Meanwhile far away in another planet, Jaxen, Rook, and Kylo stood in a tight triangular formation, their boots anchored firmly against the ground.
Standing a few yards away from them was the Malkor Elite. He carried a heavy, crushing presence that seemed to warp the very air around his silhouette, forcing the ground to sag under the sheer weight of his aura. He looked down at the three fighters with a gaze that held absolutely zero emotion.
"Hello humans, my name is syphos and I'm here to kill you," Syphos said.
"Ok that's one cold introduction," Jaxen said activating his evoliths. "But we're kinda in an hurry so we'll make this quick."
The standoff shattered instantly.
Jaxen was the first to move, activating his evoliths on to trigger an explosive burst of speed. H
e traveled across the area like a bolt, appearing directly in front of Syphos in a fraction of a second. He threw a devastating right jab enveloped in lighting, aiming straight for the Elite's jaw.
Syphos didn't flinch. He casually tilted his head to the left, letting Jaxen's lightning-infused fist pass inches from his ear. The heat from the lighting singed the air, but before Jaxen could pull his arm back, Syphos countered with a lightning-fast left hook directly to Jaxen's ribs.
BANG.
Rook intercepted the blow just in time. Using his metal evoliths, Rook tore a heavy steel plate directly out from the ground, shaping it into a dense, thick buckler shield that slid between Syphos's fist and Jaxen's torso. Syphos's bare knuckles collided with the metal shield, the sheer physical impact creating a loud, ringing sound that echoed through the environment.
The metal buckler cracked down the center under the Elite's raw physical strength, but it successfully absorbed the momentum, allowing Jaxen to safely step back.
Taking advantage of the opening, Kylo surged forward from the right flank. His copycat evolith flared to life, his eyes glowing as he perfectly replicated Jaxen's evoliths.
Kylo's right leg became enveloped in crackling golden sparks as he executed a fierce, spinning crescent kick aimed squarely at Syphos's temple.
Syphos ducked beneath Kylo's lightning kick, the wind pressure from the attack parting his hair. From his crouched position, Syphos lunged forward, driving his palm straight into Kylo's sternum.
Kylo gasped as the impact knocked the breath from his lungs, sending him skidding backward across the metallic platform.
"Don't let up!" Rook roared.
Rook slammed both hands onto the ground, activating his metal manipulation at maximum capacity.
The metal floor plates beneath Syphos's boots violently liquefied and reshaped themselves into heavy, metallic tendrils that wrapped tightly around the Elite's ankles and shins, locking him firmly in place.
With Syphos temporarily immobilized, Jaxen and Kylo synchronized their attacks perfectly.
Jaxen channeled his lighting manipulation into his left fist, while Kylo, still copying the ability, channeled it into his right. The two of them closed the distance from opposite sides, unleashing a dual lightning strike targeted directly at Syphos's chest .
BOOM!
The combined electrical blast exploded against Syphos's torso, kicking up a massive cloud of dark smoke and sending bright blue sparks dancing across the area.
The force of the detonation shattered Rook's metal bindings, tearing the floor plates completely apart.
As the smoke cleared, Syphos stepped out of the crater entirely unbothered, his uniform slightly singed but his physical body completely unharmed. A cruel expression crossed his face as he locked his gaze onto Jaxen.
"I guess it's time to fight for real"
Syphos blurred, moving with a fluid physical grace. He appeared directly inside Jaxen's guard before Jaxen could react.
Syphos delivered a brutal combination of hand-to-hand strikes: a sharp elbow to Jaxen's shoulder, a knee to his midsection, and a downward palm strike that crashed heavily against his collarbone.
Jaxen gritted his teeth through the intense pain,
But still shocking Syphos's forearms upon contact, forcing the Elite to break his combo.
Jaxen staggered back, his breathing turning ragged as blood dripped from his lip.
"I've got him!" Rook yelled, stepping into the frontline.
Rook manipulated the surrounding metal fragments from the shattered floor, coating his entire arms in dense, jagged layers of hardened steel gauntlets. He stepped into close-quarters combat with Syphos, throwing a barrage of heavy, metallic punches. Each strike landed with a heavy thud-thud-thud as Syphos used his bare palms to deflect and parry the iron-reinforced fists. The sparks from the metal-on-skin friction illuminated the dark courtyard.
Syphos caught Rook's left metal fist mid-swing, his grip tightening until the reinforced steel gauntlet began to warp and crush Rook's fingers beneath it. Syphos raised his right hand to deliver a finishing blow to Rook's exposed neck.
Suddenly, Kylo appeared right behind Syphos. Having watched Rook's movements, Kylo switched his copycat evolith, instantly replicating Rook's metal manipulation. Kylo grew a sharp steel blade directly out from his right forearm and drove it toward Syphos's blind spot.
Sensing the incoming danger, Syphos violently threw Rook sideways, using Rook's heavy body as a physical shield to block Kylo's blade. Kylo twisted his wrist at the last second, retracting the metal spike to avoid impaling rook.
The sudden correction left Kylo off-balance.
Syphos capitalized instantly. He executed a sweeping kick that took out Kylo's legs, sending him crashing onto his back, followed by a heavy stomp aimed at Kylo's chest.
Before the stomp could connect, Jaxen unleashed a massive arc of lightning from a distance, hitting Syphos directly in the flank. The high-voltage electrical current forced the Elite to stagger a step to the side, giving Kylo enough time to roll away safely and scramble back to his boots.
The three vanguard fighters grouped back together in the center of the ruined courtyard, their chests heaving as sweat and blood mixed on their faces. Syphos stood across from them, adjusting his posture, his expression cold and focused.
Jaxen cracked his neck, the lighting arcing wildly across his shoulders as he braced his boots against the metal floor.
Rook reinforced his shattered gauntlets, drawing more metal from the surrounding infrastructure to build a thicker layer of armor around his torso. Kylo stood between them, his eyes shifting as he prepared his copycat ability to mirror whatever move came next.
The hand-to-hand combat had settled into a brutal, high-stakes rhythm. Every punch thrown by the Elite carried enough physical force to shatter bone, while the three humans had to rely on absolute synchronization, combining their lightning, metal, and copying abilities just to match his raw speed and power. They were locked in a life-or-death struggle.