The world blurred as Knox's body slammed into the ruins of New York once more, rubble exploding outward as he skidded across shattered concrete. His head rang, his vision flickering with bursts of white-hot agony. The impact had left a crater in the street, fractures spider webbing outward like a scar upon the earth. Dust and debris clung to his tattered suit, his breath ragged as he forced himself up.
Above him, Zerath loomed, his smirk widening with sadistic glee. "Still standing?" He rolled his shoulders, his movements as fluid and effortless as if he hadn't just been tearing Knox apart. "I have to admit, you're stubborn. But let's be honest—you're just delaying the inevitable."
Knox wiped blood from his mouth, his glare never wavering. "You talk too much."
Zerath's grin widened. "And you're still weak."
In a blink, Zerath lunged. The ground beneath his feet ruptured as he moved, a shockwave detonating outward. Knox barely had a moment to react before Zerath's first was already inches from his skull.
Move!
Knox twisted, ducking under the strike as the sheer force of it split the air with a deafening boom. A building in the distance collapsed just from the shockwave alone. Knox countered, driving his elbow into Zerath's ribs with all his might. The impact sent a jolt up his arms, but Zerath barely flinched.
Zerath lashed out with a backhand. Knox barely managed to block, but the impact still sent him skidding backward. His arms ached from the force.
["You're adapting,"] Kaelina's voice cut through his mind, steady and precise. ["Good. But its not enough to survive—you need to win. You need to think."]
Knox exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing. She was right. Charging headfirst wasn't going to work. He had to outmaneuver him.
Zerath rushed in again, his movements like a force of nature—relentless, devastating, unstoppable. Knox didn't meet him head-on this time. He shifted, dodging at the last moment, moving with the air instead of against it. Zerath's punch missed, striking the ground instead—hard. The street exploded, massive chunks of asphalt shooting into the air. The sheer force of the impact cracked a nearby skyscraper down the middle.
Knox used the opening. He shot forward, twisting in the air before diving his knee straight into Zerath's jaw.
The impact was brutal—Zerath;s head snapped back, his body staggering for the first time.
Kaelina's voice surged with sharp focus. ["That's it! Don't match him—redirect him. Let him commit to an attack and punish him for it!"]
Knox didn't hesitate. He grabbed Zerath by the arm and hurled him across the battlefield. Zerath's body tore through a crumbling overpass, shattering it into rubble before crashing into the side of a ruined tower.
Knox's eyes locked onto him, his breathing steady despite the fire burning in his muscles. For the first time since the fight began, he wasn't the one being thrown around.
Zerath emerged from the wreckage, his cocky smirk replaced with something far more sinister. He wiped his mouth, looking down at the streak of blood on his fingers. His dark eyes flickered with annoyance.
"Oh... you little shit."
Knox barely had time to react before Zerath was on him again—but this time, Knox was ready.
Zerath came in fast, but Knox had learned. He read his opponent's movements now, recognizing the weight behind them. Instead of taking the hit, he twisted his body mid-air, allowing Zerath's attack to glide past him.
And then Knox struck. A sharp blow to the ribs. Another to the jaw. He was moving faster, sharper. Zerath still had the overwhelming edge in power, but Knox wasn't a mindless battering ram—he was thinking.
He ducked another attack, countered instantly. Every opening, every misstep Zerath made, Knox punished with precise, punishing strikes.
["Keep going,"] Kaelina urged. ["Wear him down. He's not used to someone surviving his long. He's getting frustrated."]
Knox smirked. "What's wrong?" He taunted, dodging another wild swing. "You were talking big earlier."
Zerath growled. It was a low, primal sound one that sent cracks through the ground just from the sheer force of his voice.
"Enough."
Zerath's aura flared, a surge of raw power detonating outward. The sheer force of it sent Knox flying backward. He twisted mid-air, stabilizing himself before landing atop a collapsed skyscraper. The building groaned under his weight, barely holding itself together.
Zerath cracked his knuckles, rolling his neck. "You've impressed me," he admitted, though there was nothing but malice in his tone. "But I think it's time I stop holding back."
Knox's muscles tensed. He could feel it—Zerath was about to escalate.
Kaelina's voice rang clear in his mind. ["Knox. Whatever happens next—you need to be ready."]
Zerath's body blurred.
And then, everything exploded.