"Malcolm, did you notice it? She's bleeding. If that's so, then let's rain down as much physical damage as possible on her."
Lisa's voice echoed through their telepathic link.
Malcolm didn't reply—but his actions were answer enough.
He appeared behind Sara, delivering a spinning kick that sent her flying. Relentless, he followed up with a rapid succession of taekwondo techniques—basic at first, then advanced, each infused with his enhanced strength. The ground beneath them cracked with every strike.
Not one to be outdone, Lisa summoned four stone golems to join the attack.
"Quite nimble for a guy this large," Sara thought, weaving through the barrage. "Those attacks aren't normal either. An Altered? But... the Agency shut those experiments down. Only a five percent success rate. Don't tell me... the Shadow Hunters—"
Her thoughts cut short, Sara crashed into the side of the bridge from a golem's blow.
The four golems charged, overwhelming her. She'd had enough.
With a burst of energy, she unleashed a devastating wave, disintegrating the golems. Malcolm and Lisa raised a joint energy shield, but still got blasted away by the force.
Sara rose to end it—only to find herself trapped. Hands conjured from the earth held her fast, her foot sinking into the ground. A shadow loomed above her. She looked up.
A massive ice spear hovered, ready to strike.
Trapped, nowhere to run, Sara glared at the sorceress who had her pinned.
Lisa only smirked and muttered, "Haha... I guess I'm still in the game."
Her hand dropped.
BOOM!
---
HAHAHAHA!
A gruesome laugh tore through the smoke.
Lisa and Malcolm always had a Plan B. If that failed, they ran. Always. But this time, despite everything, they pushed forward.
Still, the laughter continued.
Lisa felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.
Malcolm?
Her instincts screamed—No.
BOOM!
Flames erupted, rivaling the earlier explosion. But the result... was not the same.
"Anti-Wave Disruptor."
Lisa's face fell.
How?!
She couldn't fathom it.
"HOW?!" she screamed, staring at the two impact zones.
One—a blazing furnace.
The other—an icy wasteland.
Without the Isolation Barrier, Lagos would have lost a bridge.
On the frozen hellscape, a figure lay motionless.
On the burning land, someone stood tall—unscathed.
Their fates had been switched.
By a high-grade armament.
"A Tagger."
A rare, high-level device capable of spatial displacement. One target must be tagged. The other, holding the Tagger, initiates the switch.
Sara raised her hands, revealing twin silver bracelets.
The Tagger.
"HOOOOOOOOW?!"
Lisa understood—it was similar to spatial magic. But her pride refused to accept it.
Sara shrugged. "To have such emotions as an assassin... hmm. Well, you should've known how this would end. I only need one of you to hand over the Relic. The other? Collateral damage."
Lisa slowly took out the Relic—a miniature statue of an ancient deity.
She stared at it... and something within her broke.
Sara approached, believing Lisa had given up.
Tears welled in Lisa's eyes as she clutched the Relic.
Kneeling, she looked up at her enemy.
"It's okay," Sara said gently. "Just surrender, and it'll be over."
Lisa whispered, "We promised to go together."
"What?"
"I said..." Lisa raised her head, a twisted grin forming.
"We promised to die together!"
Sara lunged forward, sensing danger, reaching for the Relic—
CRACK!
A wordless incantation. The Relic shattered.
Darkness exploded outward in an implosion so deep it silenced the world.
Only one thing lingered in the aftermath.
A voice—faint, resolute.
"There is honor among us."