Jovian moved without waiting this time, not because he saw an opening, but because he understood that waiting for one was exactly what Voss wanted.
Vital Mirage surged forward with a sharper intensity, its movements no longer just precise, but adaptive, shifting mid-action in ways that hadn't been possible earlier in the fight.
The Dominion Field responded instantly, lines converging to intercept his approach, but this time Jovian didn't avoid them in the same way as before, and instead pushed through with calculated risk, allowing minor contact where necessary to maintain momentum.
Behind him, the others followed instinctively, not perfectly synchronized, but aligned in purpose, creating a pressure that forced Voss to divide his attention more than he had at any point so far.
Lucien slipped through a narrow opening, Midnight Sontana striking with exact precision, while Alaric reinforced the advance, preventing the field from fully closing again.
Even Iggy, reckless as ever, found a rhythm within the chaos, his attacks no longer random, but disruptive in a way that made Voss's control less stable.
For a brief moment—
The field flickered.
Not broken.
But strained.
Jovian saw it immediately.
"…There," he said.
Vital Mirage moved again, faster than before, striking directly into the unstable space, forcing Obsidian Fang to respond under less controlled conditions.
The clash that followed was sharper, louder, heavier than anything before.
And this time—
Voss stepped back again.
Not once.
Twice.
A real shift.
A real change.
But even then—
He didn't lose composure.
Instead, his gaze sharpened slightly, as if something had finally reached the level he had been waiting for.
"…So this is your answer," Voss said quietly.
Jovian didn't respond.
Because now—
He finally understood what that meant.
And what it would cost to push it further.