The first clash made the hall vibrate.
My blade met his at the center of the red circle. The impact was not explosive, but deep. The energy sustaining the fortress reacted as if it were directly connected to him.
The Fourth General did not retreat.
He also did not advance beyond what was necessary.
He simply held.
Pure force, stable, without waste.
I rotated my body, trying to break the direct line, but he followed the movement with precision. His blade came down at a controlled angle. I blocked, but the weight of the strike pushed my feet half a step back.
He was testing.
He was not trying to finish.
He was trying to measure.
I exchanged three quick strikes to force a change in rhythm. He defended all of them, adjusting distance with exact calculation.
There was no obvious opening.
The energy on the ground began to move.
The symbols beneath the central circle glowed with greater intensity.
He noticed that I had noticed.
"This fortress is not just shelter," he said calmly. "It amplifies."
Before I could respond, the structure reacted.
The floor fragmented into geometric lines. The room began to split.
Not collapsing.
Reconfiguring.
The side walls moved with a dry sound, creating new corridors that had not been there before.
A different pressure emerged behind me.
Multiple signatures.
Rank S.
He smiled slightly.
"You will not face everything alone."
I understood immediately.
The external battle was still in progress.
If those reinforcements reached the main hall, the fight would change completely.
The door that had closed behind me burst open abruptly.
Four presences appeared.
High-ranking demons.
Not the previous guards.
They were denser.
Internal blockade.
I moved to intercept before they could spread, but the General moved for the first time with real intent.
He cut through the air in front of me, forcing me to defend.
When I regained position, the four were already inside the hall.
It was not a mistake.
It was a plan.
War was not just force.
It was division.
The pressure multiplied.
The General remained in front of me, while the four spread laterally, seeking angles.
If I focused on him, I would open space for a simultaneous attack.
If I focused on the four, he would exploit an opening.
I needed to reorganize.
I stepped back two steps, forcing all of them to converge toward the center of the circle.
But before I could act, I felt something different.
The external mana shifted.
Outside the fortress.
A rupture.
Liriel's presence expanded like a distant flare.
They had noticed.
The side door of the hall was shattered from the outside inward.
Rai'kanna entered first, her blade already in motion, intercepting one of the Rank S before he reached my flank.
Scarlet came right behind, blocking another with direct impact.
Elara and Lyannis appeared in coordination, taking lateral defensive positions.
Vespera appeared behind one of the demons, preventing him from completing a conjuration.
Liriel remained at the entrance, expanding a purification field that stabilized the unstable energy of the room.
The General observed.
Without surprise.
"So you did not come alone," he commented.
"No," I replied.
The hall became a divided battlefield.
Five against four.
And me against him.
It was the only possible way.
Elara was direct.
"They are connected to the core. We need to prevent reinforcements."
Lyannis confirmed quickly.
"The structure is trying to generate more internal units."
Liriel closed her eyes for a moment.
"I can block the flow. But not for long."
I understood.
The separation was inevitable.
"You hold here," I said firmly. "Do not let him interfere."
Rai'kanna smiled with controlled tension.
"We've handled worse."
Scarlet adjusted her stance.
"Don't take long."
The General slightly tilted his head.
"Interesting strategy."
He raised his hand.
The side walls of the hall moved again.
Not to crush us.
But to create clear divisions.
Energy barriers rose between us.
Not solid enough to be absolute.
But enough to separate the confrontations.
Now it was defined.
My companions would face the four Rank S.
I would face the Fourth General.
Alone.
The space between us cleared.
No interference.
No distraction.
The red circle at the center intensified its glow, as if recognizing the moment.
The General walked to the center of the designated area.
"Do you understand what this means?" he asked.
"That there will be no interruption."
"That there will be no escape."
He moved his arm slowly, making the blade trace a line in the air.
"And that the outcome here will define much more than this forest."
I kept my sword steady.
"You already knew I would come."
"Yes."
"So you knew this would happen."
"Yes."
There was no arrogance in his voice.
Only conviction.
Behind me, I heard the beginning of the parallel confrontations.
Rai'kanna exchanging heavy blows.
Scarlet cutting in rapid succession.
Vespera disappearing among shadows.
Elara coordinating the rhythm.
Lyannis redistributing focus.
Liriel sustaining stability against the fortress's own core.
They were doing exactly what needed to be done.
Holding the chaos.
So I could focus on the center.
The General advanced first this time.
Not a test.
A real attack.
The impact was different.
Heavier.
Faster.
I blocked, but the vibration ran through my entire arm.
He rotated the blade at an unexpected angle, forcing me to step back two steps.
The pressure was greater than anything faced so far.
I responded with a direct sequence, seeking the smallest opening.
He dodged with exact precision, counterattacking in the next instant.
The exchange became intense.
No visual exaggerations.
No uncontrolled explosions.
Only refined technique and absolute strength.
He did not waste movement.
I could not either.
Every mistake there would mean a fatal opening.
During a brief clash of blades, he spoke again.
"You evolved quickly."
"And you depend on structure."
He did not deny it.
"All power depends on something."
I forced a stronger impact, breaking contact momentarily.
I took a deep breath.
The energy around was increasing.
The fortress was responding to the rhythm of the fight.
The external war felt distant.
Inside, the world had shrunk to a few meters.
I advanced again.
This time, seeking to test the real limit.
The blade met his with full force.
The ground beneath our feet cracked.
The red circle fluctuated.
He held.
But I noticed something.
A fraction of a second.
A minimal variation in stability.
It was little.
But it existed.
He also noticed that I had noticed.
A slight smile appeared.
"Now it truly begins."
The energy in the hall rose to another level.
The side barriers vibrated under the impact of the parallel battles.
My companions were still standing.
But time was not infinite.
The separation had been made.
Each had their field.
Each had their opponent.
I adjusted my stance.
He did the same.
The second stage of the fight was about to begin.
And this time, neither of us was testing anymore.
We were fighting to win.