Voss stopped moving.
Completely.
Obsidian Fang lowered slightly.
Not weakened.
Waiting.
"…You've reached it," Voss said.
Jovian didn't like that.
"Reached what?" Iggy snapped.
Voss looked at all of them now.
"Coordination," he replied.
The word hung in the air for a second.
Then everything changed.
The space tightened all at once.
Not from one direction.
From all of them.
Lucien reacted first. "Move!"
They split apart instantly.
Just in time.
Thin, invisible lines cut through where they had been standing.
Not one.
Several.
Intersecting. Precise.
Controlled.
Jovian's eyes sharpened.
"…This isn't the same."
Alaric understood immediately.
"He's not attacking us individually anymore."
Lucien added quietly, "…He's controlling the entire field."
Voss didn't deny it.
"Now," he said calmly, "you will understand the difference."
Another set of lines cut through the space. Faster this time.
Jovian moved on instinct, barely avoiding one as it passed close enough to feel.
Vital Mirage deflected another, but more followed immediately after.
No gaps.
No openings.
Just pressure.
Constant and controlled.
Iggy tried to push forward, but Phantom Ember was forced back by overlapping strikes.
"This is insane!" he shouted.
Alaric held his ground, Golden Cavalier blocking multiple attacks at once, but even he was being pushed back now.
Lucien moved carefully, but even Midnight Sontana couldn't fully predict the patterns anymore.
"They're layered," he said.
Jovian steadied himself, breathing controlled despite everything closing in.
This wasn't about reacting anymore.
It wasn't about blocking either.
If they stayed like this—
They'd lose.
"…Then we don't play this way," Jovian said.
Lucien looked at him. "…What do you mean?"
Jovian's gaze locked onto Voss.
Still standing still.
Still controlling everything.
"We go straight through it," he said.
Iggy grinned despite the pressure. "Finally."
Alaric didn't argue.
Lucien didn't hesitate.
Vital Mirage stepped forward.
Not carefully.
Not defensively.
Directly.
Toward Voss.
The attacks closed in around him—
But this time—
He didn't stop.
And for the first time—
Voss reacted.
Not with movement.
With interest.