Any second now, one of them will move. Whoever moves... will most certainly die. The assassin surprised me by moving in tandem with the brawler slumped against the wall. It was an unspoken synchronization. The assassin lunged forward with his knife. The brawler, despite his apparent exhaustion, roared and swung a massive punch toward me. The punch was slow. Too slow. I twisted my hand in a smooth arc, redirecting the brawler’s momentum. His fist veered off course, colliding perfectly into the path of the assassin’s blade. A sickening sound of metal slicing flesh filled the room. The brawler froze. He stared at his hand now impaled by a vicious stab wound. I ducked low. In one fluid motion, I shifted my weight and thrust my leg upward in a powerful front kick. The force sent the brawler hurtling upward, his body crashing against the ceiling. The knife in his hand and the poison that had coated it were now out of the equation.

The assassin unsheathed another knife. This one was plain and without his poison. He came at me in a flurry. Each thrust was aimed for my vitals—heart, throat, lungs. His technique.. more refined than Jack's. I stepped back, my feet gliding effortlessly across the floor as I evaded each attack. I swiped the blade to my left, parrying the strike with my forearm. The force of his attack barely made me flinch. A smirk tugged at my lips. "This is all you've got?" I taunted, my voice calm. The assassin's eyes narrowed. He flipped the knife over his hand, changing his stance. His body leaned forward, weight balanced on the ball of his back foot. His heel lifted slightly off the ground—a clear indicator of a skilled duelist. This assassin here knows his stuff.

In a great burst of speed, he dashed toward me, thrusting his knife like a rapier. The sudden change in tempo almost caught me off guard. Almost. With a quick shift of my stance, I countered with an uppercut. My knuckles slammed into his chin, the impact snapping his head back violently. His fingers remained deft. Using just his index finger, he flicked the blade toward my face. The knife spun in the air, its edge flashing menacingly as it closed the distance. My eyes widened as I raised my hand in a precise spear-hand strike. The edge of my palm sliced through the knife mid-flight, splitting it clean in half. The fragments clattered to the floor at my feet, harmless now.

The brawler came sprawling down from the ceiling, his weight crashing against the wooden planks below. The brittle wood groaned under the impact, splintering into jagged shards as his bulk forced it to give way. He twisted mid-fall, his body spinning like a wheel, and extended his heel in a ferocious axe kick aimed straight for my head. I caught his descending heel in my palm with a sharp clap. My joints bent instinctively, absorbing the power of his attack. I tightened my grip on his ankle. With a sharp pivot of my hips, I swung him through the air and slammed him onto the ground. The impact was devastating. The dull crack of his spine breaking echoed through the room, and his body went momentarily limp. He lay sprawled on his back, dangerously close to Caleb’s unconscious form. Despite his injuries, the brawler’s fighting spirit refused to wane. With a guttural roar, he swung his fist at me, even from his crippled, disadvantageous position. I reacted swiftly, raising my foot and deflecting the wild punch with a sharp tap of my sole. The desperation in his attack only made his movements more erratic. I bent down, my fingers curling into a rigid spear-hand as I delivered a precise slice across his chest. Blood welled from the deep gash, staining his torn clothing as he let out a strangled gasp. The pain became too much for him to bear. His body convulsed slightly before his eyes rolled back into his head. I straightened, my gaze snapping toward the remaining three.

It’s clear to me now—we stand no chance. My poison knife was gone, buried somewhere in the chaos. Thane lay sprawled out, unconscious. Kai—Kai might be dead. Ben was dead. And Jura? Jura was barely upright, his body battered and trembling, in no condition to fight. I stood frozen, Lilith leaned in close, her breath warm against my ear. Her words crushed me. "Buy me some time. I'm leaving." My mind was overcome by a wave of ecstasy, a foreign sensation that dulled my senses and chained my thoughts. It was as though I had ceased to be myself. My actions felt distant, my body a mere puppet to the intoxicating pull of her command.

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The Piercing Serpent, standing across from me, remained silent. He didn’t need to speak. This wasn’t the same man I had stopped from brawling with Hal in the tournament. The aura around him now was dark and unreadable. A serpent in every sense. We had overestimated ourselves—drastically. The poison I had so meticulously crafted over the past month, the one weapon that allowed us to even graze Demon Buddha, wouldn't work on this type of man. Jura followed orders. He hoisted Lilith over his shoulder. Blood dripped from his wounds, painting a trail as he stumbled out of the building. He knew what I knew. There was no winning here. And then, the Piercing Serpent vanished. Not with a rush of movement or a blinding blur, but in a way that left only a faint speck where he had once stood. It was as though the very air had swallowed him whole. My heart slammed against my ribs. I spun around, only to be greeted by a sight that froze my blood. Five fingers, curled, hovered no more than a millimeter from my skull. I couldn’t even see the strike.

It was over.

"I’m sorry, madam. They were too strong." I apologized. Lilith exuded an aura of calm. Her fingers trembled as she bit her nails—a subtle yet telling sign. "We need to hide." she snapped, her composure slipping with every word. "Hurry the hell up! Tarek is most likely dead by now... A voice, smooth and chillingly close, cut through the tension. "You’re right." My heart sank, and my body tensed. Too late. A heavy force smashed into my spine, sending agony exploding through my already broken body. My knees buckled, and I barely managed to keep my grip on Lilith, shielding her from the brunt of the impact. I slammed against the unforgiving concrete. My body dragged across the rough surface, skin scraping away with each painful inch. I refused to let go of her. No matter the pain, I wouldn’t allow her to suffer any of it.

I struggled to lift my head, only to see him—The Piercing Serpent. He stood there, calm and composed, his gaze piercing through me as if he were dissecting my very soul. He cracked his neck. "You run pretty fast for a big guy." he said, his tone almost amused. Pain coursed through every nerve, but I forced myself to rise. My knees wobbled, but I planted my foot firmly on the ground, clutching my battered body with one hand. "Run, Lilith..." I wheezed, barely able to form the words. "I’ll…" Lilith was already gone, her figure disappearing into the distance, quick and decisive. She didn’t need me to tell her twice. I raised my trembling left hand, positioning it in a shaky guard. My vision blurred as blood trickled into my eyes. I stared at The Piercing Serpent, mustering the last of my strength. "Give it your best shot." I challenged, my voice a hollow echo of defiance. He moved faster than I could see, blitzing forward. His fist drove into my stomach, the air rushing out of my lungs. "I don’t need to." he replied, pulling his hand back as I crumpled to the ground. My body refused to move. A faint smile crept across my face. I’d done enough. Lilith was quick on her feet—she’d escape.

She had to.

The Piercing Serpent casually placed his hands in his pockets. "Good work, soldiers. Hold her tightly." he said. I twisted to look behind me. Lilith was caught, her arms pinned in a vice-like bear hug by one of Sun’s soldiers. She writhed and kicked, her efforts futile. How? How were there still so many of them left? My eyes darted to the two figures in white uniforms standing nearby. Something about them didn’t add up. They weren’t part of the roster listed in the paperwork we had studied before this. "Go save the Demon Buddha!" The Piercing Serpent barked. "Three of you stay with me to interrogate and record information." The two men in white nodded, dashing toward the place where the Demon Buddha had fallen. I scoffed, spitting blood onto the ground. "He’s near death... he won’t survive!" The Piercing Serpent smiled. "His body defies understanding." he said with certainty. Lilith struggled. "Unhand me! I was a Flame!" she screamed.

The Piercing Serpent closed the distance, his hand shooting out to clutch her jaw with a cruel grip. He leaned in close, hateful. "Shut your mouth," he hissed. "you’re nothing to Sun now. Actually, you’re below that. Our worst enemy would get better treatment than you." Let... go of her! His hand snapped across her face. Lilith’s head jerked to the side, a red mark blooming on her cheek as her breath hitched. The Piercing Serpent’s cold, unwavering gaze bore into her. "Now," he said, his tone unrelenting, "answer my questions."