The ground split beneath their first clash.
Bastion's massive forearm, wreathed in golden light, slammed against Kalen's silver blade. The impact cracked the air itself, shockwaves tearing through the chamber. Cracks webbed across the floor, and the nearest walls shuddered as if they might crumble under the strain. The surrounding operatives had already fled, pressed flat against distant walls or running for cover, eyes wide in horror.
The Silver Blade smirked as sparks scattered between steel and the giant's body. "Nice to see those muscles of yours aren't just for show."
Bastion grinned back, feral, blue eyes glowing with unrestrained fury. "Nice to see you're still relying on that sword of yours. Some things never change."
Their auras snarled, gold roaring against silver.
In a blur, Kalen twisted his wrist, forcing Bastion's guard open, and slashed across the giant's chest. A silver arc of light cut deep, yet within seconds the wound sealed itself, golden energy knitting flesh and skin back together like molten steel cooling in a forge.
Kalen tsked. "Still as infuriating as ever. Even your body's too stubborn to stay cut."
Bastion flexed his massive arm, golden aura flaring hotter. His voice was low and rumbling, every word vibrating in Kalen's chest. "When was the last time we fought seriously?"
Kalen's smirk sharpened. He lunged, silver speed slicing the air as his blade carved three rapid arcs across Bastion's shoulders and ribs. Each wound sealed as quickly as it opened, golden light sizzling like lightning along the skin.
"Probably back at the Academy," Kalen answered with smug confidence. "When I kept surpassing you. Just like now - when I'm your superior."
Bastion's laughter boomed, shaking dust from the ceiling. "Hmph. Rank means nothing. All it proves is you were better at sucking up to the right people."
Kalen's eyes narrowed, blade gleaming brighter, his stance razor-sharp. "Stand down, Bastion. I'm ordering you as your senior in rank. Before this gets out of hand and you do something you can't take back."
But Bastion only leaned forward, towering over him, golden aura burning hotter, muscles swelling with reinforced power. His grin widened into something almost unhinged.
The air trembled as Bastion unleashed a surge of golden radiance, his aura bursting outward like a bomb. Tiles cracked, walls split, and a violent gale tore through the headquarters. Kalen had to plant his blade into the ground just to hold his stance, cloak whipping violently as dust and shards spiralled around them.
"Try it then, Captain! Show me if your silver sword can stop me now!" Bastion roared, charging with surprising speed for his size. Each step was an earthquake, the floor caving beneath him as he swung a golden-coated fist like a wrecking ball.
Kalen's blade met it in a screech of light and steel. Sparks flared, slashes carved through the air like rifts in reality itself. Bastion pressed forward relentlessly, every blow heavier than the last, every strike faster as his aura built. He was a storm gaining momentum, his power escalating with each passing second.
The Silver Blade darted back, slashes flickering out like lightning. His attacks were fast and precise, meant to cut tendons and slow the beast before him. But Bastion's wounds healed as quickly as they formed, golden aura sealing them in glowing scars. And worse, he only seemed to grow stronger the longer the fight dragged on.
The chamber became a warzone.
Cracks spidered through the ceiling. The ground shook under their feet. With each clash of aura, arcs of silver and gold shredded through walls, slicing surrounding furnishings to ribbons and collapsing stone into rubble. The once-pristine headquarters was reduced to a cratered battlefield in minutes.
Bastion slammed a fist into Kalen's guard, the impact sending him skidding back across the ground, boots carving trenches through the cracked tiles. The golden giant loomed, aura howling like fire, voice thundering:
"I'll tear this whole place apart if I have to, Kalen! Just bring me my brother!"
For the first time, the Silver Blade's smirk faltered, his silver eyes narrowing, defensive stance coiled like a spring. Bastion was overwhelming him, forcing him onto the back foot. The sheer ferocity of his golden aura blazed brighter than ever, threatening to smash through Kalen's composure and precision.
Kalen's blade met another crushing blow, his arms quaking with the impact. Dust and shards rained down around them. The operatives watching from afar held their breath.
At this rate, it seemed that the captain dubbed the Silver Blade would soon be bested. It was only a matter of time, yet Kalen couldn't just stand down.
"Bastion, I'm warning you-" he began, before being cut off.
The golden giant leaned in, teeth bared, bellowing over the grinding clash of steel and muscle:
"Do you think you, or anyone else, scares me?!"
...
Suddenly, the entire battlefield froze.
It was as though the world itself had inhaled and forgotten how to exhale. A suffocating weight pressed down on the chamber, crushing, divine, inescapable. The cracks in the floor seemed to groan, the very air humming with dread.
The muscular man's grin faltered for the first time.
Meanwhile, Kalen straightened instantly, silver eyes narrowing. He was no longer smug, but sharp with recognition.
Because, as if summoned by Bastion's words, someone had arrived.
And they were terrifying enough to silence even the golden giant...