'Ahh, this is f*ckery.'
Reve's breath came in rhythmic gasps as he dropped to one knee, taking a momentary break from the intense fight. His eyes remained locked on Kallum, not wanting to let him out of sight for even a second.
How long had they been at it? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes? He couldn't say. Time seemed to blur as his mind remained focused on countering Kallum's moves, and that proved to be a gargantuan task. Each time he thought he had clinched the win, Kallum came back even stronger.
"Did you run out of gas?" Kallum jeered.
Reve shook his head, snarkily replying, "No, I am just catching my breath. I still have a lot of fight in me. Don't worry."
He took a deep breath, attempting to calm his turbulent thoughts.
'I am stronger and faster, but somehow, he always manages to outdo me physically.'
Reve realized, searching for a solution to his dilemma.
He sensed something off about Kallum a while ago. While he didn't know what it was, he had a clue and considered it Kallum's secret.
'It is possible that it is Ether. An ether augmentation sounds plausible, but acolytes can't do that. Ahh, what do I do?'
Kallum dashed toward him in an instant. His bizarre increase in speed startled Reve once more, who retreated in caution.
Reve focused on evading Kallum's attack while he brainstormed a plan. Understanding he can't possibly be successful with each evasion, he prepared his body for the pain that might hit him.
'If he is channelling Ether, it is restricted to his body. I don't think he can do anything else with it. Can I try to knock him out? No, I already tried that before. I need to think from another perspective.'
He caught Kallum's penetrative fist with his two hands and ensnared him before delivering a damning punch that sent Kallum flying. That gave him a few seconds to spare.
'Let's assume Kallum is far stronger than me, with his strength increasing every second. I can't think of defeating it… but I can try restraining it… countering it with something that is not strength!'
'I think I know what I have to do!'
With a sudden realization, Reve chanted silently, reliving his old fighting technique, "My body is a puppet, and I am the puppeteer. I can command it as I wish. I can summon it tirelessly. [Morai]!"
His proclamation carried a mystical manifestation that affected his entire body.
As his body straightened, the tip of his shoe made contact with the wooden ground, producing a faint thud that resonated serenely. He moved with a subtle grace, his breaths slow and controlled.
It was as if he was in a state of relaxation, yet his senses were alert and his mind focused on the task at hand.
He scanned the area with a silent gaze, ready to react to any potential threat. This was not the calm of the sheep, but the calm of a skilled predator, poised and ready to strike.
Kallum appeared within his sight. The big man stopped as soon as he noticed Reve's odd state.
He asked, caught off-guard, "What is this? You know martial art?"
Reve replied with his silent gaze, his eyes scanning the frame of Kallum, looking for an area to exploit.
Kallum sneered and lunged at him, sending forth his most powerful punch while baiting Reve into his 'circle'.
As the punch got closer to Reve's face, he brought a single finger and placed it on the path of the punch.
The attack shockingly diverted its path, causing Kallum to stumble. Reve seized Kallum's arm and yanked him closer, driving a deadly punch into his guts almost instantly.
Kallum reeled back as he coughed out a lot of blood. His face reddened and his stubborn shiver coursed through him, bringing a surge of headache and agonizing pain, but there was no rest for him.
Reve appeared before Kallum instantly, without producing any footsteps. He gripped Kallum's neck, launched him into the air, and watched his decline.
As Kallum came crashing down, Reve kicked off the ground and landed a terrifying kick on Kallum's neck. The big dude plummeted into the ground, exposing the concrete earth hidden beneath the wooden ground.
Reve stood still beside him, waiting for him to get back up. Time was not on his side, he noted.
Kallum rose to his feet and grabbed Reve's legs, using him to stand on his two feet. His poised demeanour shattered, along with his clothes.
Kallum snarled, panting and exhausted, "Ahh, enough!"
He took away his hands and dropped a clumsy kick on Reve. Reve caught the kick with ease, but the force of it sent him tumbling backwards.
Kallum began to speak as he unravelled his mask, his voice carrying the yearning of a fighter. "This is great. This is so great!"
Reve met Kallum's gaze, his eyes glowing with an otherworldly intensity.
Kallum breathed a heavy sigh of finality as he united the last rope of his mask.
He said, his voice brimming with confidence, "It has been a long ride. Regrettably, it has to come to an end. You are strong. But I am stronger. "
With that, he let his mask fall to the ground.
Reve's eyes widened in shock as he watched Kallum's mask fall to the ground.
Immediately, a dangerous pressure dropped on his shoulders. A shiver coursed through his spine as his instincts screamed at him to prepare for the worst. As a seasoned veteran, he understood how to distinguish a bluff from a real threat. And Kallum's words were anything but a bluff!
To keep his hyper state, he took a step back and repeated the Morai chants in his head.
However, as soon as Kallum's mask reached the ground, Reve felt an explosion of dark energy emanating from him. The surrounding air turned a sickly shade of black-green, and Reve could smell the stench of blood and rotting flesh.
But what chilled Reve to his core were the haunting wails that filled his ears. It was as if the spirits of countless innocent victims were crying out in agony.
Reve whispered in horror, the whites in his eyes widening. "What is this?"
His sight extended higher and he flinched.
How was a face so vile? Kallum's sickening, gray face was a grotesque sight with empty eye sockets and a gory mess that left a trail of blood that, on a second look, seemed to form a sort of devil brand on Kallum's face. They led to his forehead, which housed a frightening third eye with a red sclera and night-black iris. It was unlike anything Reve had ever seen.
"What did you do to yourself?" Reve gravely asked, his apprehension growing with each passing moment.
Kallum replied in a cold and dismissive tone, "I was born with a cursed set of eyes. So, I took it out. I weeded out the useless and made it productive."
Reve's frown deepened. "Are you still human?"
"Does it matter?" Kallum sneered.
"I guess it does not."
Wasting no time, Reve lunged at Kallum with all his might. Although the appearance of the third eye caught him off guard, if he was fast enough, he could put an end to this right here before Kallum could pull any more shenanigans.
His body shot forward with the fastest speed he had ever produced in any form. A snarl escaped his lips as he vanished from Kallum's sight, hoping to sneak an attack from behind. But Kallum was ready for him.
With a smirk on his face, Kallum chanted a series of anomalistic words, his voice becoming deeper, progressively. His third eye pulsed, and black lights erratically flickered within them.
As the third eye turned wholly black, Kallum continued his chants while he executed a series of hand signs.
"Zathur. Nan. Zathur. Nan. Zathur. Nan. Zathur. Nan. Zathur. Nan… [Ozen]!"
With that, his third eye dimmed, and blood began to pour from it in narrow strips.
Reve felt a strange sensation wash over him, and suddenly he found himself frozen in place. He couldn't move, and his thoughts seemed to be absolved of any control over his body as he stood motionless, seven feet away from victory.
'He is an initiate!' Reve screamed in his mind.
If only he trusted his instinct more.
Kallum turned to face Reve, his smile growing wider.
"I told you, it only ends one way," Kallum said in a deep, eerie voice. "It is over."
He walked away from Reve to the onlooking Val and Blimey, who presented an ancient box to Val.
"I found it"
Val smiled, "Good, let's go. We don't have enough time. More will arrive."
The officers were all dead, their blood bathing her.
Val gazed at Reve, and her smile deepened. "He is still useful. He will draw their attention. Thank you, Reve."
They left immediately, dropping the heavy bags and only taking a few items with them.