Alice stepped back from the battlefield, ice still curling around the blade of her sword. Her armor glead under the sunlight, faint trails of frost drifting from her body. Her breath ca steady as she walked up to Nate, who stood watching the scene with arms folded.
"Why didn't you help out?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow at him.
Nate gave a half-shrug, smirking. "You seed to have everything figured out."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable."
Just then, a ripple of power swept through the battlefield. Sera slowly closed her eyes, her breathing calm and centered. When she opened them, they were completely black, not a single hint of white remaining. A strange hush fell across the area.
Shadows erupted from beneath her feet, stretching like liquid ink across the broken ground. They moved like living things, tendrils slithering and twisting as they spread. The battlefield darkened, even under the mid-morning sun. Everyone froze.
Then ca the screams.
The shadows surged forward, wrapping around the remaining two-tailed Gorvaks. They shrieked in pain, high and horrible, before being dragged into the darkness. The energy that followed was suffocating, sending a wave of cold dread over everyone watching—both on the field and in the bunkers around the world.
When the shadows finally receded, only dust remained. Sera stood silently, her hair drifting in the still air, her eyes still black.
In the stunned silence, a new tremor shook the ground.
Seven three-tailed Gorvaks burst forward through the still lingering smoke, their monstrous forms hulking and snarling. Behind them, three four-tailed Gorvaks erged. Towering behind all of them was a massive five-tailed beast that looked like it was forged from raw chaos. Zoro stood at the center of it all, calm and smiling with cruel amusent. Beside him, two enormous Keepers watched like statues made of shadow.
The seven three-tailed Gorvaks growled and surged forward, their eyes locked on Sera. Their tails lashed, tearing up chunks of the earth. Their hunger was clear—they wanted revenge.
Madison, high on a rooftop, narrowed her eyes and drew her crystal bow. She released a glowing arrow that streaked across the sky and exploded directly in front of the charging Gorvaks. The shockwave halted them montarily.
As the smoke settled, a lone figure stood before them.
Alice.
Her ice sword rested against the ground. Her armor shone brighter than before, and glowing runes began etching themselves along the tal. Her breath visibly frosted in front of her lips.
The temperature around her dropped so suddenly, a few plants nearby turned brittle and snapped from the chill.
Bella floated gently from a ledge nearby, her hair lifted slightly by the force of her telekinesis. She touched down beside Alice. A mont later, Sera stepped up, the last wisps of shadow curling back into her body.
Alice didn't wait.
She charged.
The first Gorvak swung its claw at her, a horizontal slash that would have torn an armored truck in two. Alice ducked low, spinning beneath it, and brought her sword up in a rising arc. The blade humd. It passed cleanly through the Gorvak's forearm.
Its arm hit the ground. It roared in shock.
Alice was already in motion, leaping into the air and twisting mid-spin. She drove her sword downward into its back as it turned, slicing through muscle and bone like it was cutting paper. The monster collapsed with a screech and shattered into frost.
The battlefield froze in awe again. Another one down.
The second Gorvak lunged. Alice deflected its claws with the flat of her sword and used the montum to slide underneath it, slashing at its Achilles tendon. It crashed to its knees, howling. Bella reached out and threw it back with a wave of force, lifting it off the ground. It crashed into a jagged ice spike Alice summoned just in ti.
A third and fourth ca at her from opposite sides. Alice raised a hand, forming a wall of ice between her and one attacker. The beast slamd into it and was montarily stunned.
The other struck true, clawing into her armor—but the armor didn't break. Instead, the runes glowed brighter, and the force of the attack rebounded, knocking the Gorvak back with a yelp.
Sera's shadows lashed out and caught the stunned Gorvak around its neck and tail, slamming it repeatedly into the ground. Then Bella lifted a large chunk of debris and crushed it.
Three down.
The fourth and fifth Gorvaks worked together. One charged high, leaping into the air, while the other ca from below.
Alice slamd her sword into the ground. A shockwave of ice rippled out, freezing the one below in place. As the airborne one dropped toward her, she spun and caught it mid-air with a rising slash, cleaving it clean in half.
The frozen one roared and broke free. But Sera was already behind it. Her hand pierced its back, and black tendrils ripped through its body from the inside.
Five down.
Only two remained.
These were smarter. They began to coordinate, attacking from flanking positions. One kept Alice busy while the other circled.
Alice danced between them, her movents a blur. Her sword t claw and fang, never stopping. Bella flung obstacles into their path—chunks of broken vehicles, slabs of concrete, even broken lamp posts.
One tried to break free from the fight and rush Sera.
Bad move.
Her shadows pulled it underground for a mont. When it erged, it was disoriented. Alice was already there, sword glowing blue. She swept it across its neck. The beast froze in place—then its head slid off.
The final Gorvak scread and charged. This one was the largest, stronger than the rest. Alice was tired, her movents slower.
Bella stepped in, lifting the Gorvak into the air with a strain. "Now, Alice!"
Alice jumped. As she rose, Sera launched her forward with a blast of shadow energy. Alice flew like a cot, her sword extended. She passed through the Gorvak mid-air, cutting it from shoulder to waist. The pieces dropped, and ice sealed them before they hit the ground.
Silence.
Seven three-tailed Gorvaks lay dead.
Alice landed, her breath heavy. Sera stepped up beside her, touching her shoulder. Bella hovered down next to them. The three girls looked at the battlefield littered with icy remains.
Alice suddenly felt a huge danger rushing toward her like a wave crashing down. She spun around instinctively, her ice-blue eyes widening as she saw one of the four-tailed Gorvaks already in midair. It was massive, faster than the others, and its body glowed with raw green energy. Its massive fist was barreling down at them like a teor.
Without blinking, Alice raised her hand and summoned her usual ice wall. Runes flared across its surface as layers of reinforcent pulsed into place, making it thicker than ever. But the mont the Gorvak's fist touched the wall, sothing terrifying happened—it cracked. The runes fizzled. Then the wall crumbled into shimring fragnts like glass under a sledgehamr.
Alice's breath caught in her throat. That had never happened before. Not even with the three-tailed Gorvaks.
She rapidly ford multiple new ice barriers in succession, desperately trying to slow it down. One, two, three—each shattered like it was made of brittle sugar. Her hands blurred as she ford more layers, but it wasn't enough. The Gorvak's fist cut through everything, unstoppable.
She activated her armor's core, her rune-covered shield glowing with intense light as she prepared to absorb the blow.
But just before impact—
Their vision blurred.
The world twisted for a mont.
Suddenly, Alice, Bella, and Sera found themselves standing several ters away, far from the point of impact. Confused, they looked around, only to realize what had just happened—Nate had moved them.
He stood in front of the charging Gorvak, completely calm, his eyes narrowed.
Everyone else had been fighting for nearly twelve hours. Alice had pushed her powers to the brink, Sera was drenched in sweat, and Bella's telekinetic bursts had begun to weaken. Now, it was Nate's turn.
The four-tailed Gorvak's fist ca flying again—but Nate didn't flinch.
He raised one hand and caught it.
The sound of impact echoed through the battlefield like a thunderclap. Dust blew away in all directions. The ground cracked beneath Nate's feet—but he didn't move an inch.
Behind him, Alice stared in shock. She had thrown everything she had into stopping that blow, and it had cut through all her defenses. Nate had stopped it with one hand.
Then, without hesitation, Nate clenched his hand tightly around the Gorvak's fist. The creature tried to pull away, but he held firm. In one smooth motion, Nate brought his other fist up and punched.
It was fast. Too fast.
Liam's punch slamd into the Gorvak's gut, sending a shockwave through the air. The ground tore behind the creature as it skidded backward at least four ters, its claws dragging trenches into the pavent.
But it didn't fall.
No pain registered on its face.
No stagger. No hesitation.
It simply stopped, its feet grinding into the ground, its glowing green eyes locked on Nate.
It raised both fists, growling now.
This was going to be a fight unlike any before.
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