Boom!
The ground tore apart as Jina dodged an energy bullet before skidding to a stop.
Opposite her, Natasha held her rifle in her hand, as she took aim once more, then she pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Jina, wielding a pair of daggers, enhanced herself with mana as she deflected the bullets before launching herself at Natasha.
Natasha's eyes narrowed as she saw this. But she quickly composed herself as she shot twice.
The first one hit the ground in front of Jina stopping her in her tracks. The second...
Tssh!!
...pierced through her arm burning the flesh with it.
"You're fast," Natasha commented as she watched Jina writhed in pain.
"But since you weren't informd, know now. My fighting style was entirely designed for dealing with fast people. So if that's all you've got then I suggest... a surrender."
Jina smirked, then chuckled at the words "surrender". Still clutching the arm she was shot, she spoke.
"You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve," she said, her voice sharp. "Don't think a flesh wound like this will keep me down."
As she said so, powerful gust of wind erupted from her feet blowing sand everywhere in an effort to blind Natasha.
But ignoring the dust, Natasha fired a quick energy blast, but Jina dodged, her movements almost too fast for the regular eyes to follow.
The blast hit the ground behind her, sending dirt and debris flying.
Natasha adjusted her aim, firing another blast at her feet, but Jina jumped backwards just barely dodging it.
She then zigzagged across the field, her daggers flashing as she tried to get within striking distance.
But Natasha was surprisingly keeping her cool, as she fired shot after shot, forcing Jina to always be on the defensive causing her frustration to grow as the fight dragged on.
Despite her speed, it seemed like Natasha was specifically engineered to fight people like her as every time she tried to close the distance, Natasha would fire another blast, forcing her to dodge or retreat.
The accuracy of the bullets were so on point that quite frankly it was a wonder she was yet to be hit after the first one.
She was quite clearly outmatched.
And yet, despite knowing this, she didn't plan on surrendering. After all, she was never one to give up.
"Let's see you deal with this," she said as a sort of grin began growing on her face as she raised her hands up.
Large gusts of wind formed almost instantly, catching Natasha off guard as she was thrown into the air.
Sighting the opening, Jina lunged at Natasha, her dagger in her one good arm as she swung at Natasha.
But Natasha seemed to have had enough as she somehow repositioned herself mid-air before she fired multiple shots at Jina who immediately summoned a barrier between her and the bullets as they bounced off.
But it seemed to be what Natasha was going for as the bullets began emitting a bright light and then...
BOOM!
...They exploded.
Natasha landed opposite the small crater formed from the explosion as she observed it.
"You're quite tough." She said as Jina dragged herself from the rubble.
Blood flowed down her body and her ankle seemed to be broken.
Surprisingly, she still had a firm grip on the dagger in her hand. "I-I can't lose here. I can't fail this mission." She muttered as she gripped her dagger even tighter.
"What a coincidence, I can't afford to lose this fight either. For the sake of Denoir. For the sake of my friend. And the sake of this world...." Natasha said determinedly as she aimed her rifle at Jina.
"...I can't lose here." She added as she pulled the trigger, firing multiple bullets at Jina.
Whoosh!
Natasha widened her eyes as Jina moved past the bullets, enwrapped with wind in a spherical shape and in an instant, she was directly before her swinging her dagger.
Natasha immediately stepped backward but the dagger grazed her cheek, drawing blood.
But Jina wasn't done as she spun with momentum and landed a heavy kick at Natasha's side sending her flying into a tree.
"Fuck." Natasha cursed out as she rubbed her side.
Whoosh!
She raised her head and saw Jina swooping in to finish her off with her dagger. Natasha raised her rifle to shoot at her.
Or at least she wanted to but her rifle was a ways from her. She wouldn't reach it before Jina got her.
"Tch." She tapped on the weapon's compartment in the leg of her nano suit as a small pistol materialized in her hand.
Taking aim she fired a shot, this one grazed Jina in the eye causing her to stumble to her knees as she clutched her lost eye.
Not intending to give her a chance to recover at all, Natasha fired another shot that tore through her chest, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.
Jina's one good eye, widened in shock as she looked down at the wound, both knees now on the ground.
Natasha walked over to her, her pistol still aimed at her. "It's over," she said, her voice eerily calm.
Jina seemed like she wanted to say something but ultimately didn't, the expression on her face, one of acceptance rather than regret.
Then her body slumped to the ground finally, as she took her last breath and her eyes closed forever.
Natasha turned around to pick up her rifle, and then began walking back to where her unit was.
As she walked, she muttered silently, "I hope you don't go too far again, Nate."
**************
Renard moved like a beam of sunlight, his body leaving trails of shimmering energy as he darted across the clearing.
River spun her metallic staff in wide arcs, as dirt clung to it forming the edge of a spear.
Renard deciding to take the lead, closed the distance, his movements a blur. His fist, glowing with searing light, shot toward River's ribs.
She blocked with her staff, the impact sending sparks flying as stone met radiant energy.
The force knocked her back, but she dug her heels into the soil, as the earth itself stabilized her from moving any further.
"You're fast," River admitted, her voice steady despite the strain. "Strong too, but lest we forget, you're fighting on my terrain."
She stomped her foot on the ground, and the earth beneath Renard's feet liquefied into quicksand.
He leaped backward immediately, but River was on him in thrice.
Her stone-tipped staff jabbed at his throat, forcing him to parry with a hastily formed light shield.
The collision cracked the shield, and Renard hissed, retreating to restrategize.
The elf's eyes narrowed as he landed on his feet. He then raised his hands up, and the air around him brightened violently as a flash of pure light erupted, blinding anyone nearby who looked directly at it.
River threw up an arm to shield her eyes. A mistake, as Renard was able to get behind her as he formed a blade of light aimed at her spine.
Or it would've been if River need to see someone to know where they were.
With much practice she was now able to feel the vibrations in the earth and use them to find someone.
Even if she couldn't, Renard didn't really hide his intent to kill, so knowing where he was wouldn't be very difficult for someone like her.
Dropping low, she spun her staff in a sweeping arc, the stone spearhead gouging the ground and hurling a wave of debris at Renard.
He staggered backwards, his attack disrupted as River pressed her advantage.
She lunged at him, her staff aimed at his neck, but Renard deflected the strikes with his sword made of light.
River then summoned pillars of earth to narrow and block his escape routes as the fight descended into 'too close' close combat.
She swung and he parried as he then used the momentum to thrust at her head which avoided as she ducked beneath it.
She then conjured earth spikes that raised high to pierce his throat but he summoned a light shield that blocked for the most part.
But the force from it sent him crashing into a pillar.
"Ugh!" He groaned as he stood up.
He then raised his hand as a colossal sphere of light formed above his palm, its radiance blinding even from where River stood.
"I've had enough of your games," he spat out before throwing it at River at blinding speed.
In an instant, it was only a few meters away from her. However she wasn't panicked.
Planting her staff in the ground, she raised her hands, summoning a tsunami of earth to meet the attack.
BOOOM!!!
The explosion rocked the area. Everyone in a five kilometer radius felt it as the earth shook.
But her tsunami had done it's job. It had basically curtailed the attack. Though it was draining on her part.
Evident from the heavy breathing as she went down on one knee to catch her breath.
Renard who was drained and basically almost out of mana at this point, saw his opponent go to ground from exhaustion, saw an opportunity in that and decided to take it as he launched himself from the pillar at her.
But River was expecting this. Or rather, she planned it as she suddenly dodged left, allowing Renard's sword to pass by her, she then swept her staff upward.
The stone spearhead, now mostly blunt, struck him in the stomach, the force lifting him off his feet into the air as he landed hard on his back.
Before he could recover himself, she slammed the butt of her staff into the ground.
A spire of earth erupted beneath Renard, encasing him like a vine.
River stepped forward, her spearhead leveled at his throat. "Surrender. You've lost this," she said, her tone firm.
Renard's golden eyes flickered with frustration, then resignation. Even then, the light around him still shone brightly.
"...You fight well, Terran," he muttered, complimenting her. But she didn't let her guard down, as her weapon was still at his throat.
"But I'll die before I'm taken prisoner!" He screamed out as the light shone brighter.
And River immediately smacked his head with blunt force knocking him unconscious immediately.
"Now then, how to take him back. She muttered as an idea came to mind. Though it would probably exhaust her.
She then began going back to her unit, Renard in tow, using the earth to drag him along.