Shadowblade (Part Two)

Edward removed his hood, revealing his face in what seemed to be an acceptance of defeat.

He smiled.

Then suddenly, with a burst of Arcane, he shot forward, crashing into the first soldier with a bone-rattling impact. Before he could react, Ed used Iron to enhance his strength for a split-second, effectively grabbing the soldier´s sword which was knocked out of his hands on impact. The soldier did not move.

Two more rushed towards him, weapons glinting. Ed dodged the first slash with a blur of movement. He lashed out with a swift kick, sending the second soldier sprawling into the dirt.

The third one, angered by his comrade´s fall, lunged with a sharp blade aimed straight for Edward´s throat. Activating Chrona, he caught a flicker of the soldier´s strike before it reached him, his perception of time shifting just enough to see moments into the future.

He sidestepped easily, ducking to avoid the soldier´s immediate next slash, a desperate attempt to hit the enemy behind him. He slammed his fist into the soldier´s chest with Iron-enhanced force, sending him crashing into the nearest wall, instantly dead.

With the "normal" ones dispatched, only the Prowler remained. Ed turned to face him, knowing that now he couldn´t afford to lose, after having revealed his face. His gaze sharpened as the Prowler stepped forward from the darkness, his silhouette faintly illuminated. His movements were trained and unnervingly precise as he flipped two Obsidian daggers in his hands, having removed them from the underside of his cloak.

"Impressive," his cold voice said. His face was still hidden. "But let´s see how you handle someone not so easily broken."

Ed quickly retrieved two swords from the soldiers´ husks as the Prowler lunged forward, his own weapon slashing through the air. Ed parried the blow with a swift movement, the clash of their blades ringing out sharply.

Ed twisted his body and pushed him back, creating a safe gap between them. He withheld his use of Iron. The Prowler recovered quickly and struck again, Ed deflecting the dagger. He ducked again under a second wide swing, countering with a rapid upward slash.

The Prowler dodged with agility, pivoting on his heel to bring his dagger down in a vicious arc. Ed crossed his blades over his head, catching the strike on time. Sparks flew as the golden edges of all weapons ground against each other.

Ed jumped back but his opponent wasted no time. A heavy blow from the Prowler sent both his blades spiraling out of this grip, clattering to the stone ground. Ed noticed him using Aegis and also focused on his Iron, his dark eyes glinting murderously from under the cloak.

Ed braced himself, his Iron-enhanced arms raised, well aware that a hit now would certainly cause intense pain and knock him out long enough for the Prowler to easily kill him.

It was a gamble.

Surprisingly, Ed was the first to charge. He launched a powerful punch aimed directly at the opponent´s chest, but at the last moment, he feinted and activated Arcane, launching a few feet into the air.

The Prowler, who had anticipated a punch, barely dodged as Ed twisted in mid-air and came crashing down in a forceful kick, defusing his Iron at the perfect time as his leg hit the ground instead.

He immediately lunged forward, using Iron and Arcane to meet the Prowler in mid-air, not giving him time to react. Ed twisted his body again and kicked with side of the Prowler´s head under the influence of Iron, who, despite also using Iron, flew sideways in complete shock and slammed hard into the ground.

Although the Prowler had stopped his use of Iron in time and Aegis lessened his direct impact, the force was still deadly, hard enough to stun him, effectively knocking his daggers from his hand.

Both were barehanded now, glaring at each other´s figures from under the hood, waiting for the next move or a possible opening. But without the daggers, the fight was now level again. Ed´s gamble had paid off.

Ed smiled again, finally activating his Aegis, the hum of ionized air reaching his ears in the dead of the night.

Then the Prowler thrust his hand forward, using Arcane to propel himself into the air. Ed too vaulted forward like a shadow in pursuit, his body colliding with his opponent´s several feet above the ground. Ed´s fists connected with his chest first. The blow could´ve easily shattered his bones if not for the Aegis protecting him.

He retaliated, his elbow driving into Ed´s jaw, who stumbled back, shaking his head clear just in time to see the Prowler´s figure glaze over with a faint, eerie glow.

Chrona.

He sighed but didn´t hesitate. Also calling upon Chrona, his own vision shifting as the world splintered into countless possibilities. He could predict the Prowler´s next move, and so could the Prowler, who adjusted accordingly. This, in turn, was predicted by Ed again, who adjusted his attack based on that.

Each of them saw countless possibilities, like an endless recursion of two mirrors placed in front of each other, each reflecting the other. So now neither had a direct advantage over the other.

The Prowler´s foot lashed out in a roundhouse kick and Ed ducked beneath it, relying only on his reflexes. He swung a fist at the man´s jaw, but he had already leaned back, narrowly but comfortably avoiding the strike. They were trapped in an endless loop, each reacting to a future they could both see.

They went faster and their actions overlapped in a chaotic blur in the night. Ed lunged, but the Prowler was there to meet him, their hands locking in a grapple. His eyes flared with a fierce intensity in an attempt to break free.

Ed pulled back and overclocked his Iron in a last-ditch effort, the Prowler´s eyes widening as he stumbled, disoriented. He screamed in anger and charged stupidly once more, and suddenly the infinite possibilities around him vanished, leaving a single clear one. The path Ed was sure to take.

Ed´s Chrona was all used up, while the Prowler could see his next move. He laughed, his eyes focusing on where Ed would surely sidestep and dodge. He punched there, but Ed stayed where he was, fooling him. Fooling Chrona.

He seized the opening as his opponent effectively punched through the air. Confused.

He surged forward, channeling his Iron and suddenly activating the last of his Chrona now to deliver a bone-crushing punch that connected squarely with the Prowler´s chest.

Even through Aegis.

The impact sent him crashing into the alley wall with a sickening thud. He fell on his knees and slumped, gasping for breath. He coughed and spat out blood, finally defeated. He struggled to rise again, his gaze fixated on Ed as he pieced together the reality of who had bested him.

Ed stood over him breathing heavily, his opponent´s dagger in his hands. Never before had one heard of punching straight through Aegis like it was nothing.

Only one Replicant could have done something like that.

"Shadowblade," the Prowler rasped, his voice barely a whisper.

The name lingered in the air like a dark omen, as Ed finally rammed the Obsidian dagger straight through the Prowler´s heart.