People in the War Hounds' command center were still tense. Aaron had left, vanishing into the chaotic sprawl of Creamont to handle his part in this battle, leaving the others to have to fend for themselves and Lena and Seraphine in the shadows of the War Hounds' base.

But they didn't know that.

"He's finally gone," Seraphine said. "Let's go; we don't have time to lose."

Lena nodded, her grip tightening on her daggers. "Judas is at level 280. If he sees us coming, he'll run, or worse, call for reinforcements we don't have the time to deal with."

"We wait for an opening, then," Seraphine agreed, nocking an arrow.

They watched Judas pace the room, barking orders at his lieutenants. But there was something off about his movements, like a slight flicker, a hesitation that didn't match the forceful words he was shouting.

"Now," Lena said.

She dropped silently behind Judas and aimed for the base of his neck. A killing blow meant to end the War Hounds' leadership in a single stroke. It meant destroying the chain of command, because the War Hounds were not smart enough to create one that would survive the tests of death.

Lena's eyes widened because there was no resistance, no spray of blood. Her daggers had just passed through nothing but air and mist. The figure she thought was Judas dissolved in front of her, and for a split second, her mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened. But then she realized.

"Illusion!" Lena shouted, spinning around. "Fuck!"

From the shadows near the map table, the real Judas materialized, a cruel smirk twisting his face. He lunged, a serrated blade aimed at Lena's flank.

"Too slow, little assassin," he sneered.

But before the blade could connect, an arrow wailed, striking Judas's arm. He avoided the attack and cursed, jumping back as Seraphine dropped from the ceiling, her bow already drawn for a second shot.

"You missed," Seraphine said to Lena.

"Did I?"

Judas's rage surged as his body split into three, then six, then twelve identical figures.

Lena slashed at the nearest one, but her blade cut through empty air once again. Another Judas swung at her from the left, and she barely parried in time.

Judas's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "You think you can kill me in my house? I am the War Hounds, you cunts!"

Twelve illusions advanced in perfect time. Lena parried real steel while dodging phantom strikes, wasting energy on empty air.

Seraphine's arrows hit only what looked like smoke. One Judas lunged at her, and she twisted, but his knife grazed her ribs.

Lena and Seraphine were forced to fight back-to-back. This guy was strong; even if Judas would have been lower level, he would still have been a force to be reckoned with. It became apparent, at that point, that being a higher level was starting to matter less and less.

"This bastard." Lena shouted. "I'm going to kill you, you moron!"

—***—

Jake didn't give Aaron time to process the slaughter that was happening around him. The boy moved again, darting forward, being nothing more than a blur, and seeking an opening in Aaron's guard.

Aaron raised his mana blade, deflecting the strike, but the force of the blow jarred his arm, sending a shockwave through his shoulder.

"You're persistent!"

Aaron pushed Jake back with a burst of mana. "You are strong; I'll give you that! But this is not the place for a kid your age!"

Jake landed. "Shut up, you traitor!"

"Survival isn't betrayal, kid!" Aaron said. He swept his hand through the air, and a wave of energy surged toward Jake. The boy leaped over it, flipping mid-air to land behind Aaron.

"It is if it brings your friends to die!" Jake lunged again, his dagger aimed at Aaron's back.

White-hot sparks erupted from the point of contact, followed instantly by the high-pitched screech of steel grinding against compressed energy. The ground fractured under the sudden transfer of kinetic force. The man completed his spin, his mana blade locked against Jake's weapon in a stalemate of raw strength.

Aaron was pushed back. His mana reserves were drained to summon a series of spinning energy blades. They were set on an orbital path around him, and a high-pitched hum was produced as they sliced through the air.

"Why do you care about what happened to a man you don't even know?!"

Aaron unleashed some mana blades, sending them spinning toward Jake. The boy dodged, weaving through the deadly projectiles with impossible speed. One blade grazed his arm, drawing blood, but Jake didn't flinch. He kept moving, closing the distance again.

"You talk too much," Jake said.

"I talk the truth." He paused. "But I guess it must be because of the relationship between you and Lena. What is it? You like her?" Aaron paused again. "Ah, no… it's because you miss Mommy?"

"SHUT UP!"

"HAHAHAHA THAT'S IT! She is the closest thing to a mother for you, or a sister!"

Jake feinted left, then struck right, his dagger slipping past Aaron's guard to nick his side.

Aaron hissed in pain, stumbling back. "Enough!" he roared. He slammed his hand onto the ground, and a shockwave of mana erupted outward, knocking Jake off his feet. The boy rolled on the ground, coming up in a crouch, his eyes locked on Aaron.

"You can't keep this up forever," Aaron said, his chest heaving. "Your mana will run out eventually."

"Yours first," Jake said. He charged again, and Aaron met him; their weapons clashed.

Mana surged.

Aaron summoned a wall of thorns, trying to trap Jake. The boy slashed through them and pressed the attack, forcing Aaron back step by step.

"You're strong," Aaron said once again, blocking a strike that would have taken his head off. "But strength isn't everything."

He unleashed a torrent of mana bolts, forcing Jake to dodge and weave. The boy moved like a dancer, avoiding the projectiles as if he knew from where they would come. He closed on Aaron again, his dagger flashing.

Aaron gritted his teeth, summoning a massive hammer of mana. He swung it down, aiming to crush Jake.

The boy sidestepped, the hammer smashing into the ground and shattering the ground beneath. Jake leaped onto the hammer's handle, running up it to strike at Aaron's face.

Aaron threw up a barrier just in time, the dagger sparking against the energy shield. He pushed Jake back with a pulse of mana, sending the boy skidding across the cobblestones.

"You're annoying," Aaron spat, wiping sweat from his brow.

Jake stood up, his eyes burning with determination. "And you're losing."

He charged again, and the two clashed once more, their battle a whirlwind of steel and magic, neither willing to give an inch.

The problem was that Jake didn't realize the tables were slowly turning in Aaron's favor.

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