As they stood shoulder to shoulder, Kai finally took the initiative to observe Zyren. His battle suit was a blend of fluid motion and overwhelming power. His attire was sharp, sleek and held an air of untamed precision, perfectly suited to the most skilled fighter among the Time-keepers. The most striking piece of his outfit was his outwear, resembling a coat but far from ordinary. It was a charcoal black long-tail jacket, cut in a manner that allowed maximum mobility. The edges of the tails, the ends of the collar and the wrists were adorned with scarlet flame-like patterns, as if his energy constantly burned at the seams. The coat split at the back, it's tails flowing like living shadows when he moved, giving off the illusion of flickering embers trailing behind him.
At the back of his coat, his emblem glowed with a scarlet light, a Japanese Kusarigama and a long segmented sword, resembling a single edged Katana, crossed in perfect symmetry. Beneath the jacket, Zyren wore a form-fitting black vest, sleeveless to expose his silver arms, toned and muscular like a weightlifter. The high collar of his vest had intricate scarlet embroidery, thin streaks of glowing energy pulsed across his chest in shifting patterns. His trousers were tailored yet flexible, made for lightning-fast movements and tucked into black boots. Scarlet armored plates covered the front of his trousers at his knees and shins. His boots also had the same scarlet metallic plates at the heels and the font portion of them. His black fingerless gloves were lined with glowing scarlet threads, running in symmetrical patterns.
Clipped to his belt was a sleek, half-face battle mask, made of blackened metal inlaid with glowing dark-red triangular teeth and a pair of fangs in the place of the canines. As Zyren put on the mask, thin ember-like lines glowed across the black surface as the teeth on the mask developed a low scarlet glow.
The fractured battlefield warped around them, time and space constantly shifting in unpredictable patterns. The distorted shadows surrounding Kai and Zyren had grown stronger, more stable, their movements sharper, more aggressive. Kai exhaled, rolling his shoulder as he prepared another Temporal Pistol shot, but before he could fire, Zyren stepped forward with a smug smirk. "Alright, rookie," Zyren said, stretching his arms over his head lazily. "You've got the basics down. Time to show you something with a little more.....punch." Kai frowned. "what do you mean by that?"
"Sit back and enjoy." Zyren said, cracking his knuckles. Without further warning, Zyren raised his right hand, fingers splayed open. His scarlet temporal energy crackled to life, coiling like molten embers around his palm. The sheer intensity of it sent a pulse through the unstable air, making the very ground beneath them tremble. Kai could feel it, the weight of raw and untamed power that was somehow perfectly controlled in Zyren's grasp. Zyren's expression shifted. His usual laid-back demeanor remained, but there was something sharper in his eyes now focused and deadly. He curled his fingers into a fist, locking the condensed energy in place. The space around his fist distorted, a bright scarlet glow emanating the force he contained.
Then, in a single fluid motion, he pulled his fist back...and punched. The moment his fist connected with the air, the very fabric of the battlefield seemed to crack. It felt like glass shattering in slow motion, jagged fissures spiderwebbed outward as the shockwave exploded forward. A deep, resonating boom echoed through the warped realm as the impact rippled through the space in front of him. The poor shadows never stood a chance. They were obliterated instantly, torn apart as the wave of fractured energy consumed them. The ground itself split, floating debris thrown back as if caught in the gravitational pull of an unseen force. Even Kai had to brace himself, the sheer force of the technique sending powerful aftershocks through the battlefield.
As the dust settled, Zyren rolled his shoulders, flexing his fingers as if he'd just finished a casual warm-up. "Temporal Fracture," he said, as if explaining something mundane. "Condense enough energy, then release it in a controlled shockwave. One good hit can send a rip through space itself." Kai stared at the destruction in stunned silence before finally finding his voice. "You just punched through space." "Damn right I did." Zyren grinned. "Now, your turn." Kai blanched. "You expect me.....to do that? " Zyren smirked, stepping aside. "You've got the energy for it, rookie. Question is, can you control it?"
The remaining shadows stirred, closing in towards them at rapid speeds. Kai clenched his fists. "I guess it's time to find out" he said, adjusting his stance. Kai flexed his fingers, shaking off the residual tremors in his arms. His body still buzzed with lingering energy from witnessing Temporal Fracture in action. The sheer destructive force Zyren had unleashed made him question how anyone could casually wield such power. He took a deep breath and held out his hand, concentrating on his inner flow of energy. As before, the azure strands of time energy flickered and coiled around his palm, but the moment he tried to condense them further, they wavered, unstable, slipping away before he could hold them in place.
"Dammit" Kai growled in frustration. Zyren, for once, wasn't teasing. He crossed his arms, watching with an unusually focused gaze. "Listen, rookie," he said, his tone firm but lacking his usual mockery. "Temporal Fracture isn't something you can just spam whenever you feel like it. It takes a lot out of you, so you've gotta be smart about when and how you use it. You don't wanna burn out in the middle of a fight." Kai furrowed his brow. "So what? You just expect me to pull it off in one go?" "Nah." Zyren smirked. "I expect you to fail a couple times first." Kai shot him an annoyed look but focused again. He repeated the steps as he gathered the energy, condensing it and pulling back his fist, before striking forward with everything he had.
A small shockwave burst out, distorting the air slightly. The shadows barely staggered. Kai gritted his teeth and tried again. Another weak ripple. Zyren watched in silence for a while before finally speaking up. But this time, his voice lacked its usual lazy arrogance. Instead, it carried something steadier. "You're getting there, but you're too tense your energy's resisting because you're forcing it. Let it flow. Feel it move through you, not against you." Kai hesitated. He hadn't expected encouragement. He shot a quick glance at Zyren, expecting to see some smug grin, but the silver-skinned warrior's face was unreadable serious, almost expectant. Kai exhaled slowly.
He closed his eyes for a second, focusing on the energy coursing through him. Rather than forcing it into place, he let it guide him, synchronizing with the pulse of time itself. His fingers curled into a fist. His energy stabilized. And then....he struck. BOOM! A shockwave erupted from his fist, tearing through the battlefield in a massive rupture. The blast swept across the shadows, shredding them apart like fragile glass caught in a storm. The air cracked and twisted in the wake of his attack, the ground splitting where his energy made contact.
Kai stumbled back, his breath coming in sharp pants but then, a grin broke across his face. A satisfied, breathless laugh escaped him. "Holy shi-.....I actually did it." Zyren let out a low whistle, eyes gleaming with something similar to amusement and a bit of approval. "Not bad, rookie. Not bad at all." Then, his grin turned sharp. "Alright," he said, rolling his shoulders. "Now we dance." The remaining shadows stirred, sensing the surge in their power. Kai smirked, shaking out his hands as he steadied himself. "You're on loser." Without another word, both of them charged forward.
Zyren led the assault, firing off energy bullets from his fingers like rapid lightning as he weaved between enemies, his movements fluid and untouchable. With a wild laugh, he sent another Temporal Fracture rippling through the battlefield, tearing apart the shifting horrors in a scarlet storm. Kai followed suit, his own shots growing sharper, more precise. When the next wave surged, he gathered his energy once more and slammed his fist into the air, another massive shockwave ripping through the shadows, decimating them in an instant.
Zyren laughed like a madman, his ember-like eyes flickering with something almost feral. "Damn, rookie! You sure you weren't born for this?" he roared as he jumped of a rock, doing a back-flip in the air as he brought both of his hands in front of him, firing off energy bullets like a machine gun and annihilating a large group of shadows. Kai, still catching his breath, smirked as he fired another shot into the horde. Maybe, just maybe Zyren wasn't so bad after all. For the first time since becoming a Time Keeper, he felt it. The rush of battle. And damn, did it feel good.
The last of the distorted shadows dissolved into nothingness, their fractured forms vanishing into the chaotic void of the Fractured Vale. Kai, dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. His pulse thundered in his ears, his body still buzzing from the sheer intensity of the fight. Zyren, on the other hand, stood beside him, still crackling with unspent energy. His wild scarlet ember-like eyes burned with exhilaration, his grin stretched wide across his face. He ran a hand through his mercurial silver hair, his stance as effortless as ever, despite the chaos they had just torn through. "Not bad, rookie. Not bad at all," Zyren said, his voice laced with amusement. He nudged Kai's shoulder with the side of his foot. "You catch on way faster than I expected. At this rate, I might actually start thinking you're worth something." Zyren let out a short laugh before cracking his knuckles. "Alright, lesson's almost over," he said, rolling his shoulders. "I've got one last thing to show you."
Kai groaned. "You seriously have more?" Zyren's grin only widened. "Oh, you're gonna love this one." He leaped away from Kai, his posture suddenly shifting from relaxed to something controlled, deliberate. The air around him warped as he gathered a massive amount of scarlet temporal energy into his palms, the glow expanding rapidly like a barely contained explosion. Kai tensed, expecting Zyren to pull back for another devastating punch. Instead, Zyren slammed his palms together. A scarlet explosion erupted from his body, expanding outward in a perfect sphere. The force of the blast tore through the ground, leaving behind a crater several meters wide, the debris caught in a lingering temporal distortion, chunks of rock and dust freezing mid-air before reversing their fall. And yet, as the dust settled, Zyren stood perfectly unharmed, brushing off his coat as if nothing had happened.
Kai gawked. "I am tired of being surprised.....but the hell was that?" Zyren smirked, his eyes flashing with mischief. "Temporal Collapse. A perfect counter for when you're surrounded." He spread his arms. "Instead of focusing all your energy into a single point like the Temporal Fracture, this one expels it outward, hitting everything around you in one go." Kai took a deep breath, still staring at the crater. "And, let me guess, you want me to try?" "You got it." Zyren cracked his neck, then crossed his arms. "Shouldn't be too hard for you, though. You've got talent, let's see if you can prove it."
Kai exhaled sharply and forced himself to his feet. There was a fire in his chest, something ignited by the thrill of the fight. He rolled his shoulders as he relaxed his posture. He brought his hands close, feeling the pull of his Temporal Aura. The azure glow of his energy flared to life, surging into his palms, swirling and pulsing like a raging current. He concentrated not just on the power, but on the flow allowing his instincts to guide him. Then, he clapped his hands together. A massive azure explosion engulfed him, the shockwave blasting outward with immense force. The ground shattered beneath him, and the air crackled with displaced time. Everything caught in the blast disintegrated. "Well, damn." Zyren whistled. Kai panted, staring at the destruction he had caused. He did it first try. A slow, satisfied grin stretched across his face, and despite his exhaustion, a short, breathless laugh escaped his lips.
Zyren chuckled, shaking his head. "First try, huh?" He clapped Kai on the back, nearly knocking him forward. "You keep this up, and I might just have to start respecting you." Right then, Zyren's Chrono-link materialized, the crystal flaring up a bright scarlet. "Well shoot, looks like the others are back." he said, sounding a bit disappointed.