"Now, take Ezra and get patched up." Rhonda said, stepping forward. "I'll take it from here."
Ezra coughed blood and forced a smirk, muttering something inaudible. Nia nodded once and hooked her arm under his. Together, they stumbled back into the shadows of the ruined block.
Rhonda didn't wait, she blurred forward. The demon, still recovering, reacted... it reshaped limbs lashing to meet her strike. And it blocked her blow but it didn't hold ground. Rhonda's force sent it flying.
And she blurred again... appearing right above the demon, her heel slamming into its head.
The kick drove it into the pavement, the ground exploding beneath the impact. Rhonda landed lightly, bouncing back.
"When did you demons start loving the spotlight, huh?" she asked.
The demon rose slowly and its voice rumbled low with something that might have been admiration.
"You… are not like the others... I am Graig. What is your name?"
Rhonda raised her fist and pointed it directly at its chest. "Rhonda."
"Alright Rhonda, I shall do you the honor of fighting you with fists only. To make it… fair."
The demon's blades retracted, reshaping into fists.
Rhonda smirked, rolling her shoulders. "Then let's not waste time.."
They blurred at the same time, fists met fists in an explosion that shredded the air. The block convulsed under the pressure.
Rhonda's punches landed like cannons, each one ringing with brutal force. Graig swung back, its flesh-steps making it blur in and out of view, closing distance in an instant.
Graig swung wide, his fist cleaving air. Rhonda ducked under it, her uppercut ripping into his ribs with a crunch. The demon staggered, snarling.
He retaliated instantly, stepping into her guard. Rhonda crossed her arms, blocking but the force cracked the ground beneath her. She slid back three meters, boots digging furrows through the pavement.
She grinned, wiped the blood off her chin and lunged again.
They crashed through the block. Buildings groaned and collapsed as their fight tore through them.
Graig flesh-stepped above her, his fist descending like a hammer. Rhonda leapt up to meet him, their fists colliding midair with a deafening crack. Both dropped back to the ground, landing hard.
Then they blurred again.
Graig swung low, aiming for her legs but Rhonda vaulted over his arm, twisting midair. She spun, heel whipping across his jaw... snapping his head to the side. Bone cracked audibly, he staggered, spat black blood and came back with a roaring haymaker.
She caught it.
Her hand clamped around his fist. Graig's eyes widened a fraction before her other fist slammed into his face.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Each punch crunched deeper, splitting his flesh, bending his neck at impossible angles. On the last one, he stumbled back.
"You… fight like a beast."
Rhonda spat blood at his feet. "And you're starting to bore me."
He roared, lunging and both fists swinging in a blur of strikes. She met him head-on, fists colliding. It was relentless... violence distilled into pure rhythm.
And every structure nearby had either collapsed or was hanging by a thread. The world around them was nothing but ruin and dust.
Rhonda's fists carried power honed through years of breaking demons piece by piece. Graig was strong but he was bleeding now, she was tearing across his regenerated body. His flesh could heal but not fast enough to keep up.
She overwhelmed him.
Graig swung down with both fists, aiming to crush her. Rhonda caught the blow mid-swing, her arms trembling from the force but she twisted and flung the monster over her shoulder. Its body smashed into the ground with a quake.
It snarled, trying to rise...
...but her boot was already in its face. The stomp shattered the ground beneath its skull.
Rhonda leapt back, giving it space.
"WHAT'S WRONG, DEMON? GETTING TIRED OF THE SPOTLIGHT?!"
Graig slowly rose, knees buckling. Rhonda lunged again, fists coming like a meteor. His arms were slower now, his defense collapsing under the onslaught... she caught him with a blow to the chest that cratered him into the ground.
Graig lay there, his breathing ragged. Blood pooled, seeping into the shattered concrete. His eyes flickered up at her and realization dawning for the first time.
This woman… was going to kill him.
Rhonda stepped forward, her shadow falling over him. She raised her fist ready to end it.
Suddenly, a spike erupted from the ground.
Her instincts screamed. And she twisted just enough to avoid being impaled through the core but the spike still tore across her waist, slicing deep.
Rhonda stumbled back, her hand clamped over the wound.
Graig coughed black ichor, forcing himself to one knee. And his grin returned, mockingly.