Amir sent a message to 32 and Han Solo through his wristguard, telling them not to follow for now and to wait on the ships first.
After all, this was Maul's home ground. If there were any ambushes, the people left aboard the ships could still provide support.
For example, hidden ships, or personal guards Maul had cultivated within Crimson Dawn.
And so, only Amir and Bo-Katan walked deeper into the complicated terrain.
Before long, Amir saw light coming from ahead.
There was a clean clearing there. Many basic living devices had been placed across it, and at the innermost part stood a strangely shaped house.
"So this is where he's been living in seclusion?" Bo-Katan looked around.
The person she had wanted to find for ten years was about to appear before her. At this moment, even she felt somewhat emotional, but she converted all of those emotions into fighting spirit.
Bo-Katan raised the blaster pistol in her hand and pulled the trigger at the lintel of the house. A hanging fluorescent object was shattered directly, releasing a cloud of glowing green smoke.
This kind of disturbance could no longer be ignored.
The door slowly opened, and a tall, thin figure walked out.
"I don't recall inviting anyone to my home today..."
Red skin covered in patterns, fierce horns on his head, and eyes that looked as if they had been soaked in blood. Being stared at by him felt like being surrounded by a nest of snakes.
But that feeling lasted only an instant.
Maul's gaze became calm, though beneath that calm surface, one could still feel undercurrents surging.
"Let me see who has come to visit this forgotten old man... Oh, an old friend. Bo-Katan. Have you finally thought it through and come to swear loyalty to me? Heh. I should still hold the right to rule Mandalore, shouldn't I? But does Mandalore still exist?"
Bo-Katan clenched her fist. "Bring out the Darksaber! I challenge you to a duel to reclaim the right to rule!"
"No, no, no. I advise you not to do that. Does bullying a dying old man truly conform to ancient Mandalorian etiquette? Heh. And who else is this..." Maul looked toward Amir standing nearby.
"A Force-user. Jedi or Sith? Don't tell me my old Master sent you to kill me. Ha ha. Even if that were true, I wouldn't be surprised."
Bo-Katan no longer listened to Maul's sarcastic words. She directly raised her blaster pistol.
"Draw your lightsaber, Maul!"
"All right, all right. It seems there must be a fight today."
Maul reached a hand behind him. From deep inside the house, a curved-hilt lightsaber flew steadily into his hand.
Only now did Amir clearly sense the Force within him.
Dark and powerful.
Compared to him, the Imperial Inquisitors Amir had encountered before were like ordinary Padawans standing before a Master.
Powerful talent, ruthless training, bone-deep hatred—all of it had been piled into one dark side Force-user, a former Sith. The result was inevitably unimaginably powerful.
Amir began to worry for Bo-Katan.
The instant Bo-Katan saw Maul holding the Darksaber, she fired.
Dense blaster bolts shot toward Maul from all kinds of tricky angles. From the very start, Bo-Katan displayed superb marksmanship. As she fired, she steadily retreated.
Against Maul, who possessed a deadly blade, she had to maintain a safe distance.
Maul ignited the Darksaber, then drew his own red lightsaber from his body. Both lightsabers ignited at the same time.
He walked forward while swinging them, blocking and deflecting every incoming bolt. He did not even need to move his feet to dodge.
Bo-Katan frowned and continued retreating, but she did not stop attacking.
"Is this your resolve to reclaim Mandalore? Retreating again and again?" Maul revealed a mocking smile.
Bo-Katan was not affected by Maul's words. She steadily maintained her tactics.
Maul seemed to grow impatient. After raising his hand to block two blaster bolts, he directly threw the red lightsaber in one hand toward Bo-Katan. Under his Force control, the lightsaber traced a sharp curve and slashed toward Bo-Katan's head.
This was an opportunity!
Maul was distracted controlling the lightsaber. One hand was slightly raised, and only the Darksaber in his left hand remained to block her attack.
Without hesitation, Bo-Katan directly activated the jetpack on her back. Blue exhaust flames provided enormous thrust, carrying Bo-Katan's body into the air, letting her avoid the incoming lightsaber as she flew rapidly toward Maul.
In mid-flight, she raised her right hand. A thin cable shot unexpectedly from her wrist toward Maul.
Once wrapped by the cable, Maul would temporarily lose his ability to resist.
Seeing Bo-Katan take flight, Maul immediately controlled the distant lightsaber to return to his position. Its return path happened to pass through Bo-Katan's body.
He had even already imagined the scene of that body being cut in two by the lightsaber, the corner of his mouth unconsciously curling upward. But a sudden cable interrupted his fantasy.
If the cable had only wrapped around his body, he could have continued controlling the lightsaber to cut down Bo-Katan, whose back was undefended.
But this woman had actually wrapped the cable around his right arm.
From his right arm, it began spreading toward his body.
Although using the Force did not require corresponding physical movements, most people retained that habit. For instance, when trying to control an object, they would extend a hand to guide it.
Combining one's perception of the Force with the sense of touch did indeed make Force control feel more "smooth."
But that also meant one problem: once you became too dependent on that behavior, the moment your physical movement was disrupted, your control over the Force would also be greatly affected.
Maul was exactly like that.
He had been about to succeed, but the instant his right hand was wrapped, the lightsaber lost its power and fell from the air.
Amir, watching the battle, silently took note of this problem, because he also had that habit.
In a very short time, Maul's right arm was firmly bound to his waist and abdomen.
Returning from that moment of distraction, Maul quickly swung the Darksaber to cut through the cable, then crouched and rolled to the side.
He had finally dodged, because Bo-Katan seized the chance and fired wildly at him. The bombs she carried also began to be thrown out by her.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, a large pit appeared in the center of the cozy little courtyard that had accompanied Maul for years. From the smoke, Maul walked out looking somewhat disheveled.
"Heh. Clever little brat."
Maul reached out and tried to retrieve his own lightsaber, but how could Bo-Katan give him that opportunity? She had already used her blaster to shoot the lightsaber away, sending it to Amir's side.
Whether she had done it intentionally or not was unclear.
Amir was happy. He had come to watch the fight and even got a gift. Not a wasted trip. Then he reached out and pulled the lightsaber to himself through the air.
"Mm! This thing went out of bounds, so I'll keep it for now."
Maul looked coldly at Amir, but only for an instant, because Bo-Katan launched another attack.
She became even more aggressive. After the previous probing exchange, Bo-Katan no longer held back. She flew through the air, and the many compressed bombs carried on her armor, along with the small rockets mounted on the sides of her jetpack, fired outward as if they cost nothing.
Even Amir clicked his tongue at the sight. Mandalorians really were a magical people. Veronica would probably love this setup.
Under this kind of firepower, Maul could only keep running and dodging on the ground.
Amir could see the solid Force shield surrounding Maul's body. If that shield had not blocked the violent shockwaves from the explosions, Maul would have already been seriously injured.
"Had enough fun? Then come down."
Maul suddenly walked straight into the blaster bolts fired by Bo-Katan.
He had switched to holding the Darksaber in his right hand, while his left hand pointed directly at Bo-Katan.
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🌌 STAR WARS: RELICS OF THE PAST
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