"I knew it!" Victor scoffed, heaving Starfall over his shoulder. "Monolith's first and second wave of attacks seemed too easy to handle. I know the Puppetmaster doesn't play to lose. Therefore, I expected he would send at least one of his rabid dogs to fight."
"Tch tch," Raven teased, walking towards him with determined steps. "Such harsh language from such a capable man. You must be popular with the ladies!"
The woman was in a full-body, skin-fitting suit made of a dark, flexible, glossy material. Even her head was entirely covered with no openings for eyes, nose, or ears. The only apertures in the suit were metal slots on the back, which Maverick figured were heat sinks.
"Sir, I am detecting unusual energies from Raven's suit," he warned Victor over the radio. "It's like she's wearing an autonomous machine. Please be careful!"
Victor shook his head dismissively. "I just want to get this over quickly. No matter how many caricatures they send at me."
The man buried Starfall in the sand and walked towards Raven. The female warrior giggled in an underwater tone. Her suit constantly slid over her and changed color from black to blue-black. Was it alive?
Raven wasted no time. Zip! In one sudden lurch, she reached Victor and threw a punch at him. The latter put up his hand in defense.
Bam! He caught her fist, but the shock reverberated in his body. That was unusual!
Victor furrowed his brows. Raven's attack was the most powerful he had ever experienced. Where was she getting her power from?
The female assassin snickered from within her suit. With surprising speed, she moved in her other arm in a low strike at Victor's gut. The latter skipped back a few yards to dodge the attack.
"Oh, the mighty Caesar is finally scared!" Raven exclaimed. "After all, he is nothing more than a little boy! Aren't you, little darling?"
Victor narrowed his eyes at her but offered no response.
"What happened, Mav??" Haley asked with concern. "I have never seen Victor step back from a head-on fight."
Maverick bit his lip anxiously. "Neither have I. This Raven woman is definitely overpowered. Caesar is invincible, but he is also an experienced fighter. Normally, he doesn't exercise caution when confronting attacks because of his superhuman immunity. However, in this case, he must have detected something unusual. The alien-like suit is like nothing I have ever seen or heard of."
The combatants went at it again. The girls watched Victor sparring with Raven in successive bouts. Sometimes, he caught her attacks, and at other times, he deflected or dodged them. However, the female assassin was so agile that the man never had a chance to attack.
"She's keeping up with Caesar!" Maverick admitted begrudgingly. "How is that even possible?"
Victor clenched his jaw and observed Raven's suit with deeper scrutiny. What kind of material was it made of? It gave her superhuman strength and speed comparable to his present levels.
Had the advent of technology finally caught up with his power? Or was Raven even stronger and holding back? She clearly hadn't displayed all of her abilities.
"What are you hiding?" Victor posed. "There's no need to hold back. You're wasting my time and your master's."
"Aww," the female warrior moaned. "I thought I could play with you a bit longer. I was so bored! But since you insist… Let's give you a taste of my power!"
Raven held up her arm, and the creepy suit shifted around it. Crackle! It transformed into a crab-like razor sword. "It's time to get serious!"
Zoom! She zeroed in on Victor with lightning speed. He strained himself, dodging every attack from her gnarled arm. Gnash! Whish! Whing!
Finally, Victor saw an opening. There was no point holding back anymore. He leaned behind the punch this time, drawing out his power.
Bam! The man landed a powerful fist into Raven's gut. The female warrior got dragged back a few yards with the impact. However, she stayed upright.
"Good one," she murmured. "But are you sure you want to touch me? I would say it is a bad idea, honey…"
Victor was about to fire back a witty reply when he suddenly felt pain. He raised his fist and observed it. The man's knuckles were bruised and bleeding.
"That's impossible!" Maverick cried out. "Attacking Raven hurt him instead?"
"Is Victor really injured?" Claire asked, standing up. The other girls exchanged worried glances.
Victor smirked and unclenched his hand. "Your suit is made of Thanatos, isn't it? How else would my getting hurt make sense? I am immune to all kinds of weapons except one."
Raven giggled from within her suit. "So you finally figured it out? What else have you deduced, honey?"
Victor began circling her slowly. "The suit must be a nanotech organism imbued with Nanite, Disintegra, and Thanatos. Nanite gives you strength and agility. It also allows you to morph your body. Disintegra makes the suit impenetrable and sustains your essential life functions. And finally, Thanatos aids you to hurt me. I must applaud the invention."
"Thank you, sweetie pie," Raven said with a mock lady curtsy.
"However, there's only one thing I can't figure out," Victor added, rubbing his chin.
"What is it?"