"If we can hold against Stage Two without our powers…" Kaela said, her voice steady despite the chaos, "then we'll see this through."
Liam's eyes narrowed, catching her meaning. "Let's finish this."
The moment hung in silence—then both of them ignited.
Eclipsing Vigor pulsed from Liam's body like a shadowed flame, his movements becoming sharper, faster—his muscles responding before thought.
Solstice Ember burned along Kaela's limbs, her aura flaring gold-orange, her motions a radiant blur of fluid precision.
Their combined presence reshaped the battlefield.
The assassins surged, blades blazing with First Flame.
Kaela met one head-on, twisting around his attack with a burst of Solstice Ember, her counter-strike knocking him back with scorching force.
Liam intercepted the second, overwhelming him with a barrage of Eclipsing Vigor-infused blows—each one heavier than the last, until the assassin faltered.
The third leapt from behind, but Kaela was already there—sliding beneath his guard, launching a spinning heel kick wreathed in flame.
Together, they moved as one.
Liam drove one assassin into the ground, his foot stomping down with a dark aether pulse.
Kaela danced between twin strikes, her movements echoing the ancient rhythm of Whispering Fang—then unleashed a radiant palm strike to the chest, sending her opponent flying.
Lucas stared, eyes wide. "They're overwhelming them…"
Dreck grinned. "They're adapting… and evolving."
As the final assassin stumbled back, his blade shattered, Kaela and Liam stood side by side—panting, bruised, but very much in
control.
Kaela's body moved on instinct now—every dodge tighter, every counter more refined. The heat no longer felt oppressive. It felt alive, like a presence she could read, feel, bend. She ducked beneath a wide arc of flame, her heel sliding against the pavement before launching her into a rising spin.
Whisper Fang: Crescent Bloom.
Her palm sliced upward, redirecting the flame like a current of wind, and cracked against the assassin's chin. His head snapped back, and for a moment—just a breath—his flames flickered.
Beside her, Liam was a blur. His fists no longer met resistance—they anticipated it. His body pivoted before the attacks came, slipping through narrow gaps of fire with Strafe Shift steps that left afterimages behind.
"Let's try something new," Liam said, a quiet resolve beneath his breath.
Kaela answered, "Got your back."
They moved together, weaving between burning blades and fists like dancers in a deadly waltz. Liam stepped in front of Kaela just as a dagger came close, parrying it wide with the side of his arm—Pulse Redirect—and in the same instant, Kaela flowed past his shoulder, slamming a dual-palm strike into the assassin's chest.
Twin Spiral Shock.
The pulse of force sent him sprawling back, cracking the pavement as he landed.
One down. Again.
The assassin with the deepest flames roared—his arms covered in blazing symbols. "You children think this is a game?" he howled.
Liam spat blood. "No. This is survival."
With a howl, the assassin leapt forward, blade wreathed in fire so hot it shimmered blue.
Kaela's aura flared.
Not fear.
Focus.
She raised her hand slowly—fingers extended in a loose, curved shape. Her stance widened, her feet almost floating. Aether laced her limbs, curling like smoke. Then—
Whisper Fang: Final Reversal.
The assassin struck.
Kaela moved like water breaking stone.
One hand deflected the blade with precise grace, the other slipped behind his neck and dragged him forward. His own momentum worked against him—and her knee rose into his gut like a hammer of force.
But the flames didn't vanish.
He twisted, grabbing her wrist mid-motion—and Liam appeared in a flash, slamming his fist down onto the assassin's forearm with a crack.
Aether Break.
Bones snapped.
Kaela freed her hand and spun, delivering a spinning heel kick infused with Counter Flare, sending the burning assassin into the nearby wall, where he slumped and didn't rise again.
Only one remained.
And this one burned brighter than the rest.
Lucas stepped forward from the shadows, voice low. "This one's different… He's channeling residual ignition. He wasn't just revived—he's evolving."
Dreck's eyes narrowed. "We end this now… or we don't end it at all."
Liam and Kaela didn't wait.
They charged as one.
Their movements were no longer separate. Every step Liam took opened a window Kaela closed. Every strike Kaela landed created an opening for Liam's follow-up. Together, they were a storm—controlled chaos fueled by rising instinct and aether-bonded trust.
The assassin roared, his flames erupting in a sphere around him. He met them head-on with reckless fury.
Blades clashed. Aether exploded.
Kaela's palm met steel—redirected.
Liam's elbow met ribs—shattered.
Whisper Fang: Spiral Downfall.
Phantom Pulse: Snap Arc.
The combined strike hit like thunder.
The assassin's body hit the ground with a heavy, final thud—flames extinguishing as silence took the battlefield.
Only the soft sound of breathing remained.
Kaela wiped her brow, her breath shaky.
Liam bent forward, hands on his knees. "That… was too close."
Kaela gave a crooked smile. "But we won."
From the shadows, Lucas exhaled slowly. "No. You didn't just win."
He stepped into the moonlight, gaze hard.
"You ascended."