[Deck — Rhask & Kael]
Rhask dragged the barely-conscious body of Kael to the corner of the deck, settling him against a battered mast.
Kael's chest rose and fell—slow, labored, but steady.
Rhask gave a tight nod.
Then turned his eyes to the ocean.
Where two figures clashed across the sea's surface.
---
[Scene: Sea Level — Solis vs Ryven]
The sea boiled beneath their boots.
Solis moved.
Twin blades flashed in a blur—left feint, right slash, reverse spin.
Water hissed and splashed with every step.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Each strike met steel.
Not flesh.
Ryven didn't dodge.
He let his massive blade take every hit—like a gate that wouldn't open.
> "He's just letting the sword do the work…"
Solis darted in, twisted low, and launched a clean cross-blade slash.
Blocked. Again.
No shift in Ryven's body.
No counterattack.
Just pressure.
Then Ryven stepped forward.
Solis slid back, knees bent to keep balance.
A blow came—a wide, crushing sweep.
Solis blocked. Arms jolted.
His boots dug trenches in the seawater.
Another swing. He blocked again—barely.
Then Ryven came down with a heavy vertical strike.
Solis caught it with both blades, knees bending under the weight.
The impact echoed.
He gritted his teeth.
Everything was shaking.
> "How do I stop him?"
He backed away, panting.
Ryven adjusted his grip slightly.
Still no words. Still calm.
Solis readied himself again.
And then—
A flash in his head—
Something Ryven said earlier.
> "It's full. It can't absorb any more."
It had sounded like a taunt.
But now—
> "…Wait."
> "It wasn't about him. It was about the sword."
His eyes darted to the blade.
A plan formed. Instant. Dangerous.
> "If I hit it again and again, without pause…"
"Maybe I can shatter it."
"But if I don't…"
"…that blade will throw all that stored force back at me."
Solis stared at Ryven.
No backup plan.
No exit.
> "Then I don't stop until it breaks."
---
[Relentless Barrage Begins]
He dashed forward—no hesitation.
Left sword high, right sword low.
He struck.
One. Two. Three. Five. Seven.
No time to count.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Ryven's blade blocked them all.
But now—
His arm trembled.
His steps weren't as clean.
> "Good."
Solis pushed harder.
Blades blurred.
He spun in. Slashed upward. Dropped to a knee and sliced across.
Jumped and drove both swords downward like twin axes.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Ryven tried to swing back—
Solis sidestepped mid-attack and kept going.
No blocks. No defense. No rest.
Solis took a hit to his side—he didn't even flinch.
> "I will keep striking."
Another hit grazed his leg—he didn't stop.
Ten strikes. Twelve. Fifteen.
Water exploded beneath their feet.
The sea itself seemed to recoil.
Then—
A different sound.
CRRACK!
A fracture.
Right down the center.
Ryven looked at it.
Blinking.
Too late.
His sword shattered.
---
[The Final Blow]
Solis spun—gritted his teeth—
And drove both swords diagonally across Ryven's chest.
A clean, vicious slash.
Blood spilled.
Ryven staggered, knees hitting the water.
Still upright.
Barely.
He looked at his broken weapon.
Then at Solis.
A faint smile formed.
> "…So that was your plan."
(hoarse)
Then he collapsed.
Back into the sea.
Gone beneath the waves.
---
[Aftermath]
Solis stood hunched.
Bleeding.
Burned.
But standing.