The beginning of the end

Patricia lunged at Katja once more, each of her powerful swings tearing through the air with a howling gust. The sheer force of her strikes sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.

Katja swiftly countered, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as she chanted. A swirling sphere of water formed before her, rapidly heating until it bubbled with dangerous intensity.

"Scalding Torrent!" she cried, launching a barrage of blistering-hot water bullets toward Patricia.

Patricia's eyes narrowed as she twisted her body, narrowly slipping past each steaming projectile. The sizzling droplets hissed as they struck the ground, evaporating instantly. Without hesitation, she closed the gap once more, her fist colliding with Katja's staff in a thunderous impact. The battlefield trembled as wind and steam clashed violently, neither warrior willing to back down.

The dense forest loomed over them, shadows stretching long in the aftermath of their failed assault. Gwen exhaled sharply, frustration etched on her face.

"Dammit… we should have known better than to storm in there like that," she muttered, shaking her head.

Nearby, Zetsu trembled with barely restrained fury, his clenched fist crashing into a tree with enough force to splinter the bark. His voice seethed with rage. "That's it? That's all?! Grrrr… I wanted to burn every damn town in that kingdom! Just like they did to me!"

Darius, standing with an air of composed authority, regarded Zetsu with a look of quiet disapproval. He folded his arms, his voice steady and refined, each syllable deliberate. "Young man, temper your fury, lest it consume you. Vengeance is a fire that burns indiscriminately, reducing both its wielder and its victim to cinders. If you seek retribution without wisdom, you will find only ruin."

Zetsu's glare flickered toward him, his jaw tightening, but before he could argue, Gwen stepped between them. "Guys, calm down. Whatever Sozen had planned, he got it. Now's not the time to be at each other's throats." She turned to Darius. "Can you bring Patricia and Damien here? We need to regroup."

Darius inclined his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Very well. The bonds of fate remain unbroken; I shall call them forth."

He lifted a hand, his fingers tracing intricate patterns through the air, and his voice deepened into a measured incantation, rich with arcane resonance:

"Umbravé Nox Vora'thun!"

"Veil of night, hear my call,

Through the abyss, let them fall.

By cursed thread and binding fate,

Drag them forth—seal their fate!"

The air grew thick with an unnatural chill as shadows coiled around him, weaving into an abyssal vortex. The fabric of reality wavered, and with a sudden rush of dark energy, Patricia and Damien materialized beside them. The remnants of the spell dissipated into wisps of black mist.

The ground trembled as Patricia let out a thunderous roar, shaking the very forest around them. Birds scattered from the treetops, and leaves rustled violently under the sheer force of her fury.

"I almost had that witch!!!" she bellowed, her voice echoing through the trees. Her muscles tensed with raw power as she reached down, gripping the roots of a towering tree. With a single heave, she tore it from the earth and hurled it through the air. The massive trunk spiraled end over end before crashing 200 feet away, splintering upon impact.

Damien let out a sharp laugh, completely unfazed. "Classic ogre suc—"

Before he could finish, Patricia's fist was already buried in his stomach. The impact sent a deep shockwave through the ground, and as she pulled her arm free, Damien staggered slightly, a gaping hole left in his torso.

Without another word, Patricia turned and walked away, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Damien's wound mended almost instantly, flesh knitting itself back together with unnatural speed. He giggled, stretching his arms. "Someone's a little hangry."

Darius, who had been silently observing, let out a weary sigh and cast his gaze down at Damien, his expression one of utter disappointment.

"You conduct yourself with the mannerisms of an incompetent child," he said, his voice slow and deliberate, carrying the weight of centuries. "One would assume that after five hundred years, you might have acquired at least a modicum of wisdom. And yet, here you stand—laughing like a fool after having your entrails scattered."

Damien smirked, shrugging. "What can I say? Pain builds character."

Zetsu's gaze shifted sharply, sensing something in the air. "I know you sense that," he said, his voice low and focused.

Gwen nodded in agreement, her eyes scanning the shadows. "Yeah, I do." She looked toward Darius. "What about you?"

Darius chuckled softly, a knowing smile creeping onto his face. "Oh, I've known. But I chose not to act upon it."

Zetsu's smirk grew sharper, his voice tinged with amusement. "I know that presence. For a long time." His eyes narrowed. "Kai, come out. You're not fooling anyone."

With a sudden rustle, a dense aura flooded the area, an unbearable pressure that seemed to distort the very air. From the bushes, Kai emerged, his presence almost suffocating. His body radiated a terrifying power—his aura so immense that it made even the ground tremble beneath his feet.

Kai, now fully in view, crossed his arms, his expression cold and confident. His eyes bore into Zetsu, the mastery of his power evident as he stood in his Mastered Sapient Mode. "Pft, Zetsu... I thought you were better than this."

Darius stood frozen for a moment, his eyes wide with astonishment. "What...?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Kai... holy heavens, I've never seen someone wield Sapient Mode in ages. How did you even hear of this technique?"

Kai's expression hardened as he took a step forward, his posture shifting into a battle-ready stance. Every inch of his body screamed readiness, his ki pulsing with raw intensity. "Pft, I'm not here to shake hands. I'm here to fight." His words were cold, unwavering, as his eyes locked onto Zetsu. The air grew even heavier as the tension thickened, ready to erupt at any moment.

Zetsu's smirk deepened, the fury in his eyes igniting like a flame. "You're brave to challenge me, Kai. Let's see if your Sapient Mode can handle what's coming."

Darius, still in shock, managed to stand straighter, his hands subconsciously twitching as if preparing for something. He knew that once this fight started, there would be no turning back.

And just like that, the forest seemed to hold its breath.

To be continued...