Kyrren walked with a loose confident stride, the twin wooden swords he carried strapped carelessly across his back. And Ravyn walked stiffly, his back leaned slightly toward the wall.
"Your ability, during the fight..." Ravyn started, running a hand through his hair. "You didn't just switch weapons. You changed them, it looked like you replaced one thing with something completely different. Honestly, it blew my mind."
"I don't change them, kid. I recreated them." Kyrren clarified, not looking back. "It's a simple technique, Recreation. I simply can recreate any object from any object."
Ravyn stared, his eyes wide with a sudden, ridiculous idea. "So you could take a single small coin and recreate it into a giant… tank?"
Kyrren stopped, turning with an amused smirk. "That's stupid, but yeah, I could. However, recreating an object that big from a tiny base would drain me completely of mana. So I stick to same-size swaps, mostly."
"Huh, I get it now." Ravyn admitted. "And it's incredibly cool by the way."
Kyrren scratched his hair, finally glancing at Ravyn with genuine curiosity. "Well, what about yours? You did some wild stuff back there yourself, throwing a whole car."
"Oh, yeah." Ravyn paused. "I can alter forces and direction of everything I touch. Sometimes I even apply it to myself, to weigh myself down or launch myself."
"Gravity Manipulation, huh? Like Chuuya Nakahara from Bungo Stray Dogs?" Kyrren suggested, tilting his head.
Ravyn frowned, confused. "What?"
Kyrren sighed dramatically. "Oh my god. You don't watch anime, do you?"
"Honestly, I don't even know what that is."
"Well, you're one boring kid." Kyrren muttered, shaking his head.
"Stop calling me kid! We're probably the same age or you're a year older, man." Ravyn protested, rubbing his face.
Kyrren straightened up, his grin widening. "I'm 25."
Ravyn stared at him. And Kyrren's easy smile snapped into an expression of intense focus. He threw his arm out, shielding Ravyn. "Above!" he shouted.
A cascade of emerald energy arrows rained down from the rooftops. They struck the ground with explosive force, splintering the pavement.
Kyrren's hands shot to the wooden swords on his back. In a flicker of mana, the wood transformed into twin, steel sabers. And he deflected the initial volley, the metallic clang ringing, all while sprinting wildly for cover behind a massive dumpster.
Ravyn stumbled, trailing behind. He was still reeling from the shock of the attack and the sudden age revelation.
"Who the hell is that?" Kyrren yelled, crouching low as the arrows tore the air above their heads.
"He must be an Executioner." Ravyn gasped, clinging to the dumpster.
"An Executioner? What is that, a hitman with a fancy name?" Kyrren asked, reloading his focus.
"Maybe... I don't know but he's after me! And you need to run, man!"
A savage smile stretched across Kyrren's face. "Run? No way, kid! I'm not running from a good fight!"
The rain of arrows paused.
Kyrren instantly converted his twin sabers into high-powered rifles. He peaked over the dumpster, ready to fire but his target was faster.
Acheron materialized directly above the dumpster, having used his immense speed to jump over the structure. He brought a vicious toed kick down, sending Kyrren crashing into a stack of empty barrels.
Ravyn didn't hesitate. He flared his fists in the deep red aura and lunged with a massive punch aimed for the Executioner's side.
Acheron barely shifted, catching Ravyn's empowered fist in his left hand. And the blow halted dead.
Before Ravyn could react, Acheron slammed a barrage of punches into Ravyn's ribs and gut with his free hand, refusing to release the grip on the fist.
Ravyn's vision blurred, his body seizing with unbearable pain. Acheron stopped the flurry of blows and transitioned his grip, wrapping his hand around Ravyn's throat.
"For someone who managed to kill Heron, your skills are exceedingly disappointing, Anomaly." Acheron growled, tightening his grip and slowly squeezing the life out of Ravyn.
Just as Ravyn's consciousness began to fade, a thunderous crack erupted from the dumpster. Kyrren had rematerialized his rifles and fired, forcing Acheron to release Ravyn and violently flash-step backward to dodge the bullets.
Kyrren converted his rifles instantly into a black staff with jagged twin curves at the top. He closed the distance with a reckless speed, catching Acheron mid-dodge.
Acheron blocked the staff swing with his forearm but the crushing force still sent him skidding violently back.
And before he could recover, Kyrren slammed the staff down in a crushing swing from above. Acheron jumped back, letting the staff crater the ground.
Mid-jump, Acheron materialized his bow and an immense volley of emerald energy arrows instantly manifested and shot forward. And the shots were blindingly fast.
Kyrren spun the staff in a chaotic blur, deflecting the barrage but he saw Ravyn, still collapsed and unconscious and knew he couldn't maintain both defense and their escape.
Acheron seized the opening, showering both of them in arrows. Three arrows struck Kyrren instantly: two tore through his waist and one pierced deeply near his clavicle. He fell to one knee, blood streaming.
Acheron drew back his bow for the final shot and his mana rising to a peak. "Maximum Output : Devine Arrow!"
A colossal arrow of light manifested and shot toward Kyrren, charged with annihilating power.
Kyrren looked at the incoming shot, his eyes wide with grim acceptance. "Guess you won't be paying me back after all, kid." he whispered, ready to meet his end.
But Ravyn was up.
His body flared, not in the usual deep red but in a burning crimson that enveloped his entire form. He lunged forward and caught the giant arrow barehanded.
The sheer force of the impact rippled outward immediately, shattering the windows of nearby buildings. And the ground shook beneath his feet.
Ravyn was instantly pushed back, his feet skidding, leaving deep furrows in the pavement. He roared, his strength straining but he pushed back. The crimson aura intensified and overwhelming the force of the arrow.
Acheron's eyes widened in profound shock.
With one final catastrophic push, Ravyn shattered the giant arrow. Resulting in a blastwave that ripped off the neighboring houses.
Ravyn picked up Kyrren's staff. And before Acheron could recover, he had already closed the distance, his speed now exceeding the flash-step. He swung the staff, catching Acheron square in the gut and sending him crashing through two buildings.
Ravyn pursued relentlessly.
Acheron lay buried beneath the rubble of the last building he crashed into, coughing up blood and struggling to push his shaking body upright. But he managed to force a dizzying backflip just as Ravyn's staff slammed into the ground where his head had been.
He snapped out a dizzying kick that Ravyn dodged but the proximity caused Ravyn to loosen his grip on the staff.
Acheron seized the chance to flee but it was too late. Ravyn had applied his gravity control to the discarded weapon. The staff shot forward piercing Acheron through the stomach. And it ripped free, floating upward.
The Executioner stumbled, bleeding profusely.
The staff shot again, backward and plunging through Acheron's brain.
Acheron froze mid-step, his body collapsing instantly. And blood pooling beneath him.
Kyrren, finally caught up, clutching his bleeding side. And he stared at the carnage.
"Holy shit, kid." Kyrren wheezed, shaking his head. "This is very dark." He turned and saw flashing lights coming. "Come on, let's go. You guys made a colossal mess."
Ravyn's power snapped. And he turned and followed his new ally, leaving the chaos behind them.