Altering Waves

Wrath

Calcharo's hand hovered over the hilt of his greatsword. "I'm not risking another incident."

Mei Yun glared at him. "Back off, Calcharo."

Before words could settle, Artoria lunged—her blade sweeping in a controlled arc meant to disarm, not kill. Calcharo reacted instinctively, raising his own sword to block. Metal rang against metal in a shower of sparks.

Mei Yun seized the moment to dart to Artoria's flank, dagger poised. Artoria spun, meeting the blade's point with her gauntleted fist. Steel clashed again—echoes rolling across the broken courtyard.

Calcharo pressed forward, each strike deliberate and heavy, forcing Artoria back. She parried, shielding herself against his superior strength, while her mind raced: Mei Yun had spoken of the Rover as though he held her fate.

Lightning cracked overhead as steel rang against steel in the ruined plaza. Rain pelted their armor, steam rising where blades met.

Artoria moved first—her stance low, every muscle coiled. She feinted left, then swept Excalibur Morgan across Calcharo's guard. The Vanguard enforcer grunted, blocking with the flat of his greatsword. Sparks flew, illuminating Artoria's obsidian-and-violet armor in brief pulses.

At the same time, Mei Yun vanished into the shadows at Artoria's flank, dagger drawn. Artoria's reflexes were razor-sharp: she spun on her heel, gauntleted hand snapping out to catch Mei Yun's wrist before the blade could find its mark. Rainwater sluiced off the metal as Artoria's grip tightened.

"Enough!" Calcharo roared, pressing forward. He drove Artoria backward, foot by foot, forcing her toward a collapsed column. His strikes were heavy, precise—incapable of breaking her guard, yet unrelenting.

Artoria's eyes glowed faint violet. She let Calcharo's blade meet hers one last time, then slammed the flat of Excalibur Morgan into his gauntlet. The impact reverberated up his arm, and he staggered.

Across the wet stone, Mei Yun seized the opening. She lashed out with her dagger—swift, vicious—but Artoria's aura flared in response. A wave of Havoc energy burst from her armor in a silent pulse, forcing Mei Yun back with invisible force. The dagger clattered to the ground.

Artoria advanced, her expression unreadable. Calcharo recovered and joined the circle again, but Artoria felt only one threat now. Her blade hummed, the corrupted runes glowing brighter.

In a voice as cold as the storm, she said, "This ends."

Before Calcharo could react, Artoria surged forward. Excalibur Morgan cleaved through the air in a single, fluid arc—its edge tracing a path of violet-black light. Calcharo raised his sword; the blades collided with a thunderous clang that shook the courtyard. Artoria's aura twisted outward like living smoke, squeezing Calcharo's arms, sapping his stamina. He dropped to one knee, greatsword sliding from his grasp into the mud.

Mei Yun cried out and leapt to intervene, flanking Artoria from the opposite side. But the moment she moved, Artoria's aura snapped taut again—a silent warning. Mei Yun hesitated for the first time.