FRACTURED RESOLVE

Tiger twirled his katana, the blue energy surrounding the blade flaring with every movement. "You two are impressive," he admitted, his calm voice cutting through the sound of crackling fire and shifting winds. "But you're still no match for me."

Elza and Sky stood side by side, bruised and breathing heavily. Despite their best efforts, they hadn't been able to land a significant hit. Tiger's speed, precision, and overwhelming energy made him a near-impossible opponent to handle.

"We're not done yet," Elza growled, her katana blazing with fire and wind swirling around it. She adjusted her stance, preparing for another charge.

Sky, holding her glowing kunai, nodded firmly. "Let's go all out, Elza. We'll take him together."

They moved in perfect harmony. Elza dashed forward, swinging her katana in an arc, flames roaring as the blade whipped through the air. Sky followed closely, hurling a flurry of her ninja stars charged with Solar energy. The stars glowed bright and fierce, streaking toward Tiger with blistering heat.

Tiger didn't back down. His katana moved like a blur, deflecting the ninja stars one by one as they closed in. Each impact sent sparks flying. As Elza's fiery blade neared him, Tiger sidestepped her strike with effortless grace and retaliated with a diagonal slash. Elza barely managed to block the attack, but the sheer force of the strike sent her skidding backward.

Sky seized the opportunity and leaped into the air, her kunai glowing with Lunar energy. She came down at Tiger from above, slashing at his head with incredible speed. But Tiger anticipated her move. Twisting his body, he brought his katana up just in time, parrying the blow with an ear-piercing clang.

"Too slow," Tiger muttered as he thrust his shoulder forward, ramming into Sky and sending her crashing into the dirt. She coughed as the wind was knocked out of her, but she quickly rolled to her feet, her Lunar-charged kunai glowing brighter than ever.

Elza attacked again, her katana a whirlwind of fire and wind, each swing faster and stronger than the last. Tiger matched her step for step, his katana deflecting her strikes with precision. Each clash of their blades sent shockwaves rippling through the forest.

Sky flanked him from the side, lunging with her kunai aimed at his ribs. Tiger spun and blocked her strike with his blade, the blue energy around his katana flaring brightly as it absorbed the impact.

"You're good," Tiger said as he parried both of them at once, his katana whirling in a blur of movement. "But not good enough."

In a sudden burst of speed, Tiger stepped into Elza's guard and slammed his knee into her stomach. She gasped as the impact knocked the air out of her lungs. Before she could recover, Tiger followed up with a sharp backhand to the side of her head. Elza's vision blurred as she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"ELZA!" Sky shouted, her voice cracking with desperation.

Sky charged at Tiger, her kunai glowing brightly with Solar energy. She swung with precision, aiming for his vital points, but Tiger was too fast. He dodged her strikes with ease, his movements almost mocking her.

Tiger finally caught her wrist in mid-swing, his grip like iron. "You're strong," he said with a hint of respect, "but reckless." He twisted her arm, forcing her to drop the kunai, and delivered a brutal punch to her abdomen. Sky doubled over in pain, and Tiger followed up with a spinning kick to her temple. Sky's world went dark as she fell to the ground, unconscious beside Elza.

Tiger exhaled calmly and looked down at the two fallen agents. "Impressive for new recruits," he said, sheathing his katana. "But you still have a long way to go."

He turned toward the direction of the warehouse, his eyes narrowing. "Now, let's see if your friends can fare any better."

Tiger bolted toward the direction of the warehouse, his katana still pulsing with blue energy. He moved like a blur, the ground kicking up in his wake. Ragra, locked in combat with the man wielding twin knives, noticed Sky and Elza lying unconscious on the ground out of the corner of his eye. His heart sank.

"No…" he muttered under his breath. He wanted to help them, but Ray gave him no room to breathe.

"You're not going anywhere, kid," Ray said, spinning his twin knives, their red lightning crackling ominously. "They fought well, but you're the last one standing. Let's see what you've got."

Ragra tightened his grip on his staff, his water jets swirling around the weapon with increasing intensity. "I don't have time for this," he growled, stepping forward and jabbing with the staff. A sharp burst of water shot out toward Ray, but Ray ducked under it with ease, closing the gap between them in an instant.

Ray slashed with one knife at Ragra's ribs and the other at his neck. Ragra barely managed to parry the attacks, spinning his staff to deflect the twin blades. Sparks flew as water jets collided with the red lightning surging through Ray's weapons.

"You've got talent," Ray admitted, his strikes growing faster and more unpredictable. He attacked relentlessly, forcing Ragra on the defensive. "What's your name, kid?"

"Ragra," he replied, panting slightly as he narrowly avoided another slash to his side. "And yours?"

Ray smirked. "I'm Ray. Remember that name if you make it out of this alive—" He lunged forward, his knives flashing as he aimed for Ragra's chest.

Ragra reacted quickly, sidestepping and spinning his staff to block both knives. Then he swung the staff in a wide arc, sending a powerful burst of water at Ray. The force knocked Ray off balance, but he recovered quickly, dashing forward with renewed ferocity.

Their clash intensified. Ragra used the length of his staff to keep Ray at a distance, striking with precise, water-powered jabs that forced Ray to stay on the move. But Ray's speed and agility made him hard to hit. Each time Ragra attacked, Ray would duck, sidestep, or block with his lightning-infused blades, countering with his own flurry of attacks.

"You're holding out better than I thought," Ray said with a grin, his eyes alight with the thrill of battle. "But it's not enough!"

Ray closed in again, his movements a blur as he attacked Ragra with a whirlwind of slashes. Ragra spun his staff desperately, using the water jets to deflect the strikes. But Ray was too fast—he managed to land a shallow cut across Ragra's shoulder.

Ragra winced but didn't falter. He planted his staff into the ground and launched himself upward with the help of the water jets, flipping over Ray's head and landing behind him. Before Ray could turn around, Ragra swung his staff low, aiming for Ray's legs. Ray jumped to avoid the strike, but Ragra anticipated the move. He twisted his body and thrust the end of his staff into Ray's ribs, unleashing a concentrated jet of water that cut through Ray's side.

Ray staggered, blood seeping through his uniform as he dropped to one knee. He clutched his side, glaring up at Ragra with a mix of pain and admiration. "Not bad, kid," he said through gritted teeth. "Not bad at all…"

Ragra didn't wait for him to recover. He turned and sprinted toward the warehouse, his heart pounding. "Tiger's heading for the others. I have to stop him!"

As he ran, he glanced back one last time at Sky and Elza, lying unconscious in the forest. "Hold on, you two," he muttered under his breath. "I'll handle this."