The Huntress gazed up. "The heavens?"
Magnolia kept walking, encased in a translucent barrier that formed a half-circle around him. "An offensive and defensive barrier," he remarked.
"Such mastery, for a child," the Huntress mused. "I'll admit, you must be at the middle stage of your contract, but you're forgetting one crucial detail. That girl helps you maintain that barrier. Without her, it's nothing!"
In a flash, the Huntress conjured and fired a light arrow at Emma, who was exhausted from overusing her contract.
This arrow's different, she thought, instead of exploding, it pierces through anything.
Magnolia's voice cut through her thoughts. "For an adult and a soldier, you lack critical thinking skills."
Her blood froze, eyes widening.
"How did you...?" she stammered, glancing down at the ground and then at Emma, who stood unharmed. The arrow was suspended mid-air, light flickering against the dark sky.
"The arrow never hit its target, and you thought for a moment you'd already won?" Magnolia's tone was cold. "Tell me, if that arrow had struck, do you think you'd have enough time to fire another one before I reached you?"
The Huntress, lost in arrogance, had forgotten the most crucial rule of combat: never take your eyes off the enemy.
Magnolia's hand flared red, like molten metal. He drove it through her back. There was no blood, only the scorched scent of flesh. The wound cauterized instantly. The Huntress fell dead, without so much as a final word. Her arrow faded, vanishing into the night, dying alongside its creator.
Magnolia turned. "Emma, let's go—"
Before he could finish, three charred bodies, crackling with residual lightning, crashed through the clearing. A massive figure followed close behind. As the smoke cleared, Magnolia saw the man. Towering, clad in a blue military uniform, with gold arm and shoulder guards. His short golden hair billowed in the wind he generated. His piercing blue eyes scanned the surroundings until they locked onto a familiar figure.
"Selena...?" he whispered in shock.
In an instant, the man moved. Magnolia found himself standing shoulder to shoulder with this new arrival.
"Emma," Magnolia ordered, his gaze never leaving the massive man. "Take Kibo, Matthew, and Valentina. Get out of here."
Emma looked straight at him. "Do you even care..?"
Their eyes met, but Magnolia's expression remained unreadable. Emma turned away, an unpleasant look on her face. Without a word, she lifted her three gravely injured comrades with ease, manipulating the air around them.
Magnolia shifted his attention back to the large man, now kneeling beside the woman he had just killed. "So, you're not going to stop her?"
The man, still kneeling, stared at the lifeless body of the Huntress.
"You'll be enough... child or not. I will mutilate you." His voice was low and dangerous. "But tell me, were you really going to just stand there and let me take action against her?"
Magnolia remained silent, eyes locked on the man.
"Quite heartless," the man muttered.
Then, faster than lightning, he leaped to his feet. His fist crackled with pure electricity as he aimed for an instant death blow. Magnolia moved fluidly with the punch, dodging and jumping back. Calmly, he clicked his earpiece. Flames flickered, engulfing his hand.
"Flames?" the man said, startled. He quickly composed himself, shooting a bolt of lightning into the sky.
"Zeus," Magnolia whispered under his breath.
Both men's hands crackled with power, one with blue lightning, the other with searing flames.
"For the war you started, and the blood and pain you've caused me," the man growled, "I will destroy you."
"I've found you," Magnolia said, rushing forward.
Their fists collided in a thunderous clash of lightning and fire, the elements swirling around them respectively, in a chaotic dance.
…
The group arrived at the arena, only to find Poison unconscious on the ground.
"Poison...? What's he doing here?" Luna asked, rushing over to shake him awake.
Poison stirred groggily, sighing as his eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was Amelia's worried face.
"What are you doing here?" he muttered.
"I could ask you the same," Sous replied.
"I was scouting for the Pharaoh," Poison began, rubbing his head, "but then I got chased. I fought off a platoon of Jerusalem soldiers before making it here."
Ren leaned casually against a nearby wall. "Cool story, but we have more important things to focus on."
Abraham helped Poison to his feet. "Yeah, we do. The General wants us to support the other team in battle."
"I wonder how they're holding up," Luna said.
"They're probably dead by now," Sofia interjected. "None of them were particularly strong."
Just then, General Saijew teleported into the room, scanning the area before speaking.
"Trust me, they're stronger than you think. Everyone's here, so we'll need to split up. Poison, Sous, and Sofia, you're with me. Ren, Abraham, and Luna, you'll form your own group."
With a swift gesture, the General created a portal, leading them all to a campsite in the desert, miles away from the arena. As they explored the area, they came across unconscious Greek soldiers scattered on the ground.
"Looks like they were here," General Saijew remarked, raising his hands and surveying the area. "Before I got the call from Magnolia."
Abraham frowned. "General, what are you doing?"
"I sense divine energy from two locations," the General said, his eyes narrowing. "One, about four or five ticks southeast, and another nine ticks northeast."
Abraham looked between the two directions. "They're completely separated."
"Which means we'll be as far apart as possible," Sous muttered.
"Ren, take your group northeast. We'll head southeast," the General commanded, before leading his group away.
As they followed his orders, Luna spotted familiar faces. "Amelia, Valentina! There you are!"
Matthew approached them. "Abraham? What are you doing here?"
"We're here to help. Though it looks like you aren't in danger... yet," Abraham replied. "How are the others?"
"You mean Magnolia and his group?" Matthew shook his head. "They went northeast to an unchancy posthumous."
Ren scoffed. "Magnolia's probably dead by now. No doubt about it."
Meanwhile, Magnolia was indeed in trouble. He was thrown back, having lost the clash between fire and lightning. His body was paralyzed from the electrical shock, and the man in front of him; his body crackling with sparks, approached slowly, each step leaving a small crater in the ground.
"I have to say, for a kid, you're strong," the man said, his voice mocking.
"So much potential... wasted on someone about to die. How sad."
He stopped just a few feet from Magnolia, clenching his fist. The lightning condensed around his arm, turning sky-blue, bending space itself with its intensity.
The large man whispered, "Banished the Titan, crush the rebellion… Master Bolt!"
A lightning bolt. No, could it even be called that?
Magnolia saw it, its brilliant light making everything around it cease to exist. But then it disappeared, as though it was never created, like the attack was never launched.
"What...?" Magnolia blinked in disbelief. "I saw it!"
The man stood there, calmly dusting off his clothes. He turned and began to walk away, his heavy boots crunching over rubble.
"I'll tell the emperor there was nothing left to bring back."
"Where the hell are you going?!" Magnolia shouted.
But before he could react, a force hit him like a train. His body flew back, pain seizing every muscle. Blood poured from his wounds, and bones protruded from his skin.
The man didn't even glance back, certain of Magnolia's fate. "He's dead. No one survives Master Bolt."
But from the rubble, a strained voice wheezed, "I-I'm… n-not… d-dead..."
The man stopped and turned, shocked to see Magnolia still alive, though barely. In an instant, he was beside the boy, eyes wide with disbelief.
"How did you survive? Master Bolt ignores distance."
Flames began to engulf Magnolia's broken body, but the man grabbed him by the neck, sending a surge of lightning through him, cauterizing his wounds.
"I am Baron. You've earned the right to know my name. Death is kinder than being the emperor's prisoner. I'm truly sorry, boy."
Baron lifted Magnolia's unconscious form and slung him over his shoulder. But before he could take another step, a sword buried itself deep into his side. Blood poured from the wound and from his mouth. Baron turned, only to see a man with crimson hair standing behind him.
"Put the vessel down," General Saijew commanded, his voice cold and firm.