For a moment, everything was still.
Tim (panting): "We...we finally did it."
Rei (weak smile): "He's finished... right?"
But then—
A deep, guttural chuckle echoed.
Deadbeat lifted his head slowly, his face still bearing that wicked grin.
Deadbeat: "Oh... you thought that was enough?"
With a sickening crunch, he snapped his dislocated bones back into place. His wounds sizzled and healed unnaturally fast, his monstrous energy surging even stronger than before.
Tim and Rei's blood ran cold.
Deadbeat (grinning wider): "That was fun! I almost thought you got me there! But guess what? One Celestic Blast isn't enough to kill me."
He stood up straight, rolling his shoulders. His aura exploded outward, turning the very air around them into a suffocating storm of raw, murderous energy. The ground beneath him shattered.
Deadbeat: "Now, let's have some REAL fun."
Tim and Rei staggered back, their energy almost drained from using the Celestic Blast.
Tim (gritted teeth): "How the hell is he still standing?! That should've finished him!"
Rei (clenching her fists): "His body... it's regenerating too fast. We don't have enough power left for another Celestic Blast."
Deadbeat laughed, his eyes glowing with sadistic amusement.
Deadbeat(drooling): "You should've aimed to kill, not just to win."
In a blink, he was right in front of them.
Before they could react, he crunched on Tim's shoulder, which somehow penetrated inside his armour drawing blood.
Tim: "AHHHHHHH...". Tim almost was losing balance as he tried to remove the Cannibal's jaw but it was too tight.
Rei froze in place terrified.
After few more seconds, Deadbeat pulled himself back licking blood. "Yum! How exquisite! Even male eartlings taste pretty good."
Rei gave a weak scream. "You! Monster...how dare you... touch him..."
Before Rei could finish, Deadbeat's claws smashed into Tim's gut.
Tim choked on blood, his vision blurring. The force sent him flying backward, smashing into a rock wall as he detransformed, blood spilling from his shoulder.
Rei's eyes widened in shock and fear.
Rei: "TIM!"
She barely had time to react before Deadbeat's massive boot smashed into her ribs.
She screamed in pain as she skidded across the battlefield, crashing hard as the impact turned her into her original form.
Deadbeat slowly approached them, towering like a demon.
Deadbeat: "You two look so fragile now. I could eat you anytime."
He licked his lips.
Deadbeat: "But that would be boring. I think I'll break you first."
Tim tried to stand. His whole body screamed in pain as he held his bloodied shoulder.
Rei spat out blood, gripping her hatchet tightly, but her limbs felt like lead.
They both knew-they were completely outmatched now.
Deadbeat watched them struggle, his amusement growing.
Deadbeat: "Come on, you're Warriors, right? Show me something better!"
Tim and Rei locked eyes.
There was no way they could win like this.
But... there had to be something else.
Tim felt something deep inside him stir. That unknown power from before... It had reacted to Rei's blood.
Was there another way to trigger it?
Rei noticed the spark in Tim's eyes.
Rei: "Tim... you have an idea?"
Tim nodded slowly.
Tim: "It's risky... but it's our only shot."
Tim and Rei forced themselves up, ignoring the pain.
Deadbeat tilted his head.
Deadbeat: "Oh? You still wanna fight?"
Tim and Rei grinned, despite their exhaustion.
Tim: "Damn right we do."
Rei: "Get ready, Deadbeat. We're not done yet."
Their battle auras reignited as they transformed again, but this time, there was something different-something dormant was awakening.
And Deadbeat finally felt it.
For the first time-he frowned.
Tim and Rei stood firm, their bodies battered but their spirits unbroken.
Deadbeat narrowed his eyes. Something had changed. The two warriors, despite being at their limits, were radiating a strange energy-an energy that felt eerily familiar.
Deadbeat (muttering): "Tch... what's this...?"
Tim took a deep breath, his hands tightening around his Solar Saber.
Tim: "Rei... trust me on this."
Rei looked at him, their eyes locking. In that moment, she understood.
She wiped the blood from her lips and smirked.
Rei: "I'm with you, idiot. Let's finish this."
They both charged, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Deadbeat smirked and lunged forward, meeting them head-on.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Tim slashed downward, his saber burning with golden flare.
Rei spun around him, delivering a dark crescent slash with her hatchet.
Deadbeat blocked Tim's strike, but Rei's attack tore into his side, drawing blackened blood.
Deadbeat (grinning through the pain): "You're learning... but not fast enough!"
He unleashed a shockwave, sending them both skidding backward.
But this time, they didn't fall.
Tim and Rei exchanged a look and immediately adjusted.
Rei: "Your left-"
Tim: "Got it."
Before Deadbeat could react, Tim dodged right, while Rei attacked his blind spot.
They were moving as one.
Each attack chained into the next, forcing Deadbeat to go on the defensive.
For the first time-he was struggling.
Deadbeat (growling): "You little brats...!"
Then, with a roar, he tore a chunk of earth from the ground and hurled it at them.
Tim and Rei dodged in perfect unison, their instincts sharper than ever.
Their movements blurred together, their minds completely synchronized.
And then-it happened.
As Tim and Rei moved in sync, their auras intertwined, glowing white and black.
A massive energy pulse erupted, sending ripples across the battlefield.
Deadbeat stumbled backward, his eyes wide.
Deadbeat (snarling): "What... what is this power!?"
Tim's Solar Saber began to hum, its light burning brighter than ever.
Rei's Lunar Crescent Hatchets pulsed with shadow energy, resonating with his saber.
A sudden memory flashed in Tim's mind-
Sheila's words:
"Celestic Blast only emerges when two Celestic Warriors with opposing souls become completely synchronized-both in body and mind."
Tim's realization:
We were only halfway there before.
Rei's realization:
This is what true synchronization feels like.
Their hands moved instinctively-they clasped each other's wrists, their energies colliding.
A storm of celestial energy burst outward, shaking the very ground beneath them.
Deadbeat braced himself, but for the first time... he looked uncertain.
Tim & Rei (in unison):
"CELESTIC BLAST-FINAL STRIKE!"
Their combined power exploded forward, a massive beam of white and black energy roaring toward Deadbeat.
Deadbeat roared in defiance, crossing his arms to block the attack.
The battlefield shook violently.
The sky cracked.
For a brief moment, it looked like Deadbeat might resist.
But then-his body began to disintegrate.
His monstrous form crumbled, the sheer force of their attack ripping through him.
Deadbeat (grinning weakly): "Heh... so this is... what real power looks like..."
With a final, bloodied chuckle-he vanished into nothingness.
Tim and Rei detransformed and collapsed, their bodies completely drained.
The battlefield was silent.
The wind blew gently, carrying away the ashes of their fallen enemy.
Tim turned his head slightly, looking at Rei.
Tim (weak smile): "Hey... we actually did it."
Rei let out a tired chuckle.
Rei: "Yeah."
They lay there, staring at the sky, feeling the weight of their victory.
After few minutes of silence...
Tim and Rei remained on the ground, their bodies too exhausted to move, the last remnants of their combined Celestic energy flickering around them like dying embers.
Tim (barely above a whisper):
"We... we really won."
Rei chuckled softly, though the pain in her ribs made it sound more like a wheeze.
Rei:
"Don't get too comfortable... We're not exactly in great shape. Especially not you... after he bit...you"
Tim shifted slightly, trying to push himself up, but his arms trembled violently before giving out.
Tim:
"Yeah... you're right."
They both stared at the empty space where Deadbeat once stood, his ashes now scattered across the wind.
_ __
Tim (gritting his teeth, still trying to push himself up, his shoulder bleeding):
"This... sucks."
Rei (with a weak smirk):
"But we beat that demon finally."
Before Tim could respond, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
A familiar voice - stern but concerned - echoed across the empty battlefield.
Dr. Aron:
"Stay still, both of you."
Tim blinked up at the man - Dr. Aron. His white coat was speckled with soot from rushing to the site, but his gaze remained calm and calculating.
Kneeling down, Aron carefully examined their injuries. His equipments glowed faintly with a soft, restorative energy as he began a quick scan of their bodies.
Dr. Aron:
"You've both taken more damage than you realize. Torn muscles, fractured bones, severe energy depletion..."
Tim groaned. "Great. So how long are we stuck like this?"
Dr. Aron's eyes flickered with a trace of sympathy, though his voice remained clinical.
Dr. Aron:
"Minimum... three days to stabilize."
Rei sighed.
Rei:
"Three days? Might as well be three years."
Suddenly-
A new familiar voice chimed in - light-hearted but with a touch of sarcasm.
Sheila:
"That's a normal job for you two now."
Tim looked up, seeing Sheila standing with her arms crossed. Her expression teetered between amusement and concern.
Dr. Aron shot her a glance.
Dr. Aron:
"You call this normal?"
Sheila (grinning):
"No... you made this normal."
Tim couldn't help but chuckle - though the movement sent pain shooting through his ribs and his shoulder bleeded badly.