The silence didn't hold.
It shattered.
Rhyx's fist tore through Vael's stillness and slammed into his guard, sending a deep shockwave through both of them. The impact didn't bend space.
It crushed the air.
A violent ring of pressure burst outward, ripping through the surrounding void like a storm with no wind.
Vael slid back.
Not far.
But farther than before.
Rhyx saw it instantly.
"There it is," he said, breath heavy, grin sharp.
Vael steadied himself, feet planted against nothing, body perfectly aligned again. His breathing didn't change. His expression didn't break.
But the crack across his cheek remained.
Rhyx rolled his shoulders, heat rising off him in thick waves. His chest was still bruised from the earlier hit, but it was already tightening, muscles adjusting, hardening.
"Feels better now," Rhyx said. "No tricks. Just hands."
Vael stepped forward.
No wasted motion.
His fist came straight.
Clean.
Rhyx met it head on.
The collision sounded like two mountains slamming together.
This time, neither gave ground immediately.
Their arms locked.
Muscles tightened.
Pressure built.
The air between them compressed so hard it started to scream, a high, sharp sound like something being crushed past its limit.
Rhyx pushed.
Vael held.
Then Vael shifted.
A small movement.
Barely visible.
But perfect.
He angled his shoulder, redirected the force, and drove his knee up into Rhyx's ribs.
The hit landed heavy.
Rhyx coughed, body folding slightly, but his hand shot out at the same time, grabbing Vael's arm.
"Got you."
He yanked.
Not back.
Forward.
Then drove his head into Vael's face.
The crack echoed.
Vael's head snapped to the side.
Rhyx followed with a punch.
Then another.
Fast. Aggressive. Relentless.
Each hit pushed Vael back a step.
Not from strength alone.
From pressure building too fast.
Vael blocked the next strike and slipped inside Rhyx's range.
Elbow.
Clean.
Sharp.
Rhyx staggered.
Vael didn't stop.
He stepped in again, hands moving with perfect rhythm.
Strike. Block. Counter.
Every motion precise.
Every hit placed exactly where it would slow Rhyx down the most.
Rhyx's grin started to fade.
Not from fear.
From focus.
His body adjusted again.
Subtle.
His stance lowered.
His guard tightened.
His movements became cleaner.
Less wild.
Vael noticed.
"You learn," Vael said.
Rhyx exhaled slowly.
"Yeah."
He stepped forward again.
This time, when Vael struck, Rhyx didn't meet it head on.
He slipped it.
Barely.
Then drove his fist into Vael's side.
A clean hit.
Vael's body shifted from the impact.
Small.
But real.
Rhyx smiled again.
Not wide.
Not cocky.
Sharp.
"Now it's getting good."
They moved at the same time.
And the fight finally became even.