The air shimmered with residual psychic energy, the walls humming in anticipation.
Jian Rui stood at the center, his silver-blue aura already flaring, eyes narrowed and sharp as blades. Across from him, Stannis rolled his shoulders, red light pulsing around him like a heartbeat, steady and strong.
They didn't speak, they didn't need to. The moment the countdown ended, Jian Rui moved.
He was a blur—fast, surgical, relentless. His psychic blade formed mid-stride, a crescent of silver light arcing toward Stannis's throat. Stannis ducked, countering with a burst of kinetic force that shattered the ground beneath Jian Rui's feet.
Jian Rui didn't falter. He twisted mid-air, landed in a crouch, and surged forward again.
Stannis blocked the next strike, their blades clashing with a sound like thunder. Sparks flew. The air cracked. Their auras collided, silver and red, each trying to devour the other.
"You're not holding back," Stannis grunted, parrying a vicious strike.
