Chapter 18: Blades and Vines

The battlefield was chaos, littered with fallen Twilight agents groaning in pain and coated in dust and blood. Kai stood tall in the middle of it all, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. His blade, still coated in crimson Aether, pulsed with residual energy. A beaten agent at his feet reached out in vain, his broken mask falling to the ground as Kai raised his sword for the final strike.

"Useless bastards," Kai muttered coldly, raising his weapon.

But before the blade could descend, a swift blur tore through the air.

CRACK!

A powerful kick slammed into Kai's wrist, knocking the sword from his hand and sending it spinning into the air. Kai grunted and stumbled back, holding his arm in shock and pain.

From above, Karas descended like a phantom, landing between Kai and the fallen agent. With a disdainful grunt, she kicked the downed agent aside. "Piss off," she snapped, not even glancing at them as they rolled across the ground, unconscious.

Kai's eyes narrowed. "You again—"

Karas reached up with a smooth, fluid motion and tore the heavy cloak from her shoulders, tossing it to the side.

Kai's breath hitched.

The cloak hit the ground with a dull thud, revealing long, flowing black hair that caught the wind like ribbons of shadow, and a lean, sculpted body clad in skin-tight battle gear that left little to the imagination. Her figure was stunning—toned, graceful, and confident. What Kai had assumed to be a gruff, armored man was in fact a dangerously attractive woman with sharp eyes that gleamed with deadly intent.

Karas smirked at his hesitation. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost... or a goddess."

Kai blinked. "You're… a woman?"

Karas chuckled. "Sharp deduction. I was wondering how long it'd take you."

She pulled a small pocket blade from her side holster—a deceptively simple weapon, curved and unassuming. She flipped it between her fingers with casual elegance.

"Now," she said, her tone suddenly sharp, "let's see what else the son of Kaien Sol has."

She lunged.

Kai barely managed to retrieve his blade in time. Sparks exploded in the air as steel met steel, but from the very first clash, it was clear—Karas was in a league far beyond the agents he had bested.

Every movement she made was calculated. Every slash came with surgical precision. She danced around Kai's heavier, more aggressive style, parrying blows like swatting at insects. Her footwork was masterful, her posture never breaking, even as she pressed the advantage.

Kai grimaced, sweat pouring down his brow as he blocked another flurry of slashes. He lashed out with a surge of Raw Aether, red energy flaring violently—but Karas side-stepped the blast with ease and slashed his shoulder, drawing blood.

"You're fast," Kai growled, backpedaling. "But can you handle this—?!"

He roared, channeling a pulse of Aether into his legs and launching forward with blinding speed. The ground cracked beneath him as he appeared behind Karas, blade coming down in a powerful arc.

But she was faster.

Without even turning around, Karas pivoted on her heel and elbowed Kai square in the gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. Then she turned, gripping his collar and slamming him into the ground.

Boom!

The earth caved beneath his body.

"You're predictable," Karas said, standing over him. "Strong, yes. Passionate, yes. But you're not ready."

She raised her blade.

But before she could strike, a sudden rustling caught her attention. She turned—and her eyes widened.

"Aether Transmutation Technique!"

Rhea stood on the edge of the battlefield, her palms glowing with vibrant green Aether. Symbols danced around her hands as she slammed them into the earth.

Karas' instincts screamed at her to move—but it was too late.

The ground beneath her exploded with life as thick, thorn-covered vines erupted and coiled around her limbs. They wrapped around her waist, arms, and legs, jerking her away from Kai and pinning her to a tree like a caught beast.

"Tch!" Karas hissed, struggling against the vines. "Druidic-style transmutation?!"

Rhea stepped forward, her face calm but fierce. "You don't get to touch him again."

The vines pulsed with Aether energy, draining Karas' movements slowly.

Karas gritted her teeth. "I hate plant magic…"

Kai sat up slowly, blood dripping from his lip. "You're… late."

Rhea didn't look back. "You're welcome."

Karas let out a breathless laugh, even as the vines tightened. "Guess I overplayed my hand... again."

She glanced around at the battlefield—Twilight agents broken and unconscious, her cloak abandoned, and her own body bound in magical vines.

"Fen doesn't pay me enough to babysit these bastards," she muttered bitterly. "Bunch of damn amateurs."

Her expression shifted—no longer playful, but calculating.

She raised her hand slightly. "Still... I could kill the girl, even like this."

But before she could speak another word, the vines flared with an intense burst of green light, sending a shock through her body.

"Try me," Rhea said coldly, eyes locked with hers.

Karas narrowed her eyes but smiled through the pain. "Feisty. I like that."

Suddenly, she twisted her wrist in a precise motion—and the pocket blade shimmered. It pulsed once with strange blue energy before disappearing.

Rhea's eyes widened. "Teleportation glyph—!"

Poof.

Karas vanished in a flicker of smoke, the vines collapsing in her absence.

The battlefield was silent once more.

Kai slowly stood, leaning on his blade for support. "She got away…"

Rhea nodded, lowering her hands. "But not without learning we're not to be messed with."

Kai exhaled. "She's on another level. That wasn't even her full strength."

Lysander finally jogged over, bloodied and bruised. "And what did we learn?"

Kai cracked a smile despite the pain. "That sexy women can still kick your ass."

Rhea rolled her eyes. "Let's get back to base."

As the team limped away from the smoking village, the shard of the Sacred Eclipse glowing faintly in Rhea's satchel, none of them realized they were now being watched.

High on a ridge above, Karas reappeared, arms crossed, her cloak back around her.

"Interesting," she said softly, watching Kai. "Very interesting."

Then she vanished again—this time without a sound.