The battlefield trembled.
Dust swirled in a violent spiral, kicked up by shockwaves that weren't from steps or strikes—but from pressure.
Ahan, Abhi, and Aryan felt their muscles tense instinctively. Even the air tasted heavier—thicker—like something unseen was pressing down on their lungs.
Across the ruined courtyard, the three generals stood still.
Zade's lips pulled into a slow, vicious grin.
Hiro's expression didn't change—calm, sharpened, empty.
Kairo's eyes gleamed with a cruel, playful madness, like a predator meeting a new toy.
Then—
The shards ignited.
Not visually, not loudly—more like reality itself recoiled around their bodies.
A black-red aura swallowed Kairo, spiraling around him like serpents.
Hiro's presence turned razor-sharp, the ground fracturing in geometric lines under his feet.
Zade's entire silhouette distorted, his shadow splitting into jagged, flickering fragments that moved on their own.
Ahan whispered,
"…This pressure. It's not just energy—it's intent."
Abhi planted both feet into the earth, tightening his grip on his dual blades.
"Whatever it is, stay alert! Don't let them close in!"
Aryan's jaw clenched.
"They're not holding back anymore."
And then—
The generals moved.
They didn't dash.
They didn't jump.
They appeared.
Ahan barely leaned back as Kairo's heel sliced through the air, the pressure alone cutting a line across Ahan's cheek. He ducked, kicked off the ground, twisted—but Kairo was already behind him with an elbow that nearly cracked his spine.
Ahan blocked with his forearm and felt a bolt of pain rip up to his shoulder.
"—Tch!"
He spun, delivering a counter-kick. Kairo caught it with one hand and smirked.
"You're fast… but you're still slow."
He swung Ahan like a ragdoll into the stone wall.
On the opposite side, Abhi's fight became a blur of sparks.
Hiro didn't exaggerate moves, didn't waste effort—his strikes were short, efficient, merciless.
A downward chop forced Abhi to cross-block, his blades screeching against the invisible force behind Hiro's arm. The shockwave nearly dislocated his elbow.
Hiro stepped in—knee to abdomen.
Abhi tasted blood.
He staggered but slashed upward instantly—Hiro tilted his head by a hair's breadth, countering with a palm strike that would've crushed Abhi's throat if he hadn't twisted away at the last instant.
"You rely too much on technique," Hiro said calmly.
"Against me, that is a flaw, not a strength."
Abhi growled, "Shut up—!"
But Hiro's hand was already reaching for his face.
Aryan felt the ground vanish beneath him.
Zade's shadow swallowed his foot whole, dragging him off balance.
Zade emerged from the darkness behind him, fingers shaped like claws, aiming for Aryan's neck.
Aryan slammed his elbow backward, breaking Zade's grip—but Zade only laughed as the shadows wrapped around his arm.
"You hit hard, warrior. Hit me again."
He drove a spinning kick toward Aryan's ribs. Aryan blocked—but the impact sent him flying across the courtyard, skidding into a broken pillar.
Aryan spat out dust.
"…He's enjoying this."
Zade tilted his head, grin widening.
"Of course I am. You three are the first prey in years that don't die instantly."
The temperature around Aryan plummeted.
Ahan rolled, barely avoiding a crescent kick that shattered the floor.
Abhi blocked three strikes and still got driven back.
Aryan countered Zade's attack and still lost ground.
It wasn't just strength.
The shards increased every motion, every thought, every killing impulse.
Even with all their training—
Even with all their growth—
Even with all their technique—
The generals were a wall.
Ahan gasped, clutching his ribs where Kairo's last hit landed.
"Without the artifacts… we can't keep this up—!"
Abhi trembled, blades vibrating from Hiro's latest clash.
"My arms… they're going numb…"
Aryan got forced to a knee, Zade's shadow pinning his leg.
"This is… bad…"
The generals didn't slow.
They intensified.
Kairo cracked his knuckles, aura flaring.
Hiro tightened his stance, focusing.
Zade spread his arms like welcoming death.
All three of them spoke at once, voices overlapping like a verdict:
"It's time you break."
They lunged.
And in that instant—
Something clicked inside the trio.
Ahan felt knowledge flooding into him—instinctive, ancient, echoing.
Abhi felt something calling to his dual blades, resonating.
Aryan felt a pull deep inside his chest, like the ocean itself answering.
Their bodies moved before thought.
Ahan reached into the air—
Abhi tightened his grip—
Aryan straightened his back—
The artifacts responded.
A burst of light.
A ripple in the earth.
A surge like a heartbeat shared.
The Book. The Dual Blades. The Trident.
They weren't summoned.
They awakened.
Kairo, Hiro, and Zade halted mid-strike, eyes widening.
The courtyard exploded with divine brilliance—