Chapter 31 - The Clash of Titans
The impact of Jin-Ho's strike sent the Archon crashing through a concrete wall, the sheer force leaving a crater in the shattered remains of the street. Dust billowed as debris rained down, but before the echoes of destruction faded, a deep, guttural laugh emerged from the rubble.
The Archon pushed himself up, shaking off the dust like an animal shedding water. His armor, though dented, remained intact, and his glowing red eyes locked onto Jin-Ho with newfound excitement.
"Not bad," he growled, rolling his shoulders. "It's been a while since I felt something like that."
Jin-Ho remained silent, shadows rippling around him like an aura of death. He didn't waste words on the dead.
In a flash, the Archon surged forward, his cleaver swinging with devastating force. The blade whistled through the air, cutting apart steel and stone with ease. Jin-Ho sidestepped, his movements effortless, but the Archon anticipated it, twisting mid-swing and bringing his weapon down in a second, sharper arc.
Jin-Ho raised his arm, shadows coiling around it like a shield. The moment the cleaver struck, an ear-splitting shockwave erupted, sending tremors across the battlefield. The ground beneath them cracked and buckled from the sheer force of their clash.
Then Jin-Ho countered.
Shadows exploded outward, forming countless jagged tendrils that lashed toward the Archon. The warrior roared as he was ensnared, but before he could break free, Jin-Ho was upon him.
A single punch to the chest.
A sound like thunder.
The Archon was launched skyward, smashing through multiple buildings before his body finally came to a halt in the upper floors of a ruined tower. Smoke and shattered glass rained down, yet even through the destruction, Jin-Ho could still feel it.
He wasn't dead yet.
---
Elsewhere, the battlefield had descended into chaos.
Igris was locked in combat with a second Archon, his crimson blade meeting a pair of energy-forged swords in a flurry of blinding strikes. Sparks flew with each clash, the air vibrating from the sheer speed of their exchange.
Beru, on the other hand, had leaped upon a monstrous Archon that bore the features of a mutated beast, his claws raking against armored flesh as the two titans wrestled through the remains of a collapsing highway.
The city trembled under the weight of their battles. Structures that had stood for decades crumbled under the sheer force of the war that raged within them.
Yet despite the overwhelming power displayed by the Archons, Jin-Ho remained unshaken.
He lifted his gaze toward the ruined tower where his opponent had landed.
Then, as the dust settled, a silhouette emerged.
The Archon stood, battered but alive. His armor was cracked, his body bruised, yet his grin was wider than ever.
"Now this," he chuckled, his voice thick with blood, "is getting interesting."
Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. He was done testing his foe.
It was time to end this.