Ethan’s chest rose and fell, his breath ragged. His arms trembled from exhaustion, blood dripping from the wounds that covered his body. Yet, his Vital Force was slowly healing him, sealing his wounds just enough to keep him in the fight.

  Reyna, however, was barely winded.

  She was too strong.

  Ethan had fought people before—soldiers, killers, men who trained their whole lives to kill. But none of them moved like she did. Her speed was unnatural, and her attacks were precise, like a predator pying with its food.

  And she wasn’t even trying.

  Despite that, Ethan smirked.

  He tightened his grip on his sword, the bck bde humming with power.

  Something had changed.

  Ethan swung again, aiming low to force Reyna to dodge upward.

  The Essence Ssh erupted from his sword, a crescent of pink energy tearing through the air.

  Pink?

  The glowing arc surged forward, the force distorting the air around it. The moment it struck the ground, the very stone beneath them cracked open, leaving a deep gash in the subway floor.

  Reyna leapt away effortlessly, flipping mid-air before nding on a piece of rubble.

  Her lips curved into an amused smirk.

  "Interesting," she murmured, twirling her dagger. "A sudden epiphany mid-battle? Not bad.” She licked her lips. “But you’ll need more than that if you want to kill me.”

  Ethan exhaled sharply, trying to keep his stance steady. His legs ached, his muscles screamed.

  Reyna sighed and sheathed her dagger. Then, she pouted—her eyes rge, her expression innocent.

  “If you surrender now, I’ll let you live,” she said in a sugary sweet voice, tilting her head cutely. “Come on, you’re kinda cute, y’know? Why don’t we make a deal?”

  She batted her eyeshes.

  If Ethan wasn’t bleeding out and seconds from death, he might’ve actually blushed.

  She was ridiculously attractive, with long, dark hair that cascaded over her shoulders, piercing green eyes, and an ample figure that was barely contained by her tattered battle gear.

  But the blood dripping from her dagger and the sadistic glint in her eyes reminded him—

  She was still a monster.

  Ethan let out a breath, adjusting his stance. "Let me guess," he said. "You make this offer to all the guys you fight?"

  Reyna chuckled. "Nope. You're special." She tapped her cheek pyfully. "And I like special things. So? What do you say? Be mine?"

  Ethan’s grip on his sword tightened.

  "How about this instead—"

  He lunged.

  Reyna’s pyful expression vanished instantly, her instincts snapping into action.

  Their bdes cshed, the air crackling from the force of their exchange.

  Ethan pressed forward, swinging relentlessly, forcing her back with a flurry of unpredictable strikes.

  The more he fought, the sharper his movements became. The more he used his Essence, the more he understood it.

  And then—

  He saw it.

  A single moment where her stance was off.

  Her left foot wasn’t perfectly banced.

  That was his opening.

  Ethan pivoted and sshed—

  And for the first time—

  His bde drew blood.

  Reyna’s eyes widened as a deep gash appeared across her abdomen, her dark cloak sliced open.

  For a brief second, she froze.

  And then—

  She ughed.

  “Oh,” Reyna whispered, pressing her fingers against the wound.

  A grin slowly spread across her lips.

  “Oh, Ethan… I really like you now.”

  The atmosphere shifted.

  A suffocating pressure filled the subway station.

  Reyna rolled her shoulders, her body cracking unnaturally, as if something was changing inside her.

  Ethan felt his heartbeat accelerate.

  His instincts screamed—

  She was about to stop pying.

  And that meant—

  He was going to die.