"Really? These are the targets?" One of the captains mocks.
"Mai, focus." The other one responds, annoyed.
…..
The field is littered with human bodies, spread with their organs succumbing to rot, and drenched in their defiled blood.
Kislev and Elysia stand side by side, both panting, both worn out from the long battle they've endured so far.
As both captains approach, it draws their attention.
"Elysia... these two are strong..." Kislev groans.
"I'm aware... let's try to make this fast, go all out in the start..." Elysia says, catching her breath.
"Make what fast?" Mai says, standing beside Elysia.
In a flash, Elysia does a flying heel kick, twisting her body and bringing her leg up aimed straight towards Mai's head.
A moment before contact, Mai disappears again, before reappearing behind Elysia again as her body is turned.
Taking her chance, Mai pulls out two Sais, stabbing them straight forward, aiming to take Elysia's life in one swift attack.
However, with Kislev still there, he regains composure, a gold haze appearing in his hands as he reaches forth, grabbing both of Mai's weapons before reaching Elysia.
"Human scum..." Kislev grits his teeth, bringing his other fist up to strike Mai.
With his fist flying straight towards her face, the other captain appears, stopping Kislev's fist with his own.
"Mai, I told you to focus." The captain says, forcing Kislev back as he lets go of Mai's weapons.
"Aww, Ecanus, my hero~" Mai responds playfully.
"Ecanus... Ecanus Vorago? The martial arts family?" Kislev questions, sweat dripping down his face.
"Yes, Vorago, as in the family that personally destroyed yours, Kislev Mori." Ecanus responds in a condescending tone.
"You dare mock me? I'll show you it was all a fluke you bastard." Kislev responds, angered.
As if everyone had forgotten her, Elysia appears behind Mai from her shadows.
The whole siege goes quiet for just a moment, the sound of the sword fighting; broken, , the crying noises of death, nothing, only to be shattered by Elysia kicking Mai in the back, launching her forward into the ground.
With the three shocked, Ecanus quickly composes himself.
"YOU WENCH!" Ecanus yells out, his fist radiating a devilish gold as it swings towards Elysia's dome.
Moments before reaching her, she disappears without a trace once more, only to reappear where Mai landed.
Taking her dagger out, she drives it straight down, stabbing towards Mai's spinal cord.
"NO!" Ecanus yells, rushing towards them.
Before reaching them, Kislev comes out from the corner of his eye, sending a kick straight into Ecanus' arm, launching him back.
"You're fighting me." Kislev bites.
"You dare... I AM ECANUS VORAGO, THE FIST OF GOD!" He responds screaming out, absolutely enraged.
Kislev, without missing a beat, strikes Ecanus in the jaw, following up with an uppercut into his gut.
"I am Kislev Mori, The God Fist." He responds back, before driving both fists fast into Ecanus' chest, launching him backwards.
Dashing forward, Kislev aims to continue into a combo, reeling his fist back to swing on Ecanus once more, only to be struck first.
Ecanus had regained himself, kicking Kislev in the chin with a spin, launching Kislev a couple feet into the air.
Taking the chance, Ecanus dashes forward, grabbing Kislev's ankle and slamming him into the ground.
Hitting the ground, Kislev bounces off of it, coughing out blood.
In the air once more, Ecanus slams his fist into Kislev, pinning him onto the ground.
Coughing out even more blood, Kislev's arms droop down to his sides, waning consciousness.
"Don't fall asleep on me now, Kislev, I came for a real fight." Ecanus says, wiping his own bruises.
Kislev mumbles something under his breath, making Ecanus' lean forward.
"Say again?" Ecanus mocks.
"...Fourth tier, holy magic, Gold Bell." Kislev finishes, crossing his arms across his chest in an X.
"Fuck o-" Ecanus tries to say, before being blasted away.
Kislev stands up as a hazy golden bell encasing him slowly dissipates.
"Your title will be a stepping stone in history for my own, Fist of Fuck All." Kislev mocks angrily, slowly walking towards Ecanus as he lays on the ground.
…..
Across the field, only thirty meters away, both Mai and Elysia are bleeding everywhere.
Elysia having multiple stab wounds, Mai having multiple slash wounds.
Earlier, as Elysia drove her dagger down, it struck down straight through Mai's body as it slowly disappeared into the air.
"Illusion magic..?"
"Bingo." Mai responds, laughing as her dagger is sent straight through Elysia's left side.
Looking down to see a Sai going straight through her body, Elysia tears up for a moment, before standing up.
"It hurts..." Elysia mutters, appearing behind Mai as she sends a crescent kick straight into her arm, launching her into the ground.
Gritting her teeth, Mai quickly gets back up, throwing a handful of small, sharp needles straight towards Elysia.
However, she was gone.
Elysia was behind Mai once again.
Attempting to stab into Mai's side, Elysia misses as Mai dodges, only allowing Elysia to graze her, ripping through her side.
Mai screams out in pain, before it slowly turns into a laugh.
"I figured you out... your innate skill is Shadow Step." Mai mocks.
"Let's see how you deal with this."
"Third tier Illusion magic, Mist Clones."
In the blink of an eye, ten different clones of Mai appear, all spot on perfect to the other in appearance.
Looking around, Elysia realizes she can't differentiate any of them from the other.
Breathing in, Elysia dashes forward, straight towards the middle of them all.
"FOOLISH GIRL!" Mai bursts out laughing.
All eleven clones of charge straight forward, stabbing towards Elysia.
Moments before impact, Elysia stands still, waiting for a puncture.
As Mai's Sai digs into Elysia's left thigh, the clones around her don't.
In the flash of a moment, Elysia swings her dagger down, slashing Mai's back from top to bottom.
Enduring the pain, Mai turns as she pulls her Sai out from Elysia's leg, stabbing towards Elysia.
Keeping up, however, Elysia uses her second dagger to block Mai, before slashing at her again with her other.
The two go back and forth, slashing and stabbing at each other, some attacks grazing, others fully connecting.
They continue until Mai can't bear the pain any longer, dashing backwards, catching back up to the present time.
"You... I will not let you leave alive, damn pest!" Mai shouts, enraged that Elysia is keeping up despite already being worn out.
"Wrong." A voice says, as Mai's head falls to the ground.
It was Albus.
His attire was unscathed, the only blood that dripped off from him were of his victims.
In one hand, his sword that was gifted from Cassiel, and the other, the head of the sixth captain.
"Elysia, return to the city, recover, Kislev will follow shortly."
Elysia stands in shock.
Just not long ago, Albus wasn't even much of an opponent to her, but now, he walks confidently, unfazed with an aura of unknown energy.
With her knees buckling from lack of stamina, Elysia falls to the ground, unconscious.
…..
Back towards Kislev, Ecanus and him were going blow for blow, each attack being blocked by the other's fist.
Just one error would be fatal.
With each unable to get an attack through, they both dash back.
Looking over, Ecanus realizes the fight with Elysia and Mai is over.
"Who the hell..." Ecanus shudders.
Albus slowly walked towards the two.
Kislev watched Ecanus' eyes, unable to rid the temptation, he looked over as well, seeing Albus' deathly aura.
"What..." Kislev stares in awe, not from amazement, but fear.
"ECANUS!" Kislev yells out, drawing Ecanus' attention back to Kislev.
"RUN YOU BASTARD, THIS IS OUR FIGHT, I WILL NOT LET YOUR DEATH BE TAKEN FROM ME!"
Without hesitation, Ecanus turns, running away into the fog of war.
…..
After reaching Kislev, Albus talks to him for a bit, before sending him back to help Elysia into the city.
"I wish you luck, Master Jenk." Albus says, staring at Rael's amassed aura through the fog.
Feeling the eyes that lay upon him, Rael turns his gaze from the siege to stare back at Albus, before finally realizing what's wrong.
The only two that stood out in the field were him, and the other general, a high priest from Solstice.
All the mages behind him were dead, with only one figure remaining.
An old man in small stature, Jenk, The Sword King