I was getting my ass kicked. There was no doubt about it. They had planned this out well, but I had to give them credit where credit was due. The way that they worked together almost seamlessly showed how well they knew each other and fought as a team, but I was not going down without a fight.
"Had enough yet?" Taurus asked as he stepped back and leaned on his axe while the other three caught their breath.
"Not even close," I muttered as I pushed myself up with a groan before glaring at him. "But don't think that this is over."
"Oh, we know it isn't," Scorpio said with an evil grin on his face before the four of them rushed me again.
Taurus swung his axe at me, but I slapped the bottom to spin it to block Scorpio's tail and narrowly dodged Sagittarius's arrow, but then my brother, Leo, got me with a flying kick to the back.
I hit the ground with a groan, but I quickly rolled away as Taurus brought his axe down where my head had just been. I got to my feet and charged at him, but he was ready for me and sidestepped before slamming the handle of his axe into my stomach.
,m The wind rushed out of me as pain flared in my abdomen, and I stumbled back a few steps while clutching it. They all surrounded me while laughing softly, and I looked up at them with narrowed eyes.
"You really think that you have won?" I asked as I pushed myself up to a standing position despite the pain in my stomach. "You really think that this is over?"
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"No, but it is close enough," Taurus said as he stepped forward and raised his axe.
I looked at the four of them and then back to him before shaking my head. "No, it isn't."
Before he could swing his axe down, I reached out with my hand and grabbed his wrist while using my other hand to grab the handle of the axe. I yanked hard and pulled him off balance before kicking out with my leg and sweeping his feet out from under him. He hit the ground hard with a grunt, but I was already moving.
I turned towards Scorpio, who had lunged at me with his tail extended, but I stepped to the side at the last second so that he flew past me before slamming into Taurus, who was just getting up. Sagittarius had already knocked another arrow and was about to release it, but I was already moving.
I reached out and grabbed the shaft of the arrow before yanking it towards me as he released it. The momentum spun him around, and I slammed my fist into his face, sending him reeling back a few steps.
I turned just in time to block an attack from Leo with the shaft of the arrow before using my other hand to jab him in the throat. He gagged and stumbled back a few steps while clutching at his neck while I turned my attention back to Scorpio, who was getting up.
I threw the shaft of the arrow at his face, but he swatted it away before lunging at me with his tail extended again. I sidestepped at the last second and kicked him like a pinball. He went flying by me before crashing into Taurus, who had gotten up once more. The two of them hit Sagittarius, who had just recovered enough to get back into the fight, and sent all three of them sprawling across the field.
I turned to look at Leo, who was still clutching his throat but starting to get up, so I stomped over and grabbed him by his neck before slamming him back onto the ground.
'',
"Yield," I demanded, but he just glared at me and tried to struggle free from my grip.
I sighed before reaching out with my other hand and grabbing his face. I focused my will on my hand and started to increase the pressure on his face while also choking him with my grip on his neck. He started to thrash about wildly, but after a few seconds, he went limp in my grasp.
"Time for a little nap, brother," I said and stood up to face the other three; they didn't look like they were about to give up. Good. I wanted a little more playtime.
"You might have won this round, but it isn't over yet," Taurus said as he pulled himself up with Scorpio's help.
"I never said that it was," I replied with a shrug before gesturing for them to come at me again. "But let's make this more interesting."
They all looked at each other before looking back at me with confusion, so I reached out and snapped my fingers. A golden light appeared above their heads before coalescing into three identical crowns that floated down and settled on their heads snugly. They all started to glow brightly as the symbols of their respective constellations carved themselves into their skin while they glowed brighter and brighter until they were almost too painful to look at directly. The light then rushed towards me in one last burst before vanishing entirely along with the crowns, leaving the three of them standing there looking just as confused as before.
"What the hell was that?" Taurus asked, but I just grinned and shrugged.
"Just a little something to even the playing field," I said before holding out my hand and beckoning them to come at me again. "Shall we?"
The two came at me, and Sage raised his bow, but this time they were all faster. I wanted to test myself and see how far I could push my body here. This could be what I needed to get my power back, but that meant that they were going to have to get stronger.
Taurus was the first to reach me, and he brought his axe around in a wide swing, but I stepped to the side before lashing out with my leg and sweeping his feet out from under him. He hit the ground hard with a grunt of surprise, but I was already moving.