Sahaad and his squad continued to weave their way through the thick jungle, the damp air clinging to their armor. Every step was taken with precision, each of them scanning the surroundings with enhanced senses as they moved deeper into rebel territory. The oppressive canopy above filtered the red-tinted light of the dying star, casting eerie shadows over the path.

The information about the B-class Awakened weighed heavily on Sahaad's mind, but he made sure to keep his unease buried deep. He couldn't afford to show doubt. Not here. Not now.

Ahead, the jungle began to thin out, revealing a small village nestled between towering trees. Unlike the rebel encampments they had dealt with earlier, this one was different. There were soldiers, yes—armed rebels moving around with outdated weaponry—but there were also civilians. Families. Men, women, and children living in makeshift homes, cooking meals, and going about their day as if the war weren't closing in around them.

Sahaad crouched low behind a large tree, signaling for his squad to stop. The others moved in next to him, their eyes fixed on the village ahead.

"Well, this complicates things," Zara muttered, glancing at the civilians. "They're mixed in with the soldiers. We can't just go in guns blazing."

Sahaad nodded, his mind already working through the possibilities. "No, we can't. We need to lure out the Awakened. They'll know we're here soon enough."

"Think they'll come out if we hit their people hard enough?" Ji asked, his voice low and calm, but his hands were twitching at the thought of action.

"Maybe," Sahaad replied, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the village. "But we don't know what kind of control they have over their abilities. We need them isolated, away from civilians, before we engage. If we're lucky, they'll come to us when we pick off the right target."

"What if you guys are unlucky?", a gruff voice sounded out right next to Sahaad.

"Then we adapt", Sahaad answered. "Just like we were tho…"

Sahaad suddenly whirled to the direction of the voice, realizing he did not recognize it. He pulled out his phase-blade at lightning speed, however he only struck empty air. The others, including the Red Tails, quickly pulled out their weapons ready to engage whatever had spoke.

Suddenly, the voice sounded from right behind him.

"Looking for me?"

Sahaad spun around, but it was too late. A man was already there, standing mere inches away, seemingly having appeared out of thin air. He was tall, cloaked in worn combat gear, a long straw hat covered most of his face, with the exception of a small stubble from his chin. Sahaad could feel the energy radiating from them, an oppressive force that seemed to warp the space around them.

The squad reacted immediately, weapons raised and blades drawn, but the man made no move to attack. They simply stood there, a small, unsettling smile playing on their lips. Suddenly, the man took off his hat, bowing at the soldiers.

"Hello, mi name is Ajani Gordon", he was a dark-skinned man with long dreads, his eyes emanating a purple glow as he stared at them. He spoke with an accent, one that Sahaad recognized to be of Caribbean dialect from his previous life.

"I apologize, mi not believe in translator, so I learn yur tongue. Round here, I run tings. Leave now and ya won't get hurt".

"Surrender, Ajani Gordon. You are an escaped convict of Leviathan 1 you have no right to order us", one of the Red Tails ordered, his gun still trained on Ajani.

Cassiel's eyes flicked over to the Praetorian, and his smirk deepened. "Big talk, eh? From a little federation puppet who cyan even blink before I crush yuh."

He took a step closer, the energy around him pulsing more intensely now. "See, mi different. Dem Praetorians tink dey bad? Nah. Dey neva face sumting like me. An' when mi done wid yuh? Federation will tink twice before comin' back."

Ajani's smirk widened as the squad unleashed a storm of firepower, the jungle erupting with the cacophony of plasma bursts, light beams, and bullets. The villagers' terrified screams echoed through the trees, the once-quiet village thrown into chaos as families scattered into the dense underbrush to escape the slaughter.

Yet, amidst the carnage, Ajani remained eerily calm, his body moving with fluid grace. He weaved between the volleys of plasma and light as if he were performing a dance, the sheer speed of his movements impossible for the squad's enhanced senses to keep up with. Each round that should have torn through him instead cut through nothing but air, missing him by a fraction of a second.

"Mi thought yuh were supposed to be someting special!" Ajani taunted, his voice somehow carrying over the roar of weapons fire. "But dis? Dis is child's play."

Zara gritted her teeth as she emptied her rifle, frustration building with every missed shot. Ji, crouched beside her, focused on tracking Cassiel's movements, but even his advanced targeting systems couldn't predict the Awakened unpredictable maneuvers. Nate attempted to fight in melee, but the Awakened simply sidestepped the imperator and knocked him down.

Sahaad, his eyes locked on Ajani, felt the unease gnawing at him.

Ajani blurred again, darting closer with each movement, closing the distance between him and the squad. He was untouchable, his body moving faster than their bullets, faster than their eyes could fully register. The jungle around them was a blur of motion, punctuated by the glow of weapons fire that lit the dark canopy overhead.

Suddenly, Ajani disappeared from view entirely, reappearing behind Sahaad in an instant, his voice a low whisper in his ear. "Yuh Federation still tink yuh can win dis?"

Sahaad spun around, bringing his weapon to bear, but it was too late. Ajani was gone again, a phantom in the jungle, his laughter echoing hauntingly as he continued to toy with them.

"Come now, mi can do dis all day. Yuh still tink yuh ready for war wit me?" Ajani's voice taunted them from everywhere and nowhere at once, keeping the squad on edge as they fired blindly into the jungle, their weapons lighting up the night but hitting nothing.

Suddenly, with a swift motion that was almost too fast to see, Cassiel darted towards a massive jungle tree. In one powerful strike, his hand cleaved through the trunk as if it were made of paper. The colossal tree groaned and splintered before crashing down to the forest floor with a thunderous crack.

"Yuh see," Cassiel called out, grinning as he grabbed the felled tree with one hand. "Mi don't even need fancy weapons like yuh lot. Nature gi' mi all di tools mi need."

The squad stared, momentarily frozen in confusion. Even with their enhanced abilities, they had never seen anything like it—an Awakened using raw physical strength to turn something so primitive into a weapon.

"What the hell?" Ji muttered, his weapon still raised but uncertainty creeping into his voice. "He's going to fight us with a tree?"

Zara glanced at Sahaad, her eyes narrowing. "What's the play here?"

Sahaad's mind raced, replaying the moment over and over. The precision. The speed. The way Cassiel handled the tree like a trained soldier would wield a sword. It wasn't just brute force—there was technique behind it. He knew Awakened can manifest unique techniques based on their personalities and defeat entire armies with them.

"He's not just fast and strong," Sahaad muttered under his breath, loud enough for the squad to hear. "He's using his technique… something more. That tree is more than just a blunt object to him."

Cassiel swung the massive trunk like it weighed nothing, its path cutting through the air with deadly speed. The squad scattered, barely dodging as the massive log smashed into the ground, sending debris flying everywhere. The force of the blow left a deep crater where it struck, the impact reverberating through the jungle.

As the squad unleashed another storm of firepower—plasma rounds, bullets, and even searing beams of light destroying the foliage before them—Ajanil swung the massive tree trunk with astonishing speed. Instead of shattering the trunk or stopping its momentum, the volleys of fire simply bounced off it, reflecting back towards the squad. Each plasma bolt and light beam ricocheted off the wood as if it were a mirror, turning their own firepower against them.

"What the—!" Ji cursed, diving to the side as a plasma round zipped past him, narrowly missing his head.

"Move!" Sahaad shouted, ducking and rolling out of the path of another reflected beam. The squad scattered, dodging the very rounds they had just fired. Sahaad could hear the crackle of energy in the air as more of their shots were deflected, turning the battlefield into a deadly chaos of ricocheting projectiles.

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Sia, moving with her enhanced agility, leapt over a volley of plasma that had been deflected her way. Her eyes widened as she watched Ajani continue to swing the trunk with effortless precision, using it like a shield and a weapon all at once.

"How's he doing that?" she yelled, landing near Sahaad.

Sahaad's mind raced as he analyzed the scene. The tree wasn't just some simple log. Ajani was channeling something through it—his technique. "Stop firing!", he screamed, and the volleys stopped.

"This is insane!" Nate growled as he barely dodged a volley of bullets coming his way. "How are we supposed to fight this guy?"

"We need to disrupt his rhythm!" Sahaad shouted, trying to maintain his composure as chaos swirled around them. "He's controlling the energy around that tree—if we can break his control, we might have a chance!"

"But how?" Ji called out, ducking behind a boulder as more beams of light ricocheted off the trunk and seared through the foliage behind him.

Sahaad's mind raced. There had to be a way to break Ajani's control. If they could just create enough of a disruption, force him to react instead of staying on the offensive…

"Focus your fire on him!" Sahaad ordered, his voice filled with urgency. "He can not move his weapon fast enough to react to every single thing we fire!"

The squad hesitated for a brief moment, still dodging the deadly barrage of reflected fire, but they trusted Sahaad's instincts. With a nod, they regrouped, taking quick positions behind cover.

"On my mark," Sahaad said, raising his weapon, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. This was their chance.

"Now!" he shouted.

In unison, the squad unleashed another hail of fire—this time, aimed precisely at Ajani,. Plasma, bullets, and light beams hammered Ajani from all sides. The energy reflected back at them, but the squad was ready this time, dodging and weaving through the deadly storm. Their objective wasn't to hit Ajani, but to overwhelm his magic, and destroy his weapon.

Ajanil's grin faltered for a moment as the sheer volume of energy pouring into the trunk increased. His swings became more erratic, and for the first time, Sahaad saw him struggle to maintain control.

"Keep going!" Sahaad shouted. "We're getting to him!"

Ajani roared in frustration, swinging the tree wildly as he tried to deflect the barrage of energy. But the squad's relentless attack was taking its toll. The air crackled with raw power, the reflected shots becoming more unstable and less controlled.

With one final, desperate swing, Cassiel slammed the tree into the ground, creating a shockwave that rippled through the jungle. The squad was thrown back by the force of the impact, but they had accomplished their goal. The tree, not being able to handle his technique as well as the energy, splintered in Ajani's grip, pieces of wood flying in all directions.

Ajani staggered back, his smirk now replaced with a look of surprise.

Sahaad seized the moment. "Now! Take him down!"

Sahaad charged forward, his sword gleaming as he closed the distance between himself and Ajani. The Awakened's eyes locked onto him, and for a split second, Sahaad thought he had the advantage. He swung his blade with the precision of a seasoned warrior, aiming directly for Ajani's chest.

But in the blink of an eye, Ajani sidestepped with the grace of a predator, his movements too fast for Sahaad to track. With a flick of his wrist, Ajani grabbed the remaining tattered chunks of the massive tree trunk, hurling them with immense force. Sahaad barely registered the attack before the fragments of the trunk slammed into him, sending him flying across the battlefield.

The impact was devastating.

Sahaad's body crashed through the dense jungle foliage, the world spinning around him in a blur of colors and pain. His enhanced body absorbed much of the impact, but the sheer force of the blow rattled him to his core. He hit the ground hard, the air knocked from his lungs, and for a moment, everything went dark.

The sounds of battle became distant echoes, the voices of his squad muffled as if he were submerged underwater. His vision blurred, and a sharp pain radiated through his ribs. Sahaad struggled to remain conscious, his mind fighting to stay tethered to reality. But the world around him faded into blackness.

Moments later, he blinked back into awareness, his head throbbing as his senses gradually returned. His visor displayed a diagnostic, confirming no major injuries but showing multiple damage alerts from the impact. Groaning, he pushed himself to his feet, shaking off the haze.

Sahaad blinked, his head pounding as he sat up and took in his surroundings. The dense jungle was gone, replaced by a vast, rocky shore stretching out before him. The crash had sent him far—way too far. He glanced to his left and saw the remnants of a cracked mountain where his momentum had finally been stopped. Waves crashed against the shore, their rhythmic sound doing little to soothe the throbbing pain in his ribs.

Pulling himself to his feet, Sahaad activated his HUD, bringing up the mini-map. His heart sank as he saw the readout—he was hundreds of kilometers away from the rest of the squad, far outside the forest where the battle with Ajani was still raging.

"I'm basically in another country", Sahaad laughed staring his mini-map.

Krick! Trum!

His broken ribs quickly fixed themselves, his enhancements afforded him a massive regenerative prowess.

"Sahaad! Sahaad, do you copy?" Zara's voice came through, edged with concern.

He tapped his comm, wincing as he stretched his limbs. "Yeah… I'm here. Took a hit, but I'm good."

"Stay down if you need to!" Ji's voice came next. "Ajani's still here, and he's not letting up!"

Sahaad sighed after hearing the information. It was his fault, he had completely underestimated the Awakened, too drunk on his own power.

Alright," he muttered to himself, opening his map for a more detailed look. Five thousand kilometers to cover. His enhanced body would make the trek faster, but the rough terrain and lack of clear paths meant it wouldn't be easy. He checked his suit's power reserves, waiting a few seconds for it to charge under the sunlight.

Sahaad soared through the sky, the wind tearing at him as he pushed his jetpack to its limits. The world below became a blur of greenery and devastation, the once-pristine jungle now marred by the battle raging beneath him. Lines of destruction cut through the forest, trees split and scorched, obviously the path he had taken to reach where he had landed. He had traveled far, but now, at mach speeds, he was closing the distance to the battlefield in seconds.

His enhanced body strained against the force, but his genetically modified physiology and advanced armor easily absorbed the immense pressure. The roaring wind was deafening, but his focus remained unshaken. He could see the source of the destruction far ahead—the clearing where his squad was still fighting Ajani, the Awakened.

As he neared, the scene below became clearer. The Imperators were darting between massive trees, their movements quick and agile, but even from the sky, Sahaad could see they were struggling. Plasma and energy bursts lit up the battlefield, but Ajani was moving like a blur, dodging and deflecting everything thrown at him. The massive tree trunk that he wielded earlier was now gone, but it didn't matter—he didn't need it. His raw power and speed alone made him a near-invincible force.

The Red Tails were knocked down, their armor heavily damaged. Even the Imperator were all bloody and bruised, but their regeneration closed up wounds as soon as they came.

His jetpack engines roared louder as he dived toward the battlefield, his HUD alerting him that he was entering the combat zone. His heart pounded in his chest as the ground rushed up toward him, the battlefield expanding before him like a war-torn arena.

Ajani dodged the dive bomb, forming a large crater in the ground when Sahaad landed.

Zara barely had time to acknowledge him as she ducked under a swipe from Ajani, her blades flashing in the dim light as she countered with a swift strike to his midsection. It should have been a lethal blow, but Cassiel's body shimmered, and he disappeared just before the attack connected, reappearing several meters away with a mocking grin on his face.

"You're back, eh? Good. Maybe now this will be fun," Ajani's voice rang out, a strange mix of amusement and menace.

Sahaad grit his teeth. This ends now.

As he closed in, he switched the settings on his weapons—energy swords powered up, plasma rifles fully charged. With a sudden burst of speed, he dove straight into the fight, targeting Ajani from above.

The Awakened barely glanced up before Sahaad's plasma rounds rained down, cutting through the air like streaks of white-hot light. Ajani dodged most of them, but Sahaad's barrage forced him on the defensive, keeping him from teleporting freely.

Sahaad landed hard, the impact sending a shockwave through the ground as he braced himself, both energy swords humming in his hands. He stood between Ajani and his squad, his eyes locked on the Awakened.

Cassiel chuckled, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ah, the hero returns. Let's see what you've got, little soldier."

Without hesitation, Sahaad charged, his blades slicing through the air in a blur of light. Ajani moved to meet him head-on, his speed matching Sahaad's blow for blow. For a moment, the jungle echoed with the sound of clashing weapons, each strike reverberating through the trees.

But Sahaad wasn't fighting alone this time. Zara and Ji flanked Ajani, their movements coordinated and precise. Ji launched a volley of plasma from the left while Zara darted in from the right, her blade aiming for a weak spot in Ajani's defenses. Ajani was fast, but even he couldn't handle all three of them at once. Sia, Nate, and Kato supported them from the back raining down hell fire.

For a split second, Sahaad saw an opening—Ajani's attention was divided. Now's the chance.

With a roar, Sahaad unleashed a devastating slash with both blades, aiming directly for Ajani's core. But just as the blades were about to connect, Cassiel shimmered again—teleporting away in a flash of light, reappearing several meters behind them, unharmed.

"You think you can beat me with numbers?" Cassiel sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You don't even know what you're dealing with."

Sahaad, breathing heavily from the exertion, glared at him, his muscles tensed. "We'll see about that."

Ring!

Suddenly, a ringing sound came from Ajani's clothes. He pulled out his data tablet, ignoring the soldiers. Suddenly his eyes lit up, and he put away his tablet. Without a moment's hesitation, Ajani disappeared.

Sahaad, suddenly found himself reeling forward, He stared back at the squad, and saw all of them lurch forward in pain clutching their stomachs.

"You lot are impressive, I'll give you that," Ajani said, his accent laced with amusement. "Didn't expect you to hold up this long. But truth be told... I've been goin' easy on you."

Zara tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes narrowing. "Easy?"

Ajani nodded, stepping back, his form blurring slightly as he stood there. "Yeah, easy. No fun crushin' you without a little challenge. You've got potential, I'll give you that. So I'll let you finish your little mission today. But don't think this is over, Imperators." He pointed a finger at Sahaad, his eyes gleaming. "I'll be back. And next time, I won't hold back."

Sahaad glared at him, his fists clenched, trying to gauge whether Ajani was bluffing or if he really was holding back during their fight. Before anyone could respond, Sia acted on instinct. Without hesitation, she raised her pistol, aiming directly at Ajani's head, and fired off a round.

But it was too late.

Before the energy blast could even leave the barrel, Ajani blurred out of existence. The shot hit nothing but empty space as the air seemed to shimmer where he had been standing. A low, mocking laugh echoed through the clearing, his voice lingering like the wind.

"Next time, soldiers..." His voice trailed off as he vanished completely, the jungle silent once more.

Sahaad exhaled slowly, adrenaline still coursing through his veins, his mind racing. They had survived, but only because Ajani had let them.

The Imperators slowly got up as their wounds healed.

Zara sheathed her sword, shaking her head in frustration. "He's toying with us. We'll have to deal with him soon enough."

Sahaad nodded, his gaze fixed on the spot where Ajani had disappeared. "We will. But for now, we will finish the mission."