Kazuki vs. Alexer: The Final Clash
Kazuki steadied his breathing, blood dripping from the fresh wound Alexer had inflicted on his side. He pressed his hand against it briefly, feeling the warmth of his own blood soaking into his uniform. He couldn't afford to slow down—not now. The battlefield was in chaos around them, distant gunfire ringing through the air, but in this moment, only Alexer mattered.
Alexer reloaded his sniper, keeping his eyes locked onto Kazuki. "Still standing, huh?" he mused. "I expected no less."
Kazuki gritted his teeth. "This isn't over."
Without hesitation, Kazuki activated his power, creating multiple copies of himself. Each one moved in sync, sprinting in different directions to confuse Alexer's X-ray vision. The battlefield became a blur of movement, shadows dancing between the debris of the ruined supply base. Each illusion reflected Kazuki's determined expression, making it nearly impossible to discern the real one.
Alexer smirked, quickly adjusting his stance. "Clever. But I've been fighting long enough to see through tricks."
He fired off a shot, shattering one of Kazuki's copies. Then another. With pinpoint precision, he systematically eliminated the illusions, his trained eyes scanning for the real target. But Kazuki himself kept moving, inching closer to a perfect vantage point. He just needed one clean shot.
Alexer's Past – A Story in Battle
As they fought, Alexer suddenly spoke, his voice surprisingly calm amid the chaos. "You know, you remind me of myself when I was younger."
Kazuki narrowed his eyes, ducking behind cover. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
Alexer chuckled. "It means I wasn't always like this. Before all of this, before the war, I had a family. A life."
Kazuki took a moment to reload, listening. "Go on."
Alexer fired another shot, forcing Kazuki to move. "I used to be a soldier—not for the enemy, not for the traitor. Just an ordinary soldier, fighting for what I thought was right. I had a little sister… she was sick. Needed treatment I couldn't afford."
Kazuki frowned, keeping his rifle ready. "So the traitor found you."
Alexer nodded, his expression darkening. "Offered me everything I needed. A cure for my sister. A chance to make sure she lived a life without suffering. In exchange, I had to fight. I had to kill."
Kazuki tightened his grip on his weapon. "And did she make it?"
Alexer hesitated for a split second before whispering, "No."
Kazuki felt a pang of something deep inside him—understanding, perhaps. He knew what it was like to fight for something, only to have it slip through his fingers. "Then why stay with them?"
Alexer let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head as he reloaded. "Because by the time she was gone, I had already done too much. There was no redemption left for me."
Kazuki clenched his jaw. "You could have left."
Alexer exhaled sharply, his tone shifting slightly. "You don't get it, do you?"
He fired another shot, barely missing Kazuki's shoulder before continuing. "I didn't always have these powers. I used to be just another grunt in the army. But one day, during a battle, I got pinned down in a collapsed building. A sniper had been tracking me, waiting for me to make a move. I was as good as dead."
Kazuki listened intently, repositioning himself. "And that's when you discovered it?"
Alexer nodded, recalling the moment vividly. "I was desperate. I wanted to know exactly where that sniper was, what he was seeing, where his scope was aimed. And then… it just happened. My vision shifted. It was like I could see through the rubble, through the walls. I saw his rifle, his body, the way his fingers twitched on the trigger. And I knew where he was before he could fire."
Kazuki's grip on his weapon tightened. "And you killed him."
Alexer smirked. "Of course I did. I was still alive, and he wasn't. That was all that mattered."
Kazuki exhaled. "And after that, you realized what you had?"
Alexer chuckled. "More than that—I realized what I could do. I became the ultimate hunter. No one could hide from me. Not behind walls, not behind cover. I saw through their tricks, their defenses."
Kazuki's mind raced, taking in everything Alexer had revealed. "So, the traitor didn't just offer you a deal. He saw your potential."
Alexer nodded. "And I took the deal. I thought it was for my sister. But in the end, I think I did it for myself."
The Final Shot
Kazuki exhaled slowly, steadying his rifle. "Maybe you were right about having no redemption. But that doesn't mean I'll let you walk away."
Before Alexer could react, Kazuki positioned himself for a perfect shot. The air seemed to still as he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew, striking Alexer cleanly in the chest. The force knocked him backward, his weapon slipping from his fingers.
Alexer staggered, dropping to one knee. He looked down at the wound, then back at Kazuki, a strange smile crossing his lips. "Hah… guess you really are the better sniper."
Kazuki remained silent as Alexer fell to the ground, blood pooling beneath him. "At least… I won't have to keep fighting anymore."
With a final breath, Alexer collapsed. His fight was over.
The mission was a success.
Aftermath – Healing and Reflection
As the team regrouped, Yano quickly rushed to Kazuki's side, her eyes widening at the sight of his injury. "You're hurt."
Kazuki winced as he finally let himself acknowledge the pain. "Yeah. Took a hit."
Yano gently pressed a hand over his wound, her healing ability beginning to work. "You need to stop taking bullets."
Kazuki chuckled weakly. "I'll try."
Emjay approached, nodding at him. "You did good."
Kazuki exhaled. "It's over."
Emjay looked toward Alexer's fallen body. "For him, maybe. But not for us."
Kazuki nodded in understanding. The war wasn't over yet, but at least, for now, they had won another battle. The night was quiet as the team sat together, reflecting on the events of the mission. Each of them had their own thoughts, their own ghosts that haunted them. But for now, they had survived.
Kazuki sat alone for a moment, staring at his sniper rifle, his fingers tracing over the barrel. The weight of what he had done settled in, but he felt no regret. Alexer had made his choice. And so had he.
Yano sat beside him, handing him a drink. "You should rest."
Kazuki took it, nodding. "Yeah. I know."
As the night stretched on, the team prepared for whatever would come next, knowing that the echoes of this battle would linger with them for a long time.