The Return of the Honey Badger

The clash began in a blur.

Luke surged toward Lancelot, fangs bared, while Justin exploded forward at Kane. The battle erupted with savage grace, martial arts refined by monstrous strength.

Luke's roundhouse kick came first, a brutal arc aimed at Lancelot's head. Lancelot raised his left arm, absorbing the blow, then retaliated with a swift kick of his own. Luke blocked, their limbs colliding with the sound of cracking leather and bone. Neither gave an inch. They stared at each other, locked in a fierce stalemate, predator to predator.

At the same time, Justin launched a flying knee toward Kane. Kane raised both arms to block, but the force sent him skidding backward, feet scraping across the tiles.

(That knee… so heavy… my arms… they're shaking.) Kane grimaced, eyes flicking to Lancelot. How is he keeping up with these monsters?

Justin didn't give him a moment to recover. He lunged again and unleashed a thunderous right haymaker. Kane tried to guard, but it was too late. The punch landed with a sickening crack, sending Kane flying. His body slammed into the ground, rolling and tumbling across the stone path. Blood spattered behind him like red petals. He reverted from his human awakened form mid-fall, unconscious before he stopped moving.

Justin looked down at his clenched fist, then at Kane's motionless body. "One punch… That's all it took? I expected more."

His gaze shifted to the other fight. Luke was starting to fall behind. Lancelot's counterattacks were gaining rhythm, each blow faster, heavier. Justin's eyes narrowed.

"So Lancelot's no fluke… I'll have to step in."

With a flash, he joined Luke. Two on one.

They attacked in tandem, raining down blows like a storm. Lancelot's arms moved with speed and precision, blocking, dodging, barely keeping up. But the tide was shifting.

Not far from the chaos, Julia knelt beside Raphael, who was still curled on the ground, praying hysterically.

"Raphael," she said softly, placing a hand on his back. "They say you're strong. You need to help Lancelot. And your brother… he's hurt."

But Raphael didn't move. Didn't respond. His lips still moved, whispering the Our Father again and again, trembling in the grass.

Lancelot, meanwhile, was slowing down. Sweat poured down his bruised face. His breathing became ragged.

(Damn it… One-on-one, I could've held out. But together… they're unstoppable.) He blocked a high kick from Justin, then twisted to catch a punch from Luke.

(If Joshua or Jack were here… No. These guys would've killed them.)

Blow after blow landed, Justin struck him with a hook to the ribs, then Luke swept his leg. A barrage of fists and kicks followed. Lancelot blocked what he could, but more and more began to slip through. Blood dripped from his nose, his mouth, cuts opened across his body. His vision blurred.

But he stayed on his feet.

Julia turned back to Raphael, now desperate. She grabbed his hair and yanked his face from the ground.

"Are you really going to let your brother and cousin die?!" she screamed.

Raphael's eyes widened.

He saw it now, Kane lying unconscious in a pool of blood. Lancelot getting battered, barely standing. His body trembling but refusing to fall. Julia's hand released his hair, but his eyes remained locked on the scene.

His breath hitched.

Flashbacks tore through him like lightning.

He was a child again, chasing bugs with Lancelot and Kane under the summer sun. Laughing. Dreaming.

"I want to find a woman I truly love," Lancelot had said once, while Athena peeked at him from behind a tree.

"I just wanna live free and have fun," Kane grinned, arms folded.

And Raphael… bright-eyed, innocent Raphael had shouted, "I wanna be the strongest knight in the world!"

They had laughed. Kane teased him. "A crybaby like you? Never."

Raphael had cried.

Lancelot had smacked Kane on the head.

Then they had all laughed. Even Athena, giggling behind her hiding spot.

The memory vanished.

Back in the present, Raphael's trembling slowed.

(How did I let this happen? When did I start fearing blood? When did I forget who I was… what I wanted to be?)

A golden light began to glow in his eyes, faint at first. Then brighter. Sharper.

Raphael fell to one knee, clutched his cross necklace, and whispered.

"God… thank you for everything. But Father… please forgive me. For I am about to break one of the commandments…"

He stood.

Eyes closed. Shoulders square. Steady breath.

He began to cross himself.

"In the name of the Father…"

His right hand touched his forehead.

"And of the Son…"

It moved to the center of his chest.

"And of the Holy…"

He touched his left shoulder.

"Spirit. Amen."

He touched his right shoulder and opened his eyes, now glowing bright gold.

Julia gasped softly. A smile curved her lips.

Justin stopped mid-attack. "What… is this ominous feeling?"

Luke backed away, wide-eyed. "It feels like… like King Siegfried's presence. But warmer."

Lancelot, bloody and battered, could take no more. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Both Luke and Justin turned toward the source of the power. It radiated from Raphael, calm, standing tall, golden eyes fixed on them.

Then his expression changed.

Calm turned to fury.

The very air seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. The grass flattened around him. The wind died. Justin and Luke's pupils shrank.

Raphael stepped forward.

"I am Raphael Kaizer," he said, voice low but thunderous. "The Honey Badger. One of the 36 Heroes…"

He took his karate stance.

"…and I'm going to send you to hell."

Fear gripped the alphas. Their breathing grew shallow. Sweat poured down their faces.

They didn't move.

They couldn't move.

For the monster they had feared in stories… had returned.