Steel met something that should not have been able to stop it.
Grimwatch's sword collided with Project X-005's forearm, the impact ringing out with a sharp, grinding force before both of them pushed off and created distance.
The ground beneath their feet cracked slightly from the pressure alone, dust lifting into the air as they reset.
The space between them felt heavy.
Grimwatch lowered his stance, both hands steady on the hilt of his blade Onyx Pillar his sword named, his breathing controlled despite the force he had just endured.
Across from him, Project X-005 exhaled slowly, a plume of shimmering vapor escaping its mouth, the air around it distorting faintly.
Its veins glowed.
A sickly neon blue pulsed beneath its skin as the substance inside its body forced muscle and structure beyond natural limits.
Each movement carried weight too much weight for something that was once human.
Then it disappeared.
No wind-up, No warning.
X-005 reappeared directly within Grimwatch's guard, its palm already driving forward with crushing force.
The air compressed around the strike, the pressure alone enough to fracture stone.
Grimwatch didn't react with panic.
He shifted.
The world slowed not in reality, but in perception.
Within the Honorable of Fate, his senses sharpened, narrowing everything down to a single moment.
He tilted his head just enough for the strike to pass, the force brushing past him before detonating against the structure behind, shattering it instantly.
Grimwatch moved the moment it passed.
His blade came down in a vertical arc, fast, clean, precise.
X-005 caught it...barehanded.
The edge didn't cut.
Instead, metal screamed against reinforced flesh, sparks bursting outward as the creature held the blade in place, its grip tightening with unnatural strength.
Then it struck back.
A flurry of blows crashed into Grimwatch's ribs fast, heavy, relentless.
Each hit carried enough force to break bone, to crush organs, to end the fight outright.
Grimwatch didn't fall.
His body absorbed the punishment, armor denting, bones straining under the pressure.
The pain was theresharp, immediate but it didn't break his focus.
Because he could see it.
The instability.
The way X-005's movements were perfect but only for a moment at a time.
The way its control slipped, just slightly, as the substance inside it pushed too far.
Strength without balance...
Power without foundation...
X-005 drew back, energy surging into its arm as magic condensed unnaturally, preparing a final, overwhelming strike meant to end everything in one motion.
Grimwatch stepped forward instead.
Ignoring the damage.
Ignoring the pain of his body.
Closing the distance before the strike could fully form.
His blade drove forward in a straight strike.
Unwavering..
The tip of Onyx Pillar pierced through the glowing center of X-005's chest, breaking through resistance with a final, decisive push.
For a moment everything stopped.
The glow flickered.
X-005's body trembled as the substance within it destabilized, the unnatural energy collapsing in on itself.
Its eyes widened not in fear, but in something closer to failure.
Grimwatch twisted the blade.
Not out of anger but in certainty.
The structure gave way.
The power faded and the body dropped.
The ground shook lightly as X-005 collapsed, its form no longer holding together the force it once carried.
Grimwatch remained standing.
Barely.
His grip tightened on the sword as he pulled it free, his breathing heavier now, his body showing the cost of the fight.
But he did not fall.
He stood.
Alone in that moment.
Not just as the victor of strength but as the one who endured long enough to break something that should not have existed.
Grimwatch remained where he stood, his hand still wrapped firmly around the hilt of his sword as he looked forward into the chaos ahead.
The body of Project X-005 lay behind him, unmoving, but he didn't allow himself even a second of relief.
His gaze stayed fixed, sharp and steady.
This wasn't over not even close.
Across the battlefield, Elyndra had already begun shifting the flow of the fight.
Her floating book hovered at her side, pages flipping rapidly as if guided by an unseen force.
With a single motion of her hand, multiple spell circles formed around her, each one aligning in different directions.
She released them without hesitation.
"Supreme fire ball!" She said..
A massive fire spell surged forward first far beyond a normal conjuration.
The energy within it burned violently as it tore through the formation of Pandemonium soldiers, detonating on impact and sending bodies scattering in every direction.
The force alone disrupted their lines, breaking their structure in an instant.
She didn't stop.
Portals opened behind her in a curved formation, each one glowing faintly before releasing a volley of fire arrows.
They shot outward in rapid succession, raining down on the battlefield with precise targeting.
Soldiers scrambled to take cover, shields raised, some managing to block others not fast enough, struck down by the relentless barrage.
Even as they reacted, Elyndra was already moving on to her next action.
Her book shifted forward, pages turning faster then stopping.
Locking onto a spell.
Her focus snapped toward Grimwatch.
A soft glow formed around him as the spell activated, wrapping his body in a controlled flow of restorative magic.
The bruising along his ribs eased, the strain in his muscles lessening as energy returned to him in steady waves.
Grimwatch exhaled once, steadying himself as the tension in his body released just enough.
"Thanks, Elyndra," he said, his voice low but clear.
He didn't waste the recovery.
Without hesitation, he moved again this time toward the slaves and prisoners still bound along the outer lines of the outpost.
His blade cut through restraints as easily as it had cut through enemies, freeing those who could still stand, guiding them away from danger with quiet efficiency.
Behind him, Elyndra continued her assault, spells layering over one another as she controlled the battlefield with overwhelming precision.
Elsewhere..
Shay had just led the children beyond the immediate chaos when movement cut him off.
Soldiers coming in, multiple of them.
They approached from different angles, closing in without rushing, blocking every direction forward.
Their silence made it worse no shouting, no hesitation.
Shay stopped.
Tilted his head slightly.
"…Come on," he muttered, glancing back briefly at the children behind him. "You don't have to do this in front of the kids."
With a casual motion, he reached into nowhere and pulled out a deck of cards, fanning them out smoothly between his fingers like it was part of a performance.
His tone shifted light, playful… but just slightly off.
"Alright," he said, the faintest smile hidden beneath his mask. "Let's play something."
The cards snapped into place.
"Poker."
Above the battlefield, Alaric's ravens circled in widening arcs, their sharp eyes tracking every movement below.
One by one, they sent silent signals back to him, marking positions enemy clusters, hidden units, shifting formations.
Elyndra adjusted her spells accordingly.
Nothing was wasted.
Then Alaric's gaze narrowed slightly.
Through the eyes of one of his ravens, he saw movement deeper within the outpost.
Not soldiers.
Something heavier.
Another Project X...
And it's not alone, there more disturbing than that..