Fadala, with Akachi, fled with the Circle of Sages in their wake.

General Luena and Nyatui stayed behind. The former sage felt his muscles tighten and his veins throb under his skin. He shaped his Axé spear. His enemy was a member of the Phalanx. He would be a tough nut to crack. Despite this, he hadn't felt so excited since his previous fight against the Savage Unit.

Luena remained haughty. She watched the spear pointed at her. Its cutting edge glinted with the beams of the sunlight that plunged into the crater, casting light into the dense gloom. Slowly, as if they were dancing, the two began to walk sideways. They stopped suddenly, and after a short pause, they accelerated.

"You're pretty fast for a grandpa."

"Didn't they ever teach you to respect your elders, General Luena?"

The man jumped on her. He struck her with the tip of his spear. The impact threw dust and debris in all directions. When the dust cleared, there was a crater in the ground, but Luena wasn't there. Her speed allowed her to escape in time. Nyatui decided he wouldn't miss a second time.

She ran towards her and landed a horizontal blow on her opponent's belly. Luena stepped back. Deftly, she continued to dodge her opponent's series of attacks. When she realized that he wasn't going to back down, she jumped back. She kicked him in the stomach, he tensed his abdominal muscles, and the sole of the general's foot did no damage.

The soldier was thrown backwards. He hit a huge block of concrete. It crumbled like a grain of sugar. Luena was about to crash into a wall of rubble, but she spread her arms and legs, emitted an electromagnetic pulse and braked in time to protect herself.

The general bent forward, and from her back two compartments opened. From them emerged single-wire diamond-shaped blades of various sizes and obsidian color. A purplish electrical discharge connected them at the top and center. They moved like the wings of a bird. With a flutter of her wings, she launched a gust of wind towards her opponent.

"I confess I had no interest in you, you old fool. But since you won't be long, I'll go after Akachi, if his former companions haven't captured him."

"You've got everything wrong. Companions? Believe me, they were never my companions. If they were, they wouldn't have allowed people like you to rise to power. As for delaying or not, shouldn't the hostess entertain the visitor?"

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General Luena flew with speed, now twice as fast. Her pair of wings emitted an energy pulse that left a brief trail of purple photon particles behind. It was too late for Nyatui to realize that her enemy's claw-like hand had pierced her stomach.

Blood gushed from the wound. He felt her fingers pinching his insides. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. The ex-sage man smiled. With one of his hands, he grabbed her left arm. He raised the spear with his other hand as if he were an executioner ready to cut off his victim's head.

She attacked him with her free hand on his face, on his neck, on his chest. Nyatui remained impassive. The spear came down. A huge echo filled the air. A dense cloud of Axé particles dispersed into the atmosphere. When it subsided, the former sage realized that his opponent had protected herself with a pair of wings.

Luena nimbly jumped up, flapped her wings to propel herself backwards and drove both feet into Nyatui's face. Away from him, the woman began to gasp. Her arm was useless. She could no longer rely on it. Her systems detected a spiritual presence rising above Nyatui.

The old medium's Ori Guardian seemed irritated with him. It came to his ear and whispered:

"You're taking too long to kill that bitch."

"Don't coddle me! Old people have the right to have fun too. Queen Dalji who wields the spear that destroys armies. Lady of war who has extended her dominion over the four cardinal points…"

The former sage began the process of Firming the spirit. Realizing this, Luena launched the metallic feathers of her wings at the enemy. The energized lozenges were like guided swords, a kind of drone connected to their owner's nervous system. They acted in complete partnership with the general.

Before Nyatui could complete the Oriki, she launched her blades at him. However, he quickly defended himself against all the wings sent to hurt him. The lozenges stuck in the atmosphere and kept vibrating.

"… show your mastery to those who have not witnessed your greatness! Confirm spirit."

Nyatui embodied Ilu Nla's most powerful amazon. Her deep voice took on a high-pitched, melodious echo.

"Don't interrupt the medium's Oriki, the ancestors will be offended."

"We of the Phalanx don't respect this ancestry thing. We're looking to the glorious future, not the past that binds us to horror and death."

Luena could no longer keep up with Nyatui's onslaught. Only by instinct was she able to gather her laminated wings and protect herself from the worst. The former sage grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. The blades pierced his entire left arm. He felt that pain tearing through his tissues. Nyatui expressed no pain.

Luena grabbed her opponent's wrist, but she didn't seem strong enough to get rid of it.

Look at her, Mrs. Dalji. She's been proud of you all this time. Happy as a child who gets a new toy. Actually, I was the one playing with her.

You and your dramatic mania for extending the lives of your opponents. The enemy is not to be trifled with, he is someone who must be killed, quickly and efficiently.

What fun is it to end a fight before it starts?

Nyatui held the spear like a javelin thrower. He took careful aim at his opponent's head. General Luena's eyes widened. A drop of cold sweat dripped from her temples, one of her few organic parts.

Now she understood his ruse. The spearman is a medium-range fighter. He can fight through stocks or slashes. The spear is excellent at attacking, defending and counter-attacking, the last two being the most suitable in a fight. It's not common for spearmen to risk hand-to-hand combat with grabs and submissions.

As the soldier's mobility was greater than her opponent's, restricting her movements in this way ensured a greater chance of a hit. This was more than just a combat tactic, it showed her fear of her opponent. At the last moment, Luena smiled as she saw the spear approach her face.