Herald of death

"Russ leveled up," the system informs Ethan. Moments later, Kyle adds, "Yasim Hakeem is dead."

'What did Russ do?' Ethan wonders, feeling a twinge of worry. He edges into the room where Azagoth stands over the writhing Valeria.

"See you soon," the demon mocks, transforming into a cloud of sparks that dissipate into the wind.

Ethan visualizes the sigils of the Silence spell and dashes into the room. A curved blade appears in the periphery of Prescience, and he parries with his sword, retreating.

He exchanges a flurry of blows and parries with his attacker before leaping back to create distance. Tatiana steps into the light of the burning corridors without making a sound.

"I thought it was you, Reaper. Weren't you able to see through walls last time we met?" Tatiana asks in perfect English, without a hint of her Russian accent. Her blade, a Shashka – a slightly curved, guardless medieval Russian saber – rests at her right side. It looks fresh-forged, yet the blade shines with an otherworldly greenish hue. A blood-red gem is embedded between the handle and blade, sprouting small veins into the later.

Ethan touches his face and realizes that his mask melted away, revealing his face. He did not feel it amongst the surrounding heat.

'If only I could use Predator’s sight and Prescience simultaneously,' Ethan laments internally. He briefly activates Predator’s sight to confirm she is alone. "You didn’t come here for me. Were you planning to kill Valeria?"

"Given her condition, I can afford to deal with you first; I need to let her cool down before questioning her anyway," Tatiana retorts.

They circle each other amidst the wreckage left by Azagoth. "Did you come without your master?" Ethan probes, trying to sense her Ether through the restraints on her aura.

"He's downstairs, looting what the Chinese left," Tatiana says. "I was tired of him fuming about the fact that they took what he decided was rightfully his."

"Ether manipulation leveled up," the voice announces as Ethan peers through her aura manipulation. Her heart holds less Ether than his, but her concealed arm contains just as much.

'What is this arm?' Ethan asks himself.

Tatiana swings at Ethan, who leans back to dodge. The trajectory of her attack is simple, almost childish. The veins in her blade extend, lengthening both the blade and handle.

Ethan deflects the blow thanks to Prescience and counters with a downward slash. Tatiana grips the handle with both hands, her sword crackling with electricity. She blocks Ethan's attack, a blade of lightning forming along the path of her strike, reaching behind Phantom Reaver.

Ethan contorts to avoid the lightning blade, disengaging and retreating further. He mentally forms the sigils of Debilitating Hex, channeling large quantities of Ether into them.

"You reacted before I triggered my abilities," Tatiana says, suspicion lacing her voice. "You didn’t have golden eyes last time; is this their power?"

"You weren’t so arrogant last time," Ethan replies, casting his hex. Tendrils of dark Ether rush at Tatiana, hidden by the surrounding darkness. "Do you think you’ve grown enough to best me without taking this seriously?"

The hex's tendrils contort and deform, drawn to the base of her neck. An object hidden under her shirt creates a vortex of Ether, pulling the tendrils away from Ethan's control.

Ethan dispels the hex, the last tendrils vanishing into her necklace. The vortex and its etheric presence disappear.

"You haven’t been slacking either," Tatiana mocks, lowering herself into a stance, her blade poised. Ethan mirrors her as she turns serious.

'Strengthening,' Ethan thinks. They burst towards each other, their blades clashing with a deafening sound. Ethan deflects her blade instead of parrying, redirecting its electric afterimage. They exchange blow after blow, the remains of the corridors crumbling around them.

She deflects his blade upwards, creating an opening to slash at his chest. She swings upward, aiming for a decisive strike.

Ethan casts Dermal Shield, focusing it on his left hand as he grabs her blade. The lightning afterimage splits on his shield, striking the ceiling and floor. He swings Phantom Reaver downward, aiming for her head, but she catches his blade with her left hand. Her glove shatters from the force, revealing a cyan, scaled hand bearing claw-line nails.

They stand immobile, each trying to overpower the other's defenses. Ethan’s shield cracks under the pressure she exerts, while her hand doesn't yield in the slightest.

Valeria collapses onto her guard's corpse, retrieving her bloodied phone. "If I am to die, I'm taking you all with me," she mutters, pressing her phone’s screen. They both disengage, bursting towards Valeria without a care for each other.

A flash of light appears behind Dubai’s tallest towers. Valeria's crazed smile curls off as she sees it, despair etching her face. She releases her Ether, turning to dust, blown away by the fires’ winds.

"You leveled up, Melee Weapon (long sword) leveled up (x4)," the system announces.

The ground trembles as explosions’ deafening roars shatter windows and topple buildings. The sky darkens, shockwaves rippling outward, flattening entire city blocks. The air fills with debris—concrete, glass, and twisted metal.

Shimmering waves of Ether pulse outward, distorting reality itself. Buildings twist and contort, some lifting from their foundations as if caught in a gravity-defying spell.

As Tatiana watches the explosion, Ethan summons his AT4. 'Piercing shot,' he thinks as he pulls the trigger, and Tatiana detonates instantly. The bomb’s shockwave blows the rocket’s smoke, leaving an empty, scorched spot.

Ethan stumbles as the floor cracks beneath him, forcing him to parkour to the inner yard. He jumps from floor to floor, grabbing rebar to slow himself down until he lands. He scans the yard and sees Kyle and Russ entering it from the parking lot.

He spots Kate urging civilians to exit the bar. The single floor above them cracks and deforms. A block of concrete falls on Kate in Ethan's Prescience, and he bursts through the yard. "Above!"

Kate looks up and moves aside, but a man exiting the building pushes her back out of his way. It strikes Kate's head, and another larger piece crashes down beside her. Ethan grabs it but senses a whole section of the wall above detaching. He throws Kyle's sword next to him.

'Strengthening,' Ethan thinks before catching the falling concrete above his head. Another block falls on the one he holds, and the weight brings him to one knee. "Russ, rescue!" he orders.

Russ runs towards them with his tail between his legs. Kyle follows him but pales in comparison to the dog's speed. Something detonates in the middle of the yard, creating a cloud of smoke quickly dispelled by the bombs' waves.

Tatiana appears from it, her cyan, scaled left arm fully exposed as Ethan's rocket tore off her sleeve. She lunges at Ethan, aiming to slice through his chest.

With a burst of speed, Kyle intercepts her and blocks her attack before it can reach Ethan. His reserve of Ether dwindles with each passing second, already edging life force exhaustion.