The Revive Crystal held tightly in Hel's hand shattered as she crashed into the Temple's back wall. As consciousness reasserted itself, she felt a momentary pang at the loss of such a priceless artefact, but - well - if you weren't going to play with all your toys when going toe-to-toe with an Advanced Class, then they should be given to another little girl who would appreciate them . . .

Ah, still a little concussion floating around here somewhere . . .

Shaking her head, then regretting it, Hel dragged herself to her feet and chugged down the strongest Health Potion she possessed. Lowe had given her a bunch of pasties that he swore were better Consumables than anything she had ever taken in battle, but, well, old habits died hard. A lifetime of assuming people were trying to poison you was the sort of instinct that became somewhat hard-wired.

Feeling a little more together, she had a quick glance around, which confirmed that Tenia and Charl were down. Not 'down down', but not 'give us a minute boss, we'll have your back shortly down'.

And that was fair enough.

The had more than done her bit in slowing this fucking monster down, and Charl . . . well, he had earned a little shut-eye. It was pretty much Tactics 101 that you didn't throw your meat shield at something that could eat him in one bite, and she had appreciated the loyalty the big man had shown in being up for running chin-first into Mr Law again. Speaking of which . . .

It didn't take her long to spot her target; he was already at the Portal Stones and squaring up with a . With a smile, Hel noted that it was the one who seemed to have taken quite a shine to Lowe. She could dig that: for whatever reason, something about that human punching bag engendered protective instincts.

That smile swiftly fell away as Mr Law straight-up murdered a bunch of people whose only crime was standing in an orderly queue, waiting their turn for the stones. Was that Life Leach that bastard had just used?

'Fucking hell', Hel breathed and started powering up a few of her own more exotic talents.

Their plan for Mr Law had been predicated on the notion he was keen to fly under the radar. None of Hel's squad had any illusions they could take him down - not even Charl in full berserker-blindness - but they were operating under the assumption that if they were irritating enough, with enough people watching, Mr Law might just decide to call it a day and wait for a more opportune moment. The dust of desiccated remains wafting across the floor of the Temple suggested that might have been a slightly erroneous idea.

Hel was just preparing to throw everything she had at the man when she realised something fairly interesting.

Despite the undoubted puissance of Mr Law, the had not been reduced to a smear on the flagstones. In fact, as she watched the fastest fight she had ever seen, he appeared to be more than holding his own.

*

Sweating for the first time in years, Bright triggered Kinetic Blast and unleashed a torrent of energy to push the Warder backwards. The air around him crackled as invisible forces converged, launching a wave of raw power. The stone floor of the Temple tore up in a jagged line as the force travelled forward, but Latham stood his ground, simply raising his hand to form a shimmering barrier before him, absorbing the brunt of the attack. Bright's assault dissipated harmlessly, leaving Latham unscathed.

"Fuck's sake," Bright muttered, sending a whip of the same Skill around him in a wide arc, knocking the other converging on his position off their feet. They seemed susceptible enough to what he was throwing out, so what the fuck was this big guy bringing to the party?

As if he needed telling, every warning Skill Bright possessed was trilling loudly as Latham surged forward, his massive form moving with surprising speed, sword arcing down in a blow faster than anything a man of his Level should have been able to achieve.

Bright sidestepped, a blur of motion, and countered with a punch infused with Heavy Hands. Latham took the blow right on the chin, shaking his head as he absorbed the impact, the strike's power rippling harmlessly across his face like a gentle wave.

Bright danced back, eyes narrowing. The Build was impressive, clearly designed to withstand and mitigate damage while having decent offensive capabilities. Bright rechecked the Warder's Level and frowned again: Level ?? covered a multitude of sins - especially within the grounds of the Celestial Temple - but there were limits to what those who were Rare Classed should be able to achieve. Even if this guy had mini-maxed every possible option, he still shouldn't be able to show this sort of moxy.

Bright rolled his wrists, pinging out a few A.O.E attacks via Kinetic Blast to knock the other Warders staggering to their feet back to the floor. This wasn’t going to be a quick one-and-done. It would require a bit more finesse and cunning, a chess game played with lethal pieces.

And all the time, Lowe was already on the First Floor.

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That thought sparking him into haste, Bright summoned a field of Temporal Distortion: time slowed around the two combatants, the world becoming a sluggish tableau. Then, moving with all of his Class-empowered speed, he struck at the from multiple angles, hundreds of fists fracturing free from all manner of planes of existence, each thrown by an alternate version of Bright.

This was about as much of a 'finishing move' as Bright ever was required to use; however, although the majority of the blows hit their mark, leaving terrible damage visible on Latham's body and armour, the big man just tanked them and moved to launch his own attack.

Latham's sword blazed with Divine Flame, the swing creating a wave of purifying energy that was triply boosted by being activated within the aura of the Celestial Temple. In something approaching alarm - when was the last time he had felt that emotion! - Bright conjured a shield of Dark Matter, absorbing the brunt of the assault and reflecting it at one of the alternate Brights, who burned up with a scream of indignation.

"Sorry! Survival of the fittest, right now," Bright thought to . . . himself, staggering as the force of Latham's attack pushed the core version of him backwards. His feet skidded across the ground, carving deep trenches in the Temple floor as he sought to find purchase.

As diverting as this was proving, this . . . scrap was not what Bright was here to do. His employers were already going to question the level of collateral damage he had brought to bear. At the very least, he needed to get on with completing his mission.

Draining a significant portion of his remaining Mana, Bright summoned a storm of Spectral Blades. The ethereal weapons of those he had previously vanquished in battle converged on Latham, slicing through his armour, even as it flared with protective runes.

Bright gawped as the big man took the damage, then continued to move forward through the assault with grim determination, each step bringing him closer to Bright.

"What the fuck are you!" Bright shouted at the Warder, triggering Elemental Fury. Flames roared to life around him, the floor beneath them both turning to molten slag. Bright directed the inferno towards Latham.

In response, Divine Light shimmered around the Warder, the flames parting around him like water around a rock. He then charged forward through the inferno and swung his sword straight at Bright's head, who barely had time to raise a barrier of his own, the impact sending shockwaves through his body. He staggered back, his suit singed and smoking.

Breathing heavily, Bright's mind raced. He needed this to be over. Now. Crushing a Mana Stone, he felt his expended power reassert itself, eyes glowing as he tapped into the fabric of reality itself. The air around Latham solidified, bending to Bright's will as he prepared an attack that would, at the very least, cause all sorts of uncomfortable questions about the legality of such methods.

But, right now, Bright could not have cared less.

Latham winced, planting his feet and raising his sword high. The blade blazed as Bright unleashed his attack, a concentrated beam of Reality Rend that would tear the Warder out of existence. Should the technique hit, everything Latham had ever said or done would no longer have occurred. Every aspect of his being would be ripped free, leaving threads of Fate hanging across the reality gap, which would become the man's life.

It was a staggeringly overpowered Skill to use on this plane of reality, but Bright was pissed.

The attack collided with Latham’s sword, the two forces clashing in a blinding explosion of light and sound. The ground shook, the air vibrating with the intensity of their struggle. Bright's eyes widened at the resistance and pushed harder, his mind straining, every ounce of his will focused on breaking through. The Warder’s face was a mask of concentration, resisting the colossal impulse to blink out of existence.

Moments felt like hours as they remained locked in their struggle. The rip in reality crackled and sparked, tearing at the Temple's foundations, creating shockwaves radiating outwards throughout Soar.

Finally, with a final, desperate surge, Bright managed to break the stalemate. His beam of energy flared, pushing Latham out of time. It wasn’t a permanent erasure, but it was enough. Into that space, Bright poured everything he had into Latham's soul.

In response, Latham . . . roared, a sound unlike anything Bright had ever heard in his life, and he swept his blade down to cleave Bright’s beam in two, shattering the attack and sending a backlash of energy towards its creator.

Bright was thrown back, his body hitting the floor and sliding through a group of fallen Warders with bone-jarring force. He lay there, gasping for breath, his vision swimming.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, with a groan, Bright forced himself to his feet. Latham did the same, using his sword as a crutch. They stood there, facing each other, the Portal Stone still pulsing behind Latham, still out of Bright’s reach.

Bright adjusted his tie and straightened his suit; he couldn’t help but offer a grudging nod of respect to Latham.

A card appeared in his hand, and he flicked it towards the big man. "I don't know what the fuck you are, but if you ever get tired of kissing godly arse, I can probably find you some work."

Latham watched the white square drop to the ground, then jutted his chin upwards. "We done here?"

Bright smiled broadly back. "For now." He started to vanish, his mouth being the last bit of him to disappear. "I look forward to Round Two on . . . shall we say, more neutral ground? Take care."

And then he was gone.

*

Hel rushed forward, literally dousing the in the strongest Health Potions she had in her inventory. She hadn't been able to follow the confrontation, which, in and of itself, was terrifying.

The fact the big man was still standing - albeit clearly one puff of wind away from collapse - was one of the most staggering things she had ever witnessed. And Hel had seen some shit.

Latham had activated some Heal Skill of his own and was chugging a veritable vat of Mana Potions of his own as she reached his side. "That was ... epic!" Hel said, awkwardly aware she sounded like the worst fan girl in the world.

Latham looked at her, eyes showing every sign of being within an inch of being zeroed and knowing it, and then turned and staggered for the portal. "You think that was impressive? Wait until you see what I've planned for an encore."

Hel moved to follow him, slipping one of his oozing, lacerated arms over her shoulder to provide some stability to his staggering. "Which is?"

"I'm going to persuade Lowe he's looking at all of this the wrong way."