KIMBERLEY VS LEAH

Kimberley and Leah circled each other in the moonlit forest, revolvers drawn, the tension between them thick as smoke. Shadows danced between the trees, and the faint rustling of leaves was the only sound accompanying their deadly standoff.

The annoying thing about Fiend hosts… Kimberley mused. They can use their vibration to its fullest. Speed, strength, even their bullets—everything is enhanced.

We're both third ranks, but she's got the edge in reaction time, power… even her bullets move faster. But there's one thing she can't cheat…

Her fingers slid discreetly into her sling bag.

Experience.

Leah's sharp eyes flicked to the bag, catching the subtle movement. But before she could react, Kimberley fired.

A bullet slammed into the ground beside her own feet, the sudden shot breaking the night's stillness. Leah flinched, instinct taking over as she fired back in response.

Kimberley shifted, twisting her body just enough to let the bullet zip past her, missing its mark. In the same breath, she hurled three small spheres from her bag into the air.

Then—three gunshots.

Each bullet struck a flashball mid-flight, triggering a violent burst of light. A massive flashbang exploded across the clearing, consuming the forest in a blinding white glow.

Leah cursed, throwing an arm over her eyes. The sharp sting of sudden brightness burned into her vision, forcing her to stagger back. By the time the light faded, Kimberley was gone.

Leah's eyes darted around, her teeth clenched in frustration.

"Where's that bitch hiding?" she muttered under her breath.

Silence settled over the battlefield like a heavy blanket, thick and suffocating. The game had begun—a deadly hunt where the prize for winning was simple.

Survival.

A gunshot shattered the silence like a whip crack, slicing through the eerie hush of the forest. The game had begun.

Leah twisted her body instinctively, dodging the incoming bullet with the stolen reflexes coursing through her veins. But before she could exhale, the bullet struck a half-cut tree and ricocheted toward her. Her breath hitched—there was no time to think, only move. She threw herself to the ground, rolling across the dirt just as the bullet zipped past, barely missing her.

As the tension settled back into the air, Leah rose to her feet, brushing dust off her clothes, her senses now on high alert. Kimberley's laughter echoed from somewhere in the darkness.

"Well done, Leah! You've passed Round One! Ready to move on?"

Leah forced a smirk. "Fighting from the shadows? Didn't expect any bravery from a Dove host anyway."

Kimberley giggled, the sound light yet taunting. "And I wouldn't expect that level of irony coming from anyone but a Fiend. Round Two."

Before Leah could respond, three thunderous gunshots rang out. The bullets struck three different cut trees, but instead of lodging into the bark, they rebounded, launching into a chaotic pattern around her.

Her muscles tensed as the projectiles ricocheted from trunk to trunk, moving unpredictably like a pinball machine. The air around her sang with the sound of bullets slicing through the night.

"Fuck's sake," she muttered, irritation bubbling beneath the surface.

Kimberley's voice rang out once more, teasing. "What's wrong? You seem annoyed."

Leah exhaled sharply. "Sneaky bitch."

She pressed her hands together, fingers forming a steeple. "Benedi: 360."

A rush of clarity flooded her senses as her field of vision expanded. Every angle became visible at once, her awareness stretching beyond the natural limits of human sight.

The world slowed.

A bullet ricocheted off another, altering its trajectory at the last second. Leah ducked, narrowly avoiding the incoming round.

Another whistled toward her. She sprang to the side, her movements crisp, sharp, stolen.

The final bullet screamed toward her at an impossible angle. Leah pivoted, twisting her body just enough for it to sail past.

Silence settled once more.

Then, the slow, deliberate sound of clapping.

Kimberley's voice dripped with amusement. "Impressive. You really did steal everything about her, didn't you?"

Leah barely heard the words, her mind racing. She's got me in a shitty situation. Using the trees like a hamster cage to trap me in.

Her jaw tightened. I need a plan…

Leah's body stiffened, her thoughts racing as realization struck. Her eyes flicked to the side, locking onto Alko's unmoving form sprawled across the ground. A plan began to form in the depths of her mind, a spark of opportunity igniting within her.

Hidden behind one of the severed tree trunks, Kimberley exhaled beneath her mask, her revolver still trailing faint wisps of smoke.

"I'm getting weak," she admitted to herself. "Using vibration multiplication and rebound like this is taking its toll. I need to finish this."

"Hey!"

Leah's voice rang out through the darkened forest, sharp and commanding. She raised her revolver skyward, her stance unwavering.

"You have ten seconds to come out of your little hiding spot," she threatened, her voice laced with menace.

She tilted her head slightly toward Alko's still form.

"Or I'll unleash a fucking bullet storm all over this forest—take you out along with your precious sleeping friend over there."

But before her ultimatum could fully settle, a deafening gunshot cracked through the air.

Leah barely had time to process before the world around her exploded into chaos once more. Bullets whizzed through the space around her—six of them this time—ricocheting in erratic patterns. She clenched her jaw, lowering her gun as she pivoted in place, her frustration mounting.

Then, from the darkness, slow and deliberate footsteps echoed.

Kimberley emerged, her silhouette illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the canopy.

"Miss me?"

Leah's expression hardened, her gaze locking onto Kimberley with a quiet, seething fury.

Leah's expression twisted in irritation.

"Screw you."

Kimberley giggled, the sound light and teasing, yet laced with something darker.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Leah exhaled sharply, keeping her eyes trained on the masked woman before her.

"What do you even want? Who are you?"

Kimberley tilted her head slightly, the moonlight catching the surface of her mask.

"Nothing much. Just a Dove host protecting God's world. Isn't that what we're here for?"

Leah let out a short chuckle, shaking her head.

"You expect me to believe that's the full story?" She took a step forward. "Earlier, you sounded like you hated the Dove Corporation more than I do. And your hatred for us… it feels off. Almost like it's bigger than just a usual Fiend versus Dove battle."

Kimberley's stance didn't shift, but there was a slight pause before she spoke again.

"Nothing is bigger than the threat you pose to the kingdom of God." Her voice was steady, unwavering. "As a Dove host, my job is to make sure God's name prevails. So when I see a Fiend or anything that allies themselves with it…"

She pressed her revolver against the side of her own head and mimicked the sound of a gunshot, the gesture casual yet unsettling.

Leah observed her carefully, a knowing smile creeping across her lips.

"No… it's something else. Something… personal. Am I wrong?"

Kimberley didn't answer. Her fingers slowly curled tighter around the handle of her gun.

Leah's smirk deepened.

"If I had to guess, I would say…"

Kimberley's grip trembled, ever so slightly.

Leah's voice lowered, taunting.

"Your parents are dead."

Kimberley's revolver snapped up.

"Rebound Division."

The bullets surrounding Leah suddenly fractured, multiplying upon each ricochet. Her eyes widened as dozens became sixty, their erratic movements turning the air around her into a frenzied whirlwind of destruction.

"What the hell?" she muttered, her head darting side to side, tracking the storm of miniature projectiles.

Kimberley took a step forward, her voice laced with cold venom.

"What are you gonna do now, Fiend?"

Leah's eyes flickered, scanning the chaos. The ricocheting bullets, the maze of splintered trees, the barely visible figure of Alko in the distance.

This isn't gonna cut it anymore…

She exhaled sharply and dropped her stolen revolver, the metal clattering against the dirt.

Her gaze snapped toward Alko again, her vision hindered by the spiralling bullets.

She poised her hands, fingers twitching as she prepared to clasp them together.

"Worth testing my luck…"

Kimberley's voice rang out, sharp and final.

"Die."

All sixty bullets shifted at once, the chaotic storm suddenly honing in on Leah with terrifying precision. It was as if she had become a human magnet, every bullet streaking toward her at impossible speeds.

The impact struck in a deafening explosion.

A massive cloud of dust and smoke erupted, swallowing Leah whole. The cut trees around them trembled from the force. Kimberley remained still, her mask catching the faint glow of the moonlight as she watched the scene unfold.

The haze began to settle.

And there, lying motionless amid the wreckage, was Leah.

Kimberley exhaled, then began to walk toward her fallen opponent, each step deliberate, final.

Kimberley's voice rang out, cold and triumphant.

"One down."

Her confident stride faltered, a sharp gasp escaping her lips.

Her gaze fixed on the wire extending from Leah's bloodied graspHer eyes followed its path with growing unease, tracing it back to the source.

Alko, its sharp tip piercing into his bicep. 

Kimberley's breath caught, her attention snapping back to Leah. Despite the blood and the wounds, Leah's presence radiated something else now—defiance, a new vitality.

With a low chuckle, Leah pushed herself to her feet. Her hands formed a steeple.

"Benedi: Hangover Cure."

Kimberley watched in disbelief as Leah's deep gashes began to heal, the blood fading, the skin knitting back together.

Kimberley's mask hid her shock, but the tremble in her stance betrayed her.

"What the fuck…?"

Leah's grin was palpable.

"Thanks for the assist, Alko."