Remedy and Serene were only a few meters from the border of the central zone when a sharp whistle tore through the air.
Serene snapped her head around. For the first time, her eyes weren't entirely neutral—they were slightly focused on the tip of an energy arrow, vibrating just centimeters from her face—shattered in a burst of light by the hammer Remedy had interposed at lightning speed.
Swish–swish–swish!
With his other hand, Remedy pulled Serene against him in a protective motion, spinning his hammer like a living shield. The weapon, moving in a smooth, flawless circle, intercepted and reduced to luminous dust the three other arrows converging in a deadly triangulation.
When the last spark faded, he lowered his hammer and pointed it like an accusing finger toward a dense clump of trees.
— Come out. Now, Jett. His voice was low, charged with a barely restrained fury.
Jett emerged from the shadows, followed by Leo and Marcus, a wide smile on his lips belied by the coldness of his gaze.
— Look who we have here, Remedy! I told you, didn't I? When we meet, I won't hold back.
—And now you're at the top of the rankings too, added Leo, crossing his fiery arms.
— Must be thanks to Serene's support, said Marcus, analytical as ever.
Remedy didn't respond. He kept his head down, hands gripping the hammer's handle.
— What's wrong, Remedy? Scared? Jett taunted. Want to run? Don't tell me you're not a man anymore?
Remedy finally lifted his head. His eyes met Jett's.
— Tell me, Jett… he began, his voice strangely calm but sharp as glass. That arrow… the one aimed at Serene's head… that was meant to kill, wasn't it?
A heavy silence fell over the clearing. Jett's smile hardened into a vicious grin.
— Yes. It certainly was. What, did you think I came here for a friendly chat?
Remedy closed his eyes briefly. A long, deep exhale escaped him, as if releasing his last hesitations.
— You want me to… Serene began, sensing the change in him.
He raised a hand to stop her, without looking.
— No. Let me handle this.
He then made his hammer vanish in a pixelated flash. Taking a few steps toward the trio, he cracked his fingers and rolled his shoulders. A terrifying calm radiated from him.
— All right.
Let's fight.
Facing him, Leo opened his palms. Bright flames erupted, engulfing his forearms up to his shoulders in a crackling cloak. Beside him, air twisted around Marcus's outstretched arm, forming a silent blade of wind.
And behind them, Jett had already drawn his bow of pure energy, a concentrated, deadly light arrow aimed directly at Remedy's heart.
— Couldn't ask for better! Jett shouted, his smile pure challenge.
The confrontation was inevitable.
---
The tension in the air was palpable.
A dead leaf, carried by a nonexistent breeze, slowly twirled between the two groups.
It touched the ground.
The Signal.
Remedy and Leo, the two physical fighters, leapt toward each other like hawks.
Midway, two energy arrows shot from Leo's back—a perfectly coordinated shot by Jett—and flew diagonally toward Remedy.
Swish! Swish!
Remedy twisted his torso in a brutal left–right dance, narrowly avoiding the projectiles. They sank into the ground behind him with a furious hiss.
Then the two men collided, forearm against forearm, with a dull crash.
Leo immediately followed with a series of direct punches, rapid like pistons. Remedy blocked with the backs of his hands, the impacts ringing like dry snaps.
Whoosh!
A compact jet of flames burst from Leo's palm, aiming at Remedy's face. He recoiled, heat burning his lashes. Leo exploited the opening: a low, vicious kick attempted to sweep his footing.
Remedy fell… but turned the fall into a move. He planted his hands and performed an acrobatic roll, landing back on his feet a few meters away.
Barely standing, a new threat: a swarm of energy arrows, divided and guided, rushed at him like a storm.
Boom.
He summoned his hammer and spun it in front of him, shattering the projectiles into harmless sparks.
Then his senses screamed.
Danger. A blade of wind, invisible and silent, was already a meter from his hip.
CLANG!
He slammed his hammer down at the last second, blocking the pure air edge that made the steel vibrate. The force of the impact pushed him back a step.
He straightened, breath short.
— Phew…
Sweat beaded at his temple.
Handling all three of them at once was going to be complicated.
Behind him, Serene watched the battle, expressionless, with no intention to intervene.
— Already out of breath? Jett taunted from his firing position. We haven't even really started yet!
Remedy ignored the provocation. His mind raced, calculating angles, distances, probabilities.
I need to separate them and take them one by one.
His gaze quickly swept Jett and Marcus, too confident in their distance.
I can neutralize them temporarily using system functions… (remote storage) to create an opening.
During that pause, I need to put Leo out of action. Fast. But to do it right, they need to be inside my Zone. Right now, they're too far.
As he refined his plan, Jett gave him no respite. Another volley of energy arrows rained down, forcing a grueling defensive dance.
Swish-bam! Swish-bam!
He stepped back, dodged, and shattered the projectiles with dry hammer strikes—but lost ground.
— Come on, move it, Remedy! Jett pressed, sadistic.
Then a smirk crossed Remedy's face despite the pressure.
I know what I have to do.
He feigned a retreat, took three long strides to gain speed, and with a roar from deep within his gut, hurled his giant hammer like a colossal javelin.
The weapon flew in a straight line, warping the air as it passed, with speed and force impossible for its mass. It aimed not at one man, but at the space between Jett and Marcus, forcing both to dive sideways in a hurried, clumsy dodge.
— What…?! How can he throw that so fast?! Leo exclaimed, stunned, his attention briefly stolen by his friends' chaotic retreat.
That split second of distraction was all Remedy needed.
When Leo looked forward again, Remedy was already there. He had leapt during the throw, using the hammer's trajectory as perfect cover.
His hand open, surrounded by green sparks.
Remedy's broad smile was now right in front, filled with icy determination.
— Now… it's just you and me.
---
Chapter 12 — End.