Muscle groaned in pain, gripping his ribs as he staggered backward. Zorlak's sharp eyes narrowed.
"I see," the prince said coldly, his voice echoing in the broken silence. "You're the thief everyone's talking about."
Nova stepped forward, blood on his lip but fire in his eyes. "I'm not a thief. I'm a kingdomless man from the Green Zone. That's all."
Zorlak let out a cruel laugh. "Then you're worse than a thief."
Without warning, Nova lunged forward and swung a punch at Zorlak, but the prince caught his wrist mid-air and threw him like a ragdoll. Nova crashed into the ground with a grunt. Zorlak turned to Polo, who was barely conscious on the floor.
"Fool," he muttered with disgust, kicking Polo aside like trash.
Muscle gritted his teeth and launched himself at Zorlak with a roar. His fist flew with all the force he could muster. But Zorlak ducked, countered with a knee to the gut, and then kicked Muscle away. Blood sprayed from Muscle's mouth as he hit the ground hard.
Before Zorlak could press the attack, Nova was back on his feet. He darted in and landed a solid kick on Zorlak's side, sending the prince sliding back. Zorlak chuckled, brushing dirt off his coat.
"You're pretty strong for a thief," he said.
In a blink, Zorlak vanished and reappeared behind Nova. A brutal punch landed on Nova's back. Before Nova could react, Zorlak grabbed both him and Muscle by the neck and slammed their heads together. The two collapsed with a heavy thud.
Zorlak walked toward Polo's fallen sword, picked it up, and marched toward Nova. With speed like lightning, he swung downward, aiming for Nova's head. Nova raised his arms just in time and caught the blade with his bare palms. Blood trickled down his arms as the blade cut into his flesh.
With a roar of defiance, Nova headbutted Zorlak and followed with a brutal punch to the jaw. Zorlak staggered. Nova grabbed his axe, leapt forward, and brought it down in a savage arc but just before it could land, a radiant white energy barrier flared to life around Zorlak, stopping the blow cold.
Nova's eyes widened. "What… is this?"
Zorlak grinned. "You really don't know anything about Kai, do you?" His voice oozed mockery. He clenched his right fist, Kai energy spiraling around it, and slammed it into Nova's chest. Nova flew through the air and crashed to the ground, coughing blood.
Zorlak began walking away, but Muscle, groaning through bloodied lips, rose and struck him with an iron rod. Again, the white Kai shield flared up and absorbed the impact without a scratch. Zorlak turned and unleashed a barrage of punches on Muscle each one harder than the last. Blood splashed with every blow.
"Die, you weakling," Zorlak hissed.
Barely conscious, Muscle spat blood. "Why are you doing this…?"
Zorlak's eyes dimmed. "It's all for a reason."
Before he could finish him off, Nova came flying in, axe in hand, and landed a clean punch on Zorlak's back. Zorlak stumbled forward. Muscle saw the opening and, with the last of his strength, jumped up and kicked Zorlak square in the chest. Zorlak reeled, blood on his lips. Nova didn't stop. He followed with another kick, sending the prince stumbling.
For a moment, it looked like they might overpower him.
Zorlak snarled, wiped the blood from his chin, and retaliated. A kick to Nova's jaw sent him spinning. A sweeping leg took Muscle down again. Zorlak stood over them, panting, eyes blazing.
"You don't understand power," he whispered.
He jumped high, came crashing down with a devastating punch to Nova's face, and then picked up the sword once more. Without hesitation, he drove the tip toward Nova's throat. The cold metal hovered inches from his skin.
Nova lay on the ground, blood leaking from his lips, chest heaving.
Zorlak's white Kai shield shimmered in the sunlight. "This is the difference between us," he said coldly, eyes full of something beyond hatred something hollow.
Nova closed his eyes, exhaled.
But somewhere deep inside, the fire hadn't gone out yet.