The system did not slow down, and that was what made the situation worse than before. There was no pause between fights, no moment where they could step back and gather themselves. The platform kept working without stopping, and each new construct appeared almost immediately after the last one disappeared. The pressure was no longer something outside of them. It had shifted into their focus and timing.
Aurelion felt the change clearly, but not as physical tiredness. It felt like his concentration was being pulled in too many directions at once. He had to stay exact every second, and even the smallest mistake could cause a problem. There was no room left for error, and that made everything harder to maintain.
