Steel met sound.

  Kaelen’s spear snapped from six feet to twelve in the space of a breath, the Spear of the Sanguine screaming through the air as it phased half a heartbeat out of reality—then back in—aimed straight for Ace’s throat.

  Ace smiled.

  His white katana hummed, a high, vibrating whine that made Kaelen’s teeth ache. With a flick of his wrist, Ace angled the blade and the air itself buckled, the vibration turning solid for an instant.

  The spear glanced aside.

  Sparks and sound exploded together.

  Kaelen pivoted, blood Ni surging through his arms, shadow wrapping his legs. He shortened the spear mid-spin to two feet, using it like a dagger, stabbing for Ace’s ribs.

  Ace stepped through the strike.

  Not around it.

  Through it.

  The katana vibrated harder—so fast Kaelen could see afterimages—and Ace’s blade kissed the spear shaft. The vibration traveled, screaming up the metal, rattling Kaelen’s bones.

  Kaelen released the spear just before it could tear itself apart.

  Shadow snapped it back into his grip an instant later.

  “Good,” Ace laughed, eyes bright. “Most break right there.”

  Kaelen answered with lightning.

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  A bolt cracked down from a clear sky, crawling over his body and into the spear as he hurled it.

  Ace crossed his blade horizontally—

  BOOM.

  Sound and lightning detonated together.

  The shockwave flattened grass and tore a shallow trench through the dirt. Ace skidded back, boots carving lines in the earth, while Kaelen rolled, came up low, and extended the spear again—this time phasing it through Ace’s guard.

  Ace twisted at the last second.

  The spear passed through his shoulder without resistance, rematerializing a breath later and tearing fabric instead of flesh.

  Both froze.

  Then they laughed—Kaelen breathless, Ace delighted.

  “You learn fast,” Ace said, eyes narrowing. “Too fast.”

  Kaelen felt it too.

  The rhythm.

  The vibration pattern.

  The micro-delays between Ace’s steps and strikes.

  His system didn’t announce it—but his body understood.

  Shadow mirrored Ace’s footwork.

  Blood reinforced joints to absorb sonic recoil.

  Lightning timed itself to the hum of the blade.

  They clashed again.

  Spear lengthened. Katana screamed.

  Steel blurred into arcs of red, white, and violet. Ace’s blade cut sound into weapons: slicing waves, concussive bursts, vibrating slashes that Kaelen barely deflected by phasing the spear at the exact instant of impact.

  Ace struck high—

  Kaelen ducked, shortened the spear, reversed grip, and drove it up—

  Ace twisted, barely avoiding impalement, boots skidding—

  And then—

  A scream.

  Raw. Panicked.

  The bandit leader, who had tried to crawl away, was lifted off the ground by the throat—Vex’s dagger already buried in his chest.

  The scream cut off wetly.

  Both fighters hesitated.

  Just a fraction.

  Ace leapt back instantly, breaking the engagement, blade still humming as he landed lightly atop a fallen tree.

  “Tch,” he said, glancing at Vex with mild annoyance. “Ruined the moment.”

  Kaelen steadied his breathing, spear extended, eyes locked on Ace.

  Ace sheathed his katana halfway.

  “You’re fun, kid. Tell your boss”—his grin widened—“that Kessel’s patience is wearing thin.”

  He stepped back—

  And vanished in a ripple of distorted sound, the hum fading like a dying note.

  Silence reclaimed the clearing.

  Roric exhaled slowly.

  Vex clicked his tongue. “Yeah,” he muttered. “That one’s a problem.”

  Kaelen didn’t lower his spear.

  He stared at the empty space Ace had occupied, blood, shadow, and lightning still coiled tight inside him—

  Already replaying the fight.

  Already learning.

  They would meet again.