I advanced first.
It wasn't impulse. It was a decision. If I kept only observing, he would keep controlling the pace. And at that level, every second lost worked in his favor.
The ground gave slightly under my initial step, but my body was already adjusted to the pressure. It wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't paralyzing either. I needed to test.
Scarlett came with me, without me needing to say anything. Rai'kanna advanced from the other side, aiming to break the central axis. Lyannis disappeared from the direct line, trying to open a lateral gap. Liriel, Elara, and Vespera held their positions, ready to react.
We attacked together.
But he…
Was already prepared.
The first impact came fast. My blade met resistance, but not in the expected way. He didn't block directly. He deflected just enough to change the angle, completely reducing the force of the strike.
Scarlett tried to take advantage of the opening, but the counterattack came before her movement even finished.
She pulled back on instinct.
"He reads everything," she said.
"Yes," I replied.
Rai'kanna didn't retreat.
She advanced with more force, trying to break through by pressure. The clash was direct this time, but the result didn't change much. The general absorbed the impact, redirecting the force without losing his footing.
"You're durable," she said, smiling.
"You're predictable," he replied.
That made her freeze for an instant.
Long enough.
The counterattack came clean, direct. Rai'kanna blocked, but she was pushed back several meters, carving grooves into the ground.
Lyannis appeared in his blind spot.
Or at least…
Where there should have been one.
Her attack was fast, precise.
And still…
He dodged.
Without looking.
Without fully turning.
Just enough.
"This isn't normal," Lyannis said, stepping back with a more serious smile.
"No," I replied. "He's not reacting… he's anticipating."
Liriel moved right after, creating a distraction with light magic, trying to force a misread.
Elara reinforced the move, altering the flow of energy around him.
Vespera adjusted the group's rhythm, trying to synchronize the attacks.
For a moment…
It worked.
The general stepped back half a step.
The first time.
But that was all.
He adjusted.
And in the next instant, everything returned to his control.
"You adapt quickly," he said.
Scarlett tightened her grip. "And we're not finished."
I advanced again.
This time, completely changing the pattern.
No fixed rhythm.
No predictable sequence.
Broken attacks, interrupted, resumed.
Forcing misreads.
For a brief instant…
He hesitated.
A minimal delay.
It was enough.
My blade passed closer.
It didn't hit.
But it was the first time he actually needed to dodge.
Rai'kanna noticed immediately.
"Now!"
She advanced with everything.
Lyannis followed.
Scarlett joined in.
Three directions.
Three different timings.
Maximum pressure.
The impact was real.
But still…
It wasn't enough.
The general stepped back once more, but without losing control. Every movement of his seemed calculated, precise, without excess.
"Better," he said.
That irritated me.
Not because of the words.
But because of the tone.
As if he were evaluating a training session.
"He's playing," said Liriel.
"No," Vespera replied. "He's testing limits."
"Ours," Elara added.
I stepped back, taking a deep breath.
My body was already starting to feel it.
Not fatigue.
But wear.
The constant pressure drained more than the fight itself.
Scarlett noticed.
"You're feeling it."
"Yes."
Rai'kanna returned to my side. "Then we speed up."
"No," I said.
She looked at me.
"If we speed up without control… he wins."
Lyannis smiled slightly. "Then we break his control."
"How?" Liriel asked.
I looked directly at the general.
"By stepping outside the pattern he expects."
Vespera nodded. "Then we need to force something he can't predict."
Elara added. "Or something he can't fully control."
Scarlett looked at me. "You've already thought of something."
"Yes."
I took a deep breath.
"But it's not the moment yet."
The general watched.
Unhurried.
Without interfering.
That confirmed everything.
He wanted to see more.
"Then let's give him more," said Rai'kanna.
I advanced again.
This time, not alone.
All of us.
Without exception.
Coordinated attack.
But with variations.
No fixed pattern.
No repetition.
Broken, alternating, unpredictable movements.
For a few seconds…
The field changed.
His control was pressured.
The dodges became more intense.
The blocks more necessary.
The reading…
Less perfect.
"Now!" Lyannis shouted.
Scarlett moved in with her.
Rai'kanna pressed from the front.
I closed the movement.
The impact was the closest yet.
But still…
He escaped.
At the last instant.
Always at the last instant.
Silence returned for a second.
Heavy.
Tense.
I stepped back.
And this time…
I understood completely.
It wasn't a matter of hitting.
It was a matter of surpassing something we still didn't have.
Scarlett took a deep breath. "It's not working."
"No," I replied.
Rai'kanna tightened her grip. "Then we push harder."
"No," I said again.
Lyannis looked at me. "Then what's the plan?"
I stared at the general.
Who was still intact.
No injuries.
No visible wear.
"This…"
I took a deep breath.
"Is not a fight to win right now."
Silence fell.
Liriel was the first to understand. "So it's…"
"Recognition."
Elara completed. "Limits."
Vespera nodded. "And preparation."
Scarlett didn't like it.
But accepted it.
Rai'kanna smiled, but this time with a different expression.
"So the next one…"
"Is different," I said.
The general took a step forward.
The pressure increased again.
But this time…
It was different.
Heavier.
More direct.
More real.
"So that's it," he said.
I didn't step back.
But I didn't advance either.
Because in that moment…
It became clear.
This…
Had only been the beginning.
And the next phase…
Wouldn't be a test.
It would be a real fight.