponent?" the boss taunted. His boot shot forward, delivering a crushing kick to her gut. The impact drove the air from her lungs, and she nearly vomited before slamming into the walls destroying it in the house
SLAM!
Samaira screamed lysaa
Drex drove his fist into the boss's gut, blue Kendra energy surging through the strike.
The boss managed to bring his arms down in time to block—partially—but the force still blasted him backward.
"Here comes the strong one…" he muttered.
He coughed, blood dripping from his mouth, yet a grin spread across his face.
The smile didn't fade.
This could be bad… Drex thought. If we waste our Kendra here, We won't be any help against that demon, Derius. Not that we can even hurt him… but I have to do something.
Lysa stepped forward, ready to join the fight.
"Lysa, stop right there," Derius ordered, his tone sharp. "Let them handle it. You can't use a weapon in close quarters—you'll be crushed."
"But they—" Lysa began.
Derius raised a finger to his lips. "Shh. Let him think."
Drex charged, fists swinging.
Thud! Thud!
Their punches collided in a brutal rhythm, each strike matching the other with perfect precision.
"You're strong," the boss said mid-fight, blocking another blow. "Matching me exactly… impressive."
"Shut up!" Drex roared, channeling Kendra energy into his arm. "Aaaahhh—Shockwave Punch!"
The boss mirrored him, energy flaring as their fists met.
BOOM!
The shockwave blasted out, forcing Duke, Samaira, Derius, and Lysa to stagger back.
"Those two are monsters…" Duke muttered. "If I'd gone in, I'd be crushed."
Derius smirked. Didn't know Drex could grow this strong in such a short time… If he keeps him busy, we can get to the fountain.
"Impressive," the boss admitted, stepping forward. "But playtime is over."
He lunged. Drex met him head-on, screaming as their fists collided again.
The boss caught Drex's punch.
What? Drex's eyes widened—then pain exploded in his chest as the boss slammed a second fist into him.
"Ghhhaaa—!" Drex staggered, nearly vomiting.
Before he could recover, the boss crouched low, legs surging with energy, and shot forward like lightning.
Another crushing blow landed square on Drex's chest. CRACK! The armor dented inward.
He's… so fast… Drex's thoughts blurred as he slammed to the ground.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand—only for the boss's voice to cut through the haze.
"You've got good strength," the boss said coldly. "But your energy control is poor… and your technique—" he smirked—"is even worse."
Derius clenched his fist, Kendra energy swirling faintly around his arm.
"I think we have no choice… I'll have to step in," he muttered.
A hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Duke.
Derius turned, surprised.
"Let us handle this," Duke said quietly, his voice steady.
Derius stared into his eyes—focused, unshaken. Slowly, he stepped aside, watching Duke walk forward with a calm that felt heavier than any shout.
"That was a good punch," Duke said, glancing at Drex, who was still catching his breath.
"But I've been hit with punches like that every day, haven't I, Drex?"
A grin tugged at Drex's lips. "Damn right."
Green Kendra energy flared around Duke—wind swirling tight to his frame. In the next instant, he vanished from sight.
FWSSHH!
He reappeared right in front of the boss, blade-like wind trailing from his strike. The boss barely twisted away, but not before thin red lines appeared on his forearm.
"His… speed?" the boss muttered.
Duke didn't stop. He pivoted, another wide arc cutting through the air—this time shearing through a section of the boss's armor with a metallic skrreee!
The boss staggered backward.
"Where do you think you're running?!" Drex roared, slamming a Kendra-charged strike into his back. The force sent the boss hurtling forward—straight toward Duke.
"Duke, slash him down!" Derius shouted.
Duke froze for a heartbeat. One way or another… I'd have to face this someday.
He swung for the kill.
But the boss reacted instantly, crossing his arms. The blow struck hard, sparks flashing—but the thick forearm armor absorbed the strike.
The boss staggered back, glaring at them. These kids aren't playing… they're aiming to kill.
If he kept toying with them, he realized, they'd finish him. His eyes narrowed. No more games.
"Dead meat!" he roared, his fist glowing with Kendra energy.
Duke raised his sword to block—
CRACK! The blade split clean in two.
What?! Duke's thoughts froze a second before the boss's strike hurled him across the ground.
A brutal kick slammed into Drex, sending him crashing into the dirt.
"I'll kill you!" the boss snarled, stomping toward him. Then the fists came down—
Dhum! Dhum! Dhum!—each blow shaking the ground.
"H-he'll kill him!" Lysa gasped.
"Lysa, throw your sword—now!" Derius barked.
She didn't hesitate. The blade spun through the air toward the boss—
—but he slipped aside, the weapon embedding into the dirt. His head snapped toward them, eyes burning with fury.
"You brats just made today your unlucky day," he growled, advancing. His hands crackled with deadly energy.
"H-he's coming!" Lysa stammered.
"Don't do anything stupid," Derius said, stepping forward. "Let him come." His voice was calm, but his hands trembled.
I've got one last Tempest Strike left. He'll never expect a brat like me to use it… and if she doesn't hesitate, it'll kill him.
He planted his feet, raising his palm.
"Tempest Strike!"
A shockwave tore forward with explosive force, catching the boss full in the chest and flinging him backward—straight toward where Samaira waited, glaive in hand.
"What—?!" the boss twisted midair, catching sight of her.
She was already moving.
The glaive's arc flashed silver—
—and blood sprayed across the ground as her strike tore through him.
Derius collapsed to his knees, breathing hard. "If she'd hesitated… we'd all be dead."
Samaira froze, her glaive still dripping crimson. The metallic scent of blood flooded her senses.
Her knees buckled.
"What… have I done?" she whispered, eyes wide and trembling. The weight in her chest grew heavier until she collapsed to the ground.
"I have no right… no right to take someone's life…" Her voice cracked as bile rose in her throat. She gagged and vomited, hands shaking violently.
For a moment, there was only her ragged breathing—until a deep, guttural chuckle broke through the silence.
"Now it's done?" the boss's voice rumbled.
Samaira's head snapped up in horror. The man was still standing, blood pouring from his side but his grin unbroken.
"If you hadn't killed me," he growled, swaying forward, "I would have killed you all. That's how it works…"
Duke, Darius, and Lysa stood frozen, every word sinking into them like ice.
Samaira could only clutch her chest, the pain inside her burning hotter than the wound she had inflicted.
The boss staggered, his breath ragged. Blood dripped from his mouth as his knees gave way.
He tilted his head back, eyes finding the pale glow of the moon above.
"…Why… did I let my guard down…" he murmured.
Those were his last words.
His body fell forward with a heavy thud, the cold earth swallowing the sound.
Duke placed a hand on Samaira's trembling shoulder.
"One of us had to do it," he said quietly.