Sven had already finished what he had set out to do.

One by one, the Scalpel's non-mutant subordinates had dropped like puppets with their strings cut. A snap of the neck here, a quick slice there - every motion was surgical, clean, and ruthless. No wasted effort, no remorse. Just precision.

He'd avoided the mutant ones, not out of fear, but because he couldn't help but feel an underlying worry for his companions, who were in the deep end. He needed to support them.

And right now, Nadya needed that more than anyone.

With a flash of his blade and a quick sidestep past the burning husks of crates, Sven darted toward her position. She was already facing off with The Scalpel, who appeared frustrated by the sudden swap of opponents, blood on his blade and madness in his eyes.

"Don't die," Sven muttered under his breath, quickening his pace.

-

Meanwhile, across the port, the heat began to build.

Kai walked with steady steps, ignoring the waves of warm air crashing against him like invisible tides. The Messiah hovered above, radiant and still, like some false angel basking in the chaos below. His robes fluttered in the wind, eyes glowing with self-righteous light.

He hadn't even chased after Nadya. Hadn't even lifted a finger to attack her.

She was a bug to him. A mosquito buzzing around his divinity.

But as soon as Kai entered his sight, everything changed.

The Messiah's glowing eyes locked onto him. His expression shifted slowly and subtly, as if the gears of recognition were grinding into place.

A grin tugged at his lips.

"You're the one he spoke of," he said, voice echoing unnaturally, reverberating through the heated air. "The vermin. The blasphemer. The false mutant who dared bite the hand that made you."

Kai's eyes narrowed. Red gleamed like a fresh wound under the moonlight.

'So it was Nyx after all.'

TEMP Z. Enhancers. Suppressants. All of it. Only Nyx could've created such incredible yet dangerous substances. Only he had the resources, intellect, and complete lack of morality.

He was a genius. A madman. A puppeteer behind the scenes.

And now… it seemed he was using the Golden Cross Cult as a cover for his operations.

Kai stopped a dozen or so metres away from the glowing mutant, unfazed by the heat that twisted the air like a mirage.

"Let me guess," Kai called out, his tone dry, casual - like this was all just an average conversation. "Nyx shows up. Pretends to share your batshit belief that mutants are god's chosen and you're the holy leader of some new world order. Then, with his potions and little science tricks, you two decide to make a brand-new world together."

The heat spiked. A low hum filled the air, like the sound of the sun preparing to roar.

The Messiah's smile vanished.

"You mock what you do not understand," he said, voice brimming with righteous fury. "You are blind to the gift bestowed upon you. A miracle granted by the divine through myself, his Messiah and his prophet, Nyx!"

Kai tilted his head. "Miracle? You mean the part where I woke up in a blood-soaked cell, missing my memories? Or is it the part where everyone now has access to supernatural abilities at the cost of their own lifespan?"

"Nyx is the hand of divinity!" the Messiah bellowed, rising higher into the air as if the sky itself would validate his claim. "And I am the voice! Together, we will create Eden. A world where only the chosen remain!"

"You're insane," Kai muttered, shielding his eyes slightly as the brightness intensified.

"No," the Messiah said, eyes wild. "I am awakened. You… you are the one who refuses to see! You turn your back on your own evolution, deny your sanctified blood, and yet walk in the skin of the blessed."

Kai's expression remained calm, but his hand twitched slightly. He was already pumping blood under the surface, preparing in case this madman lost his last screw and started blasting.

"I see the truth just fine," Kai replied. "You're a deluded freak who bathes in your own glow and thinks it's divinity. Nyx used you. Just like everyone else."

The Messiah's glow pulsed like a second sun.

"Blasphemer," he hissed. "Disbeliever. You spit upon the gift, mock the ascension, and taint the bloodline of the chosen. You need to be cleansed."

"I'd like to see you try."

"I shall not try. I shall educate you," the Messiah boomed. "Your soul cries out for salvation. I will show you the light. Feel it!"

The air cracked with pressure. Heat surged forward in waves.

Kai braced himself... His battle was about to begin.

-

Meanwhile, elsewhere at the docks, Nadya gritted her teeth as she deflected a slicing strike from The Scalpel, who lunged forward with a giddy gleam in his eyes.

His coat was torn. His hair was wild. Blood already coated his weapon, dripping from the edge in glistening droplets.

"You disrupted my battle with the Bloodweaver, but you're quite an interesting one yourself," Krane cooed, licking a speck of blood from his blade. "Let's see how long you last."

"Creep," Nadya muttered, tossing a bomb straight at his feet.

Boom!

However, when the smoke cleared, the Scalpel was already behind her, blade flicking toward the nape of her neck. He was incredibly fast and slippery to keep track of.

'Oh shit!' Nadya couldn't react quickly enough, but just as the scalpel was about to sever her head...

Shing!

Sven arrived just in time - his blade deflecting the scalpel with a shriek of steel on steel.

"Need a hand?" he asked, spinning to place himself between Nadya and the maniac.

"Oh, thank god," Nadya breathed. "I hate fighting freaks like this."

Krane laughed, unbothered. "Three opponents in one night? I'm going to enjoy this."

And just like that, both battles ignited across the port. One was soaked in fire and madness. The other was in heat and divine fury.

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