The air was thick with the sound of gunfire, bullets cutting through it in every direction. Nearly 89 rifles were trained on Kaden as he crouched behind a chunk of crumbling concrete, the elite Cambodian soldiers unloading round after round in his direction. He didn’t need to be reminded of the kind of danger he was in. These soldiers weren’t just shooting wildly—they were disciplined, skilled, and trained to handle Arms Masters. They knew exactly what they were doing.
But so did he.
He could feel the concrete around him chipping away under the pressure of their firepower. His back pressed firmly against it, Kaden took a breath, keeping his composure even as the chaos raged around him. His thoughts raced—he had to make a move before they boxed him in completely. Waiting for an opening wasn’t an option; they were too organized, too fast.
A quick peek around the corner showed the soldiers moving with precision, tightening their circle, trying to pin him down. Grenades exploded in the distance, sending plumes of dirt and debris flying into the air. He wasn’t going to get out of this by just sitting still.
“This is getting messy,” he muttered under his breath.
Kaden’s grip tightened around the Duality Blades as he activated their Light mode. The soft blue glow pulsed through them, the chain shimmering faintly. It wouldn’t make him that much faster, but it was just enough to give him an edge—a slight boost in speed that might buy him the time he needed.
He didn’t waste a second. With a deep breath, Kaden darted out from behind the cover, moving faster than before, but still within the realm of human reaction. Bullets trailed after him, some grazing his armor but none finding their mark. He zigzagged across the battlefield, using the limited boost in speed to stay one step ahead of the elite soldiers’ aim.
Each movement was calculated. His footwork, honed through years of training, allowed him to slip through the smallest openings between the bursts of suppressive fire. Kaden spotted a destroyed Scout Car ahead and made a beeline for it, diving behind its cover just as another wave of bullets slammed into the ground where he had been.
He could hear the soldiers adjusting their positions, trying to anticipate his next move. They were good— too good to give him any room to breathe. But Kaden wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of pinning him down.
“They’re not gonna let up, are they?” he thought, wiping the sweat from his brow.
He needed to create an opening, something to shake them up. With a quick glance over the Scout Car, Kaden saw a group of soldiers clustered together, focused entirely on his position. He smirked, reaching for a grenade strapped to his vest. Pulling the pin, he lobbed it over the car, aiming for the center of the group.
The explosion rocked the ground, sending a shockwave through the air and scattering debris everywhere. It wasn’t enough to take them all out, but it threw off their aim, if only for a moment. Kaden seized the opportunity, sprinting from cover and moving to a new position before they could lock back onto him.
His movements were sharp, deliberate. He wasn’t moving at blinding speeds, but every step, every shift of his body, was meant to keep him just ahead of their line of fire. He ducked and weaved between obstacles, his mind racing with possible plans. He needed to thin their numbers, disrupt their formation—anything to turn the tide in his favor.
“They think they’ve got me figured out,” Kaden thought as he slid behind another chunk of rubble.
“But they have no idea what’s coming.”He knew Dior’s death squad was causing chaos in the background, and somewhere, Len was lying in wait. The soldiers were so focused on him and the immediate threat that they didn’t even realize what was brewing on the horizon.
More bullets pinged off the rubble, shaking Kaden out of his thoughts. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. His hand tightened around the hilt of his Noble Arm, the soft blue glow from the Light mode turning into a dark crimson. The light blue chain changed into a prominent red. Things were about to get even more messy.
“Alright,” he muttered to himself,
“Let’s finish this.”