The second assassin didn't answer. Instead, he lunged forward with blistering speed—far faster than before. His blade came down in a blur, and Liam barely raised his arm in time to block, the force of the blow sending vibrations through his bones.
Kaela moved to assist, but the downed assassin wasn't out yet. With a snarl, he sprang up, grabbing her leg mid-kick and hurling her against the alley wall with bone-rattling strength.
"Kaela!" Liam shouted, momentarily distracted.
A mistake.
The assassin in front of him took advantage, slashing a precise cut across Liam's shoulder. He gritted his teeth, jumping back, but blood seeped through his shirt.
Kaela pushed herself off the wall, groaning. "They're not holding back anymore…"
"They weren't holding back the first time," Liam replied, wincing.
"No," she said, wiping a smear of blood from her lip. "But this time, we're losing."
Both assassins advanced again. Their movements were no longer reckless—they were calculated, relentless, like wolves cornering prey. Each strike forced Liam and Kaela to fall back a step, their rhythm broken, their coordination cracking under the pressure.
Kaela tried a mid-air spin kick, but the assassin caught her ankle and slammed her down. She barely rolled in time to avoid a blade stabbing into the pavement where her neck had been.
Liam lunged to protect her but caught a knee to the gut and a backhand to the face, sending him sprawling.
The assassins stood over them now.
Dominant.
In control.
The Vice Commander's words echoed in their minds—bring their heads… or lose yours.
And it looked like they were about to succeed.
Kaela wiped blood from her brow, glaring upward. "We're not done yet."
Liam coughed and pushed himself up on one knee. His gaze locked with hers.
"I have an idea," he muttered.
Kaela gave a weak grin. "It better be a good one."
The assassins lunged again.
Kaela rolled aside, grabbing a loose shard of concrete and flinging it with precise force. It struck one attacker in the eye slit of his mask, staggering him for a half-second—just long enough for Liam to intercept the second with a brutal uppercut fueled by desperation.
But even desperate blows didn't stop these two. They recovered instantly.
The masked one with the cracked eye slit hissed in pain, then rushed Liam with a flurry of low and high strikes. Liam blocked what he could, parried two, but took a sharp slice along his ribs. He winced—too shallow to cripple, but enough to slow him.
Kaela launched back into the fray, spinning into a sweeping combo. Her first kick landed, but the follow-up elbow was caught mid-air. The assassin twisted her arm behind her back, forcing her down onto one knee.
"Liam!" she grunted, teeth clenched.
He moved instinctively. Sliding in, he tackled her captor with full body weight, knocking him off balance. But the cost came fast—he left his flank wide open. The second assassin came in hard and slammed a knee into Liam's side, then brought the hilt of his blade crashing down onto the back of his neck.
Liam dropped to one knee, vision spinning.
Kaela scrambled to her feet, dragging him away as fast as she could, her breath ragged. "We're not gonna win like this."
"We don't have to win," Liam muttered, eyes flickering. "We just have to survive... long enough."
Kaela narrowed her gaze. "For what?"
I think I'll test that, Liam said to himself
Test what, kaela asked.
No I'll leave it he said again.
What are you talking about Liam..
The assassins charge at them again
Kaela barely ducked in time as the assassin's blade whistled past her ear, carving a thin line in the wall behind her. She staggered sideways, heart hammering, only to be caught by a vicious backhand that sent her crashing to the ground again.
"Kaela!" Liam shouted—but he was barely standing himself.
The second assassin came in fast, too fast. Liam raised his guard, but the strike was a feint. The real blow came low—a brutal kick to his shin, followed by an uppercut that sent his head snapping back. He hit the ground hard, tasting blood.
The first assassin didn't let up. He stepped over Kaela and drove his boot into her ribs, then her side, again and again until she curled into a tight ball. She coughed hard, choking on pain, her fingers trembling as she tried to rise.
The alley stank of blood, sweat, and dust. Every breath was agony. Every movement felt slower than the last.
Liam forced himself up again, legs shaking, only to be grabbed by the collar and slammed into the wall. His head rang. The assassin leaned in close, blade pressed against Liam's throat, eyes behind the mask devoid of pity.
"This isn't training, boy," the assassin hissed. "This is what it means to be prey."
Liam growled and headbutted him, hard enough to make the assassin grunt and stumble—but that small win was fleeting. The second attacker came from behind and wrapped an arm around Liam's neck, lifting him off the ground and choking the fight out of him.
Kaela crawled forward, dragging herself toward them, but her arm gave out. Her fingers clawed uselessly at the cracked pavement.
"Liam…" she rasped. "I can't… move…"
The first assassin turned, eyes narrowing at her.
"No more tricks. No more delays."
He walked toward her slowly, blade dragging against the ground with a metallic screech.
Liam's vision blurred. The pressure around his neck was tightening. His pulse thundered in his ears. He reached out—not for help, not for victory—but out of sheer defiance.
Kaela blinked through blood and sweat, her battered hand closing into a fist.
They couldn't move.
They couldn't breathe.
But neither of them would stop.
Not yet.
Not until the last second was gone.
Not until the last drop of strength was spent.
Then Liam exhaled slowly, despite the bruises, the cuts, the pain pressing down on every nerve in his body.
A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips.
"I guess," he said, voice rough but calm, "it's time we stopped playing around."
The assassin holding him tensed.
Kaela, still barely upright, caught his tone and let out a low chuckle, blood dripping from her chin.
"Yes… I agree," she muttered, dragging herself to her feet, one trembling leg at a time.
The assassin approaching her narrowed his eyes. "You've got nothing left."
Liam shifted slightly in the chokehold, twisting just enough to slam his heel down hard on the attacker's foot. The momentary flinch was all he needed—he elbowed the man's ribs and slipped free, stumbling but landing on his feet, his eyes sharper now.
"We've been holding back," Liam said coolly, cracking his neck. "Now? We're done holding anything."
Kaela stood fully now, bloody, bruised, but balanced. Her breathing evened out. Her eyes locked with Liam's.
And the assassins, for the first time, hesitated.
Just a second.
But a second too long.
Liam and Kaela stepped forward in sync.
Still hurting.
Still human.
But no longer prey.
Liam and Kaela stood shoulder to shoulder, shouting in unison—'Solstice Ember!' 'Eclipsing Vigor!'"