Cerberus HQ, Main Grounds: 936, May 14th, Monday, 11:30 AM.
Loki’s back bounced off the wall in one of HQ’s buildings—fissuring the concrete at impact. The daemon took the opportunity to continue his assault against the stunned knight, battering him repeatedly with one punch after the other—sinking Loki’s body deeper into the concrete.
“Gh!” the knight snapped out of the pain and managed to block one of the exile’s attacks—stopping his fist with his palm.
Continuing with his free hand, the daemon thrusted his arm forward against Loki’s face. Reacting quickly, the knight barely managed to move his head out of harm’s way at the last second—feeling his cheek being sliced open by the sharp wind emanating from the attack.
With his hands planted on the wall behind him, Loki lifted his lower body all the way up to his chest—delivering a powerful kick against the daemon’s chest, hurling him a great distance away. The exile soared across the battlefield while Loki chased after him in a high-speed chase—materializing his twin azure blades in both hands.
“Heh, nothing but trash.” the knight smirked as he slinged his swords towards the daemon.
Both blades flew past their target from both sides, the daemon planted his feet on the ground and slid away—raising a trail of dust on his path before coming to a stop. Lifting his head forward towards his opponent, the exile fixed his eyes on the empty battlefield—noticing Loki had disappeared from his field of view.
“Now you are mine,” the knight’s cocky voice stated from behind the daemon.
With a swift thrust of his swords, Loki pierced through the back of his foe in a surprise attack. Both blades bore a hole in the man’s higher and lower back, breaking out from the other side through his chest and abdomen. The daemon’s back slowly bent backwards as Loki twisted his swords further deep into his flesh, lifting him up in the air.
“How disappointing…” the knight frowned—tightening his grip on the swords. “Here I thought this was going to be fun.”
Plunging his blades further into the daemon’s skin, Loki lift him up above his head and brought his opponent back down with all his strength—slamming the exile’s body against the ground, and tearing a small crater underneath. The daemon bounced off a few inches in the air with the impact, flipping over to land with his face planted the dirt.
Loki huffed a quick chuckle, approaching the steaming and motionless body of his opponent. “All this wait… just to prove what I knew all along.” the knight’s lips curved into grin. “What a bad joke you are… exile.”
Lifting both arms above his head, Loki pointed the twin swords’ blades downwards against his fallen foe—forcing them down directly at his head and chest. Before their azure blades could penetrate his body however, the exile planted both hands on the ground to lift himself into a planking position. He rapidly pushed his legs forward to balance his body with just his hands, propelling both feet forward towards Loki’s shins.
“…!” the knight’s eyes shot open as his blades plunged on the dirt.
The daemon’s kick successfully connected with Loki’s shins—drawing a painful groan out of his mouth. His successful attack forced the knight’s feet off the ground and caused him to trip forward, which the exile responded with a quick spin as he crouched on the dirt—repositioning his body for a powerful uppercut, connecting with Loki’s abdomen. The ground shook at the sheer power behind the impact, bursting the ground below into a large crater that sunk the exile’s feet into the dirt.
“Guah!” Loki’s body soared in the air as blood poured from his mouth—the twin azure swords fell off his hands and disappeared within small azure particles of light.
To quench his violent nature, the daemon bent his knees slightly to jump upwards into a straight line—chasing behind the knight. His vision blurred, and his hearing disoriented with a ringing noise, Loki was incapable of defending himself as the exile grabbed him by the leg and pulled him back down towards the floor.
“Agh!” the man let out a painful scream as his back crashed against the dirt.
The banging sounds of Loki hitting the ground repeatedly echoed across the battlefield. Like a ruthless and fierce animal, the daemon trashed the knight’s body against the ground over and over. He pulled his leg in multiple directions as he slammed his opponent’s back on the dirt—lifting a screen of dust with every strike.
“Gh…” a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins suddenly snapped Loki back to his senses. He gritted his teeth while being trashed against the ground, releasing large amounts energy from his divine pathway. “I had enough!”
The knight’s artery network fired up with a strong azure light, flowing from within his heart and across every artery in his body. As he felt himself being flung down towards the ground, Loki vanished suddenly in the blink of an eye—leaving the daemon baffled as he stared silently at his empty hand.
“Fall,” the knight said from behind the exile—a slightly distorted tone enveloping his voice.
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An abrupt and powerful kick to the back suddenly catapulted the daemon away—sending him into a rolling spiral across the battlefield. Stopping himself from bumping any further, the exile buried his fingers on the dirt and stumbled back on his feet—regaining his balance.
“Now, I’ll make you scream.” Loki growled, his distorted voice growing stronger. His blue tunic lied in tatters, falling off his torso and revealing the knight’s muscular structure.
Materializing his twin swords once again, Loki clenched his fingers tightly on their grip—cracking his knuckles in the process. He pointed the tip of one blade towards the ground—lowering his arm in front of him. The other arm reeled backwards, elevated at shoulder length to his side as the blade pointed forward.
Vanishing from view in less than a second, Loki reemerged in front of the daemon just as fast as he disappeared—Beginning his assault with a powerful knee against his opponent’s chin, which staggered him instantly on impact. As the exile stumbled backwards, Loki quickly disappeared and reappeared behind him—continuing with a spinning kick that connected with the daemon’s back.
The stunned daemon ricochet forward off the knight’s attack, but Loki didn’t seize on his assault just yet—fading into azure particles and reemerging in front of him in an instant. With his adversary still shaken, the order’s champion tilted his body to the right while lifting his left leg from the ground, propelling it forward towards the exile’s ribs—burying the bridge of his foot on the man’s sides, and bending his upper body sideways.
The battle continued and the ground shook violently with every strike, the collision between the knight’s attacks against the exile’s body echoing across every inch of HQ. The daemon slid away with his feet planted on the ground—his upper body bent backwards as Loki’s fist sunk into his face. The knight leaped backwards with a flip after his attack, landing away on his feet to catch his breath. He panted heavily with his shoulders dropped, and both swords rested on his hands to his side.
The daemon buried his feet further on the dirt, stopping himself from being dragged away by the force of the knight’s punch. He snapped his upper half forward with a quick motion, his right arm dangled on his side, and his head dropped in front of him.
“Damn you…” Loki cursed between gritted teeth—his eyebrows scrunched into a downwards curve. “You are seriously… pissing me off.”
Suddenly and without a warning, the exile broke into a sprint towards the knight—rapidly cutting the distance between them. Loki clicked his tongue while gripping his swords tightly, keeping a close eye on the approaching opponent. The daemon leaped at him from afar, reeling his arm back and propelling it forward into a powerful punch. Loki crossed his swords in front of him, blocking the man’s fist with his blades.
Deflecting the attack of his foe with a quick motion—which sprung the exile’s arm backwards—the knight planted his foot on his adversary’s chest, and applied enough pressure to hurl him a great distance away. The twin swords he wielded glowed intensely in his hands, absorbing more energy from within Loki’s artery network. The daemon landed back on its feet, witnessing the strong light emanating from the knight’s blades.
“Goodbye,” Loki said—his voice still distorted by the energy within pathway.
He reeled both arms backwards over his left shoulder, propelling them back forward towards his opponent. Having gathered an extreme amount of energy, the swords discharged a massive ray of azure light forward. Its radiating and smoldering heat consumed the air around it, splitting the ground in half across the battlefield, and devouring everything in its path.
Unable to react in time, the daemon was caught up in the attack instantly—being pushed back slowly by the force of the azure ray.
Republic of Kaldstein, Kaldstein City: 936, May 14th, Monday, 11:30 AM.
At a temporary checkpoint in Kaldstein’s capital, the authorities—aided by Cerberus officers—led all survivors into the med bay for further care and inspection. The small tents were already brimming with patients awaiting treatment, with the few that could still walk being escorted away back to the city.
Yeon inspected the place carefully, counting heads and keeping track of every survivor that arrived at the checkpoint. One last truck suddenly arrived as she kept making notes in her tablet, watching as two familiar faces hop out of the vehicle.
“Miss Yeon!” Aria called out—jogging her way towards her.
“Looks like we made it…” Xun quickly followed, hopping out from the passenger’s seat.
Yeon sighed with relief, writing both their names in her notes. “I’m glad to see you both safe, things are… quite complicated at the moment.”
“We are here to help, ma’am!” Aria expressed with a smile while saluting.
Xun chimed in the conversation, informing Yeon about a pair of survivors they found during their escape. “They were severely injured when we found them,” she said. “They don’t seem to be from Cerberus either, but we brought them back with us.”
Accompanied by the Heretic unit, Yeon strode her way towards the truck with her tablet in hand. She opened the door in the back, and noticed a pair of youths resting peacefully on the seats. After their short encounter with Loki at the belfry, both Maulik and Gal were found unconscious by Xun and Aria—who retreated under Sebastian’s command before the exile’s appearance.
“I see…” Yeon tipped the bridge on her glasses. “Bring them in for medical care, and if you can—”
A massive earthquake suddenly hit the region, violently shaking the ground underneath them. People screamed in a panic all around the area, Yeon smacked her shoulder against the truck to lean on the vehicle. Aria flopped backwards and fell on her butt, while Xun bent her knees slightly—her small stature assisting her in keeping a stable balance. The tremor stopped suddenly after a few short seconds, allowing the refugees to catch their breath.
“Ouch…” Aria rubbed her butt while picking herself up. “What the hell was that?”
“Another earthquake?” Xun wondered. “What is going on?”
Yeon regained her composure, fixing her clothes before proceeding. “We should be alright… let’s bring this two for medical attention.”
“Stay safe major…” Aria whispered with scrunched brows.
In the distance—blocked from view by the walls of Kaldstein’s capital, the powerful ray of azure created by Loki’s attack had reaped a gigantic hole in the borders of HQ—its fissured remains emanating scorching steam from within the fissured concrete. The ground was ripped open with a massive path of ruin, displaying the destructive trajectory of the azure ray.
END OF CHAPTER