The battlefield trembled.
Dust coiled upward in spirals where the three clashes raged, each section of Shambhala's broken courtyard lit by a different color of impact-shock: dark violet under Kairo, ashen gold under Hiro, and charcoal red under Zade.
To any outsider, it would have looked like three storms orbiting the same ruined arena.
Abhi vs. Zade
Zade moved first—always first. His footwork was jagged, unpredictable, a rhythm that refused to be read.
Abhi blocked the first barrage.
Barely.
His twin blades weren't yet manifested—only faint outlines of shimmering essence around his forearms, acting like skeletal guards. Sparks rippled as Zade's strike collided with Abhi's forearm—one hit, two, five, ten—
Abhi's jaw clenched. He's faster again.
Zade grinned, fangs peeking through the smirk.
"Come on, little hero. I thought you three were supposed to be 'chosen.' Show me something worth killing."
Abhi pivoted, rotated his hips, and countered with a sharp elbow to Zade's ribs—only for Zade to absorb it like stone. The wolf-general twisted, tail phantom-flicking behind him, and slammed a heel toward Abhi's temple.
Abhi barely ducked.
A strand of his hair floated away in the impact's breeze.
Damn it. I need… just a little more.
Ahan vs. Hiro
Hiro's fighting style was the inverse of Zade's—cold, unhurried, precise. His shard-energy pulsed in soft, dark waves around him, like an executioner walking through fog.
Ahan's artifact essence had settled at his spine, humming faintly. He still had no weapon—only heightened reaction time.
But Hiro was a nightmare even at base level.
Ahan swayed back as Hiro's palm sliced for his throat, then ducked under a sweep aimed at his knee, then pivoted backward as Hiro snapped a kick upward.
Every movement looked like Hiro had predicted Ahan three steps earlier.
Ahan's breath tightened.
He calculated angles, openings, shifts in bodyweight.
None existed.
Hiro raised a brow. "Analysis won't save you."
He stepped forward—one simple step—and Ahan felt the air thicken like a hand closing around his neck. He punched upward, redirecting Hiro's wrist, but the general didn't budge. His next attack landed—a flat fist into Ahan's sternum—and Ahan stumbled, coughing.
Pain flared.
But so did resolve.
I can still read him… just not fast enough yet.
Aryan vs. Kairo
Kairo fought like a hammer wrapped in wildfire. His strength wasn't wild—it was brutal mathematics. Every punch had intent. Every kick was aimed to break joints, rupture organs.
Aryan's trident had not yet formed. Only an aura of sharp, spear-like essence flickered near his hands.
And Kairo kept trying to crush it.
Kairo's fist crashed against Aryan's guard, sending a tremor up Aryan's arm. A second punch followed. A third. The floor cracked beneath Aryan's feet.
"You're durable," Kairo growled, voice low and thunderous. "But this isn't a test of endurance. This is extermination."
Aryan exhaled sharply, then snapped forward with a palm strike aimed at Kairo's chin.
Kairo blocked it… and smiled.
"Good. Better."
He head-butted Aryan like a falling boulder.
Aryan staggered back, vision splintering.
I need strength. More strength. Come on—respond.
The artifact essence thrummed around him, faint but loyal.
The Pressure Builds
A shockwave rolled outward—three, in fact—meeting in the center of the courtyard. The trio were each thrown back several meters.
Dust rained down.
The generals stood unshaken.
Hiro cracked his knuckles without emotion.
Zade rolled his neck like warming up before a hunt.
Kairo wiped a smear of blood from his lip, almost pleased.
Zade spoke first.
"You're surviving. Barely. That's cute."
Hiro's eyes narrowed.
"They're adapting."
Kairo's voice dropped low.
"No. They're being forced to adapt."
The three generals glanced at one another… then nodded in silent agreement.
Darkness stirred.
A thin black glow—shard corruption—crept up their spines, coiling over their shoulders.
Abhi felt his heartbeat spike.
Ahan's pupils tightened.
Aryan's stance widened instinctively.
They're… increasing output? Already?
Zade inhaled deeply, like breathing in the entire battlefield.
"You three wanted a warm-up, right?"
Hiro raised a hand, palm flickering with void-energy.
"Then let's accelerate the pace."
Kairo stomped once, cracking the earth beneath him.
"Try not to die too quickly."
The Trio Hold the Line — Barely
The generals lunged again.
Abhi blocked a strike that should have broken his skull—his artifact essence thickened just enough to protect him.
Ahan dodged a blow that would have dislocated his spine—his artifact sharpened his reflex just enough.
Aryan caught Kairo's punch on his forearm—his artifact hardened his defenses just enough.
Each exchange pushed them to the brink—
each counter felt like a miracle they did not fully understand.
Their bodies trembled, breath uneven, faces bruised.
But they didn't fall.
Not yet.
And Then the Cracks Appear
The generals paused.
Zade stared at Abhi with mild irritation.
Hiro glanced at Ahan as if recalculating something.
Kairo looked at Aryan with growing interest.
"…Huh," Zade muttered. "You're still standing."
Hiro tilted his head.
"The artifacts are awakening faster than expected."
Kairo flexed his fists, heat radiating off him.
"Fine. Then let us awaken, too."
Simultaneous Escalation
A low hum rose.
Then a vibration.
Then—
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM.
Three simultaneous explosions erupted around the generals—pillars of black energy roaring upward like volcanic eruptions.
Dust swallowed the arena.
Wind ripped across the battleground.
The trio shielded their faces as debris flew past.
For a moment, everything was noise.
Heat.
Darkness.
Then the smoke thinned—
And the trio saw them.
Zade — eyes glowing blood-red, jaws lined with shadowy fangs, aura swirling like a starving beast unleashed.
Hiro — body shrouded in a cold black mirage, the air freezing and fracturing around him like glass.
Kairo — muscles seething with dark lightning, his silhouette monstrous, energy burning like molten iron.
The generals had fully tapped into their shards.
Abhi whispered under his breath, "…Shit."
Ahan's heartbeat hammered.
Aryan felt the ground vibrate under Kairo's aura.
The generals stepped forward, slowly, silently, like death itself had taken form.
Zade grinned.
"Now—let's see if your artifacts can keep up."