Chapter 154: Duel in the Shadows
The assassin struck first, a blur of motion too fast for normal eyes to follow. Raizen barely managed to deflect the incoming blade, sparks flying as energy crackled between them. The force behind the blow sent him sliding backward, his heels digging into the reinforced floor.
Selara moved to intercept, but the assassin twisted mid-air, delivering a precise kick that sent her skidding across the command deck.
Raizen's golden eyes narrowed. This opponent was different. Faster, stronger, and eerily familiar. Whoever they were, they had been trained to kill people like him.
Malakar swung his fist, but the assassin sidestepped effortlessly, grabbing his arm and flipping him over with unnatural ease.
"You're wasting time," the assassin said, voice still modulated. "This fight is between me and him."
Raizen rolled his shoulders. "That's exactly what I was hoping for."
A Battle of Precision
The two warriors clashed again, their movements a deadly dance of strikes and counters. The assassin's blade shimmered with an exotic energy Raizen didn't recognize, each strike threatening to slice through his defenses.
But Raizen wasn't just reacting anymore.
He was learning.
His Draconic bloodline pulsed through him, instincts sharpening as his body adapted to the assassin's movements. He parried with greater ease, his counters growing faster. What had started as a one-sided fight was quickly becoming an even match.
The assassin hesitated for the briefest moment. "Impossible…"
Raizen smirked. "You thought you were the only one with an edge?"
His next strike broke through the assassin's defenses, sending them stumbling backward. Raizen seized the moment, closing the distance and delivering a crushing knee strike to their gut.
The assassin gasped, doubling over as Raizen tore off their mask.
A pair of emerald eyes stared back at him.
"Lylith?"
A Ghost from the Past
The room fell silent as Raizen took a step back, shock evident in his expression. Lylith, a woman he had thought long dead, was standing before him, breathless but very much alive.
Selara groaned from where she lay. "You know her?"
Raizen barely nodded. "She was… someone I used to trust."
Lylith straightened, wiping blood from her lip. "I didn't come here to kill you, Raizen."
Malakar snorted. "Could've fooled us."
She ignored him, keeping her gaze locked on Raizen. "I came to warn you. The Syndicate isn't the only thing after you. There's a much bigger force at play."
Raizen's jaw clenched. "Start talking."
Lylith exhaled, lowering her blade. "I will. But not here."
Raizen exchanged a glance with Liana, who nodded slightly.
"Fine," he said, stepping aside. "But if you betray us again, I won't hesitate next time."
Lylith smirked faintly. "Next time, you might not have the chance."
The Revenant's crew watched in tense silence as the mysterious woman from Raizen's past was led deeper into the war room. Secrets long buried were beginning to surface.
And Raizen had the feeling this was only the beginning.