Kaina watched them prepare themselves, fascinated by them even to his own confusion.
"Kaina!" Khay called out to him. "Are you ready?!"
"Let's go!" the team took off running towards Kaina. And haven seen them coming at him, he elatedly lifted his arms and smiled, gazing at the moon. "Yes, just like that." He exhaled.
"I'll take the lead." Trilith signaled as he sped off and within a handful seconds closed the gap between him and Kaina. He was in range, a hairs breath away from Kaina. His elbow was stretched out at a 45 degree angle and without warning, pushed into Kaina's abdomen. Coupled with the force of his speed, the attack hit Kaina like a boulder and sent him flying a couple of meters back, the pain registered in his eyes. Before he could fully recover, a kick came out of nowhere and connected with his left mid-rib along with his arm and blew him off his feet once again to the right side, he came to a screeching halt and lifted his eyes. It was Khay, leg still stretched out and smirking at him. Amine followed and rushed him with a right straight jab that blew Kaina screeching further away. But he had his hands over and in front in an x-shape; one arm over the other and it gave off a smoke. He had blocked Amine's attack. Proud, a smirk crept up his face, filled with confidence, but it was immediately wiped off his face as he went sliding down and off balance. Amine had swept both his feet off the floor and he came tumbling to his surprise. Without a seconds lapse, Lilith came running and kicked him in the stomach like a ball and sent him toppling on the ground like a skipping stone.
"Sis. I think that was a bit too much?" Trilith rushed to her side.
"You think?" she replied?
"Yeah. That may have been a bit…" Khay added.
"What are you guys made of?" Kaina cried out. "Do you want to kill me?"
"Kill? No. Far from it, we just want to take you out!" Lilith winked. "I mean, looking at all you've done…" she faintly smiled, "Don't you think this is less than…"
"We're just setting the table man." Khay shrugged. "I did tell you I was going to show you… what it means to care about your friends."
"Hahahahahaha" he burst out laughing loudly.
"See? You knocked a couple of more screw loose." Trilith commented.
"You guys definitely are a cut above, aren't you?" Kaina stretched out his hands and began a routine; his arm formed into a fist and slowly weaved through the air before them and rested in a pose. The armor around him shrieked and hardened.
"Come, let me put you in your place!" he smirked.
The four rushed at him, Trilith in the lead was met with a slapping kick that sent him flying out of the lead, and immediately following suit was Khay. He ducked out of the way of Kaina's roundhouse kick that followed after his assault on Trilith. Khay had ducked, now closer to the ground and Kaina's attack was yet to complete its motion, his other leg was the vulnerable. Khay quickly put his hands to the ground and spun on it, the force of his spin went digging into Kaina's shin and brushed him off the floor. When he came to, he was mid-fall and Lilith and Amine were rushing at him; ready to have at him.
The wind whistled and Kaina vanished out of the attack. Their fists connected with the air and they immediately stopped themselves and scanned around. He was standing further away from them. He smiled, taunting them.
"Is he on the defensive?" Trilith announced his return.
"You okay buddy?"
"Yeah, I almost couldn't block in time, he suddenly got faster."
"At this rate, I think it'll be best for us to stick to together. There's no telling what he might pull." Lilith commented.
"Yeah. Watch out for any sudden moves. He has this thing that blows people away."
"Let's not give him time to do that then."
"Mira…" they heard Amine say.
"You.. Amine." Kaina said. "You bear a striking resemblance to the girl I tried fire fist on. She had fire in her eyes that one, but she burnt too low."
"Evy." He yelled and rushed at Kaina on his own.
"Amine!" Khay called out to no avail. "Don't attack him on your own." Khay advised. Yet it fell on deaf ears. Amine was too engulfed in his anger to heed Khay's warning.
"If my sister was attacked I would lose it too."
"Quick, let's back him up."
"Wait!" Lilith cried. "Look." She pointed and their eyes followed. Farther to their left, away from the charred ground to the near walls of the Hoffers mansion where the green low cut grass decorated the ground, there was an opening and out of it came the student who Ingrid and Kiriku were charged with to get to safety.
Meanwhile, Amine was in Kaina's range, his battle cry resounded as his fists went flying left and right at Kaina and he fended off the attacks while he glided backwards; trying to keep the distance.
"You're an angry one." Kaina smirked as he retreated and Amine giving chase. In his retreat, he lost his footing and Amine quickly closed the distance. His left went at the right side of Kaina's chest and knocked him to the right, then, his right knocked him back to the left in the momentum of the first attack. He was caught in a torrent of barrage as Amine blew through him like a punching bag. Then, in the middle of it all, as if he had lost consciousness, his eyes suddenly opened and he caught Amine's left fist in the rush of his barrages.
"Kiriku. What are you guys doing here?"
"This is where the secret passage led to." Ingrid responded.
"Get back in there. There's no time to explain."
"That bad huh?" Where's Amine?" He glanced around and the trio's attention quickly went to the battle. They looked and Amine was caught in a hold.
"Amine!" they cried out. Immediately, they all went rushing at Kaina.
He held him with his right hand and gripped him tight as he starred at him with disdain. A kick came from the left and slammed at his head. All it managed to do was move his head a little and he re-aligned his gaze at Amine.
"Impressive. You could do that even in this situation. Well, let me show you. I guess I did attack your sister after all" And just as those words had escaped his lips, Amine could feel himself lifted off the ground. Then, like a hammer, it hit him. Red hot fist dug successively into his abdomen. The pain registered in Amine's eyes as the whites of it showed and his mouth spewed blood.
While Amine was mid-air and yet to be sent flying away from the force of the attack, Kaina spun around. "Icing on the cake." He said, with his leg in the air and hammered into Amine catapulting him away.
Kiriku jumped and caught him and screeched backwards from the brunt of the attack. At the same time, the trio were rushing at Kaina and as they did, he trailed their tracks; from the battle to where they had ran off to. Then, when he saw; like a child that had seen a present he had been wishing for all his life, his eyes gleamed with ecstasy. The trio had converged on him and he couldn't be bothered about them anymore, his eyes spoke of it all as he let himself loose, defenseless, and excited. And just when they were about attacking him, a pulse larger than what they had previously seen went from him. The intensity of the hue of red was almost crimson blood and the gust of wind that blew from it charred the ground underneath and blew the trio away.
"No!" Amine gasped from Kiriku's arms. His suit had been burnt to crisp. Blood spewed from his mouth as he spoke.
"Get to Ingrid and the students." Blood gushed out from his mouth. Kiriku starred on hesitantly then, turned around and began to run to the entrance of the secret passage. Then… blood spattered through the wind. Kiriku was nowhere to be found.
"NO!!" Amine gushed out blood as he fell on his knees in an attempt to rise and defend the students.
"You're still here?" Kaina looked on at him and stretched forth his hand towards him. A light red sphere formed at the palm of his hand and pulsed towards Amine. Blood spattered from his mouth as the light red sphere slammed into his back and hammered him into the ground. His consciousness began to fade as he watched Kaina lift his hand as light red spheres formed around it and fired in the direction of the students.
"Get up, my body." But his body wouldn't listen to him. And Kaina continued his assault; savoring each moment as he took gentle steps and firing as he closed in on them. Amine's eyes failed him as had his body as he went unconscious.
The sound of falling rocks echoed the surroundings and amidst it was a trail of smoke that ascended into the air. Out of it came Khay Barmeda Chislon, his cough resounded as quickly as he came to. Then, the subtle cry of whimpering students flooded his ears and quickly he came out of the smoke. His eyes widened in shock; students laid unconscious, wounded, blood spats had painted over the green grassland and Kaina, standing in the middle of it all. Khay's expression stiffened in shock from the scene that had just etched into his mind and before he could think, he shot out of the wall like a bullet from a gun and with his fist hammered a strong right hook, the punch connected with Kaina's head and Khay pushed his strength into it and sent him slamming into the ground. The ground cracked with a dent and bounced Kaina a few meters away from Khay.
"How… could you do this?!" Khay angrily questioned.
"Me?" Kaina replied with a grin, already having regained his posture. Then, Khay caught himself when he felt something off about Kaina. He took a deep breath.
"Is this what you wanted to do? All along?" Kaina was silent, yet his eyes said it all, the excitement was still on his face.
"Why?" Khay asked.
"Why? You ask me why? Because it's fun. Fun to see them squeal for their short lives. Fun to hear their screams. Fun to see their blood spill! It's fun! FUN! ALL FUN!"
He laughed without a care. Then, he suddenly stopped and turned his attention behind. Khay starred, looking to see what had caught his attention.
"Lilith?" he said as he starred. And like an answer to his question, her leg dived into Kaina's head and sent him toppling on the ground and back to the charred ground. She stood there, the linings of her clothes had been burnt and her skirt had been reduced to knee length, exposing the dark leggings she wore underneath. Yet, her eyes were fixed on where she had kicked Kaina, the sound of her fists crackling under the weight of her strength reached Khay's ears and for a minute there. She ceased to be the Lilith he knew.
"Lilith!" He chased after her and grabbed her hand. "They're still alive." The shock of the scene left her eyes as the tension around her widely opened eyes left her.
"Don't stop me." She said. "I know this isn't Kaina but this… this is something I can't stomach."
"That's exactly why." Khay softly replied. "That's exactly why you have to calm down. He's not in his right senses."
"How can you be-"
"I know. It's unsettling to see all this but it is you that made us all aware that Kaina had suffered a takeover."
"No… it can't be. It shouldn't be strong enough to influence him to do this."
"It shouldn't be, but Kaina seems to have lost himself completely."
"Whatever the case maybe, I think we should try to get him back to senses, aside all of this, I can't help but feel there is something else at work."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't exactly say because I don't even know what it is, just a feeling. But, right now. Let's focus on bringing him back, first should be that armor, I think it could be linked to all of this.
"So we crush that armor then Kaina should be home free." Trilith entered the conversation.
"Took you long enough."
"That attack hit harder than I was expecting, knocked me out for a minute there. Where's he?" Trilith responded.
"There." Lilith pointed. "You alright Trilith?"
"Yeah, let's get this final showdown started!" he slammed his fist into his palm.