The battle near the entrance of the HQ was a storm of chaos and raw power. Sparks from lightning strikes clashed against flames and water jets, while shadows writhed across the ground like living entities. Despite being outnumbered, the seven mages fought with a ferocity that tested the assassins to their limits.
On one side of the entrance, the triplet Quatz sisters—Maria, Rose, and Sakina—fought in perfect harmony against two mages. Flames from their synchronized attacks lit up the battlefield, casting eerie shadows against the ruined walls of the HQ.
Maria darted forward, her twin batons spinning in her hands, both of them wreathed in fire. She aimed a flurry of strikes at Zara, who met her attack with a wave of shadow energy that rippled outward like a tsunami. Maria's batons deflected the worst of the shadowy tendrils, but they still managed to nick her arms, leaving faint burns.
"Watch your left!" Rose called out, leaping into the fray with her nunchaku spinning at blinding speed. The chains, ablaze with fiery inner energy, clashed against Zara's shadow constructs with a resounding clang. Zara stumbled backward, her expression twisting in frustration as the flames ate away at her defenses.
Sakina followed up with a swift, calculated strike, her double-bladed spear spinning in tight arcs. Flames spiraled around the weapon as she thrust it toward Zara, forcing the mage to leap backward.
"You're relentless," Zara hissed, summoning a swarm of shadow tendrils that spread out like snakes, aiming to wrap around all three sisters.
"Not as relentless as fire," Sakina shot back, twirling her spear to create a blazing vortex that incinerated the approaching shadows.
Meanwhile, Xico fought against Honor in a dazzling display of electricity and water. Lightning danced along Xico's arms as he hurled bolt after bolt at the assassin, who evaded with fluid movements. Honor's strikes were precise, each punch and kick surrounded by swirling jets of water that countered Xico's lightning just enough to avoid being overwhelmed.
"You're quick for someone relying on their fists," Xico sneered, sending a concentrated bolt of lightning directly at Honor's chest.
Honor blocked with an open palm, a sudden geyser of water erupting from his hand to neutralize the electricity. The collision of elements sent steam rising into the air.
"Fists are all I need," Honor replied calmly, darting forward with a swift kick aimed at Xico's ribs. The water jet trailing his leg amplified the impact, sending the mage skidding backward.
Zara, seeing Xico in trouble, extended her shadows toward him to pull him upright. "Focus, Xico! These assassins aren't amateurs."
Rose took the opening. She swung her flaming nunchaku with deadly precision, catching the tendrils of shadow mid-reach and severing them.
"Keep your shadows to yourself," Rose taunted.
Maria and Sakina pressed forward in unison. Maria's batons blurred as they struck against Zara's hastily conjured shadow shield, cracks forming under the relentless onslaught. At the same time, Sakina swept her spear in a fiery arc, cutting through the remaining defenses and forcing Zara to retreat.
Xico retaliated with a sudden burst of lightning, sending a forked bolt toward Maria and Sakina. Honor intercepted it, forming a protective barrier of water that absorbed the attack and redirected the energy harmlessly into the ground.
"Thanks, Honor," Maria called out, her batons glowing even brighter.
"Focus on her," Honor said, his calm demeanor never faltering as he charged Xico again. He feinted with a punch, then dropped low to sweep Xico's legs out from under him. A jet of water followed the motion, slamming into Xico's chest and pinning him to the ground.
On the other side, Zara screamed in frustration as the triplets launched their final assault. Rose's nunchaku struck from above, forcing Zara to block high, while Maria and Sakina attacked from either side. Their coordinated strikes overwhelmed Zara's defenses, Maria's batons landing a searing blow to her ribs while Sakina's spear slashed across her shoulder.
Zara stumbled, shadows flickering weakly around her. "You'll regret this," she spat, summoning the last of her strength to envelop herself in darkness and vanish from sight.
Xico, still pinned by Honor, snarled and released a desperate surge of electricity. The raw energy forced Honor to step back, but before Xico could stand, one of Maria's batons struck him squarely in the head, knocking him unconscious.
The triplets regrouped, their weapons still glowing as they surveyed the aftermath. Honor stood over Xico's limp body, his fists dripping with water.
"One down," Maria said, catching her breath.
"And one retreated," Sakina added, spinning her spear one last time before extinguishing the flames.
"Good work, everyone," Honor said quietly, his steady tone belying the intensity of the battle they'd just fought.
The assassins shared a moment of relief, but they knew the battle wasn't over yet. Other mages were still wreaking havoc elsewhere in the HQ. With renewed determination, they prepared to rejoin the fight.
The central hall was a warzone. The remaining Quatz and Tresa clashed fiercely with the four mages—Luther, Sol, Sami, and Kilo—who moved with deadly coordination. Although outnumbered, the mages' overwhelming power turned the tide against the assassins.
Luther stood at the forefront, his hands glowing with blinding energy. A Quatz named Eron charged at him, lightning crackling down his arms, launching a series of high-voltage strikes. The bolts illuminated the hall as they surged toward Luther, but he raised his hand, bending the light around them and dissipating their energy. "Pathetic," Luther said, releasing a concentrated beam of pure light that burned through the air. Eron barely managed to sidestep it, the heat singeing his arm. Undeterred, he retaliated with a thunderous lightning bolt, but Luther stepped forward, forming a barrier of refracted light that sent the attack veering off course.
Nearby, Sami was locked in a brutal battle with Liena, a Tresa wielding air-based inner. Liena darted around Sami, creating rapid cyclones with her spinning strikes, her agility keeping her just out of the mage's grasp. But Sami slammed her fists into the ground, summoning a cascade of jagged stone pillars that rose like fangs from the earth. Liena jumped back, flipping to safety, but the moment she landed, a massive stone fist erupted beneath her, catching her mid-air and sending her crashing into a wall.
Kilo moved with precision, controlling a network of thick, serpentine vines that ensnared the assassins with deadly efficiency. Hiro, a Tresa with dual blades, cut through one vine after another, his strikes precise and measured. But for every vine he severed, two more took its place. One wrapped around his ankle, another coiled around his wrist, forcing his arms apart. "You're tenacious," Kilo said, tightening the vines until Hiro let out a strangled cry. From the side, a Tresa wielding fire inner launched a searing wave of flames that forced Kilo to release Hiro. Kilo turned to face the attacker, summoning a wall of thick, bark-like vines to absorb the flames before retaliating with a barrage of thorned whips that forced the assassin to retreat.
On the far side of the hall, Sol faced off against Elena and Darin. Elena's water-based inner flowed around her like a protective shield, dousing Sol's flames with precision, while Darin summoned earthen walls to block Sol's icy projectiles. The two worked in unison, their abilities complementing each other. But Sol smirked, raising his hands as flames erupted in one and frost in the other. With a mighty roar, he unleashed a torrent of fire and ice simultaneously, creating a chaotic storm that overwhelmed Elena and Darin. Elena's water shield evaporated in the heat, and she cried out as a shard of ice pierced her shoulder. Darin, desperate to protect her, summoned a massive wall of rock, but Sol's flames melted through it effortlessly. Sol's icy shards followed, striking Darin in the chest and sending him crumpling to the ground.
Despite their resolve, the assassins struggled to hold their ground. Eron, still fighting Luther, unleashed a desperate surge of lightning, the arcs lighting up the hall. Luther responded with a blinding flash that forced Eron to shield his eyes. In that moment of hesitation, Luther closed the gap, forming a blade of solidified light and driving it into Eron's chest. Eron gasped, collapsing as the light faded from his body.
Sami, now free from Liena's interference, turned her attention to the remaining assassins. She raised her arms, summoning massive stone constructs that hurled debris through the air, smashing into walls and scattering the defenders. Liena, bloodied but defiant, launched a final whirlwind at Sami, but the mage simply raised a stone barrier, deflecting the attack. Sami retaliated with a boulder that struck Liena squarely, silencing her for good.
Kilo's vines snaked through the battlefield, pulling assassins into their thorned embrace. A Tresa with wind inner attempted to slice through them with razor-sharp gusts, but the vines twisted unpredictably, catching her mid-spin and crushing her. Kilo laughed coldly, the vines moving like extensions of his own body.
Sol's dual-element assault proved unstoppable. He burned through the last of the earthen shields protecting Elena, his fire consuming her completely. Darin, already weakened, tried to fight back but succumbed to a blast of ice that froze him where he stood.
One by one, the remaining assassins fell. The Quatz fought valiantly, but their efforts were in vain. Luther, Sol, Sami, and Kilo were simply too powerful, their abilities overwhelming even the combined strength of the assassins. When the battle was over, the mages stood victorious, the bodies of their enemies scattered around them.
Luther surveyed the carnage with a satisfied smirk. "They fought well, but their strength was no match for us."
The mages regrouped, their mission far from over. Without a word, they moved deeper into the HQ, leaving behind the broken remnants of the assassins who had tried to stop them.