The wind shifted.
Dust skittered across the field as silence stretched just a second too long.
Then
Connor was the first to move
He charged straight at Sue, heavy footsteps pounding against the ground, shoulders low, fists clenched.
"Let's see you stop this"
Sue didn't brace.
Didn't move.
Right before Connor reached her
Kage struck from behind
He slipped through the shadows at Sue's flank, his blades flickering into existence inches from her ribs. The weapon warped mid swing, its edge elongating unnaturally to cut off any easy dodge.
At the same moment
Mira drew.
a arrow formed instantly as her fingers pulled back the glowing string. her aim was high.
The timing was tight.
Connor front.
Kage from behind
Mira ranged pressure.
For a fraction of a second
It was perfect.
Sue smiled.
Her foot shifted half an inch.
Connor's punch missed not because he aimed wrong, but because Sue wasn't there anymore.
His fist land right On Kage's chest
Kage's eyes widened slightly, as he was sent backwards.
Sue appeared behind Kage.
Two fingers tapped Kage at his wrist.
The shadow blade shattered.
Not physically, but conceptually. The shadows unraveled like smoke, slipping back into the ground as if they'd never been shaped at all.
Kage landed, skidding back, his hand flexing.
"…She disrupted the shadows," he muttered
Mira's arrows finally arrived.
Sue turned.
She didn't dodge.
She caught the arrow.
The glowing arrow froze between her fingers, its light flickering violently.
Then she threw the arrow back using her pointer finger and thumb.
Mira clicked her tongue. "She's reading everything we are doing"
"Not everything," Sue replied casually.
She flicked her hand.
Connor, who had just regained his footing. Launch forward using his teeth to active devouring bite to land an attack on Sue.
Just for Connor hit the ground with a grunt.
"Okay, OW yeah, that's hurt," he groaned.
Sue stepped forward walking past Connor.
"Your Coordination has improved since the first match," she said. "But you're still thinking like three fighters."
Kage narrowed his eyes. "Then what should we think like?"
Sue raised a finger.
"One."
She vanished.
Not fast—
gone.
Mira's instincts screamed.
"Above!"
Too late.
Sue dropped into their formation, landing between them without a sound. The ground didn't even crack.
But the impact came after.
A pulse of force exploded outward
Connor braced, his body absorbing most of it, boots digging trenches into the dirt as his stomach tightened, taking the brunt of the shock.
Kage slid back, shadows flaring wildly as he tried to stabilize.
Mira was pushed several feet, skidding before forcing herself upright, bow already forming again in her hands.
Sue straightened.
"Again," she said calmly.
This time
there was a hint of excitement in her eyes.
"Show me something worth remembering."