The forest floor vanished. An explosion of dirt and pulverized wood consumed the clearing. Hykee lunged with a roar that shook the mist from the trees. His fist glowed with a jagged, unstable light. Koma did not move until the last possible microsecond. His body flickered like a dying candle.
He used his phantom step to simply exist elsewhere. He reappeared inches behind Hykee with a bored expression. Before Hykee could adjust, Koma delivered a heavy blow to his kidneys. It sounded like a hammer hitting a wet stone. Koma leaned in close to his ear.
"Make it interesting, Hykee," Koma whispered. It was a cold, effortless sound.
Hykee stumbled but didn't fall. He spun around. His eyes burned with manic intensity. He threw a wild, overhead right that should've leveled a mountain. Koma simply leaned back. The fist whistled past his nose by a fraction of an inch. Hykee followed with a sweeping kick. His heavy boots tore a trench through the earth. Koma was already in the air. He hovered for a split second before landing softly on a nearby branch.
High above, Kaola hovered. She watched the carnage with wide eyes. Her hair whipped around her face as the shockwaves reached her. She looked over at Lokee.
"Why is Koma flickering in and out of reality like that?" Kaola asked. Her voice was tight with curiosity. "And how come Hykee can't land a single blow? He's hitting with enough force to level the woods, but he can't even touch him."
Lokee didn't turn her head. Her gaze was locked on the brothers below.
"It's a matter of pure speed and refinement," Lokee explained. "In terms of speed, Koma and Kova are unrivaled. They don't just move through space. They bypass it. Hykee resorts to strength because his body is too big for that kind of grace. He is a mountain. Koma is a lean predator. Hykee is trying to catch the wind with his bare hands."
Lokee shifted her stance. She watched Hykee swing and miss again.
"That is why we travel together," Lokee added. "I am the speed to his strength. Together, we cover the flaws. But here, Hykee is finding out that raw power is useless if you cannot find a target."
Lokee paused. Her eyes narrowed as Hykee grew more frustrated.
"There is a way for him to gather high amounts of speed," Lokee said. Her voice became grim. "But he'll have to use that thing."
Kaola paled. Her wings of wind faltered. "That thing? No. He wouldn't. Not against Koma. He knows the collateral would be too much for us."
"He knows," Lokee replied coldly. "But Hykee hates losing more than he loves his siblings. If he feels the gap is too wide, he will resort to anything."
Kana sat on the stone ledge in silence. She gripped the rock until it cracked under her palms. She felt the power of her brothers. It was a raw energy that made the air feel heavy. She was getting scared. Her heart thumped against her ribs. She looked at the others with dread.
"How long do you think this fight will go on?" Kana asked.
"At this rate, they could be fighting for days," Kaola responded. "Their endurance is as terrifying as their strength.""It depends on Koma," Lokee answered. "If he wants to humiliate Hykee, we'll be here until the sun sets twice. But if Hykee forces his hand, it will end in a heartbeat of absolute violence. You're watching two oceans trying to drown each other."
"Stand still!" Hykee screamed.
He launched a flurry of blows. His fists created small sonic booms that shattered the leaves from the trees. Koma moved through the storm with insulting ease. He didn't even raise his hands to defend himself. He ducked. He pivoted. He slid through the gaps. To an observer, it looked like a dance. Koma was always exactly where the fist wasn't. He was a shadow in the moonlight. Impossible to corner.
Koma let out a sharp, unexpected burst of laughter.
"Hykee, your speed. It's picking up," Koma said. His eyes gleamed with a spark of amusement. "You're getting faster."
Hykee slammed both fists into the ground. A shockwave of dirt and stone masked his next move. He lunged through the debris. His hand reached out to grab Koma's throat. For a second, it looked like he might connect. His fingers brushed Koma's collar. The jagged light on his skin scorched the air.
Koma simply vanished.He reappeared behind Hykee. His hand rested lightly on the back of his brother's head."You're trying too hard," Koma said. His voice was devoid of emotion.
He pushed forward. A subtle pulse of his blood act magnified the shove. Hykee went flying. His body crashed through three thick oak trees before slamming into a rock wall. The impact left a massive indentation. Hykee slumped to the ground. He coughed up a thick glob of blood. His grin returned despite the pain. He ripped the bandages from his left hand with a violent motion.
"Koma!" Hykee shouted. His voice echoed through the wreckage. "I am done playing tag. If you want a dance, let's burn the forest down."
Hykee reached into his own mouth. His hand disappeared deep into his throat. A dark, swirling void pocket opened within him. With a wet, nauseating sound, he gripped a hilt. Kana gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
Lokee rolled her eyes and crossed her arms tighter. "Ugh. Why can't he just fight normally for once?" she muttered. "He always has to be so dramatic."
Hykee pulled the weapon out. The black steel dripped with thick, viscous ichor that steamed in the cold air. He threw the sword high into the sky. A pitch black puddle of void energy formed on the ground. The sword fell into the center and vanished.
Kaola looked down with revulsion. "Where does the sword go?" she asked, shivering. "And can't he find another way to pull his weapons out? It's disgusting."
"It goes into the deeper layers of his shadow," Lokee replied. "As for the throat, he says it's the fastest route to his core. He doesn't care about being clean. He only cares about being lethal."
Hykee suddenly covered his face. A manic, jagged laughter tore from his lungs. The sound was distorted. It didn't belong to a human throat. Koma watched. His interest was finally peaked. The mask of boredom crumbled. It was replaced by sharp, predatory focus. He wasn't bored anymore.
The sewed eye on the back of Hykee's hand forced itself open with a wet snap of thread. The eye did not just look. It began to cry tears of pure black lightning. The dark energy sizzled down his knuckles, carving smoking lines into his skin. The air in the clearing turned a sickly violet. The temperature plummeted. Frost began to crawl up the splintered trunks.
"I am tired of chasing shadows, Koma," Hykee hissed.
He raised his hand. The weeping eye focused directly on Koma's chest. A massive bolt of black lightning tore through the canopy. This time, it didn't dissipate. It coiling around Hykee's arm like a living serpent. He stepped forward. The ground groaned as if a great weight were pressing down. Koma narrowed his eyes. His blood act responded. Red mist rose up, forming a swirling vortex."
Finally," Koma said. A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Something worth my time."
Hykee didn't wait. He threw a punch at the air itself. The blow created a vacuum that pulled everything toward him. Koma was dragged forward by the pressure. Hykee unleashed the black lightning in a focused beam. Koma raised both hands. His blood act solidified into a crystalline shield of deep crimson.
The lightning slammed into the shield with a deafening crack. It was merely a distraction. In the moment of impact, Hykee vanished. He appeared instantaneously in front of Koma. The movement was so rapid it surpassed the visual threshold of even the phantom step. Before Koma could adjust, Hykee drove his fist forward with terrifying force.
The punch tore through the crimson blood shield like thin glass. The impact connected squarely with Koma's chest. The shockwave rippled through his body and out his back. Trees shattered for a hundred yards. Koma was sent flying. He was a streak of red and black that vanished into the treeline. He left a trail of pulverized wood and dust.
Hykee stood in the center of the crater. Black lightning still danced across his knuckles. He had successfully speed-blitzed his brother.