Chapter 120: The Retrieval Was Never a Request
The forest snapped awake with motion.
Kael’s squad moved first—no shouts, no theatrics. Precision-born violence sliced through the underbrush as if the land itself was under command. These weren’t soldiers testing strength. These were enforcers delivering consequence.
Maverick ignited instantly, flames rushing across his knuckles as he hammered two attackers back with explosive strikes. Kenneth charged with seismic power, cracking the terrain with every step. Milo blurred between positions, summoning clones and momentum-shattering illusions. Johnny spun with blades flashing, carving space as chaos unfolded around him.
For a moment, the Ocean Brothers held. The rhythm was tight—cracks sealed by instinct, pain balanced with fury.
But the tide was no longer theirs.
Kenneth staggered after a clash—his strength bleeding too fast. Milo’s illusions flickered, caught in a failing tempo. Johnny’s footwork slowed just long enough for a blade to graze his side. And Maverick’s fire—once a roar—began to whimper between strikes.
Kael didn’t blink.
He didn’t speak.
He simply moved.
And in three breaths, it ended.
Maverick’s fire burst outward—only to vanish beneath Kael’s sudden presence. A single strike to the chest folded him to the ground, his flame dying mid-air.
Milo turned to react—but Kael stepped through his clone, reached the real body, and drove him into the soil with a palm that seemed to bypass bone.