Dust spun into the wind-bitten courtyard as the three pairs split naturally across the shattered battleground— There was no warning.
Zade moved first—too fast for a normal human, faster than even what Ahan had accounted for. His heel slammed into Ahan's guard with a thud that vibrated through his bones.
Ahan skidded backward, boots grinding against stone.
He's reading my center line already.
Zade rolled his shoulders, expression blank. "Don't overthink. You won't have the time."
He vanished forward.
Ahan ducked under the jab, twisted, and drove a palm strike toward Zade's ribs. For a moment he thought he had found an opening—but Zade's elbow dropped at the perfect time, cutting the angle, redirecting Ahan's force past him.
Ahan's eyes narrowed.
His body moves like he's fought every style before.
Zade's knee rose—a brutal upward arc—and Ahan barely intercepted it with crossed forearms. The shock made his knuckles numb.
Hiro didn't move like a soldier.
He moved like someone who had grown bored of winning.
Abhi rushed first, dual blades still sheathed; he wanted to test distance before committing. Hiro caught Abhi's opening kick on his palm as if catching a falling leaf.
"You hit harder than the last one," Hiro said flatly. "Still not enough."
He twisted Abhi's ankle mid-air. Abhi spun with the force, rolled out, and slid backwards with a grunt.
Abhi flashed a smirk. "Give me a second to warm up, na?"
Hiro didn't reply. His silhouette blurred—Abhi blocked the first punch with his forearm, then the second, then the third—but the fourth slipped past and clipped his jaw, snapping his head sideways.
"Bitch…" Abhi muttered under his breath, steadying himself.
Hiro's eyes sharpened just a fraction.
Kairo radiated quiet menace.
Aryan felt it immediately—his instincts tightening, warning him.
Kairo stepped forward, each stride measured. Aryan attacked first, spinning into a roundhouse aimed at Kairo's temple. Kairo leaned back just enough for the heel to skim past him, then countered with a hooking punch toward Aryan's liver.
Aryan blocked it with a hard forearm, but Kairo's strength pushed him two steps sideways.
"You've trained well," Kairo said. His tone was respectful, but cold. "But raw power doesn't listen to training."
Aryan's nostrils flared. "Good. Then I'll beat sense into it."
He launched a combination—jab, cross, elbow, sweep.
Kairo parried every strike, each movement small, economical, practiced.
Then Kairo stepped inside Aryan's stance so smoothly Aryan barely registered it—
—and slammed his shoulder into Aryan's chest like a battering ram.
Aryan flew back, crashed into the ground, rolled, and rose again with dust trailing off him.
Okay, he inhaled sharply. He hits like a goddamn mountain.
Across the battlefield, all three heroes were pushed backward in their own fights.
No fancy abilities. No energy. Just raw combat.
Zade's fingers snapped forward toward Ahan's throat—Ahan bent just in time and swept Zade's legs, but Zade jumped into a backflip and landed without losing rhythm.
Hiro and Abhi were exchanging kicks so fast the impacts sounded like rapid-fire gunshots.
Kairo and Aryan were locked in a grappling exchange—Kairo tried to twist Aryan's wrist; Aryan counter-twisted, dropped his weight, slammed his elbow toward Kairo's chin. Kairo caught it. Aryan's eyes widened.
Caught it!?
Kairo shoved him backward so hard Aryan's footing cracked the stone beneath him.
Ahan ducked under another elbow and exhaled sharply.
"Guys…" he called while fending off Zade's next strike. "They're not even using their shards yet."
Abhi spit blood from his lip. "I f--king noticed!"
Hiro's knee sank into Abhi's stomach. Abhi doubled over, coughing.
Kairo grabbed Aryan by the front of his collar and hurled him ten meters across the ground; Aryan rolled and steadied himself, chest heaving.
"They're testing us," Aryan growled. "They're reading our patterns."
Zade smiled faintly at that. "Correct."
Ahan's eyes sharpened.
So this is all still them holding back.
A cold, thrilling fear crawled up his spine.
Ahan made the gamble.
He stopped retreating—and stepped forward into Zade's next punch.
Zade's eyes widened for the first time. Ahan redirected the punch with his forearm, pivoted, and landed a clean palm strike to Zade's jaw.
Zade slid backward, boots scraping.
The battlefield fell still for half a breath.
Abhi blinked. Aryan's jaw tightened.
Zade's hand touched his own jaw slowly, thoughtfully.
"Well done," he said softly. "You forced the first crack."
Ahan's breathing steadied. "Get used to it. I'm just—"
Zade's silhouette vanished into a blur.
Ahan's sentence cut off as Zade appeared in front of him, palm pressing against his chest, and unleashed a force like a collapsing boulder.
Ahan flew across the battlefield, hit the ground, bounced, and rolled almost unconscious.
"Ahan!" Aryan shouted.
Hiro stepped in front of Abhi, cracking his knuckles. "One down."
Abhi's eyes flared with fury. "Abe—shut up."
Kairo exhaled calmly, stepping toward Aryan again. "We will end this soon."
But Abhi's gaze drifted to Ahan—who pushed himself up, shaking, refusing to stay down.
A return of fire flickered in all three heroes' eyes.
They spread out again, dust swirling beneath their feet.
Zade lifted his hand.
A thin, corrupt shimmer of energy cracked around his fingers.
"We've warmed up," he said, expression eerie and calm.
"Let us begin phase two."
Abhi, Aryan, and Ahan felt their chests tighten.
The shards were awakening.