She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Typical. Always finishing first."
With a flick of her wrist, Ingenia recalled her drones, which buzzed back to her suit, integrating seamlessly into the armor. Her entire body began to light up, plasma dancing across her skin, casting an eerie glow. Her hair rose, standing on end as static arced through it. The air around her crackled with energy, and she moved with a speed that took my breath away.
Before I could react, she blitzed me, her movements a blur. Her punches came fast and soft, each one accompanied by a jolt of electricity that sent spasms through my muscles. I could barely register the blows as they landed, each one a faint thud against me. She was weak.
She quickly realized that her fists, while delivering a mild electric shock, did little to harm me otherwise. With a frustrated growl, she pulled out a pair of sleek, serrated knives and drove them into my chest and side. The metal carried the electricity from her suit directly into my wounds, the pain intensifying with each laceration.
I tried to fight back, but every attempt was thwarted by her incredible speed. My movements were sluggish, my body convulsing with each shock, only exacerbating the difference in our speed. She dodged every blow with minimal effort, evading my attacks like a fly outmaneuvering an angry chef.
She slashed at me with her weapons, each cut deep and clean. The electricity caused shocks that sent my muscles into uncontrollable spasms. Blood drenched my makeshift outfit, the fabric torn and tattered as red wet strips fell away, revealing the hundreds of cuts beneath.
"Stuck in mud?" she taunted, her voice dripping with disdain.
I gritted my teeth, trying to focus through the pain. My eyes were slow, but I managed to barely track her, moving with beyond supernatural agility. Every time I swung, she was already gone, her steel carving new paths through my flesh.
The exchange continued, blood pooling at my feet. Each cut left a searing trail of agony, the electricity burning through my nerves. My skin peeling off as quickly as I can stitch it back together.
"You're a joke," she spat, slashing at my arms and legs. "A wannabe hero dressed for baby's first Halloween."
She seemed bloodlusted, all over the accidental demolition of a building. A mistake? Sure, but mistakes produce experience. No one alive never made at least one mistake. However, viscously mauling anyone is way beyond mistake.
I pushed through the pain, trying to anticipate her movements, but she was always an instant ahead.
Ingenia's attacks became more frenzied, her anger fueling her onslaught. The blades slid through my skin, each wound deeper than the last. My body screamed in agony, but I fought to stay on my feet, refusing to fall.
"You must have wore yourself out, knocking brick by brick out from that bank" she sneered, driving a knife into my chest and twisting it.
I gasped, the pain nearly overwhelming. Breathing became hard. She must have punctured a lung. Blood bubbled around the exposed blade, but I met her gaze, my resolve unbroken.
"You... mistake... stop," I managed, my voice ragged. "I'll.. pay... rebuild... bank."
Her eyes flashed with fury. "Oh, this is no mistake. But you will pay... with humiliation and blood. A warning to all future wannabe saviors."
With a quick twist, she ripped the knife from between my ribs, sending another wave of suffering through my body. I staggered, not able to fully stand. My makeshift outfit was in tatters, the fabric soaked with blood.
Ingenia stepped back, admiring her craft. "Pathetic, bleeding all over my nice suit."
Locked in place, I gritted my teeth and allowed every attack to meet its mark. Ingenia's movements were a blur, her speed impossible to follow. The wounds are healing, I consoled myself, even as my flesh was carved open time and time again. Everything screamed in agony, but I ignored it; I had to. Concentrating solely on following Ingenia's rapid movements, the cuts continued, each one a burning line of fire on my skin.
As the onslaught continued, my vision began to sharpen. I started to see the clear outline of her form, the blur upscaling into a recognizable image. The slashes grew shallower as we fought. She must be exhausted.
Ingenia glanced to her knife, her expression perplexed. "Why aren't these getting deeper?" she mumbled, frustration seeping into her voice. "They should be getting deeper."
She switched weapons, pulling out plasma blades. The knives glowed with an intense blue arc, the energy humming with lethal potential. The pain was excruciating, each cut a combination of razor-sharp steel and burning heat. My body was exhausted, my endurance nearly depleted, but I kept tracking her movements, my eyes locking onto her form as she gained speed.
"Quite the tenacity, newbie," she sneered, her voice a harsh whisper as she lashed out with two slices across my chest. "Don't worry, I have stamina to spare."
The daggers hummed through the air. I continued to absorb the blows, my healing factor working overtime to mend the damage. The searing pain was almost unbearable, but I pushed through it, determined to outlast her savagery.
Ingenia's speed was incredible, but with each step she made, my eyes followed. I began to anticipate her movements, my body reacting instinctively to her strikes. Each cut still burned, but the wound count lowered as I managed to twist and turn with each attack, the knives just barely grazing me.
With every passing second, my confidence grew. I could feel the rhythm of her attacks, the pattern in her movements. She was fast, but I was adapting, learning to counter her speed with precision and timing.
Frustration etched deeper lines into her face. "Why won't you just die?" she yelled, her voice cracking with anger and desperation.
I met her gaze, my eyes slightly wavering. "My doctor does not recommend it,"
Her rage intensified, and she launched into a furious assault, the plasma edges cutting through the air with deadly accuracy. But now, I was ready. I moved with her, matching her speed, my body a blur of motion.
"Keep up" she warned, "Or I'll cut you down to nothing."
The smell of burnt copper grew stronger as the blades seared my flesh, but I kept my focus, tracking her every move. Exhaustion tugged at my limbs, but I pushed through it, my resolve unyielding.
As Ingenia's speed increased, her attacks became more frenzied, her movements less controlled. She was tiring, her anger driving her but also clouding her judgment. I could see the openings in her defense, the moments of hesitation as she struggled to maintain her momentum.
With a final, desperate lunge, she aimed for my throat, the plasma blade glowing with lethal intent. But I was ready. I sidestepped her attack, grabbing her wrist and twisting it, forcing her to drop the weapon.
She stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock and fury. "This isn't over," she hissed, but her voice lacked the earlier confidence.
I stood my ground, my body battered but my spirit unbroken. "It doesn't have to be this way," I said, my voice steady. "We can find another path."
For a moment, Ingenia seemed to waver, the rage in her eyes giving way to uncertainty. But then she shook her head, the determination returning. "No," she whispered, her voice filled with a mix of anger and grief. "This ends here."
The tension in the dome was palpable as we faced off, the smell of burnt copper hanging heavy in the air. I could see the pain and loss in her eyes, the weight of her grief driving her actions. But I couldn't let her anger justify her recklessness. I had to end this, not just for my sake, but for hers as well.
"Pure luck." she spat a little blood onto the parking lot. "You're just another wannabe hero, thinking you can make a difference with brute force alone."
I gritted my teeth, stalling for any time to heal, "Being a hero isn't about brute force," I managed between gasps of pain. "It's about standing up for what's right.. helping your fellow man... no matter where, who, or when."
She scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "Spare me the clichés. I've seen real heroes die unceremoniously, and you're not even close."
I finally tracked her movements fully. As she closed in for another strike, I knocked her hand to the side.
Ingenia, briefly confused, muttered, "How did you—?" before attacking again, her speed blurring her movements.
She attacked once more. I blocked it. Stab. Parry. Slash. Block. This dance continued, each exchange growing more intense. Ingenia's strikes came in rapid succession, and my arms moved with preternatural quickness, deflecting her blows one after another. The air hummed with electricity and rocked with thunder as our movements became a synchronized ballet of combat.
After a moment, I began to counterattack, my fists moving within her openings. Ingenia dodged my blows, her agility just barely keeping her out of harm's way. Her attacks grew more frantic, the knives flashing and sparking. I parried and deflected, feeling the physical strain but refusing to back down. Each of my strikes progressed closer and closer to actually landing on her body, as I felt the pace of our fight increase.
Finally, I saw an opening and struck hard, landing a second solid hit on her side. Ingenia gasped, fumbling one of her blades.
She broke the distance, the rage in her eyes turned to something more primal, a fierce determination that matched my own.
"You're not as slow as you look," she hissed, her voice crackling with static.
I kept my breath steady despite the exertion. "You gave me practice."
With renewed vigor, Ingenia recommenced her assault. Now, equally matched in speed, we whirred around under the dome. Our movements blurred together attack, block, parry, counter, dodge, and strike. Ingenia maintained a slight edge by the stuns from her lightning, but I adapted quickly, pushing through the pain and meeting her with equal ferocity.
The fight continued, each moment more intense and faster than the last. Ingenia tried every angle, but I blocked her moves, deflecting and countering with increasing accuracy. The air was thick with the smell of burnt blood, mingling with the metallic taste of iron.
"You won't beat me," she spat, her voice barely above a whisper but laced with a note of apology.
"Perhaps," I replied, ready for whatever came next.
Ingenia's body seemed to glow brighter, the electricity arcing off her in more violent bursts. She moved faster, her attacks coming in a flurry that I struggled to keep up with. But I could see it now—the rhythm of her movements, the patterns in her strikes and respond in sync.
With a final surge of energy, Ingenia lunged at me, her plasma blades crackling with deadly intent. I deflected one, then the other, and then landed a punch squarely on her chest. She staggered, the glow from her suit flickering.
I pressed the advantage, launching a series of strikes that forced her back. Ingenia tried to counter, but I was in the zone now, every movement calculated and controlled. I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the desperation. Finally, with a powerful punch, I sent her sprawling to the ground.
She lay there, breathing heavily, the glow from her suit fading. I stood over her, my own body screaming with pain and exhaustion but refusing to show it.
I spoke, my voice steady. "Just stay down and let the nice sergeant cuff you."
Ingenia looked up at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of rage and resignation. "No," she said softly, her voice barely audible. "How about, I up the ante? Tenfold!"
Overclocking her suit, her body became fully obscured by a cyan glow. Lightning arced off her onto the surrounding ground and dome. She punched me, knocking me back before stabbing into my thigh and carving out a chunk of flesh right on top of an artery. I winced in pain, plugging two fingers into my wound to stem the bleeding. Doubling over, I protected my vitals but exposed my back, and she seized the opportunity.