"So much for being stealthy," Kai chuckled, dry amusement in his voice as he darted behind a stack of shipping containers. The ground beneath them still trembled from the shock of Nadya's entrance. They had tried to get her to hold back. Reasoning, threatening, even begging… none of it worked.

And so, just moments after they arrived at the port, Nadya had done exactly what they wanted to avoid.

With a manic grin and an eager battle cry, she launched herself into the air, twin streams of orange fire bursting from her palms. Her silhouette lit up the dark sky like a rogue firework, and before anyone could blink, explosive orbs rained down like hellfire upon the meeting between the Scalpel and the Golden Cross.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground quaked, metal shrieked, and debris shot out in all directions as two of her orbs exploded dangerously close to their targets.

The Scalpel, quicker than his dead-eyed demeanour suggested, reacted instantly. His lab coat flared behind him as he sprang backwards, avoiding the worst of the blasts with an almost inhuman sharpness. The two robed figures behind the Messiah scattered as well, fluidly moving to the sides in perfect synchronisation.

But the one who stood untouched, the eye of the storm, was the Messiah himself.

Bathed in the glow of his own radiance, he didn't move an inch. Instead, he simply exhaled, and from his body erupted a dome of golden light. It shimmered like liquid sunlight, distorting the very air around him. The explosions smashed into it, but the radiant shield dispersed the impact with a divine hum, protecting him entirely.

"Seems like we have some uninvited guests," he said, unfazed and almost bemused. His voice echoed across the port, regal and warm like the sun rising after a storm. "God tests his beloved soldiers, after all."

He remained exactly where he was, no panic or retaliation. Just calm, absolute faith and terrifying presence - glowing like a miniature sun surrounded by shadows.

But he wasn't the only one with backup.

Just as Kai's eyes adjusted from the blinding flash of light, his gaze snapped to the Scalpel. The man was calm, and it seemed as though he hadn't come alone either. Shadows stirred in the distance - silent, creeping presences that hadn't been there a moment ago.

Kai narrowed his eyes, a cold smile creeping onto his face.

'This is about to become a bloodbath.'

-

The Scalpel was a calculated man - cold, methodical, and always three steps ahead. That is, until he lost his cool.

Then he became something else entirely. Something feral. Something monstrous. A deranged mutant, just like the rest of them. Only with sharper tools and a more refined taste for carnage.

So, of course, when it came to meeting the so-called Messiah, there was no world in which he'd actually show up alone.

He had built his reputation with a surgeon's precision - by punishing his enemies in creative, unforgettable ways and meticulously orchestrating every step of his expansion. He didn't care for loud proclamations or grandstanding. That was for egomaniacs. He moved in silence, controlled from the shadows, and struck where it hurt most.

But now? With Dominique out of the picture?

The city was open. A half-dead animal begging to be dissected.

And Krane, no, The Scalpel, was already carving it up.

In a matter of hours, his operatives had begun swallowing up the remnants of the One-Eyed Serpent's territory. Businesses, smuggling routes, safe houses - it didn't matter. He didn't care much for the money. Influence, control, leverage… those were his vices. That and the more literal addictions he indulged in.

He would make the perfect replacement for Dominique. The Serpent had once been wrapped around the Golden Cross. But now? Now there would be no snake. Only a scalpel, gleaming and bloodstained, integrated into the symbol of the cult on their supply.

He'd be a fool not to consider the partnership.

But he'd be an even bigger fool to dive headfirst into a deal with a cult full of zealots who worshipped a lunatic who thought he was chosen by God.

So, he made sure to cover all his bases. At least a dozen operatives were scattered around the port, hidden in the shadows. A speedboat was parked at a secluded dock, engines already humming. Several cars and emergency escape routes were mapped out and ready to go.

'Never walk into a room you don't know how to leave.'

The Scalpel lived by that rule. Still, as the Messiah continued babbling about destiny, salvation, and "divine light," the doctor's patience was wearing thin.

He could feel it building again, that twisted itch beneath his skin. The urge to cut. To feel warm blood on his fingertips. To taste it.

It wasn't just an impulse anymore. It was a need. Like breathing. Like blinking.

Then it happened.

An unexpected burst of chaos exploded across the port as Nadya launched herself skyward in a storm of orange flame, announcing their presence with all the subtlety of a missile strike. She didn't seem to be alone either.

The Scalpel's cold gaze snapped toward the newcomers… and then past them.

One by one, his own hidden agents emerged from the shadows, startled and alert. This wasn't part of the plan.

'Impossible…No one should've known about this meet.'

He ran a tight operation. Everything had been compartmentalised, filtered, and firewalled. For word of this gathering to leak… there had to be a traitor. Someone in his organisation had spilt the beans. That realisation sent a surge of rage through him.

'I'm going to cut them open slowly,' he thought, a shiver of anticipation riding his spine. 'Layer by layer. Vein by vein. Whoever betrayed me will suffer.'

But despite the breach, despite the unpredictability of what had just begun…

He smiled.

A small, subtle twitch of the lips. Matched with his dark, hollow eyes, it made for a terrifying sight - less man, more sadistic ghost wrapped in skin.

'Seems I'm going to get to quench my thirst after all,' he mused, fingers brushing over the cold scalpel tucked into his coat.

And what better opponent than a man who wielded blood?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.