SICARII

Lino's voice cut through the tense air like a commander's bark. "Quickly, we need to hunt him down. He mustn't be far, and he's too dangerous to leave on the loose. Let's split into three pairs. I'll search alone. Mionara, Taizen—you two pair up."

Without hesitation, the team dispersed in all directions, their movements swift and focused. Mionara and Taizen dashed eastward, their senses sharp and their pace relentless.

Taizen broke the silence, his voice strained with guilt. "It's my fault. I gave him the opening. I shouldn't have charged in like that."

Mionara, running alongside him, shook his head. "There's no point dwelling on it now. What's done is done. Let's focus on finding him and rescuing Ron so we can complete this mission."

The minutes stretched painfully as they scoured the area, tension mounting with every step. Fifteen minutes passed, then twenty, with still no sign of Felix or Ron. Just as frustration began to creep in, they stumbled upon a small, quiet village nestled between dense trees. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys, and villagers moved about their routines, seemingly oblivious to the chaos that had unfolded nearby.

As they entered, Taizen's sharp eyes caught a faint trail of boot prints in the dirt leading deeper into the settlement. "Look," he said, gesturing to the ground. "They must be somewhere around here."

The two followed the trail through the village, their footsteps quick but silent. The villagers watched them curiously but did not interfere. The tension built with every corner they turned, every shadow they passed. Finally, as they neared the edge of the village, they spotted him.

Ron lay on the ground, tied up and unconscious, his face pale under the dim light. Sitting just a few feet away, Felix leaned casually against a wooden fence, dusting his hands off as if he had just completed a mundane task.

"Well, well, well," Felix said, his voice calm but mocking. "Isn't this a surprise?"

Before Felix could finish his sentence, Mionara launched himself forward in a blur of motion, his twin katanas flashing like streaks of lightning.

"Mionara, wait!" Taizen shouted, stunned by his companion's uncharacteristic recklessness. Mionara, normally precise and deliberate, was attacking with wild abandon, his strikes lacking their usual precision.

Felix moved like a ghost, effortlessly dodging the erratic slashes. His expression shifted from amusement to mild irritation. Mionara's katanas sliced through the air, but none found their mark. Felix ducked, sidestepped, and leaned back with unnerving ease.

"Oh I see what your trying to do," Felix said, almost lazily, as he planted his foot and countered. With a devastating head kick, his boot connected cleanly with Mionara's temple.

Mionara crumpled to the ground, unconscious, his swords clattering beside him.

"No!" Taizen shouted, his voice ringing with both fury and disbelief. He rushed forward, gripping his katana tightly, his heart pounding. Felix smirked, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder as he turned his full attention to Taizen.

Taizen skidded to a stop, his instincts screaming for him to charge, but his mind forced him to pause. He knew better now. This wasn't an ordinary opponent—Felix was on a completely different level. Rushing in blindly would only lead to disaster. Tightening his grip on his katana, Taizen's sharp eyes studied Felix's movements.

Felix, noticing the hesitation, smirked with a touch of amusement. "So, you've decided to think before acting this time," he said mockingly, his voice carrying an unsettling mix of arrogance and amusement. He drew his sword, the blade gleaming in the pale light. "I like that. You seem… interesting. I'll play with you for a bit."

Without warning, Felix moved. To Taizen, it was as if Felix had vanished. His mind barely had time to process the blinding speed before an iron boot slammed into his back. The force sent him hurtling forward, crashing into the dirt in a cloud of dust and debris. Gritting his teeth, Taizen pushed himself to his feet, feeling the ache ripple through his back. He turned to face Felix, who stood leisurely with his blade resting on his shoulder.

"That's all?" Felix teased, gesturing for Taizen to come closer. "Don't disappoint me now."

Taizen lunged forward, katana flashing in a precise arc aimed at Felix's neck. Felix's sword moved just as quickly, parrying the strike with ease. The sound of steel clashing filled the air as the two began a furious exchange of blows.

Felix pressed the attack, his strikes brutal and unrelenting. His blade slashed downward, aiming to cleave Taizen in half. Taizen sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike, and countered with a quick thrust aimed at Felix's ribs. Felix twisted, deflecting the attack with a flick of his wrist, and stepped in close to deliver a sharp elbow to Taizen's jaw.

Taizen staggered back but quickly recovered, spinning low and slashing at Felix's legs. Felix leapt over the blade, flipping gracefully in midair, and came down with his sword poised to strike. Taizen raised his katana just in time, their blades locking as Felix's strength bore down on him.

"Not bad," Felix said, grinning wickedly. "But you'll need more than that to keep up."

With a surge of strength, Felix shoved Taizen back and followed with a flurry of attacks. Taizen dodged left and right, narrowly avoiding each devastating swing. Felix's speed was unreal, but Taizen's agility and keen instincts kept him alive. He pivoted around a horizontal slash and delivered a swift roundhouse kick aimed at Felix's midsection.

Felix caught the kick with his free hand, his grip like a vice. With a smirk, he yanked Taizen forward and slammed his knee into Taizen's stomach. Taizen gasped as the air was knocked out of him, but he refused to fall. Instead, he swung his katana upward, forcing Felix to release him and leap back.

"You're tougher than I thought," Felix admitted, his smirk fading into something colder. "But let's see how long you can last."

Taizen steadied himself, his breathing heavy but his resolve unshaken. He surged forward again, their blades meeting in a storm of sparks and deafening clangs. Each strike came faster than the last, their movements so rapid that the villagers watching from a distance could hardly follow. Taizen ducked under a diagonal slash and retaliated with a spinning slash aimed at Felix's torso. Felix blocked, spinning into a reverse kick aimed at Taizen's head. Taizen dropped low, sweeping his leg at Felix's ankles.

Felix flipped backward, landing lightly as if the fight were merely an entertaining exercise. Taizen pressed on, using his katana to force Felix into a defensive rhythm. He feinted left, then struck from the right, nearly catching Felix off guard. Felix countered by slamming his hilt into Taizen's ribs, following with a vicious slash. Taizen leaned back, the blade missing him by inches, and retaliated with a strike aimed at Felix's wrist.

Felix's expression turned cold and focused as he straightened his stance. "I need to end this now," he declared, his voice echoing with finality. "I can't waste any more time. The hostage is mine to take."

He ran the palm of his hand along the length of his sword, and instantly, the blade began to change. The steel dissolved into swirling tendrils of smoke, each thread alive with crackling green energy. Thunder rolled through the village as if summoned by the weapon itself, and sparks danced along the vaporous edges of the blade.

Taizen's eyes widened as he watched the transformation. The chaotic mixture of smoke and green thunder pulsed with raw power, casting Felix in an eerie, ominous glow.

Felix smirked, clearly enjoying Taizen's astonishment. "I know you're amazed, but also confused," he said. "You've probably never seen Inner of this caliber before. Smoke and Green Thunder—chaos incarnate, thunderclouds forged into a blade. Few survive after witnessing its power."

Taizen steeled himself, tightening his grip on his katana. "I'm not dying here," he growled, stepping forward.

Felix laughed, a deep, mocking sound. "We'll see about that!"

With a burst of speed, Felix lunged at Taizen, his weapon roaring with energy as it slashed through the air. The moment their blades collided, an explosive bang of thunder echoed across the village, shaking the very ground beneath them. Smoke burst out in chaotic spirals from Felix's sword, shrouding the battlefield in a dense haze.

Taizen grunted under the immense force of Felix's attack, his katana trembling against the volatile energy of the transformed blade. The smoke twisted and surged around him, laced with green thunder that struck out like bolts of lightning. Felix pressed his advantage, his attacks relentless and overwhelming.

Another swing from Felix connected with Taizen's blade, the impact creating a shockwave that sent Taizen flying backward. He crashed into the dirt, coughing as the smoke and thunder scattered through the air, creating a massive force that left cracks in the ground.

Taizen rose to his feet, clutching his katana tightly, his breathing heavy but his determination unshaken. The storm wasn't over yet.

Felix smirked, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling mix of respect and malice. "You have a lot of potential," he said, his voice calm but sharp. "That's why I need to kill you right now—before you become a problem."

Before Taizen could react, Felix lunged at him with his smoke-and-thunder blade, the weapon cutting through the air with an ear-splitting roar. Taizen braced himself, but just as Felix was about to strike, a massive figure crashed into him from the side with the force of a freight train.

Felix was sent flying, tumbling through the air before landing in a cloud of dust. A new presence stood between him and Taizen—a half-man, half-bull beast with massive horns, rippling muscles, and an aura of raw, untamed power. The ground trembled beneath its hooves as it stood tall, snorting steam like a locomotive.

"Lino," Taizen muttered weakly, collapsing onto the ground as exhaustion overtook him.

Lino glanced back briefly, his beastly form glowing faintly under the moonlight. "Taizen, are you okay?" he asked, his deep, rumbling voice filled with urgency.

Taizen managed a faint nod before his body gave out, falling unconscious from the strain of the battle.

Lino turned back toward Felix, but the smoke-wielding warrior was already on his feet, brushing dust off his combat pants. Felix's smirk had turned into a scowl, his eyes narrowing at Lino. "Interesting," Felix muttered under his breath, his weapon crackling with renewed energy. But instead of charging forward, he suddenly disappeared into the swirling smoke, retreating into the night with Ron in tow.

"Lino!" one of the pack members shouted, rushing to his side.

"I lost sight of him," Lino growled, frustration evident in his voice. He scanned the area, but the swirling remnants of Felix's Inner made it impossible to pick up a trail.

Turning back, Lino knelt beside Taizen and then Mionara, who was still unconscious from the earlier fight. He quickly checked their vitals and then tapped his comms unit. "This is Lino. I need immediate medical backup at my location. Two injured squad members but stable. And the hostage has been taken again," he said, his voice tight with frustration.

As he waited for a response, he looked out into the distance, his fists clenching. "This isn't over, Felix," he muttered under his breath.