The plan had worked out perfectly; Phenex had come, just as Reeves knew he would. If there was one thing that could be counted upon, it was the firebird's predictability. It had been no accident when Reeves had 'let slip' about Her Ladyship, knowing full well that if Phenex and the rest of those insufferable High Council lapdogs escaped, the first thing he would do—after tending to his insignificant daemon sidekick, of course—was check the legitimacy of Reeves' claim.
Now was not the time to be congratulating himself, however. If he wanted to initiate the next phase of his plan, he would have to be quick. Otherwise whatever Regulations Force unit had received the distress call in the first place would be there before he even got the chance.
Seeing Phenex's look of disgust as he glanced at the surrounding horde, Reeves smiled. "Oh, don't worry, it's not them you'll be fighting." He spread his hands wide, almost amicably. "They're just here to spectate. From now on, it's just you and me, firebird...just like you wanted." When Phenex said nothing, he went on, the corners of his mouth curling into a grin. "Tell me, how is that little human pet of yours? She must be falling to pieces after what Misa did to the daemon."
That was all it took to goad a reaction from him. The fire rippled from his head down to his toes, doubling in intensity as he lunged forward. Reeves had anticipated this, dropping low before Phenex could plunge a fiery fist into his face. It took only a split second to concentrate on the shadows, melding with the pavement until he was nothing more than a dark pool on the ground, slipping right under Phenex's nose and directly behind him.
Phenex whirled around, lashing out with his heel the same moment Reeves threw a particularly savage punch to his kidneys. Phenex doubled over, letting out a pained groan. Reeves followed up with a punch to his ribs, then another, until finally Phenex got in a lucky uppercut, fire leaping off of him in brilliant flashes of red and orange. Reeves staggered back with a growl, one leather-clad hand wiping a trail of blood from his chin.
From then on, it took all of his concentration to avoid Phenex's attacks, flames trailing behind both fists with every jab thrown his way. Anger burned deep in Reeves' gut, forcing shadowy coils up from his shoulders, swaying in time with his movements as he continued to dodge. He needed a distraction, anything that would grant him the opening he needed in order to get the upper hand. Much as he hated to admit it, Phenex was the stronger of the two of them. He knew it, had always known it, in fact, since their first encounter nearly sixty years ago—but that didn't mean he was going to let him win easily.
Or at all, for that matter. No, Reeves had a few tricks left up his sleeve, and he intended to make full use of them.
Just as Phenex's fist was about to connect with his cheek, Reeves phased out, leaving only an after-image of himself behind. Confusion flitted across Phenex's face, tawny eyes narrowing when his fist met nothing but open air. He wouldn't remain confused for long. If Reeves wanted to win this battle, he had to strike now.
Clearly Phenex had other plans. Recovering from his momentary confusion, he turned, bringing his elbow down at the junction between Reeves' neck and shoulder right when he returned to his physical form, dislocating it with a sickening crunch.
Reeves stumbled back with a hiss of pain, clutching his wounded shoulder as he wove back and forth, evading the fiery punches. Fortunately being of demonic origin had its perks, the shoulder healing within a matter of seconds. When it did, Reeves returned to his incorporeal form, ducking under Phenex before he could figure out just where he'd gone.
Reeves smiled, hearing the jeers of his soldiers as they formed a barrier around them. None dared touch the firebird though; they knew better. This battle was between Reeves and Phenex, and he fully intended to honour it—for as long as it worked in his favour, anyway.
Figuring he'd toyed with him long enough, Reeves emerged from hiding, shedding his shadow self as he rose from the ground. Phenex's gaze met his, and the real battle began. The two of them exchanged blow for blow; black, ethereal tendrils coiling up from Reeves' shoulders while fire rippled along Phenex's, billowing outward in vibrant tongues of red and orange. Kicking, punching, blocking, weaving—every movement became a blur, Reeves just barely keeping time with each of the firebird's attacks.
Every now and then Reeves would get a lucky hit in, his leather-clad fist connecting with Phenex's cheek or beneath his jaw, sending him reeling backwards.
For all the good it does me, he thought sourly, watching as the cut above Phenex's eyebrow knit back together. That's when he remembered the plan—her plan—the corners of his mouth lifting into a victorious smile.
Phenex narrowed his eyes. "What are you smirking about?"
Reeves' soldiers were cackling now, the harpies' voices highest and loudest of them all.
"You made a big mistake coming here tonight, firebird." Reeves lashed out with a shadowy tendril, forming a bloody gash across Phenex's cheek.
"You made a big mistake when you invited me," Phenex retorted, the gash healing before he'd finished speaking. "I'm no fool, Reeves. I knew this was a trap before I set foot here."
"If you knew, then why did you come? Did you miss me that badly?"
"Laugh all you want." Phenex was completely covered in flames now, his eyes taking on a feverish, golden light. "When I'm through with you, you'll remember why they dubbed me the Flame of Olympus!"
Reeves just barely managed to dodge the fiery torrent Phenex unleashed from both hands, the flames licking across the ground and vanishing into thin air as he rolled off to the side. The cheers of his soldiers became a deafening roar as he lurched to his feet, releasing a powerful attack of his own.
A salvo of dark spheres slammed into the ground surrounding Phenex, missing him by a hair each time. Filaments of deep violet rose into the air where they impacted, swirling together until new spheres were formed, Reeves willing at least one of them to make contact with their intended target.
After having been denied the use of his powers for decades, it felt good to have them back again—and there was no sweeter revenge than using them against the very being responsible for taking them away in the first place.
One of the spheres finally did strike Phenex then, slamming into his shoulder and sending him tumbling across the pavement with a surprised, "Oof!"
Slowly, Reeves moved forward, continuing to unleash salvo after salvo, the black spheres whistling toward Phenex as quickly as they were generated.
Flames fanned out from Phenex's body, rising to meet each one of the projectiles before they impacted. He got to his feet with a rapid twist of his legs, creating a whirlwind of fire from his ankles; some sort of martial arts move he'd undoubtedly picked up during his time in the Regulations Force.
Capoeira, Reeves thought. If he hadn't hated the firebird as much as he did, he might have been impressed.
Phenex rushed headlong toward him, darting back and forth to let the dark spheres hurl past. Grinding his teeth, Reeves stumbled backward as another gout of flame came toward him, skin prickling when it nearly singed his cheek.
That was close, he mused, eyes narrowing to slits. A little too close. If I'm not careful, I just might—
Embers trailed through the air, raining down in a shower of tiny meteors, pelting him from head to toe. It was like being branded with hot coals. What protection his trench-coat offered was little more than useless, the smell of burnt fabric reaching his nostrils. All he could do was stand there with his arms over his head, waiting for it to end—and from the rapid thud of approaching footsteps, Phenex wasn't going to let him do even that much.
Not that it surprised Reeves in the slightest. He had fully expected that with the shower of flame, the firebird would soon follow, pummelling away at him until he could hardly stay on his feet. Each hit was like a white-hot boulder slamming into him, the bones in his forearms buckling under the brute force of Phenex's attacks, driving Reeves back until he fell to his knees.
With a final roundhouse, Phenex's foot connected with Reeves' shoulder, sending him tumbling across the pavement. He rolled to a stop with a groan, his cheek pressed firmly against the ground.
Damn it, that hurt!
Even with his bones knitting back together, the flesh of his stomach had begun to blister. It was one thing to heal after a solid hit, but fire? That was a different story. It might be the most primitive form of light out there, but it was still light—and the more concentrated the dose, the more lethal it was to Reeves and his kind.
Hearing the scuff of shoes over asphalt, Reeves glanced up through the lock of hair that had fallen across his eyes, his hat having been knocked from its perch some time ago. His breath caught in his throat. After the severity of his attacks, he had expected Phenex's power to have lessened, for the golden light surrounding him to have vanished. Instead, it seemed brighter than ever, stabbing into his retinas like needles.
Shielding his eyes with one arm, Reeves struggled to his feet, only to sink to the ground again. The battle had taken more out of him than he had realized, leaving him exhausted. Even his spheres had vanished, leaving nothing but a fine, shadowy mist behind, settling like dust on the road.
His forces had begun to stir, rending the air with their angry cries. Dozens of his shadows surged forward, intent on protecting him from the fiery menace.
"No, stay where you are!" Reeves ordered, donning his hat from where it had fallen. "This is between him and me! No one interferes, ya got it? No one."
As Phenex drew closer, he had just begun to wonder how he was going to get out of this mess alive when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye; a glimpse of lavender, shimmering in the moonlight.
His lips twitched into an involuntary grin. Phenex stopped in his tracks, frowning.
Reeves' expression must have betrayed him, for Phenex turned in time to meet Her Ladyship's attack head-on, grabbing hold of her arm before she could lash out at him with the serrated barb poking out of her wrist. Though he couldn't see his face, Reeves heard the surprise in his voice.
"Iris! So it was you..." His words ended on a growl, and he leapt backward, putting some distance between Iris and himself. "The mass genocide across the globe...framing Hercules... It was you all along!"
"That, and more," Iris purred, retracting the barb and settling into a more relaxed posture. "But we'll have time enough to talk about all that later, you and I."
Reeves heard Phenex snort at this. "Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"
"It's simple—you're coming with us."
At this, Phenex burst out laughing, the sound sharp and humourless. "Me, go with you? After everything you've put the High Council through? You must be out of your mind."
This was the perfect opportunity. With Lady Iris keeping Phenex distracted, all Reeves had to do was give the signal, and his soldiers would surround him, allowing Reeves time to make the final strike. Now if he only had energy enough to use his true form.
No matter, he told himself. The firebird will fall tonight, either way.
He snapped his fingers, watching as his forces lurched forward and drove a wedge between Phenex and Lady Iris while simultaneously surrounding him from the rear. Reeves' shadows were first in line, setting up a perimeter while the rest of his soldiers divided into mixed groups. All Reeves needed was for them to keep Phenex busy so that he didn't sense his approach. With Lady Iris there to ensure they did just that, he would have no trouble making short work of him.
And once I have the firebird on the ground...
Finally, his chance had come; just the slightest opening between his soldiers, leaving Phenex's back exposed. He was too busy whirling about in a frenzy of fire and fists to notice. Reeves moved forward, silent as the shadows he commanded, darting from behind one subordinate to another until finally, his prey was within grabbing distance.
Mustering all of the strength he had left from their skirmish, Reeves channelled dark ether into his hands, the energy crackling between his palms as he held one hand over the other. Glancing up, he caught Iris's eye. She gave him the barest of nods before lashing out at Phenex with one of her barbs again, keeping his attention on her while Reeves snuck up behind him. The barb missed, snagging the cuff of Phenex's jacket.
But the blast of dark ether did not.
It hit Phenex directly between the shoulder blades, knocking him off his feet. Reeves moved forward at the same time Lady Iris did, intent on following her plan down to the last detail. The blast wouldn't keep the firebird down for long, he knew. It hadn't been strong enough to stun him, much less render him unconscious. But with any luck, it would be just long enough for Her Ladyship to sink both of her barbs in. If she managed to do that, it would slow Phenex's healing process just enough for the poison to hit his system, and once that was accomplished—
Phenex was on his feet again before either one of them were within striking distance, teeth bared as he unleashed a tornado of flame.
Drawing back from the fire twister, Reeves happened to catch the scowl on Iris's face from the other side, dark brown eyes glittering dangerously. Her gown swished around bare ankles, stirred by the hot air from Phenex's attack. There was no question of how she intended to counteract. The moment her lips parted, her mouth opening wide, Reeves clapped his hands over his ears.
There was simply no time to warn his army beforehand. As soon as his hands closed over his ears, Iris's siren song began, the notes soft and lilting; mesmerizing to those too weak to resist.
What is she thinking? She must know it will have an adverse effect on our—
Reeves' eyes widened, watching in fascination as, instead of falling over in the equivalent of a drunken stupor as he had expected they would, each one of his soldiers moved toward Phenex as one. The frantic lack of organization they had displayed seconds before vanished, leaving a disciplined unit in its wake.
Her Ladyship's song! He glanced at her, careful to keep his hands in place, lest he find himself in the same predicament as his forces. Of the many times he'd witnessed her power, never had he seen her utilize it in quite this manner.
It was...pleasantly surprising, to say the least.
Unfortunately, it appeared to have no effect on Phenex whatsoever. If anything, he fought more furiously than ever before, laying each one of Reeves' common soldiers low in a flurry of physical blows and flame. The Akuma seemed to be the only ones holding their own against him, Cife remaining behind the protection of his two stronger counterparts while he flung ethereal daggers, lodging one in the firebird's thigh.
Reeves heard Phenex's growl as he ripped the blade out, throwing it off to the side before slamming his fist squarely into the jaw of one of the chimera, the beast dropping to the concrete with a whine. When Misa and Kizah rushed toward him, he deflected their attacks with his own. The Akuma had merely been providing a feint, however, allowing Reeves and Lady Iris time to launch their own sneak attacks.
Determined not to fail again, Reeves lurched forward, preparing to lay into Phenex with his bare fists when it finally happened.
Lady Iris delivered a devastating blow to the back of Phenex's neck, leaving a thin gash with one of her barbs that wrapped from his collarbone all the way to the other side. The last of his golden light dissipated, the fiery tornado blowing out like the flame on a candle; there one minute, and gone the next.
The second he hit the ground, unconscious, Reeves' army erupted into cheers. Or at least those not still shaking off the after-effects of the siren song. The rest stood about in stunned silence, their expressions vacant.
Once they had settled down, Reeves turned to them, grinning broadly. "All right, get back to headquarters! Kizah, I expect our forces to be ready when I return."
Kizah bowed and began rounding the soldiers, barking orders at them to move their tails unless they wanted to spend time in the dungeons.
Satisfied, Reeves took Iris's delicate hand in his own and kissed it. "Now, my lady...what do you say we attend to matters of our own?"
*