The wastelands outside the Medical Center was a bleak, lifeless expanse, the sky an ominous swirl of storm clouds.
Cold wind howled across the cracked earth as if the planet itself recoiled from the impending clash.
Tim and Rei stood side by side, their transformed forms radiating raw power - Tim, the White Solar Warrior, glowing with golden energy that flickered like flames; Rei, the Black Lunar Warrior, surrounded by a shroud of deep blue energy, her presence like a living shadow.
A few meters away, Deadbeat grinned - his monstrous frame hunched forward, his bloodied machete dragging along the ground, leaving a thin trail of crimson. His scarred face twisted into a wicked smile as he licked the blade with a forked tongue.
Deadbeat: "You both look delicious. I can't decide who to devour first!"
Tim's Solar Saber flared in his hand, light shimmering along its radiant edge. "We're not afraid of you."
Rei's Lunar Crescent Hatchets hummed with dark energy, her grip firm. "Let's end this."
Then-
Deadbeat lunged.
He was fast - too fast for something so monstrous - but Tim was ready.
He stepped forward, his Solar Saber cutting through the air like a beam of light. The blade clashed with Deadbeat's machete in a fiery spark of energy.
CLANG!
Tim pushed hard, gritting his teeth as Deadbeat grinned at him. The killer's strength was overwhelming, but Tim held his ground.
Suddenly-
Rei appeared behind Deadbeat, a silent blur of black and blue. Her Hatchets sliced in a deadly arc, aiming for his spine.
Deadbeat twisted just in time, avoiding a fatal blow, but one of Rei's Hatchets grazed his shoulder, cutting through muscle.
Deadbeat: "Tch... feisty."
Black blood dripped from the wound, hissing as it touched the ground.
For a brief moment, Tim and Rei were keeping up - their teamwork honed by days of grueling training. They moved like mirrored shadows - Tim striking with blazing ferocity, Rei weaving through the gaps, a silent reaper at his side.
But then-
Deadbeat vanished.
A blur of darkness.
Tim barely registered the shift in the air before-
CRACK!
Deadbeat's knee slammed into Tim's back like a sledgehammer. The force sent Tim flying forward, crashing into the cracked earth with a painful thud making him detransform.
Rei's eyes widened - but before she could move-
SLASH!
Deadbeat's claws raked across her stomach, dark energy burning like acid.
Rei's body arced through the air before she hit the ground, rolling twice before stopping. Blood stained her body as she detransformed as a result of impact.
Both warriors staggered back to their feet, panting.
Deadbeat (mocking): "That's all? I thought you were stronger."
Tim wiped blood from his mouth, his glare burning brighter than his Solar Saber.
Rei pressed a hand to her wound, but her face remained cold, calculated.
Tim: "Rei, new plan. We have to push him into a corner."
Rei: "Agreed. Let's cut off his movement."
They locked eyes - a silent understanding passing between them. Their training hadn't just strengthened their Celestic Blast - it had sharpened their bond.
Deadbeat tilted his head. "Aw, how sweet - finishing each other's sentences now?"
Tim and Rei transformed at the same time and moved simultaneously.
Tim charged straight at Deadbeat, his Solar Saber crackling with white-hot energy. Deadbeat lifted his machete, ready to block-
But it was a feint.
At the last second, Tim sidestepped, his blade spinning in a crescent arc-
And Rei appeared at Deadbeat's other side, striking at his exposed ribs.
The killer barely dodged - but barely wasn't enough.
Rei's Hatchet cut deep into his side.
Deadbeat: "GAH!"
His black blood spilled onto the ground, sizzling as it made contact.
Tim didn't waste a second. His Solar Saber ignited with a blinding flash - the Solar Flare Slash - and he aimed it directly at Deadbeat's head.
Deadbeat growled, throwing up his arm to block-
The force of Tim's attack sent him skidding back, carving a long trench in the dirt.
For the first time, Deadbeat's grin faltered.
Tim and Rei didn't give him a moment to recover.
Rei's hatchets spun like a storm of black crescents, forcing Deadbeat to stay on the defensive. Tim's Solar Saber followed every opening Rei created, burning with radiant fury.
It was working.
Their synchronization was near perfect - their movements fluid, balanced, a dance of light and darkness.
But Deadbeat was far from done.
His body convulsed - dark energy crackling around him - and his wounds began to stitch themselves back together.
Deadbeat: "Heh... You're interesting. But not worthy enough to think you are better."
The air grew heavy.
Then-
Deadbeat split into three shadowy forms - Dark Echoes - each wielding a copy of his bloodied machete.
Tim's heart pounded. "Rei-"
Rei's voice was calm. "I see it."
The three Deadbeats attacked at once.
One charged Tim from the front - machete slicing in brutal arcs - while the other two flanked Rei, striking from opposite angles.
Tim's blade clashed with the front-most Deadbeat, but the force sent him sliding back again.
Rei ducked under a swing, countering with a sharp slash to the clone's leg - but it dissolved into shadow, reforming instantly.
They were losing ground. But somehow managed to get away from them.
Deadbeat's echoes swarmed them again, each shadowy copy moving with the same ruthless precision as the original.
Blades flashed - Tim barely deflected a strike aimed at his throat, the force numbing his arm - while Rei twisted away from a slash that grazed her shoulder.
The wasteland echoed with the clash of steel and the sickening sound of Deadbeat's laughter.
Deadbeat: "Heh... is that all your 'teamwork' amounts to? How pathetic."
Tim wiped blood from his mouth, his Solar Saber flickering with weakened light. His breathing was ragged.
Tim: "Rei, we need to sync better. We can't fight him separately."
Rei, her Lunar Hatchets still glowing with dark energy, gave a firm nod.
Rei: "Follow my lead. No hesitation."
They exchanged a glance - a silent promise.
Both took a deep breath, pushing past the pain. Their minds aligned, their hearts beat in sync.
Tim darted forward first, feinting left with a sudden burst of Solar energy.
Deadbeat sneered and slashed at the feint -
Rei appeared instantly on the right, her Hatchets swinging in a perfect arc.
The shift in their movements was seamless - no delay, no gaps. They fought not as two warriors - but as one.
SLASH!
Rei's Hatchet cut into Deadbeat's arm, forcing him to block. His machete caught the brunt of the blow, but the impact made him stagger back.
Deadbeat: "Tch-"
Tim was already there - his Solar Saber descending like a burning comet.
Deadbeat barely managed to twist his body, but Tim's blade still grazed his ribs - a deep, searing cut.
Deadbeat: "AGH-!"
Before Deadbeat could react - Rei spun low, slicing at his legs.
Tim followed by aiming a Solar Saber Slash at Deadbeat's chest, the saber carving through the air.
The two attacks struck simultaneously - light and darkness blending into a single, overwhelming strike.
BOOM!
Deadbeat was launched backward, crashing into a jagged rock formation with a deafening crack. Dust and debris exploded into the air.
For the first time, Deadbeat didn't laugh.
As the dust settled, he rose slowly - blood dripping from his wounds, his grin reduced to a snarl. His once cocky demeanor twisted into fury.
Deadbeat: "You... You think this changes anything?"
Dark energy crackled around him. His form flickered, the Dark Echoes multiplying once again - but this time, the echoes were more violent, their forms shifting and unstable.
Three Deadbeats rushed them - but Tim and Rei didn't break formation.
They countered together:
Tim parried the first clone's machete with his Solar Saber, the impact creating a shockwave of light -
Rei ducked, slicing through the legs of another clone with both Hatchets -
And before the third could strike-
Tim and Rei moved as one.
Tim flared his Solar aura - temporarily blinding the clone - while Rei leapt over him, slamming her Hatchet into the clone's head, dispersing it into a cloud of black mist.
Deadbeat(frustrated): " Why... why can't I beat you?!"
Tim smirked, despite the pain.
Tim: "Because you're not facing two warriors anymore."
Rei's eyes burned with determination.
Rei: "You're facing one."
Their synchronization had reached its peak.
The echoes were gone now - only the original Deadbeat remained.
His blood-streaked body trembled with rage, his dark aura spiraling out of control.
Tim and Rei stood side by side - light and darkness swirling around them - their energies intertwined.
Deadbeat's voice broke into a furious roar.
Deadbeat: "I'LL RIP YOU APART, SPLIT THAT INTO EVEN TINIER PIECES AND SAVOUR YOU FOR A MONTH!"
But Tim and Rei weren't unsettled as they looked at each other for assurance.
He unleashed a monstrous shockwave, sending both flying.
Tim and Rei struggled to stand.
They were exhausted. Bruised. Bleeding.
Deadbeat walked toward them slowly, savoring their pain.
Deadbeat: "This is where you become my meal."
Rei grabbed Tim's hand, her grip firm.
Rei: "No. We still have one last move."
Tim's eyes widened.
Tim: "The Celestic Blast... but... we're too weak..."
Rei (soft smile): "Then let's make it work together."
Tim nodded.
They closed their eyes, feeling their emotions connect.
A white and black aura swirled around them, merging into one.
Deadbeat narrowed his eyes.
Deadbeat: "Oh? What's this...?"
Then-
Tim and Rei vanished.
Before Deadbeat could react, Tim appeared above him, Rei below.
Their weapons glowed, charged with combined energy.
Together, they synchronized their final attack.
Tim & Rei: "CELESTIC BLAST!"
A gigantic explosion of celestial energy engulfed Deadbeat.
He screamed in agony, his monstrous body disintegrating in the blast.
_ _ _
The air was thick with smoke and burning energy as the echoes of the Celestic Blast slowly faded.
Jagged scars marred the wasteland, cracks glowing faintly where Tim and Rei's combined attack had struck. The force of the blast had left a crater beneath Deadbeat - his once-menacing figure reduced to a kneeling, broken form.
Blood dripped from Deadbeat's mouth, his limbs twitching. His once-vicious grin had dulled into something weaker, but his signature mocking laugh still echoed - hoarse, yet defiant.
Deadbeat (panting, laughing weakly): "Heh... you're... stronger than I thought..."
Tim, his breathing labored, kept his Solar Saber raised - just in case. The blade's glow had dimmed, but it still flickered defiantly.
Tim: "Stay down, you monster."
Rei, leaning on her Lunar Hatchets for support, stood beside him - her dark aura crackling around her, though she, too, was barely standing.
Rei: "Or we'll put you down again."
Tim and Rei stood tall but exhausted.
Tim turned to Rei.
Tim: "We did it."
Rei smirked weakly.
Rei: "Took us long enough."