“Are you content with all of this?” asked Bevan. He took a step forward, a small attempt to bridge the gap. For at that moment, the gap was indeed large, both physically and empathically. “Has every bit of destruction and mayhem gone your way?” He was holding up a mirror. A way to let Raiden know what his actions have caused. It might perhaps not be the best approach to try and avoid conflict, but when pressed for time, Maitho couldn’t imagine what else they could do.

A battle avoided is a true victory realized. At this point, it wasn’t about numbers. It also wasn’t about whose power superseded whose. He knew that once they raised their weapons and clashed with each other, there would be no conclusion that did not create casualties.

“You don’t know what you are talking about,” said Raiden. “But I will show. And so will Cray.”

“Cray is manipulating you.”

“And you know that because you have met him.” Raiden touched his chin and pretended he was thinking. “Oh wait. You actually haven’t. Not yet anyways.”

“We are not going to meet him.” Bevan steadied his sword. “But we are going to take you home.”

Raiden laughed. “I don’t have a home. I have a destination.”

“And what price are you going to pay to get there?”

“Whatever is necessary,” said Raiden. He rotated Mjollnir in his hand. It was an unconscious movement, but it showed just how comfortable he was with the weapon.

“What happened to you?” said Bevan. “This can’t be just about our immortality right? I know you are strong enough to face a revelation such as that.”

“Strength has got nothing to do with it,” said Raiden. He constantly kept checking the others around him. He would dart a quick glance at Quinn, then shift to Epona, and then continue on to the others. “Sometimes, you just have to admit that the truth is best respected instead of fought.”

“Why does it have to be like this?” said Bevan, throwing another attempt at reason. Perhaps a more desperate one, for what kind of answer could that question provide?

Raiden sighed. He took one last look at everyone before facing Bevan. “There was a Persian philosopher named Heraclitus.” He pushed his feet apart to stand in a defensive position. “He said that out of every hundred men on the battlefield, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are fighters.” He grasped Mjollnir in one hand and held it at his side. “But there is one who is different. This one is what you call a warrior. I am that warrior.”

“And you think we are the fighters?”

Raiden shook his head. “No,” he said. “You are the ten that don’t belong.”

“Enough of this crap,” said Epona, yelling out her impatience. “Ye are talking gibberish now.”

“It’s always gibberish for the ignorant,” said Raiden, turning his attention to Epona. “It is no wonder you are here facing me. It's no wonder you knew nothing about your fates or what is happening to you all.”

“Ignorant we may be,” said Quinn, finally speaking up and addressing the descendant of Thor directly. “Fools we are not. Especially not for trying our best for you.”

“Been a while since I heard your voice,” said Raiden, smiling. “Seems like you are close to the new guy. All it took to gain your loyalty was to give you a name?”

But Quinn did not respond to that. “My dear, you are always one of us. You will always be one of us.”

There was no response from Raiden. No quips or remarks. No attacks. There was a moment of quiet. The smile that showed itself on his face told many stories. But one message it spoke clearly was that the man understood. He may not be able to change the situation, but he definitely grasped the meaning of Quinn’s words. “That is perhaps why I must do this. For you all.”

He raised Mjollnir, signaling that the time for conversations were over. Only weapons and brute force were the languages that would communicate.

“Then at least tell us this,” said Bevan, grasping on whatever straws he could find to get through to the man he was going to fight. “Tell us that you will keep your word. Not as a descendant. But as someone who was a teammate. A simple promise without all the wordy misdirection.”

“You won’t win,” said Raiden. “But you should know something about me. I don’t lie.”

Saying those words, he did not move. He looked from one person to the next. His body was poised, his chin dipping at an angle to signify confidence, but not arrogance. He wasn’t challenging anyone, but he was waiting for his opponents to make the first move. His actions indicated a man who was sure of his skills. He didn’t need to strike suddenly to take an advantage. Because in the end, he didn't believe that he could be bested.

On the other hand, Maitho saw everyone else including himself display some form of nervous energy, even though they were trying not to do so. Bevan was leaning forward with one hand clutching the sword and the other held out in front of him like he wanted to grab something. Now that he noticed it, everyone’s torso apart from Raiden’s were angled towards the ground. Epona’s fingers twitched, perhaps in anticipation of releasing her powers. Brigid’s hand was grasping the handgun like it was life support. On the other side, Maitho could hear Quinn rev his engines.

He wondered who would make the first move.

It happened so quickly that Maitho did not have time to react to it.

Epona raised her hand when Raiden turned his attention away from her. Four horses surrounded him, circling him. The horse that was behind him raised its hoofs. Yet he didn’t block the attack. Instead, he blasted the horse in front of him to mist with his lightning and jumped through the gap that was created.

On the other side, Bevan awaited him. Raiden halted in his tracks with a suddenness that displayed his agility. The sword moved towards his chest, yet he didn’t do anything to deflect it. Instead, he leaned back, allowing the blade to miss his skin by inches. Using the advantage he received, Raiden used a sidestep and then leaped backwards to put more distance between him and Bevan.

“Doesn't his shield work against the sword?” asked Maitho to no one in particular.

Surprisingly, the answer came from Brigid. “That's not any sword. That’s the Freagarach. It can cut through any energy, matter, or substance. Metals. Electricity. Even spirits who practically exist without any known matter.”

Quinn was moving towards them. On his handlebars hung objects that Maitho didn’t have the time to make out. Because at that moment, a blast of lightning barely missed him.

“Are you going to let Bevan do all the legwork?” Raiden asked, bouncing around like he was in a boxing match. “And you.” He looked at Bevan. “Stop with your half-hearted swings and come at me. If you think you can.”

When Quinn eventually reached them, Maitho saw what the bike was holding. It was the bulletproof vests that Brigid had gotten earlier.

“I don’t think they will help us in this fight,” said Brigid, indicating the vests. “But it’s better than nothing.” She took one of them for herself and handed the other to Epona. The remaining vest still hung on the handlebar, presumably meant for Bevan.

Epona gave a quick glance at Maitho, still holding her vest in her hand. He simply nodded. It was meant for her. He would find a way to fight without additional defense. Besides, this wasn’t the time to focus on arguments between team members. He would talk to Brigid later. For now, they had a battle to win.

“Maitho dear,” said Quinn. “You’re wide open for any bodily harm. I could drive you around.”

Bevan and Raiden exchanged a few strikes. They were like cautious jousters testing each other’s abilities.

“No,” said Maitho. “If we get attacked when together, then we could both be out of the fight. If one of us goes down, I would prefer if the other is still around.”

Raiden pointed his arm to attack, but Epona had her horses converge on him. Evaluating the threat, he quickly leaped backwards.

“Let’s go,” said Brigid.

There was nothing more to say. Everyone reacted all at once. Quinn drove around them and headed towards Raiden in a wide arc. He was trying to attack the Guardian from behind, either to take him by surprise or to divide his attention. Brigid ran forward. The remaining two Guardians soon followed.

“Spread out,” Brigid said, raising her handgun and getting to a crouch.

Epona commanded a horse to rise up from the ground beside her. In one fluid motion, she leaped onto the animal and began riding it towards the man wielding Mjollnir.

“Finally,” said Raiden. “Some action.”

Two horses charged towards him from behind. Instead of trying to face them directly, he used one of the horses as a stepping stone and leaped into the air. The blast of lightning he unleashed struck Quinn, flipping the bike over.

Bullets peppered Raiden while he was still in midair, all of them meeting his shield. When he landed, Epona was already next to him, letting the horse she was riding on raise its hoofs. Quick reflexes ensured that another blast of energy gave the animal a misty end, but not before the rider had leaped off of it and landed on her feet. Her revolver was already up, discharging shots in a steady rhythm.

If Raiden was planning to use this opportunity for something, he never got it. Bevan had leaped towards him, once again using the same slicing move he had made before. Again, his opponent simply angled his torso backwards nonchalantly.

But this time, something else happened. Bevan quickly followed his previous attack with a punch. The fist was supposed to meet Raiden's shield.

It didn’t. The hand went through and was inches away from landing a blow on Raiden’s chest. Of course, Mjollnir was raised to block the punch. But Bevan’s strength nonetheless sent the descendant of Thor flying backwards.

Raiden landed hard, but flipped over to stand on his feet. While his reactions were fast, he still could not expect what happened next.

Quinn had skidded behind him. He spun around, hitting Raiden’s heel with his back tire and tripping the Guardian. When Raiden was on the ground, the bike performed a backflip to bring the back tire on the fallen man’s face. It never happened.

Another blast of lightning sent the bike spinning, crashing down a few meters away. Raiden got back up on his feet, but bullets and horses attacked him at the same time. Even though he was the winner of the skirmish, the distraction they had served was long enough for Bevan to close the gap. The Celtic Guardian swiped up. Once again, he took advantage of the move and stepped forward, but this time holding out his elbow in front of him like a spear.

The blow connected with Mjollnir, but it was powerful enough to throw Raiden back and crash through the warehouse wall. The man disappeared into the building and Maitho heard the cacophony of objects being destroyed inside the building. It sounded as though a tornado had decided to blow through the warehouse.

A calm settled in their surroundings, as though a storm had just passed. Perhaps that was the case in the literal sense.

“Don’t lose focus,” said Bevan. “This is barely enough to tire him out.” Everyone gathered around him.

Brigid walked up to him and laid a hand on his forehead. Bevan tried to move back. “Stay still,” said the leader of the Celtic team as her hand began to glow green. A cut on the man’s face began to heal until it looked like it never existed in the first place. Bevan stood up straighter, as though he was administered a boost of adrenaline.

“We are stronger together,” said Quinn, after making his way to them. “This won’t promise a victory. But this can surely promise better odds.”

Bevan nodded. “That’s all we need right now. We have to show him that we are stronger than him.”

“How did you get past the shield?” said Maitho. “I saw you do it twice. You nearly landed a punch on him the first time.”

“When the Freagarach cuts through his shield, it leaves behind a tear for a brief moment. But I don’t want you guys trying to look for any openings. Keep distracting him and attack when you really see an opportunity. Like what Quinn did. Will you please do that and leave the fight to me?”

Maitho nodded. “I got your back.” He looked towards the warehouse. “What is he waiting for?”

“For us to be prepared,” said Brigid.

“Then we'll take his generous offer an be prepared,” said Epona, summoning all four of her horses, one of them appearing underneath her and lifting her up into a seated position on its back.

Quinn blasted his blindness-inducing headlights into the warehouse, illuminating everything in its path with increased clarity. It revealed nothing. No incoming attacks. Definitely no blonde Guardian smiling at them. However, that does not mean there wasn’t anyone in the building. The light could only reach whatever area could be illuminated through the open doors.

Yet, knowing that not everything was shrouded in darkness brought with it a sense of security, however false that may be.

Bevan walked a few paces forwards. No one stopped him. He spun his sword in his hand, a move that felt so natural that he didn’t stop to contemplate the action. “Raiden,” he called out. “If you are waiting, then you don’t have to anymore. We are ready.”

“Are you?” came the response from within the building. The speaker himself walked into the beam of lights, not even making an attempt to hide. He held one hand in front of his face to block some of the brightness. “You better be sure. I’m fighting you all to take you down, not to have another conversation.”

Bevan looked back at his team. Quinn switched off his powerful lights and faced him. There were no words exchanged. But the message was clear. Instantly, the bike began to transform. It became wider, longer, and taller. The result was that the two-wheeler had transformed into an all-terrain military truck, like the one that could fit five people at most. The engine roared like a beast, a call of warning that echoed in the quiet landscape.

“Don’t fight for too long,” said Brigid. “If anyone sustains injuries, fall back and allow me to heal them. Don’t take risks.”

At that moment, Brigid opened the trunk of the truck and picked up the remaining vest, the one that was meant for Bevan. She then handed it to Maitho.

“Thank you,” said Maitho, grateful for the act and letting his expression show that. Brigid nodded.

It wasn’t just the protection that he received. Strapped to the body armor was a handgun and several magazines. He pulled the vest over himself and removed the handgun. He held it in front of him, the muzzle pointed down.

Three horses moved forward and stood beside Bevan in a line. Quinn joined that line.

“Is this a fair fight ye boke?” said Epona, calling out with a surprising degree of vehemence in her voice.

“If you had the Gods helping you, then maybe that would be fair,” said Raiden.

Nothing else needed to be said to that.

Quinn switched on his powerful beams right at Raiden.

There would be no second chances. One side will lose the battle.

Bevan leaped forward.