The balance didn't last.
It cracked.
Not from power.
From timing.
Their fists were still pressed together when Rhyx shifted first. Not a big move. Just a slight turn of his wrist, a change in angle.
Vael felt it.
Too late.
Rhyx slipped off the contact and stepped inside.
Short distance.
No space.
Perfect.
His shoulder drove into Vael's chest, forcing his stance open just enough.
That was all he needed.
Rhyx's fist came up from below.
Clean.
Fast.
It landed under Vael's guard and snapped his head back.
The sound echoed sharp and heavy.
Vael didn't fly.
He didn't stagger far.
But he moved.
More than before.
Rhyx followed instantly.
No pause.
No reset.
Another punch.
Then another.
Each one tighter. More controlled. Less wild than before.
Vael blocked the third.
Caught the fourth.
But the fifth slipped through.
A straight shot to the face.
The crack along Vael's cheek split wider.
For the first time—
Blood came out.
Not gold.
Not light.
Something pale.
Almost silver.
It ran down slowly.
Rhyx stopped for half a second.
His eyes locked onto it.
Then he smiled.
Not loud.
Not crazy.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…There it is."
Vael lifted his hand and wiped the blood away.
He looked at it.
Then at Rhyx.
His expression didn't change.
But something behind it did.
The calm shifted.
Not gone.
Tightened.
He stepped forward again.
No warning.
His fist came straight down.
Rhyx raised his guard—
Too slow.
The hit slammed into his arms and drove through them, crashing into his chest and forcing the air out of his lungs.
Rhyx dropped.
Not far.
But fast.
Vael followed.
No hesitation now.
He closed the distance and struck again.
And again.
Every hit precise.
Heavy.
Relentless.
Rhyx blocked what he could.
Took what he couldn't.
His body adjusted with each impact, muscles tightening, stance correcting, reactions sharpening.
But Vael didn't slow down.
He had felt it.
The shift.
The opening.
He wasn't going to give it back.
Rhyx's back hit nothing.
Just open air.
But the pressure behind Vael's strikes pinned him there like a wall existed.
Another hit landed.
Rhyx's head snapped sideways.
Blood sprayed.
Golden.
Bright.
He breathed out slowly.
Then smiled again.
Even now.
Even here.
"Yeah…" Rhyx muttered. "That's more like it."
Vael's next punch came down harder than the rest.
Rhyx didn't block.
He leaned into it.
The hit slammed into his face—
And he grabbed Vael's arm at the same time.
Tight.
Unmoving.
Vael's eyes narrowed.
Rhyx's grip tightened.
His body shifted again.
Faster.
Stronger.
More stable.
He pulled himself forward through the hit.
Face bruised.
Blood running.
Grinning.
"My turn."
And drove his fist straight into Vael's chest.