Dante drew his blade in a flash, the black steel gleaming like a predator's fang under the dim light. In one swift motion, he vanished, reappearing behind the nearest soldier with a burst of displaced air. His sword carved through flesh and armor alike, and before the first body hit the ground, he Blinked again.
Each teleport was a death sentence. He weaved through the circle of heavily armed men like a phantom, his blade a blur of ruthless precision. With every reappearance, four soldiers fell, clutching gushing wounds, their eyes wide with disbelief. The subway tunnel echoed with the clang of weapons, the wet slice of steel meeting flesh, and the guttural cries of unsuspecting dying men.
Blood sprayed across Dante's face as he materialized in front of a hulking soldier. The man's eyes bulged with shock as he glanced down at the gash across his chest. His trembling fingers pressed against the wound, coming away slick and crimson. He dropped to his knees, gasping, the agony draining the strength from his body. His head tilted back in a silent scream before he crumpled, slamming face-first into the ground with a sickening thud.
In his dying breath, the soldier's eyes locked onto Thalia, confusion twisting his face. Blood bubbled from his lips as he whispered, "How?" His body crumpled, hitting the ground like a felled tree, armor clanging against the cold stone.
Dante stood amidst the carnage, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. His blade dripped with blood, pooling at his feet, and the few soldiers still standing hesitated, their resolve crumbling as they realized they were facing death itself.
The rest of the men staggered back from Dante, terror etched into their expressions. Dante tilted his head up, allowing his dreads to hang free. His hazel brown eyes burned like embers, and he wiped his blade clean on a fallen enemy's black armored pants, the movement slow, deliberate.
From the sidelines, Alexander leaned casually against a crate, slipping a hand into the pocket of his black tailored suit. A sinister smile curled across his face.
"Haha, I was waiting for you to blow your lid. Give the command, captain." His voice dripped with anticipation, fingers brushing over the bag of marbles glistening in his pocket like a predator barely restraining itself.
Dante exhaled, shoulders rolling back as he steadied his grip on his black steel katana. Monica's voice echoed in his mind — her only condition for the mission: Keep a low profile. He clenched his jaw. The promise of paperwork upon return was the only leash on his bloodlust.
"Looks like that horrid woman is going to bury me in reports," Dante muttered, his voice laced with dark amusement. "Hey, cubs — ten kills each. No exceptions."
Tyler grinned, pulling his relic, Viyaja Parshuna, from his waistband. The silver shaft expanded, twisting into a full-sized bow with an audible snap. Theo dropped into a low stance, muscles coiling like springs, while Thalia summoned a gust of wind, lifting herself a few inches off the ground, her hair billowing around her like a war goddess descending into battle.
Dante lowered his head, and the air around him grew heavy. His eyes ignited with a royal purple glow, and a pulse of raw killing intent rippled outward like a tidal wave. The nearest thugs involuntarily stepped back, weapons shaking in their hands.
"Apex Predators," Dante growled, his voice reverberating through the tunnel. "It's time to hunt. Don't leave a single piece of prey alive."
The soldiers, despite their terror, rallied at the sound of a guttural voice echoing from the rear.
"Lord Heinrich!" a hooded figure dressed in all black called out.
Heinrich — bloated and sweating — stepped behind his cart to gain some distance from the battle. His eyes glued to Valerie like a vulture circling its next meal. He licked his cracked lips, leering.
"Kill them all," Heinrich barked, his voice slick with cruelty. "Except for the redhead and the girl. They'll make lovely gifts for the twins."
"Yes, understood!" the black hooded man replied, turning to face Dante. His red aura spiked, thick and oppressive like a storm cloud ready to burst. Thalia's instincts screamed danger. The sword on his hip pulsed with malevolence — a relic, no doubt, but far more powerful than anything she'd felt before.
She scanned the crowd and counted three other powerful relics and with immense auras. Each the owners of the relics wore a different colored robe and hood. Stronger than Riyaal's, but not as suffocating as the black-hooded figure. Still, the odds were stacking against them.
The soldiers charged, boots pounding against the earth. Tyler didn't wait for them to close the gap. He loosed a volley of astral arrows with lightning precision. Each shot found its mark — piercing throats, slipping through visors, embedding into chests with sickening thuds.
Those who survived the barrage rushed in, but Theo met them like a living fortress. His shield slammed into attackers with bone-crushing force, sending them flying like ragdolls. He disarmed one soldier, grabbed him by the ankle, and swung him into three others, knocking them down like bowling pins.
Theo was making a great tank and shield alternating between dropping his great shield down and tossing the guard into each other. Tyler was aiming primarily for vital points. His accuracy was terrifying. His training must have really improved his concentration considering he was only able to fire a single arrow every 30-45 seconds due to the mental strain. They both improved in the couple of weeks they spent training. Despite their brutal efficiency, the guards adapted. Riot shields locked together, forming a moving wall that dulled Tyler's arrows. More and more enemies slipped through, slowly overwhelming Theo's defenses. Thalia glanced at Dante, hoping for backup — but he was motionless. Blood still dripped from his blade, pooling at his feet. His eyes locked onto the black-hooded leader in a silent war of wills.
She recognized the stance. They were calculating, running endless simulations in their minds. Every possible move, every counter-strike — anticipating the fight before it even began.
With no help coming from Dante, Thalia turned her attention to the vice-captain and Valerie. What she saw made her pause.
Alexander danced through three elite guards, dodging their strikes with an almost playful grace. The three Guards each wore different color robes. The blue-hooded assailant swung jagged machetes so fast they blurred, but Alexander wove through the attacks like smoke, giggling between dodges.
"Your form is exquisite," Alexander cooed, sidestepping another flurry. "But your footwork? Sloppy."
The red-hooded woman spewed fire from her mouth, waves of flame scorching the ground. Alexander barely avoided the inferno, laughing as he flipped over her.
"A fire-breathing dragon! Delightful. I must know if it's bloodline or relic. Will you let me dissect you?"
The yellow-hooded man swung an old pickaxe, the kind used in the mines of District City 2. Thalia figured it must be a relic because each strike left craters in the earth. Alexander dodged by mere inches, eyes gleaming with manic curiosity.
Thalia swallowed. She'd seen that face before — the look Alexander got when discovering something new. He wasn't just fighting. He was studying them.
The three of them all had such unique and odd powers just seeing them was making Thalia curious to know the full extent of their capabilities. So she knew if she was feeling that way then Vice Captain Alexander was having so much fun.
What she learned from training with him was that he had a thirst for knowledge that could never be quenched. Honestly, she thought of it as more of a kink then an interest for the Vice Captain. Whenever she would show him one of her abilities or a new technique she was working on. He would make that same creepy face he was making now.
A look of pure pleasure followed by that same school girl giggle.
He would always make jokes about how he would do her the honor of dissecting her in the unfortunate case of her death. Or rather Thalia hoped he was joking especially when he would talk about experimenting with her abilities. Thalia would always decline his offer whenever he would mention taking her to his lab to run some tests. She wasn't exactly sure if she would walk out the same as she walked into that place the way he talked about it.
Meanwhile, Valerie had Heinrich's pinned against his fruit stand, his head dangling over the edge as he screamed. She wasn't even fighting him it looked like he was just toying with him
Despite the chaos, Thalia couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of reassurance. They were surrounded. Outnumbered. The enemy had relics, aura users, and sheer brute force on their side.
And yet…
It didn't feel like the Apex Predators were losing.
It felt more like they were playing with their food.