Lars got on all four of his limbs. His rear legs readied for another leap. His mouth shut tight while his lips pursed up, showing off his jagged teeth. Enidri remained unfazed by the wolf's aggressive posture. Instead, she remained still with her Ion Blade ready at her side. Lars took a few steps to the side, making sure to keep his eyes fixated on the brilliant yellow glow of the Ion Blade.

"Is that weapon of yours still set to full power?" he growled.

Enidri remained silent.

"Too afraid to make this an even fight?"

The swordswoman still didn't reply.

"Do you even have the proper authorizations to use such a weapon?" the wolf muttered. Lars took a few steps back and angled his head away from the Ion Blade. Enidri took a few steps forward to keep the distance the same. "I know that regulations on such weapons are very strict. You wouldn't want to be caught in possession of a piece of contraband, would you?"

The wolf's mouth formed a meager smile. He stood on his hind legs, but his body remained hunched over. Enidri remained silent, advancing a few steps forward with her weapon balanced in both of her hands. The blade pointed forwards, directly towards Lars' head.

"I told you. They've got cameras everywhere in this place. Just using that alone would get you in deep trouble." Lars words came out faster as his breathing grew heavier, interfering with his speech. "Unless of course, you set it to the Rumble Circuit standards. If it’s something that you use for your average fight, there shouldn't be a problem."

With a backwards flick of her wrist, Enidri severed a tree effortlessly. The Ion Blade cut through the plant in a second, sending the top half falling backwards and toppling a pair of others in the process. "You were so confident just a moment ago," she said calmly as she returned her hands into a resting position. "Where is that alpha-hunter attitude that you had? Or is that only reserved for when you're trying to hunt down defenseless prey?"

Lars stood upright on his hindlegs. Enidri continued her advancement, keeping her eyes on her foe. The wolf maintained his grin as he watched the swordswoman continue to come closer, except with faster steps. "That's because I've been inching for a fair fight for a while. But if you insist on using that weapon of yours on full power, I'm more than happy to adjust."

Enidri squinted her eye. She stopped her procession. In a flash, Lars reached underneath his vest and brandished a black handgun in an instant. The short distance Enidri had covered was lost as she jumped backwards upon seeing the weapon. "Always be prepared!" the wolf blurted out with a cackle. He pulled the trigger, sending red beams of energy flying in the swordswoman's direction. Quick movement from Enidri allowed her to deflect the blasts with her Ion Blade. The beams of energy went flying at sharp angles across the forest, tearing through anything in their path with a scorching sound. "Just because I prefer to get up close to my targets doesn't mean I can't come prepared for any scenario!"

"Coward!" Enidri shouted back as she took cover behind a large tree. More shots flew towards her, burning deep holes into her cover.

The wolf vaulted forward, running on all fours with his gun in his hand. He slid across the grass, appearing to Enidri's side with his weapon brandished. With his back skidding across the dirt, he fired a few blasts at Enidri all while keeping his bloodthirsty grin. A quick tumble took Enidri out of the line of fire, but the shots blew the tree she used as cover to bits. She kept her profile low and ran back into the depths of the foliage.

Lars lifted his nose up and whiffed the air twice. "Ahh..." he said with satisfaction. "The blood... the fear..."

Enidri turned her weapon off again. She steadied her breath as she pressed her back against the trunk of another wide tree, poking her head just far enough to get a glimpse of the hunter with one eye. Her view was obscured by low branches and thick leaves, forcing her to expose her head. The swordswoman then quickly turned around so that she was facing the direction that she last saw Lars.

Silence followed. Enidri's eye darted around the area, looking for any indication of where the wolf could be hiding.

A sharp pain in Enidri's shoulder stole her attention. She winced as she took one hand and covered up the gaping slashes left by Lars' claw. With a stifled grunt, she removed her fingers from her wound and looked at her hand. Blood covered the skin, filling the air with a strong aroma.

"Dammit!" she muttered in silence as she wiped her hand on the tree trunk. "He can smell me."

The Ion Blade shot out. It's yellow blade lighting up the area. The only sounds were the soft rustle of the trees blowing in the wind and the gentle hum of electricity coming the swordswoman's weapon.

Then there was a crunch from above.

Enidri spun her back, chopping through the tree behind her with a backhanded slash. The cut was clean, severing it at a sharp angle. The upper portion toppled over as Enidri dashed away from its path. Piercing through the sound of creaking wood was an angered howl. The swordswoman lifted her Ion Blade and angled it to protect her body.

Another shot flew out from the toppling leaves. Enidri lifted her weapon upwards, directing the energy blast upwards. Despite the sudden attack, Enidri remained focused on Lars, who was still visible despite being buried underneath the mass of leaves and branches.

He fired two more shots, one going to Enidri's left while the other hit the Ion Blade dead center. The weapon reflected the beams, blasting the wood to bits. Lars leapt up, but not fast enough to avoid the small burst of energy from the impact. Instead of a growl, he let out a whimper as the blast sent him skidding across the grass.

The gun flew to the side, landing somewhere in the dense foliage. The wolf looked in the distance where his weapon landed and then back at the advance swordswoman. She ran at full speed, her Ion Blade in one hand and lowered to her side. Still groggy from the impact, Lars stood on his hind legs.

The wolf spread his arms apart and tilted his head back. He let out a roar so loud that the creatures in the trees fled from the safety of their cover and further into the dense verdure. Despite the aggressive gesture, Enidri remained undeterred. In seconds, both combatants could see every bit of hatred in the other's eyes.

Lars leapt again with his mouth open and razor-like talons extended as far as his arms could reach. Still in a sprint, Enidri followed the hunter's movement and lowered the upper half of her body as the wolf soared closer.

Once Lars was above her, Enidri raised her sword, making a vertical slash. The Ion Blade cut into the Lars' chest with ease; the movement of his body made the slice clean and precise. With minimal effort the weapon cut straight down the middle, making a crackle as the electricity coursed through the incision.

The wolf let out a faint howl as he fell to the ground with a plop on top of Enidri. The Ion Blade pierced straight through his body as Lars' limp body rested on top of Enidri's.

"Got ya," the swordswoman muttered as she extinguished her weapon. With a grunt, she heaved her foe off her and onto his side. She got up to her feet and brushed the bits of flesh and fur off her before looking back down at the Neo-Sapia. Despite the lethal cut, the wolf still moved.

His eyes remained open and his mouth agape. The long red tongue spilled out between his teeth as he took in a series of slow and weak breaths. A faint whimper escaped from his jaw. There was a faint movement in his chest as it moved slowly up and down.

Enidri peered over the fallen hunter, her eye filled with disgust. "Be thankful I'm not a monster like you."

The swordswoman ignited her weapon and pointed the blade at Lars' face. She looked into his large and yellow eyes. The anger that persisted seconds ago had turned to fear. With a swift stab, Enidri plunged the weapon into the wolf's throat.

The only sound to come from Lars was a faint gurgle.