Chapter 12 — Clash of Steel and Lightning

The battlefield reeked of iron and blood. Smoke curled from charred orc bodies where Lira’s spells had landed, while Darius’s broad sword glimmered beneath the sun, stained with green ichor.Kai moved like a phantom between shadows, his ninjato slicing through the air, lightning crackling faintly along the blackened steel. Each strike was precise. Each kill silent. The orc horde dwindled fast — until only four remained, circling Lira like predators closing in on prey.Darius noticed first. His eyes darted toward Kai, giving him a sharp nod — an unspoken command.Kai responded instantly.His body surged with wind magic, making his movements blur into streaks of speed. Lightning danced along his arms as he kicked off the ground, disappearing from sight with a soft crackle. Before the orcs even realized what had happened, three heads hit the dirt. The fourth barely had time to roar before Kai’s blade slid cleanly through its neck.He landed silently in front of Lira, ninjato still humming with residual lightning. His back faced her protectively.“You okay?” he asked, voice calm but sharp.Lira froze for half a heartbeat, startled at both his speed and his tone, then nodded quickly. “Y-Yes…”

The battlefield fell silent. Only one enemy remained — the towering Orc Lord. Nearly three meters tall, it gripped a massive jagged greatsword that looked as though it had been carved from bone and steel. Its crimson eyes burned with rage, tusks glinting beneath the fading sunlight.Darius adjusted his grip on his mithril-forged broadsword. “This is it.”Lira uncorked a small glass vial and downed a shimmering blue potion, her depleted mana slowly refilling. Her staff began glowing faintly, gathering fresh power.Kai lowered himself slightly, analyzing the Orc Lord’s stance, the way its muscles flexed, the way it breathed. Every detail mattered. Every misstep would be fatal.None of them moved. The only sound was the faint whistle of the wind through the grass.Then Darius broke the silence.“NOW!” he roared, charging forward, sword raised high.

Darius slammed into the Orc Lord first, their blades meeting with a violent clang that sent shockwaves through the ground. Sparks exploded at the point of contact, the force nearly toppling Darius as he gritted his teeth, pushing back with everything he had.Kai didn’t wait. Lightning erupted from beneath his boots as he vanished again, reappearing mid-air, ninjato raised. He aimed directly for the Orc Lord’s neck — but at the last possible second, the monster twisted, his blade slicing empty air.He dodged me…? Kai’s eyes widened beneath his hood.The Orc Lord didn’t counter him. It didn’t even look his way. Instead, it ignored Kai entirely and charged straight toward Lira.

LIRA, MOVE!” Darius bellowed, shoving off the Orc Lord and sprinting toward her.Lira unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of fire spells, her crimson bolts scorching the air, but the Orc Lord tanked them without slowing. Its massive blade swung horizontally, aiming to cut her clean in two.Darius dove in front of her just in time.The greatsword carved across his back, tearing through leather and skin alike. Blood sprayed as he collapsed to one knee, teeth gritted against the pain.“DARIUS!” Lira screamed, lunging toward him.The Orc Lord raised its blade again, ready to finish them both — but Kai was already there.

Kai reappeared between the Orc Lord and his friends, ninjato clashing against the monster’s greatsword in a deafening explosion of sparks. Lightning magic surged through his arms, forcing the Orc Lord back a full step.“You’re not touching them,” Kai said coldly, voice low and sharp as tempered steel.The Orc Lord growled, crimson eyes narrowing.Kai didn’t wait for a reply. He shifted his stance, one foot sliding back, ninjato angled forward. Behind him, without turning, he spoke quickly to Lira.“Heal him. Now.”“I—” Lira hesitated, tears pooling in her eyes.Kai’s emerald gaze cut to her briefly, piercing through the mask. “Focus, Lira. Grind the herbs in this pouch into paste,” he said, tossing her a small leather satchel without looking. “Apply it to the wound and stabilize him. If you freeze now, Darius dies.”Her breath hitched. Then her trembling stopped. She nodded, face hardening with determination. “Right… I’ve got him.”

Kai turned back to the Orc Lord, his grip tightening on the ninjato’s hilt. The air around him buzzed faintly, lightning crawling along his arms, merging with the wind magic that made his movements almost impossible to track.He vanished again.One second he was standing before Lira and Darius, and the next he was directly in front of the Orc Lord, blade slicing upward with blinding speed. Sparks erupted as their weapons clashed again, the sheer force of impact sending a shockwave through the clearing.Lira’s hands glowed softly as she healed Darius, but her gaze kept flicking toward Kai.“…His movements,” she whispered under her breath, eyes wide. “He’s not just using magic — he’s combining it with martial arts. Perfectly.”Darius groaned faintly as she healed him, forcing a weak grin despite the pain. “…Told you… he’s not normal.”

End of Chapter 12 Hook:Kai’s breathing slowed as he shifted his stance again, calculating every possible opening.The Orc Lord snarled, its tusks glinting as it raised its massive blade overhead. The air grew heavy, charged with both killing intent and Kai’s faint crackling lightning.The next exchange wouldn’t just decide the battle.It would decide who lived.