Affinity: Chaos

Grey stared at the four Peak Sovereign auras in front of him, eyes still sharp with fighting intent. He already knew he could not win against all of them alone. The earlier exchange had only been a test. He had wanted to feel how far his newly tempered body and overall combat strength could carry him. Against a single Peak Sovereign he still felt confident. Against four, the gap was obvious. The Space Elementalist alone made escape nearly impossible, and the extra numbers removed any clean opening.

”Help me hold down the other one and the puppets,” Grey said to the bunny leader. ”I’ll deal with the Space Elementalist.”

The pure Darkness Elementalist froze for a second, then let out a short snicker. ”Trying to trick us?”

The Space Elementalist chuckled as well. ”Grey Dawson is still just a child who relies on tricks. Without them, you look rather ordinary.”

From a safe distance, Reynolds answered in a light, mocking tone. ”Coming from two Peak Sovereigns who need two extra Peak Sovereign puppets just to handle a single Ninth-stage Sovereign, I’m impressed you can still breathe. If I were in your place, I would’ve killed myself from shame.”

The words landed. Both men were stronger and had the numerical advantage. It was only natural that a Ninth-stage Sovereign would struggle. Still, being openly mocked by an Eighth-stage junior left a faint sting.

”Ignore the boy,” the Space Elementalist said coldly. ”They’re tricky. We already confirmed no one else is nearby. Stop wasting time and kill him.”

They had checked the area carefully before revealing themselves. There should have been no reinforcements.

A small voice cut across the battlefield.

”How many do you want?”

The bunny leader’s question made both assassins glance over in confusion. Until now they had barely paid the creature any attention.

Grey thought for a moment. ”Since they like using numbers, nine should be enough. Three for each of them.”

The two men exchanged a baffled look. Before they had shown themselves, they had swept the region thoroughly. No other experts had been present. So where was this help supposed to come from?

The answer arrived a breath later.

Nine distinct Peak Sovereign auras bloomed out of thin air. Both assassins snapped their heads toward the source and felt their scalps tighten. Standing in front of the bunny leader were nine bunnies, each radiating the full pressure of a Peak Sovereign.

Grey’s mouth curved slightly. ”What? Did you think I was stupid enough to travel without a way to handle Peak Sovereigns even if I couldn’t escape?”

The two men stared at him, genuine surprise written in their eyes.

The Space Elementalist’s voice dropped. ”Then why did you fight us at all?”

Grey shrugged. ”I made a breakthrough not long ago and wanted to see how far I could push it. As you can see, I’m still lacking.”

”Just that?”

”Should there be anything else?”

The Space Elementalist could barely believe what he was hearing. Throughout the entire earlier exchange they had held complete control. They had pushed Grey to the edge more than once, and he had only survived through constant, desperate adjustments. Yet for him it had merely been a sparring session to test his strength. The sheer recklessness of that thinking left both assassins momentarily speechless.

Grey cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. The faint amusement left his face, replaced by a cold, focused light. Without another word he shot straight toward the Space Elementalist.

The man immediately understood the situation had reversed. He no longer had any interest in continuing the fight.

”We’re done here.”

A wide spatial portal tore open behind him and his companion. Both turned to step through. An arrogant snort rang out before they could cross the threshold.

”You’re done when we say you’re done.”

The bunny leader’s voice was calm and absolute. The portal shattered like glass, fragments of broken space dissolving into the air.

The Space Elementalist’s eyes widened. He had not expected anyone present to sever his escape so cleanly. He had no time to examine the source. Grey was already on him.

Grey’s fist, coated in dense lightning and blue flames, smashed forward. The Space Elementalist raised a compact darkness shield at the last moment. The shield cracked under the impact but held long enough for him to retreat several meters, face tightening.

At the same time the pure Darkness Elementalist lashed out at Grey’s exposed side, his fire puppet and the lightning puppet moving with him. The combined attacks were about to land when thick earth walls erupted from the empty air, intercepting every strike. The walls shuddered under the force but did not break.

Grey did not even glance back. He continued pressing the Space Elementalist without pause.

The second assassin tried to follow and cut Grey off, but the nine Peak Sovereign bunnies finally moved. Three locked onto the Darkness Elementalist himself. Three more engaged the fire puppet. The last three surrounded the lightning puppet. In the space of a few breaths the numerical advantage had completely flipped. The Darkness Elementalist found himself forced onto pure defense, barely able to breathe under the coordinated assault of three Peak Sovereign bunnies. The two puppets fared no better, each pinned by their own set of opponents and unable to free themselves to help their master.

The Space Elementalist, seeing his companion and both puppets tied down, abandoned any thought of regrouping. He tore open another portal and fled.

Grey followed instantly.

The two of them crossed nearly twenty kilometers in a series of rapid spatial jumps and high-speed flight. Every time the Space Elementalist tried to open distance, Grey matched him. Every time he attempted another portal, residual spatial pressure from Grey or the distant bunny leader interfered just enough to slow the escape.

Finally Grey cut ahead of him and blocked his path. The two hovered in the open sky, the main battlefield now a distant roar behind them.

Grey’s voice was flat. ”Who sent you?”

The Space Elementalist remained silent, eyes cold behind the black cloth.

Grey’s expression did not change. ”Then die.”