Anakin left the medical tent shortly after Ahsoka fell asleep. He felt some relief knowing she was on the mend.
The battlefield lay heavy with smoke and the remains of droids and clones. Nearby buildings had been reduced to rubble.
Anakin rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the echoes of pain from when he had been knocked unconscious by Darth Malicus.
As Anakin surveyed his surroundings, Rex approached him.
"Master Skywalker, the droids are advancing again."
It was then that Anakin felt the presence of the dark side similar to before. Darth Malicus was back.
"Get the troops in formation to launch a counterattack," Anakin ordered, "It seems these droids just keep coming."
Rex nodded, relaying the order through his commlink.
Anakin ran to the frontlines, preparing to fight, this time, without his padawan. He ignited his lightsaber as the droids came into range. The gunfire started shortly after.
A few lines back, Anakin saw Darth Malicus. He had a slight limp from his wound, but still surged forward, ready to fight.
"Stay focused on the droids," Anakin yelled to Rex, "I'll handle the Sith."
Anakin broke formation and met Malicus in the middle of the gunfire. He charged swiftly, driven by his anger.
Their blades collided in a frenzy of light. Each blow was quick and energetic. Anakin could tell Malicus was still weak from their previous fight, but apparently rest had refueled both of them.
"Your padawan is nowhere in sight," Malicus sneered.
Anakin yelled, slashing his lightsaber at Malicus, hoping that one of his blows would be fatal. But Malicus was also strong with the force and full of anger.
Anakin force leapt to gain some momentum against Malicus. Their lightsabers clashed hard.
All around them was gunfire from the clones and droids. The clones had managed to gain some ground, and it seemed they were winning.
Malicus pressed on, though neither seemed to gain the upper hand.
"Sir," a droid spoke through Malicus' commlink, "Our forces are dwindling, we are losing ground."
"Fall back," Malicus ordered. With one last parry, he leapt back from Anakin.
"This isn't over," Malicus sneered.
He regrouped with the droids as they retreated. Anakin extinguished his lightsaber and watched him leave. He wanted to chase after him, but knew now wasn't the time.
"The droid army is in full retreat!" Rex called as the clones cheered.
While they celebrated, Anakin had a creeping feeling that they were far from a victory. A new Sith had emerged, and he was out for blood.
It didn't take long for the troops to hall out. Since Ahsoka was still in rough shape, she was boarded on the medical frigate. Anakin stayed with her. As he sat by her bedside, he watched her eyelids flutter open.
"Ahsoka, how are you feeling?" he asked her.
"Better. Where are we?"
"We're on our way back to Coruscant."
"What did I miss?" she asked.
"Well, we were able to reclaim the city. Darth Malicus returned, but I fought him off and he retreated with the droids."
"You fought him without me?!" Ahsoka exclaimed.
"You weren't exactly up for it, Ahsoka," Anakin replied.
"Well, I am now. We need to track him down before he goes after other Jedi."
Ahsoka sat up, grimacing slightly at the jolt. Mentally, she was ready to start right away, but not physically.
"No, Ahsoka. You're still recovering," Anakin told her, gently pushing her back. "Besides, it's up to the council to decide what our next steps will be. We will report to them first."
Ahsoka looked surprised at his response.
"That's not exactly how I expected you to respond," she retorted.
"Sometimes you have to follow orders, even when if it goes against what you feel the situation demands," he admitted, although he did note that he sounded more like his master right now than himself. But after what had happened to Ahsoka, Anakin was being cautious. He wanted to keep her out of danger, at least for the time being.