Chapter 52: Awaken - Part 3
Since Gabriel is out of options, he has to resort to his speed and agility as his last trump card. Travelling at speed so fast that it looks like he is teleporting everywhere, Malique has a hard time trying to catch up to his enemy.
Yet, Malique begins to close their distance and difference millimetre by millimetre on each teleportation he mimics. With Gabriel too focused on running around, he forgot the fundamental part of a battle, to attack or be attacked.
"You're never catching up to me, Malique! Not with that newly found power of yours!" Gabriel claims, not realising that Malique is only inches away from his afterimage.
Especially right now, Gabriel completely not putting his guard up nor his attention to his movement. So it is no wonder if he will get what he deserves. So before he knows it, Malique vanishes from sight and Gabriel is suddenly forced to stop in one of the most horrible ways. With a blade piercing his chest.
[Schluck!]
"F-Fuck!" Gabriel swears and blood begins to escape from the wound's opening in his chest and his mouth as the pressure inside the blood vessel changed rapidly.
Unbeknownst to Gabriel, the reason why Malique is always a fraction later than him is due to one reason. You see, Malique aims to predict where he will teleport to so moving many times faster than Gabriel himself. His body went to each place that he thought Gabriel would go to as if Malique can duplicate.
But each time he reaches those places, Gabriel went to one that he has previously visited at his super speed. This strategy has worked in Gabriel's favour until now, but Malique has finally caught on to his pattern. With Gabriel injured and unable to move, Malique stands over him with a look of triumph on his face.
"You underestimated me, Gabriel," Malique says. "I may be new to this power, but I'm a quick learner. And now, it's time for you to pay for what you've done."
Gabriel tries to speak, but all that comes out is a gurgling sound as blood fills his mouth. He knows he's defeated, and he can only wait for the inevitable. But then, something strange happens. Malique's expression changes, and he looks down at Gabriel with a mixture of confusion and concern. Gabriel follows his gaze and sees that the blade that was once in his chest is now lying on the ground next to him.
"What the hell?" Malique says, taking a step back. "How did you do that?"
"I may have been a little overconfident, but I'm not stupid. I knew you were going to come after me, so I set a trap," Gabriel chuckles weakly.
He explains that he had planted a decoy of himself, made from his matter-creation ability that would fool anyone who tried to mimic his movements. When Malique went in for the kill, he stabbed the decoy instead, allowing Gabriel to strike back.
"You're a crafty one, Gabriel. I'll give you that," Malique shakes his head in disbelief.
Looks like the game of catch turns into the game of hide and seek. As Malique is fooled by the act, he no longer knows the exact whereabouts of Gabriel. He could have sneak him at any given time but as of now, no obvious action can be detected.
Gabriel takes advantage of the confusion and uses his matter-creation ability to form a reflection of his background, effectively creating a camouflage. He hides behind the reflection and moves closer and closer to Malique undetected. As Malique continues to search for him, Gabriel sees an opportunity and strikes. He appears out of nowhere and delivers a powerful blow to Malique's back, sending him crashing to the ground.
Malique groans in pain as he struggles to get back up. Gabriel walks towards him slowly, holding his chest wound with one hand and clenching his other hand into a fist. He knows that he can't afford to give Malique another chance to strike back.
"Looks like the tables have turned, Malique," Gabriel says, his voice strained. "You underestimated me, but now it's my turn to show you what I'm capable of."
"Really? I wonder who's showing who right now?"
"Huh!?" Surprised, Gabriel has to lick his dirt after Malique sort of copied his trap.
With a smirk, Malique disappears from Gabriel's sight again, but this time, he doesn't try to predict where his opponent will be. Instead, he closes his eyes and focuses on his other senses. He listens carefully to the sounds around him, feeling the vibrations in the air and the ground beneath his feet. He can pinpoint Gabriel's location with his heightened senses, even if he can't see him.
Gabriel realizes too late that he's made a mistake. He thought his camouflage would be enough to hide him, but he forgot that Malique's power goes beyond speed and teleportation. As he hears Malique approaching him from behind, Gabriel tries to turn around and defend himself, but it's too late. Malique utilizes his speed to teleport behind Gabriel, who already sneaked up to him and stabs him down with his katana.
[Stab!]
Gabriel screams in pain as the blade pierces through his chest. Blood spills out of the wound as Malique pulls out the sword and steps back, watching as Gabriel falls to the ground, motionless. For a moment, Malique stands there, catching his breath and trying to process what just happened. He had won the battle, but is that it? He felt dissatisfied.
Malique flicks the blood sticking to his katana from Gabriel's chest off, and the latter falls to the ground. He lands on his knees, clutching his chest, and coughs up blood. Malique walks up to Gabriel and kicks him in the stomach, making him double over in pain. He then slices Gabriel's back with his katana, revealing his spine.
Malique sheathes his katana and grabs the spine with his fist, treating Gabriel's body as if it were a handbag. Gabriel screams in agony as Malique twists and turns his body in ways that are not humanly possible. Malique then throws Gabriel's body to the ground and stands over him, looking down at him with a cold and ruthless expression.
"You brought this upon yourself, Gabriel," Malique says. "You thought you were invincible, but you were wrong. You underestimated me, and now you pay the price."
Gabriel groans in pain, unable to move. He knows that he is at Malique's mercy and that he can do nothing to stop him. Malique walks around him, inspecting his wounds and looking for any signs of life. Satisfied that Gabriel is still alive, he drags his motionless body to a throne seat inside the hall and dumps him there unceremoniously.
Malique then takes out his katana again and decapitates Gabriel's lifeless body, the head rolling off and coming to a stop at the foot of the throne. The hall is silent except for the sound of the head hitting the ground.
Malique stands over Gabriel's body, the blade of his katana dripping with blood. He feels a sense of satisfaction and pride in his victory. He knows that he has proven himself to be the stronger warrior and that he has eliminated a threat to his power.
Michael was speechless, witnessing this horrifying scene. He had been badly injured and did not have the power to do anything. He could only watch as Malique defeated Gabriel, even though they were supposed to be working together.
Michael found Malique's actions a bit too much to bear. He had always believed in the importance of honour and respect in battle, but what he was witnessing was not what he had in mind. He couldn't help but think.
This isn't how we were supposed to win. We were supposed to work together, not turn on each other like this. And what Malique is doing is too brutal. We're supposed to be better than this.
As Malique stood over Gabriel, Michael felt a wave of disappointment and frustration wash over him. He had always believed in the idea of fair play, but Malique's tactics went against everything he stood for. He struggled to get back up and spoke up.
"Malique, stop. This isn't who we are. We're better than this. We're supposed to be working together to defeat Gabriel, not fighting amongst ourselves. And what you're doing is too much. This isn't what we trained for."
Unnerve, Malique stands there in silence. While each of Michael's words can reach Malique's ear, none of it manages to touch his heart. Malique's gaze is still fixed on the corpse decorating the throne seat. Even though there is nothing more that either of them can do, the tension between them is still present.
[Zoom!]
Suddenly, a sound interrupted both Michael, from reminding Malique who he is, and Malique, who had complete loss it. Their heads turn toward the direction in which a familiar disgusting figure rises from the dead. The same figure that should have been soulless, paralyzed and decapitated.
"I'm still alive?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Aki_Kure
Aki_Kure Fact no. 34: There are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the known universe.
No wonder all great chess players had this face that much worse than alchemists themselves XD. All jokes.
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