"Who are you guys?" Ragra demanded, his grip tightening around his staff as he glared at the two figures.
The man with the katana stepped forward, lifting his hood to reveal a sharp, angular face with piercing eyes. His smirk widened as he examined the group. "Oh, look, some fresh recruits. Don't worry, I'll try my best not to kill you. I still have some attachment to the agency, seeing as I was an agent for six years."
"What do you mean you were an agent for six years? Then why are you here trying to steal weapons?" Sky shot back, her kunai glowing faintly with Lunar energy.
The man rested his katana against his shoulder casually. "I was formerly an officer, up until recently. But I had to leave. The agency isn't what it seems—corrupt to its core at the very top. I couldn't support them any longer."
Before anyone could respond, the man with the two knives scoffed impatiently. "Tiger, this is too much talk. Let's take them out already and show them how strong TAK is."
Elza narrowed her eyes, her katana gripped tightly. "What is TAK?"
The man with the knives grinned, his red lightning flaring dangerously. "The Agent Killers," he said, lunging forward at blinding speed.
"I'll handle this guy!" Ragra shouted as he stepped forward, bracing himself for the incoming attack. "You two handle the other guy. I can tell he's going to be a serious problem if he was an officer!"
The man with the two knives closed the distance in an instant, his blades slicing through the air with streaks of red lightning. Ragra barely managed to block the first strike with his staff, the force of the blow reverberating up his arms.
The man sneered. "You think you can stop me, kid?" He spun low, slashing at Ragra's legs. Ragra leaped back just in time, water jets forming around his staff as he countered with a sweeping strike aimed at the man's midsection.
The man twisted effortlessly, dodging the attack. His knives moved like extensions of his body, slashing in a flurry that forced Ragra to retreat. Sparks flew as lightning crackled against the water shielding Ragra's staff.
"You're slow," the man taunted, his movements a blur as he unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes. Ragra parried desperately, his arms beginning to tire from the sheer force and speed of the attacks.
With a roar, Ragra swung his staff, releasing a powerful jet of water toward the man. The torrent was fast, but the man was faster, sidestepping the attack and closing the gap in an instant.
"Not bad," the man admitted, slamming one of his knives against Ragra's staff, sending him stumbling backward. "But not good enough."
The red lightning surged, and before Ragra could recover, the man's blades came down in a powerful arc. Ragra managed to block with his staff, but the impact sent him crashing to the ground, his breath knocked out of him.
"Come on, kid. Show me something!" the man snarled, raising his knives for another strike. Ragra rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly blow, and quickly got back to his feet. His mind raced as he tried to think of a strategy.
"You're strong," Ragra muttered, water swirling around him as he steadied himself. "But I'm not going down that easily."
The man smirked. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that."
The fight intensified as Ragra channeled his water-based inner, sending jets of water to keep the man at bay. But the man's speed and red lightning seemed almost insurmountable as he continued to press the attack. Ragra gritted his teeth, determined to hold his ground despite the overwhelming odds.
Sky and Elza wasted no time, charging at Tiger as he stood his ground, his katana gleaming with a swirling blue energy.
Sky moved first, her ninja stars glowing brightly with alternating bursts of Solar and Lunar energy. She flung them with precision, each one arcing toward Tiger in blinding streaks of light. The Solar energy exploded in bursts of fiery brilliance, while the Lunar energy emitted disorienting pulses of darkness.
Tiger's katana moved like a blur, cutting through the air as he deflected the stars with ease. Sparks flew with each strike as the blue energy around his blade neutralized the blasts. "Not bad," Tiger muttered, his eyes flicking toward Sky, "but you'll need more than that to hurt me."
Sky leaped forward, her glowing kunai in hand. Lunar energy trailed behind her blade as she closed the gap, slashing with quick, fluid movements. Tiger blocked her strikes effortlessly, his katana meeting her kunai in rapid clashes that lit up the dark forest.
At the same time, Elza darted in from the side, her katana encased in a raging vortex of fire and wind. The flames roared with every swing, while the wind amplified her speed and precision. She attacked in tandem with Sky, her strikes timed perfectly to complement Sky's movements.
Tiger grinned as he spun his katana in a wide arc, forcing both of them to retreat momentarily. The blue energy around his sword surged as he parried Elza's fiery slash and sidestepped a quick jab from Sky's kunai. "Impressive," he said, his voice calm despite the intensity of the fight. "You two work well together. I wouldn't expect this level of skill from new recruits."
Sky didn't waste time responding. She hurled another set of ninja stars, this time combining Solar and Lunar energy into explosive bursts of light and shadow. The attacks created blinding flashes and patches of darkness, aiming to disorient Tiger.
Elza took advantage of the opening, stepping in with a fierce downward slash, her fire and wind clashing violently against Tiger's blue energy. The impact sent a shockwave through the area, scattering leaves and dirt.
Tiger slid back slightly but held firm. His katana spun in a fluid motion, deflecting both Sky's ranged attacks and Elza's close-quarters strikes. Despite being outnumbered, his movements were impossibly quick and precise.
"You're skilled," Tiger said, his tone almost admiring as he parried another combined assault. "Your teamwork is remarkable. But—" he surged forward suddenly, his katana cutting through the space between them with terrifying speed.
Sky barely managed to dodge, her Lunar-charged kunai coming up to block the strike. The force sent her sliding back, but Elza immediately filled the gap, her fiery blade slashing in rapid arcs. The wind around her sword howled, amplifying her strikes with incredible intensity.
Tiger twirled his katana with ease, the blue energy around it flaring brightly as he countered every attack. His speed was overwhelming, and despite their combined efforts, he kept them both on the back foot.
Sky launched herself back into the fray, ducking under one of Tiger's strikes and aiming a slash at his midsection. He twisted, deflecting her kunai, but Elza was already moving to exploit the opening. Her katana came down in a fiery strike, forcing Tiger to block with his blade.
The clash sent another shockwave rippling through the forest. Tiger slid back slightly, his boots digging into the ground as he absorbed the force. "You're better than I expected," he admitted, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "For new recruits, you're certainly impressive."
Sky and Elza didn't let up, pressing the attack with renewed intensity. Sky's Solar and Lunar energy illuminated the dark forest as she hurled her glowing stars in rapid succession, while Elza's fiery strikes cut through the air with unrelenting ferocity.
Even though they couldn't overpower him, their harmony in battle was undeniable. They moved as one, their attacks perfectly synchronized as they continued to challenge Tiger, refusing to back down.