The instant he saw Kiana, Shu understood the true purpose of the floating mines.
He ignored Kiana, who seemed to be falling, and instead spun around, throwing a punch behind him.
Sure enough, behind him was Bianka—who knew better than to shout during a sneak attack. This time, she used a kick. Fist met foot, and that familiar force surged forth again, only even more intense this time.
Their third exchange ended in Bianka's defeat once more. But as she was sent flying, she quickly adjusted her posture mid-air, landing on a floating mine. After gathering her strength for a brief moment, she shot back like a bolt of lightning.
Normally, floating mines detonate on contact. Some are so sensitive they'll explode if anything even gets near them.
But the mine Bianka had just used as a springboard didn't react at all, even after being kicked through the air.
These mines were all duds. They were just platforms for Bianka and Kiana!
Shu tilted his head, and a fist whipped past his face, stirring the air.
Almost simultaneously, Bianka rushed to Shu's front, punching again.
A pincer attack, huh... Shu ducked, using his absolute aerial agility to grab both their wrists at the same time.
The familiar sensation made Bianka's expression change. Kiana, however, hadn't reacted yet and was still trying to launch a follow-up attack.
The next moment, he began to spin. He became the axis of a massive human top, dragging the two of them along and kicking up a powerful whirlwind!
"Wait, wait, wait...!" Kiana's shriek was violently flung out from the whirlwind. She was starting to feel dizzy, and a little sick...
Bianka, on the other hand, was faring much better than Kiana.
She had a resistance to being spun in circles!
But even she couldn't adapt to the speed in time to counterattack. Shu released his grip, and the two of them shot off like cannonballs, crashing into the sea and sending up massive plumes of water.
...At least Kiana really did fall into the sea.
A massive sheet of ice appeared on the sea's surface—Bianka had frozen a patch of the ocean the moment she hit the water.
Shu frowned slightly. He looked up to see that the shattered sky canopy had already repaired itself.
The authority of [Desire] in the area had, at some point, stopped probing his outer defenses. Instead, it had begun to target all his external senses.
All his passive, unconscious scans were suppressed, effectively blinding him. The power was even smart enough to avoid his active probes, knowing it would be kicked away like a stray dog if detected.
So now, Shu's only source of information, aside from the active senses he had to consciously control, was his own five senses.
And those five senses...
Honestly, in a battle of this level, only his sight was barely usable.
As for hearing...
Shu spun to block Bianka's attack. After trading two blows with her and knocking her back again, the sound of her shattering the ice to launch her attack finally reached him from the sea's surface.
It was completely useless!
After repelling Bianka, Shu's heart sank. The Titan squad had fulfilled their role. They had transformed into aerial transports, carrying a group of monsters who could break the sound barrier with their own bodies right towards him.
The battlefield had caught up to him. Shu's first instinct was to turn and try to leave the main combat zone again, but with several roars, he watched, dumbfounded, as several red-hot Titans used their thrusters to forcibly catch up to him.
Each red-hot Titan was cupping a fighter in its hands, each one eyeing him like prey, eager to launch their attack.
Seriously, what is this now?!