William switched to defense. He blocked every attack with his bare hands, moving with surprising agility. His reflexes were nearly on par with Kaivan's. Their duel became a dance of death, attack and defense trading places in blinding speed.
Kaivan shifted his rhythm. Sometimes fast and piercing, sometimes slowing just enough to mislead. Each time William retaliated, Kaivan was already gone. Frustration appeared on William's face, he was losing control of the tempo.
"You're fast..." William growled, swatting aside Kaivan's blade.
"And you're slower than I expected," Kaivan replied, a faint smile tugging his tired expression.
William's anger boiled over. He launched a barrage of punches. Kaivan ducked, twisted, and sliced William's arm.
Tss! Blood followed the blade's arc.
William only winced... then smiled wider.
They collided again, striking and dodging like shadows chasing each other. Punches flew, Kaivan slipped between them. William grit his teeth.
How is this brat so fast? Is he also a descendant of Omnivalor's fragments?
But one truth slowly surfaced.
He's fast... but his hits are light, William noted as he absorbed each blow with his iron-like body.
Kaivan, meanwhile, began to falter. His accelerated cognition, his greatest weapon, now weighed on him. Muscles tightened, vision blurred, breath turned ragged. Every movement felt heavier, though he forced himself forward.
Still, he attacked. Punches. Kicks. Slashes. But his strength was fading. His once-fluid footwork now trembled like a shadow exhausted beneath a lamp.
William watched him carefully, his smile sharpening.
Finally.
Kaivan's limits began to crack, and the chance to crush him slowly opened.
Felicia spun through the air, her metal staff carving sharp arcs as she surged forward. Every leap, every swing, carried growing force. Her breath stayed steady, even as sweat slid down her temples. At the center of the room, Rapi stood firm, her triple nunchaku rotating slowly while her sharp eyes traced Felicia's movements.
"Pretty fast," Rapi murmured, taking one step back. "But not enough to bring me down."
Felicia didn't answer. She dashed in and swung for Rapi's head, only for the blow to clash against spinning nunchaku. A shrill metallic note burst in the air. Felicia pressed on, her movements a storm of motion. Each strike pushed Rapi's defenses closer to their limit.
Rapi held firm, yet step by step she was forced backward. Amid the ringing weapons, she smirked and slipped in a taunt. "Your master treats you well, huh?"
Felicia said nothing. Her eyes didn't waver; her body kept attacking. In one swift turn, she ducked low and landed a precise hit to Rapi's side. Rapi growled, though her stance didn't collapse.
At last Felicia spoke, her voice soft, but unwavering. "Master? Kaivan isn't my master. He's more than that. He lifted me when I was broken, guided me when I was lost, gave me a place to laugh… and gave me a reason to live. He puts everyone else before himself."
Rapi froze. Her eyes widened. Felicia's words cut deeper than her strikes. Something cracked inside her.
"You… don't see him as a master?" she whispered. Her gaze trembled. In her mind, William's face rose, cold, severe, punishing without mercy. He wasn't a protector. He was a cage.
Old memories coiled tight around her. And for the first time in their battle, Rapi's hands trembled.
That thought tore through her certainty. A hollow ache spread, shaking the foundation she had clung to for so long. Her lips moved, forming a bitter murmur. "He's lucky… to have someone who cares."
Felicia saw the crack in Rapi's eyes. But there was no triumph in her expression, only understanding. This wasn't about winning or losing. She drew a deep breath, tightened her grip on her staff, and charged.
Rapi stared blankly. Her nunchaku slipped from her hands, falling to the floor. She didn't move. Felicia didn't hesitate. She leapt, her body spinning midair. Two metal rods crashed down.
"I want that too…" Rapi whispered faintly.
TROONG!
The first strike hit the crown of her head; the second slammed into her neck. Rapi staggered, then collapsed hard onto the floor. The impact echoed like the final swing of a hammer.
Felicia stood over her, breath ragged, body drenched in sweat. Her staffs were bent out of shape. She looked down at Rapi's fallen form and whispered, barely audible, "I know that feeling… being used by someone you love."
But the moment gave no rest.
A voice called from afar, worried, urgent. "Felicia! Help me hold Isabel back!"
Ethan.
Felicia made sure Rapi wouldn't rise, then grabbed the now-masterless nunchaku. She sprinted toward the voice, her steps steady, still burning with the remnants of the fight.
As she moved, Felicia thought of Kaivan, not just as a leader, but as the person who gave her purpose, who turned her wounds into meaning. This wasn't just a battle. It was about trust. About the one who stays by your side when the world tries to crush you.
In the shattered chamber, Kaivan and William faced each other amid drifting dust and floating debris. Their breaths were heavy, their bodies battered and bruised. Yet Kaivan's eyes still burned with resolve, while William stood tall with a cold smile and an aura that swallowed the room.
Kaivan dashed forward. The chained karambit in his hand spun sharply, seeking a gap in William's defenses. But William parried it with ease, countering with brutal blows that forced Kaivan to slip away again and again.
In the middle of the clash, Kaivan shouted, "Who ordered you to do this?!" His breath was ragged, but his gaze stayed sharp. William only sneered. "Why bother knowing, when you'll be dead soon enough?"
He leapt, and his massive fist slammed into Kaivan, sending him crashing into a cracked pillar.
Kaivan grimaced, pain burning through his ribs. His body felt close to breaking, yet his determination refused to fade. He still had one hope, the Tome Omnicent. He opened its pages, and for the first time, William stepped back.
"Tch… that cursed book…" William muttered.
Kaivan recognized the fear beneath William's mask. He gave a strained smile and lifted the tome. "Why don't you touch it yourself, William? You know what happens, don't you?"