A TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL

Tiger smirked as he noticed Ragra arrive, his katana still humming with energy. "Oh, look who showed up," he said, turning his head slightly to glance at the newcomer. "You beat Ray, huh? That's a surprise. He's not easy to take down. Maybe you've got more in you than I thought."

Ragra's sharp eyes quickly took in the scene. Three dead TAK operatives, their bodies riddled with precision holes, told him all he needed to know about Chosen's deadly efficiency. Forest was slumped on the ground near Tiger, clutching his side, blood dripping from his wounds. Nearby, Reiten was lying on the floor, his katana discarded beside him as he gripped his stomach in pain. Ragra's stomach churned as he noticed the blood pooling under Reiten—he was losing a lot of blood and needed first aid fast.

But Tiger was the immediate threat. Ragra knew from the earlier battle with Ray that this man was on another level entirely. His katana crackled with blue energy, and the aura of confidence he exuded was unnerving. However, seeing Chosen still standing, calm and unshaken, gave Ragra a flicker of hope.

Ragra stepped forward, gripping his staff tightly as he planted his feet. "Chosen," he said firmly, his voice steady despite the tension. "Let's take him on together."

Chosen, as always, said nothing. He simply nodded, his pistols raised, dark energy pulsating ominously around them.

Tiger's grin widened. "Two against one, huh? Maybe this'll actually be worth my time. Let's see what you've got!"

The Fight

Tiger lunged forward first, his katana blazing with energy as he targeted Ragra, closing the distance in an instant. Ragra barely had time to react, blocking the powerful slash with his staff. Sparks flew as the water jets surrounding his weapon hissed against the crackling blue energy of Tiger's blade. The sheer force of the strike sent Ragra sliding back, his feet digging into the dirt.

Before Tiger could press the attack, Chosen fired a barrage of dark energy bullets from the side. The TAK leader pivoted, his katana moving in a blur to deflect the incoming shots. Each bullet ricocheted off his blade with a sharp clang, but Chosen kept up the pressure, advancing steadily as he fired.

Tiger suddenly dashed toward Chosen with breathtaking speed, forcing the silent operative to leap back. As Tiger swung his katana in a deadly arc, Chosen parried the strike with the reinforced silencers attached to his pistols. The two exchanged rapid blows in close quarters, Tiger's blade meeting Chosen's swift counters.

Ragra saw his chance and darted in from the side, swinging his staff with precision. Water jets blasted outward, adding speed and force to his strikes as he aimed for Tiger's exposed side. Tiger turned at the last second, twisting his katana to block the incoming attack.

"Not bad!" Tiger said, his grin widening as he locked weapons with Ragra. "You've got some fight in you, rookie!"

Tiger shoved Ragra back, spinning his katana in one hand as he faced both opponents. He suddenly dashed forward, feinting toward Ragra before pivoting toward Chosen with a vicious strike. Chosen sidestepped, his movements fluid, and retaliated with a close-range blast from his pistol. The dark energy slammed into Tiger's shoulder, making him stagger slightly, but he recovered almost instantly.

"You're not bad either," Tiger admitted, his tone a mix of amusement and respect. "But it's going to take more than that to take me down!"

As the fight raged on, the three combatants moved like blurs, their strikes and counters growing faster and more intense. Ragra and Chosen worked in unison—Ragra keeping Tiger on the defensive with wide, sweeping strikes from his staff while Chosen attacked from range, forcing the TAK leader to divide his attention.

At one point, Tiger surged forward, his katana crackling as he swung it in a powerful horizontal slash. Ragra ducked under the strike, his staff spinning as he jabbed upward, forcing Tiger to backpedal. Chosen seized the opening, firing a burst of dark energy at Tiger's legs. The attack struck true, causing Tiger to stumble briefly.

Tiger laughed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You two aren't half bad," he said, breathing heavily but showing no signs of slowing down. "I haven't had a fight like this in a long time!"

Ragra tightened his grip on his staff, his breathing labored but determined. "We're not done yet," he said, his voice steady.

The fight continued, neither side gaining a clear advantage. But with every passing moment, it became clear that Tiger was not invincible. Ragra and Chosen's teamwork was wearing him down, their combined attacks forcing him to stay on the defensive more and more.

As Tiger leapt back to create distance, he glanced between the two of them, a flicker of something almost like pride in his eyes.

Tiger stood still for a moment, his katana lowered but still humming faintly with energy. His sharp eyes darted between Chosen and Ragra, both battered but still ready to fight. For a brief second, he clenched his fist tightly around the hilt of his sword, but then he exhaled, his body visibly relaxing.

He turned to glance over his shoulder toward Forest, who was still slumped on the ground and struggling to catch his breath. "We're retreating," Tiger said firmly.

Forest, wincing in pain, pushed himself up slightly. "What? Retreating? You can beat these guys. You're holding back—I can see it!"

Tiger sheathed his katana with a sharp click and shook his head. "This mission's over," he said bluntly. "I didn't sign up to kill kids." He glanced at Chosen and Ragra, his gaze lingering on their battered forms. "Besides, something in my gut is telling me to pull out."

Forest looked frustrated, his jaw tightening. "But—"

"No 'but,' Forest," Tiger interrupted, his tone sharper now. He started walking toward Forest, shaking his head. "Let's go check if Ray is still alive, then we're out of here."

Just then, Sky and Elza stumbled back toward the warehouse, both looking bruised and exhausted. Elza immediately spotted Reiten lying on the ground and sprinted toward him, dropping to her knees and pulling out her first aid kit. "Reiten! Stay with me," she said urgently, pressing her hands against his wound to stop the bleeding.

Tiger paused, watching the scene unfold. His lips curled into a smirk as he turned to Forest. "See? I made the right call. What do you want me to do, fight four versus one now?" His tone was sarcastic but edged with amusement.

Forest looked like he wanted to argue but didn't. He sighed, groaning as Tiger grabbed him by the arm and hoisted him onto his shoulder. "Fine, fine," Forest muttered, clearly unhappy with the decision.

Tiger glanced at Chosen and Ragra one last time. "Consider yourselves lucky," he said, his smirk fading into something more serious. "Next time we meet, it won't be like this."

With that, he carried Forest and disappeared into the distance, leaving the agents behind.

Ragra, his body giving out from sheer exhaustion, fell to the ground, his staff clattering beside him. He groaned, rolling onto his back, barely able to catch his breath.

Chosen holstered his pistols without a word and walked over to where Reiten was lying. He crouched next to Elza, his gaze unreadable as he surveyed the wounded squad leader. Sky joined them, placing a hand on Elza's shoulder.

Ragra looked over at his teammates, his vision hazy but relieved. "Is… Reiten going to make it?" he asked weakly.

Elza didn't look up as she worked. "He will," she said firmly. "But we need to get him back to HQ as soon as possible."

Chosen stood and looked in the direction Tiger had fled, his hands briefly tightening into fists before he turned back to his injured comrades. The battle was over, but it was far from the last they'd see of Tiger and TAK.