The night was thick with smoke and tension.
The fortress had survived the Syndicate's first assault, but Victor Kane wasn't satisfied. He didn't send mere soldiers or drones this time.
He came himself.
Through the dense fog, a figure emerged at the edge of the forest—tall, commanding, and exuding an aura of calculated menace.
Victor Kane.
Emma's silver-gray eyes narrowed. She tightened her grip on her knives.
"Finally. Face to face," she muttered.
Liam, bandaged but still recovering, positioned himself beside her.
"You sure about this?" he asked cautiously.
"Yes," Emma said sharply. "We end this tonight—or we die trying."
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••• The Confrontation
Victor stepped forward, his black coat flowing behind him like liquid shadow.
"You've caused me… more trouble than I anticipated, Emma," he said calmly. "I thought the girl who used to steal petty cash in alleys would crumble under pressure. Yet here she stands… alive."
Emma's glare cut through the fog.
"Alive and ready to take you down."
Victor smiled thinly. "Bold. Brave. Foolish. Which one will it be tonight?"
Liam's hands clenched. "She's not foolish. She's the strongest fighter I know."
Victor's eyes flicked to Liam. "Ah, the prodigal brother. Always so… predictable. You'll die protecting her, as you always do."
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••• Battle Ignites
Victor's movements were swift, almost superhuman.
He drew a sleek, custom firearm in one hand and a blade in the other, moving like a predator in the mist.
Emma lunged, knives flying. Victor deflected them effortlessly, parrying with his blade.
The clash rang like steel against steel, sparks dancing into the fog.
Liam tried to flank Victor, firing his pistols, but Victor was already anticipating every move.
"Predictable," Victor sneered, deflecting bullets with a small shield that seemed almost supernatural.
Emma rolled behind debris, tossing a smoke grenade. The fog thickened, but Victor's eyes glimmered through it. He advanced. Calm. Deadly. Unstoppable.
---
••• The Turning Point
Victor struck at Emma with blinding speed.
She barely blocked with her knives, each strike reverberating through her arms.
Liam was pinned against the wall by Syndicate remnants who had regrouped under Victor's command.
Emma's breaths came in rapid bursts. She had never faced anyone this fast, this strong, this precise.
Then a thought struck her.
Victor relies on intimidation, overwhelming skill, and fear. But he underestimates her determination.
She baited him, dodging just enough to lure him into a narrow corridor.
Victor lunged with his blade, but Emma anticipated the momentum.
With a spinning jump, she sliced across his forearm with a hidden dagger.
Victor staggered, surprised—for the first time.
Emma's eyes burned with fierce determination. "I told you… you picked the wrong family."
---
••• Liam's Role
Seizing the opening, Liam recovered and fired a precision shot, forcing Victor to retreat further into the fog.
"Emma… now!" he shouted.
Emma nodded and charged, knives flashing. Victor deflected, but she was relentless.
Every strike, every movement, every dodge was fueled by years of pain, betrayal, and rage.
For the first time, Victor's composure faltered.
He was forced to retreat, circling back toward the forest's edge.
---
••• Aftermath of the First Clash
Emma dropped to her knees, catching her breath, bloodied but unbroken.
Liam limped toward her, still alive, still defiant.
"Did we… stop him?" he asked.
Emma's gaze swept across the foggy battlefield. "No… not yet. But we made him bleed. And for someone like Victor Kane… that's the beginning of fear."
From the shadows, Victor's voice echoed, calm and chilling:
"This isn't over, Emma Hellsing… not by a long shot. I'll see you broken… and then I'll take everything you love."
Emma's fists clenched. "Then I'll make sure you regret the day you ever tried."
The forest fell silent once more, the fog curling like smoke from an unseen fire.
The war between Emma Hellsing and Victor Kane had escalated… and there was no turning back.
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