[The Butler's Pov]
The Butler stood motionless, staring into the darkness where the Instructor had vanished.
And another figure walked in the room's only entrance.
"What did I miss?" Craig asked stepping in.
The Butler dropped his cigarette. "Shouldn't you be dead?"
"Oh, so that's what you wanted?" Craig rasped. His eyes locked onto Damien. "For me to die so you could replace me with this cheap thing?" He pointed a finger at Elena.
Elena took a step forward, a predatory smile curling her lips until Damien's hand gripped her wrist. His eyes never left Craig's.
"Sorry to disappoint you all by not dying." Craig growled. "But now the three of you will die by my hands!"
He lunged, his body moving purely on rage and killing intent.
The Butler moved instantly with a calm precision. He stepped between Craig and Damien, his cane raised with almost casual grace.
He looked at Damien.
Damien gave a curt nod. Elena followed as he pulled her toward the rear exit.
Craig staggered back a step, grimacing. And without hesitation, Craig launched forward again, fists raining like a storm. But the Butler parried and deflected each blow with his cane.
Craig's mana-coated fist collided with the Butler's cane with a deep THUD that made the entire apartment tremble.
Then, sudden counter sent Craig's arms wide open. The Butler twisted his wrist and delivered a stunning strike on Craig's chest with the cane. The blow hurled Craig through the shattered wall.
And The Butler vanished from sight, only to appear above Craig midair, stomping his face with brutal precision. The force sent Craig plummeting and he crashed into the street below, the impact muffled by the sudden explosion, momentarily covering the area in dust.
The Butler landed softly, stepping off a transient crystal scaffold that dissolved instantly.
Craig staggered to his feet, blood dripping through his face. The Butler approached, his tone calm but heavy.
"We don't have to do this, Craig." he said.
Craig simply stretched his massive arms, then cracked his neck.
The Butler sighed. "So be it."
Hundreds of razor-sharp crystals erupted behind him. He pointed his cane forward.
And the barrage launched.
"Shit!" Craig cursed. He focused all his mana to his fists, punching furiously at the crystalline barrage, shattering crystal after crystal.
A few cut him. Then, one crystal pierced his shoulder deeply. Ignoring the pain, Craig started running, circling The Butler at an awkward pace, trying to close the distance while the crystals tracked him relentlessly, forcing him into a defensive scramble.
He stopped, his eyes fixed on The Butler. Then channeled a desperate surge of mana for a flash step. He was blindingly fast.
The Butler reacted instantly, generating a dozen large, jagged crystals that erupted from the pavement directly in front of Craig. But Craig didn't slow down, he punched them all in a rapid-fire sequence of explosions. He was inches from The Butler, his fist raised, aimed at the his face.
But a single crystal pierced his abdomen.
The Butler jumped back and as Craig froze mid-motion, more crystals struck him from every direction, stabbing him multiple times in the limbs and torso. Blood poured from him, pooling at his feet and his eyes closed.
The Butler exhaled and stepped closer, resting his cane. "I'm sorry, my friend." he said.
And in an instant, every crystal lodged in Craig's body shattered at once. The Butler's eyes widened in disbelief.
Before he could react, Craig's fist caught him squarely on the face. And the blow threw The Butler backward, he used his cane to stabilize his retreat but a steady stream of blood rained from his nose.
"How are you not dead?" The Butler asked.
Craig grinned weakly. "You haven't figured it out yet?" he asked. "Your loss."
Craig lunged again, his punches came faster now, forcing the Butler backward, his defensive technique barely holding.
Then, a particularly powerful blow to the cane made The Butler jump back, creating distance. And he saw it instantly, Craig was healing.
The Butler's mind raced. [Regeneration, how is it possible? No, it's something else. His will... his sheer will to live is forcing his body to heal.]
The Butler dashed forward, striking first. Craig met him head-on, both of them trading blows so fast the ground beneath them cracked. Then, Craig caught him with a fist on the gut and spun to deliver a crushing kick, that sent The Butler crashing into a car, where he puked blood onto the ground.
Craig walked toward him, preparing to finish the fight. But as he approached, The Butler saw Craig's hand. The circles in the sigil of his Arc Seal were completely gone.
The Butler tightened his grip. With a swift motion, his cane expanded, crystals forming along its shaft, shaping into a massive hammer.
The Butler swung and caught Craig's jaw, it sent him stumbling. And then he struck him multiple times, desperately buying time. Craig blocked one and he jumped back.
Both men froze for half a second.
The Butler sat up straight, coughing blood. "I might not know how you're still standing." he gasped, wiping his mouth. "But I know it had something to do with your Arc Seal's special ability and it seems like you've ran out. Meaning if I kill you now, then it's over for you."
Craig smirked through blood. "What makes you think you can kill me?"
The Butler grinned. "I've never been so confident about a thing in my entire life." Purple mana erupted from him. And one circle on his Arc Seal broke.
"Arc Seal: Dominion of Crystal Wrath!"
Gigantic, fortress-sized crystals formed instantly around him and they shot forward.
Craig roared, pushing his remaining mana to the edge. He lunged, punching crystals to powder, then kicked another. One pierced him deeply in the side but he kept fighting, punching the incoming barrage. Other crystals pierced him and he felt the life draining out, realizing he was going to die.
He jumped back to retreat but the Butler appeared above him mid-jump and kicked him down. The instant Craig hit the ground, the final barrage of giant crystals pierced his body, pinning him to the pavement.
And he stopped moving.
The Butler landed gently and walked over the Craig's body. He looked down at the corpse and turned, leaving the fallen Brute to the rising sun.
"Rest well, old friend."