CHAPTER 333: WHEN BLOOD TURNS AGAINST BLOOD [4]

THOOM!

The mansion was dying around them and everything collapsed in waves of smoke and flame as Brandon and Kiera blurred through the ruins like twin storms, their blows shaking the ground.

Kiera’s eyes glowed with crystalline ether, and in the next instant, she vanished.

*swoosh*

A split second later, her knee slammed into his gut.

THOOM!

The impact folded him in half, the air leaving his lungs, and he coughed up even more blood.

Before he could recover, she spun on her heel and brought her elbow down toward his skull, but Brandon caught it mid-strike.

Ether flared from his arm and silver fire crackled along his skin as he twisted her arm sideways and kneed her ribs.

KRAAACK!

"Gugh-" Kiera gasped as the blow forced her to step back.

He didn’t stop there...

Brandon grabbed her by the collar, slammed her head against the shattered wall, then pulled her forward and drove his knee into her face.

THUD!

Crystalline shards burst from her skin, forming a glowing mask of ether to block the next hit, but Brandon’s punch shattered it clean through.

Kiera slid backward and wiped the blood from her lip, her eyes burning with rage.

Her body shimmered and crystalline ether surged around her limbs like armor as her aura erupted in prismatic light.

Brandon smirked and cracked his neck.

She launched forward *boom* the ground rupturing behind her from the force.

Brandon’s crimson chains erupted in response, bursting from the ground and whipped toward her, crackling with silver fire.

*sleesh*

Kiera spun through them gracefully as her ether blades formed from her forearms and she sliced through the chains with precise arcs.

SHING! SHING!

Each cut detonated on contact, but she moved like lightning through the chaos, closing the distance in a blink.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared behind him... raising her heel already.

Her kick connected with his back, sending him crashing through a marble pillar.

BOOOOM!

But before she could follow up, Brandon burst out of the rubble with flames surging around him.

On his command, the broken chains around them rose into the air, suspended mid-flight by his will.

He clenched his fists, and the floating chains ignited, each one bursting into a spiral of silver fire and shot toward her in a storm of burning steel.

Kiera crossed her arms, forming a crystalline barrier.

The first few chains shattered on impact.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!... but then one broke through, wrapping around her arm.

Brandon pulled her, and as she stumbled forward, he spun and drove his fist straight into her stomach. THOOM!

"Urgh..." Kiera coughed blood and her body folded inward, but in the next instant, her palm thrust upward and a wave of prismatic energy blasted him point-blank in his chest.

His gaze condensed ’Fuck-’

BOOM!

He was thrown back across the courtyard, his body skidding through the rubble.

Brandon spat blood and quickly rolled to his feet.

Looking down at the tears and blood on his shirt, he tore his shirt down, flexing his muscles a bit.

Kiera wiped the blood from her chin, muttering "Still not enough."

She thrust her hand forward and the air shattered.

*THRISSHH*

A lattice of crystal spikes erupted from the ground, expanding outward like a blooming flower, each shard humming with lethal ether.

Brandon leapt upward, summoning ether discs beneath his feet, but the spikes followed, turning into projectiles that streaked after him.

He twisted midair, dodging through them as flames coiled around his arms.

FWOOM!

He unleashed a spiraling blast downward, creating a silver inferno that melted through the oncoming shards.

When he landed, the entire courtyard was ablaze in silver and blue light as his ether collided with her ether.

They looked at each other for a moment and charged again.

*swoosh*

Their fists met mid-strike.

BOOM!

"Grhhh..." Kiera snarled, pushing forward and landing a flurry of blows- left, right, spin, kick as each strike was reinforced by her crystalline ether.

*thud* Brandon blocked most, but not all, as one kick crashed into his ribs and another across his jaw.

Blood sprayed, but he quickly countered with a sweeping hook that broke through her guard and slammed into her temple.

She stumbled backward.

Brandon followed and crashed his elbow into her jaw before driving his punch straight into her gut.

"Kghuk-"

Finally, he grabbed her head, pulled her in, and drove his knee into her face with a thunderous crack.

THOOM!

The sound echoed through the collapsing estate.

Kiera flew back, crashing through a collapsed pillar.

Brandon staggered for a moment and stood to steady his breath ’She is tough... and I am sure she hasn’t used her full strength yet. Well, neither did I.’

Kiera rose slowly, blood trickling down her nose, ’How is he still standing?’

She flicked her wrist and dozens of crystal shards lifted into the air around her, spinning like orbiting blades.

With a single gesture, she launched them forward in a glittering storm.

A red glint passed through Brandon’s eyes and crimson chains burst from the earth, spiraling around him.

The shards struck and ricocheted, sparks of ether exploding outward as he dodged through them, using his floating discs to dart side to side midair.

She raised both hands and massive crystalline spires erupted from the ground, lunging toward him like spears.

*THROOM!*

Seeing this, Brandon’s eyes narrowed and the chains wrapped around his forearms and knuckles.

He clenched his fists and tightened the chains around his knuckles.

Looking at the incoming crytsal spire, he pulled back his fist and threw a punch.

*THOOM!* He instantly shattered the first spire in a burst of fire and ether.

The explosion sent shockwaves that rippled through the mansion grounds as dust and debris rose in waves.

Kiera leapt high, forming an enormous crystal blade in her grasp.

With that, she descended down, bringing it down toward him.

Brandon met her mid-air as the disc under his feet flared and shot him upward.

He clenched his fist around the chains on his knuckle and punched her blade.

*THOOOMMM* The crystal blade met the chains on his fist.

The impact unleashed a deafening boom and the energy waves tore through the courtyard, splitting flagstones and shattering glass.

Kiera spun back, sliding across the ground, leaving long gouges where her heels dragged.

Brandon landed heavily and flames flickered along his shoulder and arms as he twisted his shoulders, easing his muscles.

’Another round...’