The black haze of Smokescreen blanketed the battlefield, a swirling storm of ash and shadow. Rubble cracked underfoot as Kael moved like a whisper through the smoke—calm, focused, untethered from hesitation.
He'd already cleared the civilians. No more distractions.
A thud split the silence.
The bulky man in white lunged forward, carving a path through the smoke with sheer power. Each step thundered. Each swing of his fists sparked the air with energy. He didn't see Kael—he didn't have to. He was trying to punch the smoke apart.
Kael moved low and silent, weaving behind the chaos. His steps never echoed. The Smokescreen clung to him like an ally, veiling every twitch of muscle. From the blackness, he released DarkBind—thin strands snaking across the terrain like living tripwires.
The man struck where Kael had been a second ago, obliterating a wall. A heartbeat later, Kael Flashstepped behind him, aiming for the exposed flank. The man twisted violently, arm already swinging, forcing Kael to veer away—barely missing a clean hit.
He doesn't want me touching him.
Kael's eyes narrowed. That instinct made the pattern clear. His foes were aggressive, but never reckless. Their movements flowed around evasion as much as attack—an unconscious guard around their bodies. Smart. Precise.
Another flicker of movement.
From the side, the dreadlocked woman charged, her electric tendrils whipping through the fog like lightning snakes. They lashed out with pinpoint fury, illuminating the smoke with brief bursts of violent light. Kael ducked one, spun around another, and lashed out with a flurry of DarkBind tendrils.
The bindings met hers mid-air, but she didn't commit—she withdrew the moment he advanced.
No close contact. She wasn't taking chances either.
He drove forward regardless.
Kael bent around her strikes, vanished in a streak of Flashstep, and appeared just behind her left side. One leg hooked beneath hers, and he twisted with momentum.
She recoiled instantly—tendrils snapping between them to force separation.
Too slow.
Kael's hand grazed her back before she broke away. For a split second, her energy tendrils stuttered—then vanished.
She cried out in shock, stumbling, glancing at her hands as if the sparks should still be there. Kael didn't stop. He spun into a roundhouse that slammed into her ribs, launching her into the debris.
She hit ground hard and didn't rise.
He turned, knowing the other threat would already be reacting.
The bulky man was charging again, slower now, but furious—energy swirling around his fists. As he reached Kael, he threw a devastating punch. Kael ducked, then Flashstepped upward, flipping over the man's shoulder.
His palm clipped the man's back mid-spin.
The glow in the man's fists sputtered, then blinked out completely.
Kael landed behind him, exhaling slowly.
The man turned, confused—but not fast enough. Kael was already there, striking his jaw with a sharp hook. Then came a gut shot. Then a sweeping leg takedown. The man crashed to the ground, breathing hard. Disarmed. Done.
He stayed down.
Kael looked between the two bodies—both unconscious. The smog swirled between them like mourning silk. The battlefield had grown quiet.
He stood upright and let the Healing Aura pulse faintly around his limbs, mending the bruises along his ribs, soothing the sting where electricity had bitten into his flesh. His breathing steadied. His heartbeat calmed.
Then the pressure changed
Kael turned slowly.
Ryken stepped through the haze, Reflector's shimmer dancing faintly across his form. His arms were folded. His face, unreadable.
"Looks like it's just us now," he said.
Kael said nothing. He stepped forward, silent, lowering into a ready stance.
The smoke swirled behind him.
Ryken smiled faintly. "About time."
No more distractions.
No more obstacles.
Just Kael. Ryken. And the end of everything they'd started.
…