Marcus/Rocco
Nobody moved. Malachar stood several metres away. The
screams and roars from the other side of the street reminded me this wasn't a
duel.
Callie's whip cracked through the air. Seraphina's
blade rang against claw after claw. Neither could reach us. Exactly as he'd
planned.
Valen never looked away from Malachar. "Rocky, do not
underestimate him."
I scoffed. "I wasn't planning to."
"I am serious," his voice was quieter than usual, "I
have seen commanders like this before." My grip tightened. "They do not fight
battles…they end them."
I swallowed. "Ready?" Noah spun his tonfa once.
"No." Riley exhaled slowly.
"Let's do it anyway." I nodded.
"Go." I moved first with no hesitation. Both swords
came down from opposite angles. Malachar stepped forward. Steel met steel.
One movement, one turn of his wrist, both my blades
slid harmlessly past him. Before I understood what happened, his elbow struck
my ribs.
Pain exploded through my side. I skidded across broken
asphalt. Noah was already there. Both tonfa crashed downward.
Malachar caught one. Redirected the second, twisted.
Noah's own momentum sent him stumbling past. The pommel of Malachar's sword
struck the middle of his back.
Noah crashed face -first into the road. "What the- "
Riley attacked before he could recover. Fast and precise. Her baton drove
toward his shoulder.
Malachar finally took a proper stance. One powerful
slash. Riley barely blocked. The impact still forced her back three steps. She
frowned.
"He's reading us?"
I stood beside her. "No, he already has."
Across the battlefield-
Darren stared at his screen. "No…" Livia looked over.
"What?"
"He doesn't seem to be adapting anymore."
"What does that mean?" Darren's face slowly lost its
colour.
"He's learned all he needs about them."
Back on the street-
Malachar lowered his sword briefly. "Cassian and
Nysera relied on force and perception." He took a step.
"I rely on certainty." He disappeared.
"Noah!" steel clashed. Noah barely blocked. The force
bent one tonfa completely sideways. Malachar's knee drove into his stomach.
Air exploded from Noah's lungs. He dropped and I
lunged. Our swords met. Every strike was stopped, every feint was answered,
every kick was already expected.
Sweat rolled down my face. Why?! Why couldn't I touch
him?
"Rocky." Valen's voice cut through the chaos. "Look at
his feet." I blinked. His feet… never crossed or overextended.
Every step, exactly where it needed to be. Nothing
more. Nothing less. Like he'd rehearsed this battle a thousand times.
"We need to overwhelm him!" I shouted. Riley nodded.
Noah forced himself upright.
Together, three attacks from three directions. It
should've worked. It would've worked. Against anyone else.
Malachar didn't even look surprised. His simply chose.
His sword met mine. His shoulder checked Noah away. His foot trapped Riley's.
She stumbled. Only for half a second and that was
enough. Time seemed to slow, Malachar looked at Riley with calculation.
His eyes shifted toward me, then Noah. Finally, back
to Riley. His decision made.
I saw it, too late. I couldn't will my body to move
faster. "RILEY!" I tried to move faster.
So did Noah, we were so close yet so far. One clean swing.
Riley's scream tore through the street. Blood sprayed
across the ruined streets. Her right arm…
Hit the ground before the rest of her did. Everything
just stopped. Noah froze. My heartbeat vanished. "No…"
Riley stared at the empty space where her arm had
been. Like her mind couldn't understand what her eyes were seeing. Then the
pain reached her.
Her scream echoed through every street around us. I
caught her before she fully hit the ground. Blood poured through my fingers.
Noah dropped beside us. His face had gone completely
white. "Put pressure!"
"I know!" My hands shook violently as I pressed
against the wound. Blood still forced its way through. Way too much. "Riley!"
she couldn't answer.
Malachar watched completely unmoved. Like someone
reviewing the outcome of an operation. Then, he spoke.
"I could have killed her." His voice remained calm.
"But that would only cost you today."
He looked at the arm lying several metres away. "This,
will cost you every battle that follows."
My stomach twisted. "I'll kill you!" I shouted at him.
Noah slowly stood. His entire body trembled. "You…"
his voice cracked. "Monster."
Malachar looked at him then started cleaning Riley's
blood with a piece of cloth. "I am a commander." He sheathed the sword. "The
objective has been achieved."
He turned away. Immediately, every remaining demon
began retreating. Not one stayed behind.
He didn't even look back. "Until next time." And just
like that, he left.
Leaving us kneeling in the middle of the street.
Covered in Riley's blood. Holding the price of our defeat.