[Craig's Pov]
"Damn… that barefooted guy is something else."
Craig lay sprawled in a ruined patch of woods. He was still alive but barely. He pushed his consciousness and managed a weak cough, spitting out a thick wad of blood and pulverized tissue.
"If I hadn't used my Arc Seal before those punches rained, I would be dead by now."
He tried to sit up, groaning as the fractured bones in his ribs shifted.
"And it's been days now, but why hasn't my body regenerated like it should have? I know that guy overwhelmed me but by now I should be better."
A new presence appeared, a young man stepped into view, his eyes wide with unsettling curiosity.
Kai paused, tilting his head. "Oh my God." he murmured. "You look like you've been hit by the world itself, big guy." Kai smiled. "But you know what? I'll put you out of your misery."
He raised his hand and in a flash his entire forearm hardened, turning metallic.
Then he lunged.
Craig rolled instinctively, dodging the hammer fist that cratered the ground beside him. He pushed himself to his knees, with his muscles trembling. Then forced his fists to clench and his mana flared.
Kai lunged again, faster this time. He threw a storm of blows. One elongated punch cracked into Craig's shoulder. Another attack three hardened spikes erupt from his knuckle as he slashed Craig's side.
Craig gritted his teeth, blocking with his arms. His forearms bleeding, he swung once and missed.
Kai's next blow punched clean through Craig's abdomen, exploding out the other side in a spray of blood. Craig's eyes went wide and a soundless gasp escaped him.
Kai held him there for a moment, his arm buried to the elbow in Craig's gut, blood dripping from his forearm, his grin widening. Then with a twisted satisfaction, he swung his arm sideways, hurling Craig's body.
Craig crashed into a tree trunk.
And Kai flexed his blood-covered hand and looked down at Craig's still body.
"There, rest peacefully." he muttered, turning to leave.
Suddenly, a voice filled with manic strength, stopped him cold.
"You know what the boring part about my Arc Seal ability is?" Craig wheezed, pushing himself up, the gaping hole in his gut sealing rapidly. "It only heals the killing blows."
Kai's eyes widened in primal terror.
Craig coughed, spitting more blood. "The other wounds that are inflicted throughout the combat... it does nothing to them." he continued, his voice growing louder. "I'm forced to start healing slowly. But I feel like you… you gonna made it easy for me."
Craig smiled. "Now, let's fight for real."
They blurred as they lunged simultaneously. Craig's fist shot out first and Kai instinctively crossed his arms to block but the impact was more than he expected. His body was thrown backward, crashing into a cluster of trees.
When his feet finally dug into the earth to halt his momentum, Craig was already upon him with another fist. Kai raised both hands to block it too and the force cratered the ground beneath his feet, drove him down onto one knee.
Kai screamed in frustration, pushing his arms out. Craig was hurled backward and Kai used it to his advantage, he flash-stepped. And threw a wild punch but Craig caught his arm in a vise-like grip, pulling him in close.
Kai's eyes widened in shock. In an instant, Craig's skull slammed into Kai's face in a brutal headbutt that instantly drew blood from Kai's nose.
Kai stumbled back, his eyes widening as he saw Craig's wounds knitting together before him. Fear instantly surged through him, the Brute was actually healing.
His hands changed into wickedly sharp blades. He lunged again and he fought wildly, slashing at everything. Craig met the onslaught with brutal blocks, slowly advancing.
Kai's swings began to slow down from exhaustion. He blinked, with fear creeping across his bloodied face. "How… how are you still… standing?" he stammered.
Craig's grin widened with a cruel satisfaction in his eyes. He stepped closer. "Pretty simple." he said, voice calm. "I didn't die because it wasn't my time yet. And the moment you were overwhelmed by my presence… that's when you started healing me."
Kai's knees buckled. "You… you're..."
Craig cut him off, wrapping his hands around Kai's throat with a crushing grip. Kai struggled but his strength was waning rapidly.
"Thanks to you." Craig hissed, "I'm back at full strength now."
He snapped his neck and dropped the body, stepping back, his wounds still healing but his stance confident.
"Now I need to look for my team." he muttered, flexing his fists. "But that Damien boy never sits still."