4

Ryan kneeled near the edge of the overgrown clearing, with a shimmering haze in his hand concealing the glint of a blade-like object, its form shifting and twisting with each passing moment. With a deafening *boom*, Ryan surged forward, his speed almost defying reason as he hurtled towards Max, leaving the earth beneath him scarred by a small, jagged crater.

Ryan smacked Max with the fuller part of the hazy sword, and his blow knocked Max back onto the hard concrete sidewalk. The force of the hazy sword of air sent him stumbling. Despite the impact, Max managed to land gracefully on his feet, his eyes blazing with determination as he prepared to counterattack.

"Sorry if that hurt, darling. I didn't mean to be so rough. Let me end your pain by taking you home with me," Ryan said, looking at Max as if he wanted to bite him.

"Pause!" Max yelled out, his hand gesturing for Second Commander Ryan to stop. He continued, "I am not interested in men; I never was and never will be."

Ryan sprinted towards Max, his sword slicing through the air with a menacing swish as he aimed for Max's unprotected neck. With lightning-fast reflexes, Max raised his armored hand in a desperate attempt to block the deadly blow.

*crackles*

Max's eyes crackled with electricity as he summoned bolts of lightning in his palm, the air buzzing with energy as he prepared to strike. With a fierce growl, he launched the crackling bolts towards Second Commander Ryan, the power crackling and sizzling through the air like a deadly harpoon.

Ryan attempted to deflect the searing attack with his hazy sword, but the lightning was far too powerful and relentless. The bolts struck with a deafening crack, sending shockwaves through Ryan's body. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, causing his grip on the sword to falter as the energy overwhelmed him.

The hazy sword vanished into thin air, leaving Ryan defenseless and vulnerable as the ground trembled beneath him. He sank to his knees, feeling the electric surge coursing through him, gasping for breath as he struggled to rise.

Max looked in the direction where the first commander had been but found that he was no longer there. "Dang it," Max muttered, frustration evident on his face. Suddenly, he heard laughter. "Hehehe, do you honestly think you beat me, darling?"

The office building echoed with the sound of Aurora's quick footsteps as she expertly dodged each of the First Commander's swift kicks. The dusty air was thick with tension as she leaped away from Titus, her heart pounding in her chest.

"You're quite nimble for an old man," she taunted, her eyes narrowing in focus as she prepared for his next move.

"You shouldn't make small talk with your opponent, little miss."

"There's nothing wrong with a little small talk; it lights up the mood."

"We are at war, little miss; if you can't get that, then you shouldn't be on the battlefield."

"There is no way I'm going to leave the battlefield when people like you exist. All you do is bring negative energy, which I don't mess with."

"Your entire existence is negative energy. Family of Blu Kane."

Aurora's powers surged out of her body and eyes as she yelled, "I am nothing like that man; don't you ever compare us!"

"Did I strike a nerve?" Titus smiled and continued, "You and the blue Kane are from that place. It's a shame what happened to it."

"I don't know much about my past, but I do know this: disrespecting someone's country, whether they're present or not, is uncalled for. What could a villain like you possibly understand about having sympathy for another country?"

"Hmm. You may be right," Titus said, then zoomed towards Aurora and grabbed her by her shirt.

(So fast,) thought Aurora.

"It doesn't matter; as long as it's for my king, I will do anything," Titus declared. He proceeded to throw Aurora onto the floor as if he were bodyslamming her, cracking it, and then kicked her away as though she were a soccer ball.

Aurora's agile landing allowed her to swiftly advance towards Titus, her momentum propelling her into a powerful Roundhouse kick aimed at his right arm. Though her initial target was his head, her precision faltered slightly, causing Titus to stagger to the left as the force of her impact sent him reeling.

He punched his hand through the building wall and pulled out a large stone.

"Conversion King Shield."

The once ordinary concrete stone underwent a startling transformation, morphing into a mighty shield fashioned from solid rock, with its size expanding to rival that of a traditional shield.

Titus lunged towards Aurora, a glint of determination in his eyes as he aimed to strike her with the shield clutched tightly in his grasp. But Aurora, quick on her feet, anticipated his movement and swiftly ducked beneath the incoming blow.

Reacting swiftly, Titus pivoted and sent a powerful punch hurtling towards Aurora, only to find himself striking the unforgiving floor instead, the resounding crack echoing through the room. Undeterred, he closed the distance between them once more, this time attempting to stomp down on her with a heavy boot.

However, Aurora was a force to be reckoned with, and with effortless grace, she evaded his attack by rolling to the side, narrowly escaping the full force of his blow.

As sweat dripped down Aurora's face, she thought, (That was close; I need to be more careful.) She stared closely at Titus' concert shield and realized, (I guess this is the power they talked about.)

First, Commander Titus took a fighting pose and stared into Aurora's eyes as if he were ready to end this. (This city has some good fighters, and normally my opponent would have been defeated already. I am going to love beating the shit out of her.)

Aurora also took a fighting pose and stared back at Titus, ready to fight. As she thought to herself, (Nah, I will win. I will put an end to him right here and now.)