Clash of Two Comrades

He rose to his feet, steadying himself, only to be met by the sight of the enraged, black metal behemoth charging directly toward him, shattering everything in its path. Instead of evading the rubble and rocks, Ivanov simply pulverized them with his hands and feet. Sairi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I…vanov?" he said, his voice faltering. "Is that… you?"

The distance between them was now approximately thirty meters. Sairi knew this was not to his advantage. He could not overcome Ivanov when his body was fully transformed; he entered a berserk state, unable to differentiate between friend and foe, and his hardened body would be nearly impossible to penetrate. He was aware that no matter how skilled or powerful he was, there was always someone stronger, but his pride would not permit him to lose any contest. Yet, he deduced that this was not a time for combat, but for discourse. A tactical retreat was the only logical option until Ivanov's rage subsided.

He ran down the slanted structure, the incline so steep it felt like descending a dangerous mountain slope. His velocity increased, threatening his equilibrium with every miscalculated step. Behind him, Ivanov continued to tear through the building, a force of relentless aggression. Sairi glanced up and saw debris—office furniture, home appliances—still clinging to the ceiling, not yet collapsed. Projecting a pulse of energy from his hand toward them, he sent them tumbling down, praying the debris would fall upon Ivanov and impede his progress long enough to facilitate an escape. Sairi sprinted under them an instant before they fell. Ivanov charged after him at a terrifying speed, rampaging like a furious bull. He saw the large masses of rubble plummeting toward him, but this did not deter him. He advanced and shattered them with his fists before they could strike him, but the sheer quantity of it rained down, burying him beneath the pile.

Sairi drove his sword into the ground to halt his momentum and pivoted 180 degrees to assess whether the maneuver had been successful. He saw, with some amazement, that the rockfall had indeed stopped him. He did not know whether to hope for his demise or his survival; he desperately needed Ivanov for his mission, yet as an enemy, he posed a catastrophic threat.

If I am killed now, he told himself, the truth may be lost forever. Therefore, I must survive, even if it means eliminating one of my own companions. He stared at the heap of rubble, searching for any sign of life. The answer came faster than he anticipated.

Suddenly, a tremor ran through the rubble, followed by an explosion of rocks, desks, and electronic equipment in every direction. Sairi saw a volley of projectiles hurtling toward him. He raised his sword, cleaving the air to slice through them one by one, while with his left hand, he projected blasts of energy to destroy those his blade could not reach. And from between the flying rocks, he saw the raging bull charging him again, a silhouette against the moonlight, letting out a deafening roar.

Sairi spun around and resumed his frantic run. Rocks were hurled at him without pause. He deflected them with blasts of energy from his left hand while gracefully leaping over obstacles. Behind him, Ivanov continued his pursuit, destroying everything his hands touched. After several minutes, Sairi emerged onto the road, turned left, and ran into the darkness of the ruined city. Above, the sky began to storm, and the roll of thunder echoed. He felt, for the first time in his life, like a defenseless gazelle fleeing a ferocious wolf.

Ivanov burst from the building, his gaze sweeping in all directions, searching for his quarry. He spotted him in the darkness, a running figure disappearing to his left. He screamed, his voice a metallic roar.

"You would be wise to surrender, wretch! Nothing will save you from me!"

Sairi glanced back apprehensively and saw Ivanov closing the distance again. He knew this was going to be a long night. He stopped and turned, making a clear gesture of surrender. Ivanov continued his charge, the ground cracking beneath his feet. He drew closer and closer, crossing the shattered road toward Sairi, who realized with a jolt that he had no intention of stopping. He waited until Ivanov was almost upon him, then rolled hard to the left to evade the collision. He ignited the energy sword, raised it into a ready stance, and said in a defiant tone:

"The time has come for a bit of bullfighting."

Ivanov stopped, pivoted, and stared at him, his eyes glowing with malevolent sparks. In his feral state, he could not comprehend Sairi's words, but he recognized the threat in his tone and the challenge in his eyes.

"I will catch you... masked wretch," he snarled, his voice a garbled, furious growl. "And I will... shatter your bones."

The confrontation escalated. Ivanov lunged, his right iron fist leading. Sairi ducked under the blow, executed a full pivot, and aimed his sword at Ivanov's right waist. The blade scraped against his side, producing a shower of sparks but inflicting only a superficial scratch.

Frustration surged through Sairi. He began to analyze the situation for a weak point. Ivanov pivoted, reoriented himself, and lunged again, this time swinging both fists in a rapid, chaotic flurry. Sairi retreated, evading every blow, then rolled under a wide swing until he was behind him. He raised the energy sword high and delivered a powerful thrust to Ivanov's back, but the blade stopped, penetrating only a few centimeters. As Ivanov swung around angrily, Sairi leaped back, his mind racing to formulate his next move.

'This steel armor slows his velocity, which is to my advantage,' he thought. 'But it is also impenetrable!'

Suddenly, Ivanov changed tactics. He veered toward a wrecked car on the side of the road, lifted it with both hands, and, with a guttural roar, hurled it at Sairi. Sairi, his eyes wide with astonishment, gathered energy in his hand. He leaped high into the air and, at the apex of his jump, aimed a palm at the ground. He projected a blast of energy downward, the impact giving him a powerful upward thrust. He soared several meters higher, clearing the flying car, then fell through the air. He landed hard, his legs unable to absorb the full shock of the impact, and sprawled on the ground, but he rebounded to his feet with agile grace. He looked up to see a massive boulder hurtling toward him.

"Damn it," he muttered.