Caius swung his claws at Akotal. This caught the latter off guard and he had his face slashed. A grunt escaped his lips. He staggered a bit, but was quick to respawn and bend as another claw attack swoosh past his face.
Akotal growled and grabbed Caius' wrist. He lunged his other fist at Caius' chest, but he was quick to flip upwards.
Caius twisted in the air, slipping his wrist from Akotal's grip. Akotal's face lifted as he anticipated Caius' next move. The latter growled and plummeted down at Akotal, slamming his two feets on his chest.
Akotal staggered, taking three steps back. Caius saw his chance. As soon as he landed on the floor he initiated a dropkick aimed at Akotal's chest again. But, it was a foul move for him.
Akotal had superior speed. He regained his stance faster than Caius had calculated and so was anticipating the move. Caius' feets were already in the air before he realized what fatal mistake he had just made.
As soon as Caius got near enough, Akotal grabbed his incoming two feets and with it, flung him away in a powerful swing.
Caius was sent flying across the hall.
Bang!
He crashed into the upper corridor at the end of the hall and smashed through the tables and chairs neatly arranged there.
The smashing and shattering sound was chaotic.
Akotal sighed in satisfaction. With a powerful stump, he spared into the air and landed on the upper corridor.
The covered furnitures were all scattered.
Groans emanated from the middle of the mess.
Akotal found him in a second. He was doubled up in the back of the shattered chairs and tables, right by the wall. The walls brought him to a stop. Even the cracks around the spot that halted his crash was prominent enough to be spotted despite the poor illumination in the entire hall.
"You are no match for me, Caius. Ava knows better, and that was why she offered you a safe harbor. The mark. She thought the mark can protect you from me. No, I only let you live because I wanted to."
Caius wiped the blood from his lips and stood to his feets. His eyes, constricted to the size of a needle glared at Akotal as he moved away from the wall. "Maybe it was because you haven't found out about your testimony of your failure lying down there."
Akotal's face twitched. His eyes narrowed as he pointed back, down at Adrian's unconscious body. "You mean your whelp of a son?"
"Apparently, that same whelp has made you bleed today. And if possible, might still be the cause of your death tonight."
"Well, I can't die. I'm immortal. I'm a Primordial. Have you forgotten?" Akotal spread his arms in grandeur.
"Well, no one is immortal." Caius shrugged a shoulder and wiped the thin line of blood that will dripped down the corner of his lips. His eyes flashed with anger as he pointed at Akotal's face. "You proved that with Ava."
This had an effect on Akotal. The almost undetectable flinch proved it. It was for merely a second. Like a flashlight. Then it disappeared. His multicolored eyes glinted and his lips curled. "So much vigor when it comes to Ava. Perhaps, the coil of doubt set in your heart when you saw that girl. Your son had brought the good news to you that he found his soulmate years back, but you didn't even give the chance to see her. You declined. Perhaps, you and your son would have had to settle for one girl now."
"Well, that was you." Caius muttered with a slight smile. "You were lost in her face the first you saw her clearly, so much that you almost lost your head to it. Maybe, just maybe, your little sacrificial lamb can filled the hole you are hoping Ava would fill."
Akotal's grin disappeared. His fists clenched beside him and his eyes narrowed as he posed. "Well then, since I'll be bringing Ava back to life, your death should full her hole in hell."
Bang!
Akotal lunged at Caius. The latter stumped the floor and leapt away from beside the wall. Caius landed, but in a blink of an eyes, Akotal's already at him again.
Akotal turned back and directed a kick at Caius.
The speed shocked Caius. He couldn't even follow it. Akotal isn't a Primordial for joke. And right now, he's quite pissed. Caius can't possibly dodge the kick. He only had the chance to raise his arms up to shield his head as the kick slammed into him.
Caius couldn't withstand the strength behind the kick. His legs lifted off the ground and he was sent flying backwards. The wall brought him to stop in a slam. Giving him no time to breathe, Akotal appeared before him in a flash. Caius' eyes trembled. His heart crashed so loud he could hear it in his skull. A skull breaking punch approached his head. It was more like a blur, he could barely see it. Out of pure instinct, he ducked.
The wall shattered and shook very hard as the fist collided with it.
Akotal grunted in dissatisfaction. His face was dark with anger. His fists were clenched. His slitted eyes turned and with the corner of his eyes viewed Caius. A snicker crossed his lips. His eyes shown with disdain as he ducked. Caius' claws flashed over his bent back. Caius had decided to strike while Akotal is still thrown off balance by his punch that hitted the wall. But on the contrary, his claw slash was ducked by Akotal and he lost balance instead.
Akotal grabbed Caius' left arm and hooked it on his back. Caius grunted. Sweats dripped from his face. His eyes flashed with desperation. He struggled. But his strength cannot be compared to a Primordial's.
"Hmmmm." Akotal hummed. His eyes glinted with pleasure as he observed the red glowing spot on Caius' back. His eyes coursed with contempt for a flash second and he ripped off Caius' black top, and the latter grunted. Akotal tightened the hook he had on Caius' arm, and silenced him.
Having torn the shirt off Caius, the red hot spot on the pale flawless glared at his eyes. It would take great difficulty to know that the red hot spot on the skin had a tattoo, the lines and shapes that formed a three-eyed bat, cut into Caius' back with sharp burning claws.
Akotal's lips curled. "Appears the mark had begun its work. To be truthful, I doubted, if it would burn you should you go up against me. Since no one with the mark has ever broken the rule. No one wants to die for a lost cause."
"I am fighting for something. My. Son. For. My. People."
"Nah, I don't think so. I don't think they want that. They all ran for the hills when they heard I wasn't dead, Caius. They are not your people. They are just birds who you feed and cater for and when evil comes, they fly away."
"You are the evil here, Akotal. No count to those you have caused pain in the past and present."
"Unfortunately, you are one of them, Caius. I don't think you can save yourself now. But fear not, I will make it quick." Akotal growled and unhooked Caius' arm. With a pull, he turned Caius to face him, then aimed his claws at his heart.
Caius sharply lifted his hands to stopped the claws from advancing. His muscles strained. His arms trembled as he tried to counter the strength of the Primordial before him. Veins bulge on his forehead. Sweat overwhelmed his face in a flash. His soul wiggled and paced around, chanting Caius' name, hoping he would hear and fight more for his life.
Akotals eyes flashed with surprise, for a few seconds. Then a glare replaced it. His jaws gritted and he pressed more and increased the strength behind his plunge.
Caius fought and fought for his life. His heart stopped, silenced as it waited what would happen. If it could grow legs, it would have flown out and flee before Akotal's vicious claws can rip it out. Caius couldn't relent, he couldn't breath. He wouldn't dare. He could only think of stopping Akotal's claws from advancing further. He never thought his life would end this way. In the hands of the very person who gave him a lot of trouble centuries back. The one who took away his happiness, his soulmate. He would have been left with nothing if not for the existence of Adrian.
And now, his life is going to be taken. By the same nemesis he has had from the past. Unarguably the worst of his enemies.
His strength cannot be compared to the strength of this person. His speed, his everything. But he had something he loved, something to lose. His son, his life.
Akotal exerted more pressure.
Caius' back squeezed against the wall. His arms shook and trembled like a building about to collapse as it stopped Akotal from pressing further.
"Is that all you got Caius. Give your all! Beg for your life! I want to hear you scream!" Akotal grinned like a maniac.
Caius' eyes shone painful red. The mark is burning him from the inside. It's only a matter of time. At this rate, he will soon be at the lowest level of strength. He will soon be exhausted. The mark will quicken that. And that would mean, he will lose his life to Akotal.
He shook his head. "Never!"
His eyes shone with madness and he activated his special ability.
That's the only way he could get out of this.
Akotal's face tightened with confusion. And he had no time to process as a skull shredding migraine struck him. His head banged and his brain heated up in a second. His face contorted in utter agony and he staggered back.
Caius kept a serious expression and focussed more on driving out his psychic wave towards Akotal and unleashing hell on him.
All of a sudden, Akotal growled. His dense ancient fangs bared at Caius, making his eyes flashed with fear. His heart went dead for a second. His muscles stilled and his senses jammed. It was just too sudden. The growl. It was imbued with power and the superiority of a Primordial. Just like the roar of a chimpanzee amongst monkeys, it would signal utmost power.
Caius' heart crashed against his ribs and it almost cracked.
Why won't he feel scared?
In the face of such dominance and sheer superior power and tenacity, one would feel fear, even if you don't want to.
But that mole of fear destroyed everything. That resilience of a split second was the opening in the concrete wall for Caius. He couldn't afford it. Especially in a fight with someone of such superior power.
Caius didn't even see the attack coming. All he knew was that as force hit his chest and like a kite whose string had been cut, he was sent flying.
Bang!
The walls shook. The cracks spread across it like some map to a dreary land of death.
Caius fell on the ground. Blood spurted out of his lips. Pain crossed his sickly pale face in a thick grimace. Sweat drenched his whole body and his eyes had became so weak.
"If it had been a ordinary vampire, our psychic powers could have been handful. But I'm a Primordial, one of the beginnings of vampires." Akotal approached him. His steps were gracious. Around three meters from the weak Caius, Akotal stopped. He gazed down at Caius with disdain. "Have you now decided?"
"What?" Caius weakly replied.
"To concede." Akotal completed.
"Humph! That will be over my dead body, Akotal." Caius' eyes flashed with venom as he muttered.
"Can't you see for yourself?" Akotal pointed his index finger at him. "You are dying already. The mark is killing you."
Akotal was right.
The mark is killing Caius slowly. It's burning up and the burn is spreading. From the right side of his back, where the mark is, all the way to his right shoulder and right side of his chest was red hot.
Veins was protruding all over his body. It formed a map around his face and neck.
It wouldn't take a genius to know that it's only a matter of minutes before he dies.
Caius closed his eyes. His dentitions gritted as he tried to suppress the pain that coursed through his system.
"You look wretched. You stand no chance Caius." Akotal appeared before Caius in a second. He squatted and his face levelled at Caius'. "I could have just quickened your death but no, I will leave you die slowly, while the bell tolls in your heart that you lost to me."
Slowly, opening his eyes, Caius gulped the dry lump in his throat. The weakness in his eyes didn't let any emotion reflect through.
Akotal grinned. Placing his hands on his knees, he got on his feets. "Now, time to go finish the sacrifice."
With that, Akotal turned away from Caius and with a leap, exited the corridor.
Bang!
He landed back on the ground.
"Time to go, love." He turned to the black circle, which is where he had compelled Christa to sit obediently, earlier.
Behold, she isn't there anymore.
Whereas, Adrian was still in the circle, unconscious.
Akotal's eyes trembled. His face flashed around. His head banged with one question.
'Where is she?!!'
"What you are looking for isn't here. Anymore."
In a sharp turn, Akotal faced the entrance.
A figure in beige cloak was there, standing with legs apart.
His eyes glinted. His lips curled. "Oh! You too?!" He pointed his finger at Heald. "I really have to say this, but you all can't seem to learn the truth here."
"And what is that?" Another voice, feminine, echoed from upper corridor of the left hand side. It's Mei Li, her sword blade, with runes all over it, glistened as it caught the reflection of one the candles that lit the hall.
Akotal's face flashed there. His eyes twitched when he sighted Mei Li. He could still remember in vivid images how this sword wielding young lady had gave him a hard time back in his Castle, nights ago.
"I can be defeated."
"Well, we have to try first." Heald muttered. His fangs crept out and his claws elongated. He leapt from the doorway as he shrieked. "Benzo!!!"
Akotal sneered. His eyes shone with menace as he gazed at Heald's body in the air. "I will break every bones in your body just like I did to your friend, the skull."
Heald is going to attack. That was what Akotal anticipated, as his claws widened and longed to teach this vampire a lesson.
But on the contrary, he didn't attack.
All of a sudden, the door shattered and a bright light illuminated the hall.
Akotal had no time to wonder.
His expression changed. A deep frown tightened his face. The bright light illuminated the frown and made him squint his eyes.
A large ball of fire about two meters wide was headed for him. The ball of flames was so fast that Akotal had no time to dodge.
In a second, the result came.
The ball of flames collided with Akotal and that was all. The rest was a-
BANG!!!!
**********