They didn't attack all at once.
That was the first thing Ren noticed.
The three figures stood in front of him, pressure filling the space like a weight pressing against his lungs, but only one stepped forward.
The first.
The slender one wrapped in flowing darkness.
"…One at a time?" Ren muttered. "How nice of you."
"No," it replied calmly. "One is enough."
Ren smirked faintly. "…We'll see."
The moment the words left his mouth—
It moved.
No warning. No buildup.
Just motion.
Ren reacted instantly, shifting his body to the side—but the attack still brushed past him, slicing through the air so cleanly it felt like space itself had been cut.
"…Fast," he muttered.
Faster than the threshold.
Faster than anything he had faced so far.
The figure didn't stop.
It stepped again, closing the gap, its hand cutting forward in a second strike.
Ren raised his arm, energy compressing instantly to block—
Impact.
A sharp force ran through him, pushing him back half a step.
Not overwhelming.
But precise.
"…You're not testing anymore," Ren said quietly.
"No," the figure replied. "You have passed that stage."
Ren exhaled slowly, resetting his stance. "…Good."
Because he wasn't holding back either.
The fragments pulsed.
His core answered.
Ren stepped forward.
This time—he matched it.
The figure moved.
Ren moved with it.
Their movements collided in a blur—strike, shift, counter, step—each exchange faster than the last, tighter, cleaner.
Ren twisted past a strike, his body flowing just enough to avoid it before driving his hand forward—
Impact.
The hit landed.
Solid.
But—
The figure didn't crack.
Didn't stagger.
Didn't even react.
Ren's eyes narrowed. "…Right. Not broken."
The counter came instantly.
Ren barely shifted, the strike grazing his side, sharp pain cutting through him.
"…Ghh—!"
He stepped back, creating distance.
The figure didn't chase immediately.
It watched.
Waiting.
"…You're learning me," Ren muttered.
"Adaptation is constant," it replied.
"…Yeah. I'm starting to hate that answer."
The fragments pulsed again—harder this time.
Not guiding.
Pushing.
Ren felt it clearly now.
Not just how to move.
But how to fight something like this.
"…You're stable," he said quietly. "That's your advantage."
"No," the figure replied. "It is my nature."
"…Same thing."
Ren stepped forward again.
But this time—
He didn't attack immediately.
He watched.
Waited.
The figure moved first.
Ren saw it—felt the shift before it happened.
He moved early.
Not reacting.
Predicting.
The strike passed him cleanly.
Ren stepped in—closer than before—his hand already compressing energy into a tighter, sharper point.
He didn't release it yet.
He held it.
Condensed it further.
The figure adjusted instantly, its next attack shifting angle mid-motion.
Ren didn't dodge.
He turned with it.
Let it pass just enough—
Then struck.
Impact.
This time—
There was resistance.
Not physical.
Something deeper.
Ren felt it.
Like hitting something complete.
Unyielding.
But not untouchable.
"…There," he whispered.
The figure stepped back.
For the first time.
Not forced.
Not pushed.
But… acknowledged.
"You improve."
Ren smirked slightly. "…I'd hope so."
The pressure in the space shifted again.
Behind the first—
The second moved.
Just slightly.
The chains around its body tightened with a low, heavy sound.
"…He adapts faster than expected," it said.
"…But not enough," the third added softly.
Ren didn't look at them.
His focus stayed locked on the one in front of him.
"…So you're all watching," he said quietly.
"No," the first replied.
"We are waiting."
"…For what?"
"For you to fail."
Ren let out a quiet breath. "…Yeah. Thought so."
The figure raised its hand again.
This time—the energy gathered differently.
Not a clean strike.
Not a direct attack.
Something more refined.
Thin lines of energy formed around its arm, sharp and precise, like blades compressed into existence.
Ren's eyes sharpened. "…That's new."
The attack came.
Fast.
Multiple.
Each line cutting forward with perfect accuracy.
Ren moved.
Not perfectly.
But better than before.
He twisted, stepped, deflected—his own energy forming in short bursts to redirect the strikes.
One cut across his arm.
Another grazed his shoulder.
But he stayed inside the attack range.
Didn't retreat.
"…You're trying to overwhelm me," he muttered.
"No," the figure replied. "I am showing you the gap."
"…Between what?"
"Between you… and completion."
Ren's grip tightened.
The fragments pulsed violently.
His core responded.
Stronger than before.
Clearer.
He felt it again—
That edge.
That point where everything aligned.
"…Then I'll close it," Ren said quietly.
The figure moved again.
Ren moved with it.
This time—faster.
Cleaner.
Closer.
He stepped inside the attack, his body aligning perfectly with the motion.
His hand surged with compressed energy—tighter than ever before.
Not wild.
Not unstable.
Focused.
He struck.
Impact.
The space around them trembled slightly.
Not from destruction—
From pressure.
The figure didn't break.
But this time—
It reacted.
A small shift.
A slight disruption in its balance.
Ren saw it instantly.
"…That's enough."
He pushed forward.
Not stopping.
Not hesitating.
Because now—
He understood something important.
This fight wasn't about breaking them.
Not yet.
It was about reaching them.
And for the first time—
He was getting close.