THE LAST VIPER VENOM

— I'm staying. But the combat data is mine — Viper declared, his ethereal daggers glowing in the gloom.

The battle for the besieged village resumed, but with a new and tense dynamic. — We can't fight blindly! — shouted Mitsu, dodging an invisible cut that left a crack in the ground next to him. — Ikel, suppressing fire! I want the whole perimeter to burn! —

Ikel, with a roar, unleashed a sea of flames that engulfed the square, creating a barrier of heat and ash. The lesser Void minions retreated, but the real enemy, Nyx, moved through the fire as if it were a mere breeze. She would appear, strike a blow at a defender, and vanish, his silent laughter a psychological torture.

While Ikel, Mitsu and the remaining warriors tried to contain an enemy they could not see, Viper stood motionless in the center of the chaos. He did not attack. He did not defend. He simply watched. His eyes, hidden behind his mask, followed the subtle distortions in the air, the patterns in the raised dust, the trajectory of his allies' missed attacks. He was gathering data, learning the rhythm of Nyx's deadly dance.

— He's slaughtering us! Do something! — shouted Ikel.

— Patience, you idiot — Viper replied calmly. — The fastest prey always falls for the most patient hunter. —

After what seemed like an eternity, when the defense was about to collapse, Viper finally moved.  — I see — he whispered to himself.

He took a step into an apparently empty space and threw one of his daggers. The blade sliced through the air and collided with something invisible with a resounding clang. For a split second, Nyx silhouette became visible, startled.  — My turn — said Viper, and vanished.

The real battle began. The field became a blur of two shadows colliding at inhuman speeds. It was residue of them that could be seen, residual images that appeared and disappeared. The sound of clashing daggers echoed throughout the village, but the sources of the sound were impossible to locate. A building collapsed to the left, a wall cracked to the right, all collateral damage from their invisible duel.

Finally, after a final, deafening clash of steel, the two reappeared at opposite ends of the ruined square. Both gasped. Nyx's perfect stealth had been matched by Viper's perfect prediction. Pure power against pure experience. They were tired.

— You're good —Nyx admitted, her voice a sharp whisper. — The best bug I've ever played with. —

— You have your charm too — replied Viper, getting ready.

The final battle came. They stood still for a moment, the world silent, wielding their respective weapons, waiting for the other's next move.

And so, they took the plunge.

For Ikel, Mitsu and Lyra, it was just a flash. A flicker of black and silver light that converged in the center.

They saw Nyx appear behind Viper. They saw what appeared to be blood pouring from Viper's side from a deep gash. They watched as he staggered, one knee touching the ground, before falling face first to the earth, bleeding out.

At first, it appeared that Nyx had won. She stood over the fallen body of her rival, a silhouette of silent victory.

But what seemed to be the end, was not.

Nyx looked down at her own chest. Palpable confusion emanated from her. Slowly, she raised a hand and touched the spot. And when she pulled it away, her fingers were stained with her own dark blood.

Embedded to the hilt, right in its heart, was a single, elegant silver dagger. Viper's last.

I had not seen her. He had not felt her. In the final exchange, as she delivered the "killing" blow, he had made a single, perfect suicidal counterattack.

Nyx also fell, first to her knees, then forward, her body dissolving into a whirlwind of black feathers before she hit the ground.

had both fallen at the same time

Ikel and the others ran to Viper. Lyra knelt down, her hands glowing desperately. — It's too late — Mitsu whispered, his voice rough. — The wound is... absolute. —

Viper coughed, blood staining his lips. — Information... always comes at a price... — He gasped — — Tell Asimil...to beware of the last general...of the dagger....  —

His eyes lost their luster. Viper, the Silent Shadow, had fallen.

They stood in the middle of the ruined village, with the bodies of their allies and the echo of a legendary battle. They had stopped a General, but the price had been one of their own. Victory felt exactly like defeat.