Draven emerged into the dimly lit tent, drenched in sweat and gripping the handle of a metal pipe.
'What is he doing here?' Naisha thought, confusion and hope mixing in her chest. 'How did he even get here?'
Gorvex's fury exploded as he turned to face Draven.
"Who the hell are you?" he growled.
But Draven was just standing, eyes wide open.
He did not hear Gorvex and he appeared like he was frozen in his place.
"Got scared already?" Gorvex scoffed. Then, as if dismissing the question entirely, he barked, "No, it doesn't matter. Die!"
With a swift motion, Gorvex pointed his palm directly at Draven.
"Idiot! Run!" Naisha screamed.
Meanwhile, Draven was still frozen. He was looking at Naisha, her porcelain skin glowing faintly in the dim light.
"Wow, Babe," was all he managed to say, distracted by the sight of Naisha's body despite his situation.
"Babe? This pervert!" Naisha muttered under her breath, irritation flaring as she quickly grabbed the nearby blanket on the bed and wrapped it around herself.
"Watch out!" she warned him again and pointed at Gorvex.
Just as Draven finally tore his gaze away as Naisha signaled him to, and turned toward Gorvex...
"Bam!"
A chain whip, thick as a fist, lashed out, striking Draven with brutal force.
The impact sent him hurtling through the air, crashing into the boxes with a thud.
"Hahaha!" Gorvex laughed. "Dead already? It's understandable. Your bones are shattered and broken by now!"
Naisha's heart pounded in her chest.
'That idiot,' she thought .'So clueless about the danger he was in.'
Her eyes darted around the tent, searching for anything, anything that could give her a chance to escape. The ropes that bound her burned against her wrists as she twisted.
"Is this a part of your plan? Too bad there's no escaping now," Gorvex sneered as he took slow, deliberate steps toward her.
Meanwhile, Naisha backed up, her breath coming in shallow gasps, until she was cornered.
The canvas of the tent pressed against her back, offering no escape.
As her eyes searched for a way out, she noticed that the pile of debris where Draven had fallen suddenly move.
'That can't be!' she thought, her heart racing. The chain's impact should have destroyed him.
But then, from the wreckage, Draven slowly rose to his feet, his body surprisingly intact.
"Impossible! None has escaped that attack as far as I can remember!" Gorvex uttered, surprised by Draven's endurance.
"Sorry, sorry. I got distracted earlier," he said, brushing off his clothes with a nonchalant shrug as if he hadn't just been sent flying across the room.
He picked up the metal pipe from the floor, rotating it casually in his hand. His smirk widened as he did.
"You did this?" he pointed to Naisha. "I need to smash your brain!"
"Hahaha! What chance does a Verdant I.D. have against a Crimson?" Gorvex taunted, raising his palm with a sinister grin spreading across his face.
[Chain Spear!]
With a violent whip of his palm, a chain shot out from Gorvex's palm, the blade at its tip gleaming in the dim light as it slithered through the air like a serpent. It rocketed straight for Draven's head, aiming to impale him.
But Draven was faster.
With a burst of speed, he lunged forward. The chain spear sliced through the air just inches from his face, grazing past him and tearing through the tent behind him.
Gorvex's grin spread wider. With a savage flick, he swung it side to side, whipping it through the air like a squirming snake.
Draven's eyes locked onto the attack. He planted his feet firmly and raised the metal pipe in front of him, bracing for the impact.
"Clang!"
It collides in an instant.
The force nearly knocked him off his feet. The impact jolted through his arms, pushing him sideways as his feet scrambled, scraping against the ground to keep from being flung back.
"What's wrong? Where's that arrogance now?" Gorvex taunted.
He yanked the chain back, spinning it around, before releasing another chain from his palm.
With both hands gripping the deadly weapons, he unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one faster and more brutal than the last.
Draven met every strike with his pipe, and the clash of metal rang through the place.
But Gorvex was relentless, his attacks coming faster and faster, leaving Draven with little room to advance.
'How is he even keeping up with Gorvex with nothing but raw strength?' Naisha thought, her eyes fixed on the fierce battle before her.
But Draven wasn't finished yet. As he countered Gorvex's attacks, the two whips eventually went to him simultaneously in one direction, as he expected.
Quickly, he evaded the whips and smashed them both to the ground. Then he forcefully stomped his foot on them and pinned them in place.
Grinning at Gorvex, he swung the pipe low on the ground and sent dirt and debris flying toward Gorvex.
The cloud of dust swirled up, momentarily blinding Gorvex. He instinctively raised his arm to shield his face, trying to clear the haze.
That was the opening Draven needed.
In a burst of speed, he closed the distance between them and slammed the pipe into Gorvex's torso.
WHAM!
The impact of the blow lifted Gorvex off the ground, his massive form crashing onto his back with force.
Naisha's heart skipped a beat as she stared at the hulking figure sprawled on the ground.
'Could he actually be… finished?' she thought, a flicker of hope igniting inside her chest.
For a moment, she believed Draven had done it.
But then, Gorvex's laughter erupted, a deep, guttural sound that thundered through the tent. He stood up and his grin only grew wider and more savage.
"I'm just getting started," he growled.
Draven raised an eyebrow, his smirk unwavering. "You're strong, I'll give you that. I thought all that bulk was just for show, just like the others I've fought.
Gorvex's eyes flared with rage. "Don't get too confident. You're just a Verdant! You will never win!" he bellowed.
With a sudden motion, Gorvex stretched both his arms to the side. The chains, as if alive, began to coil around them, wrapping tightly around his skin.
They hissed and clattered, their metal surfaces gleaming in the dim light as they constricted, forming layers upon layers of armor-like protection.
In an instant, his fists were encased in thick, iron-clad chains, turning his hands into brutal, weapons.
"I'll crush you," Gorvex said.