The air between them snapped with heat as the two hybrids closed in.

Firelight cracked off their weapons, the camp around them already in chaos. Arden flexed his fingers, fire gathering along his veins as if eager to be released.

"So," he said with a half-smile, "two against one. Guess you learned the last time you ran, huh?"

The bandit leader sneered, flame rolling over his gauntlets. "Keep laughing. You'd be ash when we're done."

The lean hybrid beside him didn't waste words. He flicked a device on his belt and smoke hissed out, clouding the air.

Arden's eyes narrowed. "Tricks already? Fine." His aura pulsed, burning the haze away in a rush of heat.

Then the fight began.

The leader swung first, his gauntlets erupting in fiery arcs. Arden caught the blow on his forearm, Core Pressure Mantle turning the impact into a dull quake that rippled through the dirt.

He didn't even flinch.

His counter came fast, a backhand coated in Ignition Tremor Chain, the third strike cracking the ground and sending a shockwave through both hybrids.

The lean one rolled with it, fast, his serrated arms gleaming in the firelight. He lunged low, blades angling for Arden's ribs. Arden blinked out with Phase Step, reappearing behind him with fire already coiled.

"Got you—"

But the hybrid twisted, one of his devices sparking, releasing a static pulse that staggered Arden mid-strike. His blade just grazed flesh instead of tearing it open.

"Tch. Clever rat," Arden muttered.

They came at him together, pressing with speed and weight. The bandit leader's gauntlets hammered down in a storm of strikes, while the other slashed across the openings, every move timed to corner him.

Arden's Gale Vein Flow sharpened his movements, letting him slip through gaps with fluid grace.

Each dodge left behind streaks of ash from Ash Trail, the ground burning where he'd been.

When he ducked under a gauntlet and rolled aside, the lean hybrid chased into the ash and hissed as his boots smoked.

"You're quick," the leader spat, "but not quick enough!"

Flames converged into a spear in his hand and he hurled it, the weapon exploding into a shockwave on impact. The camp shuddered, tents snapping, bandits stumbling from the force.

Arden didn't slow. His body blurred with Infernic Drift, afterimages scattering across the firelight, three Ardens weaving around their attacks. The hybrids struck, only to carve through shadows. The real Arden appeared between them, palm flaring.

Tremor Vein.

BOOM.

The shockwave hurled both men back, ripping a trench into the dirt.

"Your coordination isn't bad," Arden called, dusting his hand. "But you'll need more than cheap synergy to stand against me."

The lean hybrid's eyes flared with venom. His aura rippled, serpentine energy coiling off his limbs. His strikes blurred faster now, the poison dripping through his flow. Every graze left sparks of toxic resonance trying to cling to Arden.

But Arden's Toxic Vein Resonance resisted it, the venom sliding off like smoke against stone. He grinned. "Guess you picked the wrong prey."

The hybrid roared and charged again.

The battle's shockwaves tore the camp apart. Wagons shook, cages rattled, men stumbled and ran. Fire spread across the tents, and even the beasts howled in panic.

Every clash between Arden and the hybrids thundered like a drumbeat, heat and smoke punching the night sky.

Rael, Nyra, and Zephyra could see the storm raging from their own fights.

Even bandits paused, staring at the flashes of fire, the shockwaves ripping through their camp.

Arden was fighting like a calamity, and he wasn't slowing.

The lean hybrid tried to flank again, this time using his devices to blink sideways with bursts of smoke and sparks.

Arden's Hunter's Intuition read him before he even moved.

He blinked in with Steptrace Mirage, his blade of flame already waiting.

Shhk!

The cut ripped across the hybrid's chest. He staggered, his device sparking uselessly.

Arden followed up, his aura swelling. Ignition Vein Surge doubled his speed, his attacks landing in a blur. The third strike detonated with a tremor, hurling the hybrid into the dirt.

The bandit leader rushed in to save him, but Arden pivoted, catching his gauntlets with bare hands, fire grinding against fire. Their auras screamed against each other, shockwaves bursting outward, scattering debris like leaves in a storm.

The ground cracked under their feet.

"You're strong," the leader spat through clenched teeth. "But you're just one man!"

Arden's grin widened, his aura spiking like a tide of fire. " Then one man is all it takes."

He pushed off, body glowing with Ember Loop Core, every strike feeding back energy into him.

He chained his movements together, flowing with Combat Flow Sense so sharp that each hybrid's intent was clear before it even formed.

The lean one tried one last desperate device, a shard that erupted in lightning, but Arden's Static Edge Bloom had already charged. His dodge triggered a lightning-cloaked counter, his next punch exploding against the hybrid's ribs with a numbing crack.

"Guh—!"

The man crumpled.

Arden didn't hesitate. He finished him with Veilstep Fang, fading into shadow and reappearing with a clean precision strike through his chest.

The hybrid stiffened, aura shattered, then collapsed lifeless.

The leader roared, his aura flaring red, fire spiraling from his gauntlets in a storm. "I'll kill you!"

"Too late," Arden said coldly.

Their final clash shook the ground. Arden used Aetherstride Ascension, his body bursting upward in a sudden aerial dash. He came down like a falling star, fire condensed in his palm. Lotusfang Aegis – Blooming Reversal.

The leader's storm hit the barrier, his flames swallowed whole. Arden's petals bloomed, then snapped inward, reflecting all that stolen energy back at him in a roaring blast.

BOOM!

The shockwave blasted across the camp.

Bandits dove for cover, the sound tearing through the night.

When the flames cleared, the leader knelt broken, blood streaming down his face.

Arden didn't wait. His palm ignited, and with one decisive strike, he burned through the man's chest. The body fell, lifeless.

Silence rippled across the battlefield.

Arden stood with both heads in hand, fire licking his shoulders, his aura still burning like a beacon. He raised them high, his gaze sweeping across the bandits.

"You saw what happened," he said, voice hard. "Stay, and join them. Run, and live."

The bandits fled. None were foolish enough to test him.

Arden dropped the heads to the dirt and turned. "Kill the beasts," he ordered his party flatly. "Take the herbs. We're moving before dawn."

His friends nodded, no questions asked.

For Arden, the fight was over. But he knew the ripples would spread. And he didn't care.

A/N:

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