The first scream was cut short.
Calix felt the man's ribs crack as he drove his fist into his chest, the body folding like paper beneath the force. He dropped the corpse without a glance, his mind already locked onto the next target.
Move.
Cassia's voice echoed in his head—calm, sharp, and undeniable. He didn't need to look to know where she was or what she saw. Her presence was a constant hum in his mind, as real as his own thoughts.
"North corridor," she directed. "Two left."
Calix's boots scraped the ground as he shifted direction. He was already in motion before her words ended, his body a blur as he cut through the smoke and flame.
The village lay in ruins, smoke curling from the rooftops of shattered houses. Blood streaked the cobblestones. Bodies were strewn like debris, soldiers who had fled their defeated stronghold only to meet death here instead.
Kai darted between broken walls, his speed bending the air as he closed in on two retreating figures. They didn't have time to turn before he was on them—the first man went down with a blade-like strike to his throat, his neck snapping cleanly.
The second soldier spun, his eyes wild, a crackling blast of kinetic force erupting from his palm.
Kai grinned. He let the energy hit him. It slammed into his chest like a hammer. He staggered but didn't fall.
The soldier's eyes widened in horror.
"Cute," Kai whispered.
He moved faster than sight. His hand struck the soldier's temple with a brutal twist of force—the body dropped with a dull thud.
Clean work, Cato noted silently, his voice as calm as if they were discussing the weather.
Kai exhaled, wiping the blood from his glove. "They always run."
"Fear makes them predictable," Cato replied.
Cassia stepped over a fallen woman, her hand brushing lightly against the side of her mask as her eyes scanned the rooftops. Six remaining.
Her orders rippled out in an instant:
• Calix, right flank.
• Kai, south ridge.
• Damon, collapse the central defense.
They moved without hesitation.
Damon's boots slammed against the dirt as he crossed the square. His eyes tracked the last defensive position—a barricade of overturned carts and rubble where three soldiers crouched, shaking, their weapons trembling in their hands.
Don't waste time, Cassia murmured.
Damon didn't.
He hit the barricade with the force of a charging bull, his body a living battering ram. Wood splintered, metal twisted, and the soldiers were thrown backward in a cloud of dust.
One of them raised his weapon, desperation written in every line of his face.
Damon caught the barrel and snapped it in half. His fist followed, a deafening blow to the man's chest that sent him sprawling into the dirt.
"almost done," he grunted, stepping over the bodies.
The last man ran.
Calix watched him, a slow smile curling under his mask. "Coward," he muttered.
The soldier darted into the trees, breath heaving, feet pounding the earth.
You have him, Cassia whispered.
Calix moved.
He crossed the distance in two strides, his hand catching the man's spine. A sharp twist, a heavy crack—the soldier hit the ground, lifeless.
Cassia stood at the center of the village, the air around her still and heavy. Her eyes tracked the smoke curling above broken rooftops, her mind mapping the battle in reverse, every movement playing back in precise detail.
"Clear," she said aloud.
The others converged on her position.
Calix stretched his shoulders, his body humming with energy. "They never make it interesting."
"Not our job to be entertained," Cassia replied coolly.
Kai kicked a broken shield, watching it roll to a stop beside a corpse. "These were the ones who ran from the stronghold?" He scoffed. "I'm disappointed."
"D-Class powers," Cato noted. His eyes flicked to the body of a man whose hands still sparked faintly with energy. "Barely combat-capable, Of course they ran"
Calix shrugged. "They ran. They lost. Now they're dead."
Damon's eyes followed a trail of blood leading into a collapsed home, his expression darkening. He didn't speak, but his fists clenched at his sides.
"Mission complete," Cassia said, her voice final.
"Burn the rest."