BLADES AND LIGHTNING

Kiel reacted ahead of the charging centaur, moving with precision to brace for the incoming blow. As El'goth's fists pummeled the air with rapid, gut-wrenching punches, Kiel crossed his forearms to absorb the impact. "If this is all you can manage," the centaur growled, "killing you would be a waste of effort." With a vicious left hook, El'goth aimed to follow through with a right. Kiel seized the moment. His strike to the centaur's midsection sent the beast back several meters.

But the respite was fleeting. El'goth regained his footing with unnerving speed, his imposing frame asserting dominance once more. Kiel's temporary advantage was quickly overshadowed by the centaur's renewed ferocity.

Kiel sprang to his feet and dropped to all fours, exhaustion taking over. His breath caught in sharp, involuntary coughs as he raised an open palm, urgently signaling with a series of hand signs; Wait, stop, time out. His head hung low, his mind racing to devise a strategy.

El'goth, momentarily thrown off by Kiel's unorthodox plea, tilted his head in curiosity. The centaur's gaze was a mix of intrigue and wariness.

Despite his battered state, Kiel forced himself to rise. Pain and exhaustion clawed at him, but sheer willpower kept him upright. He stood at the lake's center, his gaze fixed on El'goth. His resilience was more than just a reaction to the fight—it was a tribute to those who had helped and supported him.

With his hands raised in a defensive stance, Kiel faced the centaur. Blood dripped steadily from his wounds, a testament to their fierce clash. A grim, self-satisfied smile spread across Kiel's face as he refocused on the battle. "Alright. Let's go," he hinted quietly, a fierce determination blazing in his eyes.

El'goth sneered at Kiel's challenge. "Hmm, don't bore me," he taunted, charging forward with his lightning-imbued axe whirling menacingly.

****

The Kaiju deftly dipped and veered right, narrowly evading the beast's lethal swing. The axe cleaved through the air, missing him by inches. With a quick side flip, he avoided the attack, leaving ephemeral afterimages as he moved.

As he moved, his mind raced, analyzing every motion, every attack El'goth made. The centaur's strikes were powerful but lacked precision, relying more on brute force than tactical finesse. The Kaiju couldn't help but note the predictable patterns in El'goth's swings—always a heavy, committed strike, leaving him momentarily vulnerable after each miss.

Before El'goth could recover, the Kaiju flicked a small rock he had been holding. The stone struck the beast's eye, momentarily stunning him. "Uraaaggghhh!" El'goth roared in agony, his fury reverberating across the lake.

Seizing the opportunity, he delivered a sharp knee to the beast's face, followed by a powerful mid-air kick. The blow sent El'goth spinning, dropping his axe in the process. Caught off guard, the centaur struggled to regain his balance as the Kaiju charged forward, using his body as a battering ram to drive the creature toward the lake's left bank.

In his mind, he quickly dissected El'goth's tactics. The centaur favored brute strength and relied heavily on his axe, using wide arcs and crushing blows to overwhelm opponents. Yet, every time El'goth committed to a swing, his entire weight shifted, slowing his recovery and leaving him open to counterattacks. The centaur had endurance, but his heavy reliance on sheer force was a glaring flaw the Kaiju could exploit.

The battle intensified. El'goth, now more focused, threw a powerful right punch, planning to follow with a left cross. The Kaiju sidestepped with practiced ease, disrupting the beast's attack and landing two crushing blows of his own. The pace of the fight quickened, with the Kaiju maintaining the upper hand.

El'goth staggered back, visibly shaken from his attacker's relentless assault. The centaur's attempts to regain his footing were futile as the Kaiju pressed on with unwavering aggression.

In a desperate move, El'goth gripped him by the face and slammed him side to side against the water's surface. Each impact sent shockwaves through the lake, causing geysers of water to erupt. With a final, forceful punch, El'goth hurled him through the air, propelling him a considerable distance.

Fueled by his indomitable spirit, the Kaiju managed to raise his forearms defensively just before impact. He skidded across the water but quickly recovered. The beast continued its assault, launching a barrage of energy waves from his axe. Each wave exploded on contact, sending geysers of water skyward.

Despite the chaos, he quickly regained his footing. With a few nimble jumps and a confident smile, the Kaiju pulled his foot back and surged forward with blistering speed. His body radiated intense heat, crackling with blue streaks of lightning as he charged at El'goth.

El'goth's expression darkened as the Kaiju's silent taunt sank in. The centaur tightened his grip on his axe, his knuckles whitening. He could sense the shift in the battle, feel the tightening noose of his opponent's strategy. But pride wouldn't let him back down, not from a challenge, not from a Kaiju of his stature.

The Kaiju, on the other hand, remained calm and calculating. He'd identified the flaw and now he just needed to push El'goth until the beast's reliance on the axe became his undoing. His mind was like a well-oiled machine, each thought precise and intentional. He had analyzed El'goth's every move, every feint, and he knew exactly how to exploit his weaknesses.

As the battle resumed, the Kaiju continued his evasive maneuvers, narrowly avoiding El'goth's powerful but predictable strikes. The centaur was strong, no doubt about it, but his opponent was faster, and more importantly, smarter. Each time El'goth swung his axe, the Kaiju was already one step ahead, either sidestepping the blow or deflecting it with a perfectly timed block. The air hummed with the force of their clashes, but with each exchange, he gained more ground.

El'goth, growing frustrated, began to lash out with more ferocity, his swings becoming wilder, more desperate. The Kaiju saw through it all. The centaur was trying to intimidate him, trying to force him into making a mistake. But he wasn't fooled. He maintained his composure, his expression one of cold determination.

His opportunity came in a flash—a moment where El'goth overcommitted to a downward slash, the heavy axe slicing through the air with a force that could have cleaved a mountain in two. But Kiel wasn't there. He had already moved, darting to El'goth's exposed side.

With a swift, fluid motion, the Kaiju struck, not with the intent to harm, but with the precision of a surgeon. His target was not El'goth's body, but the weapon itself. With a powerful kick, he drove his heel into the hilt of the axe, right where the shaft met the blade.

There was a sickening crack.

The force of the impact combined with the angle of the strike was enough to shatter the axe's handle, splintering it in two. The massive weapon fell from El'goth's grasp, the heavy blade sinking into the ground with a dull thud.

El'goth stumbled back, eyes wide in shock and disbelief as he looked at his now-useless weapon. For the first time in the battle, the mighty centaur appeared vulnerable, his confidence shattered along with his axe.

Kiel shot him a look of utter indifference, his face a mask of detached boredom. With a sharp, deliberate gesture, he signed; You no longer entertain me. I'm done with this game.