Smoke still curled from the Paladin's body as he rose. His uniform hung in tatters. Burned flesh was already knitting itself back together slowly, but visibly. Steam rose from his shoulders like he was breathing fire.
He looked at Raiji.
PALADIN:"You again."
His voice was flat. No anger. No surprise. Just... recognition.
"You must be the one who attacked me."
He took a step forward. The ground cracked under his weight.
"This is it. Revenge. I could have finished you when I had the chance. Now?"
A pause. The air grew heavy.
"I'm not planning to kill you. I'll deliver your body for experiments."
Raiji didn't flinch. He could feel the heat radiating off the Paladin's skin. Smell the burnt cloth and cauterized flesh.
RAIJI:"Wish it was me. But no."
He shifted his stance. Both hands on his blades.
"I'm not that smart. Even Veyra is smarter than me. She planned this."
The Paladin drew his blade.
But not the way Raiji expected.
He held it backwards. Reverse grip. The flat of the blade faced forward.
Then he swung
Not at Raiji.
At the ground.
The ground split.
A gash of wind exploded from the blade not a slice, but a pressure wave. The air itself became a weapon. Raiji felt it before he saw it: a wall of force rushing toward him.
He dodged.
Barely.
The wind clipped his shoulder. Stung like a whip.
Raiji drew both blades.
The red one new. Untested. He'd named it on the walk here.
*Red Death. *
And his old blade. The Elemental Slayer.
He aimed both down. Jumped. High.
Came down like a meteor.
The Paladin blocked.
Steel met steel. Sparks sprayed. Raiji's arms screamed from the impact.
The Paladin shoved him off
Raiji hopped back, landed, and swung.
A huge flame slice erupted from Red Death.
The fire roared. Consumed the air between them.
The Paladin blocked
But the flames were too much. They pushed him back. He had to dash forward through his own block to escape the heat.
He emerged with his arm smoking.
And Raiji was already there.
Elemental Slayer caught the flames drank them and swung back.
Another wind slice. This one bigger. Sharper.
The Paladin blocked again. Barely.
Raiji jumped back.
Both of them now. Breathing hard. Watching.
Raiji's hands trembled.
Not from fear.
From the heat.
RAIJI:"That flame slice surprised me too."
He glanced at Red Death. The blade hummed. Warm in his grip.
Raiji's hands trembled not from fear, but from the heat still radiating off Red Death. The blade hummed in his grip like a second heartbeat.
RAIJI (to himself):"This blade did it all on its own. How does that happen?"
He shook his head, forcing focus.
"Too much happening. Too much to think about the blade right now."
He looked up.
The Paladin was already healing. Again.
MEANWHILE — VEYRA
She was almost at the main computer.
The door was right there. She could see the terminal through the glass—
Then she was airborne.
A kick sent her flying out of the room. She hit the floor hard, rolled, came up with guns drawn.
A man stood in the doorway.
Two daggers in his hands. A cloak of invisibility fading around him like smoke.
He was tall. Lean. Cocky. He tossed a dagger from one hand to the other, caught it behind his back, then flipped it again.
Playing.
ROGUE:"I'm a rogue. For hire."
He smiled.
"Time for you to go."
Veyra didn't move.
She studied him. The way he held his blades. The way he shifted his weight.
Weaknesses.
She found three.
VEYRA:"I don't have time to play with you."
She raised both guns.
"So no offense... but you are weak."
She fired.
Two shots. Quick.
He deflected both. Easy. Casual. Like swatting flies.
Then he threw a mine at her feet
She rolled.
He was already moving. Wall to wall. Fast. Too fast.
She fired again. Multiple shots. He deflected, dodged, weaved.
Then he landed. Blades pointed at her.
ROGUE:"Time to end this foolishness."
Lightning built up in his blades. Crackling. Ready.
ROGUE:"I can't control this yet... but you're done."
Veyra shot.
He deflected
But her other gun had already fired.
A green bullet hit his shoulder.
He froze.
Then screamed.
ROGUE:"WAIT WHAT IS THIS?"
His shoulder turned green. Acid. Eating through his armor. His skin.
ROGUE:"ACID?! HOW "
He launched his lightning attack anyway wild, unfocused.
It hit the mine at his feet.
*BOOM. *
Ice exploded around his legs
He broke free instantly. Too fast. But he slipped.
That second was all Veyra needed.
She activated her suit. Blue light flared around her fist.
One punch.
To the ground.
The floor cracked. He fell through.
She stood over the hole.
Looked down.
VEYRA:"Next time..."
She turned and walked away.
"Don't be overconfident."
Behind her, the rogue lay in the rubble. Acid eating his shoulder. Ice melting around his legs.
Alive.
But beaten.
And she hadn't even broken a sweat.