The Wyndham participants had been given warnings before the tournament began. Names of clans. Levels of threat. Who to watch. Who to be careful around.
But the Synapse Circle stood apart from all of them.
They weren't placed under caution.
They were placed under avoidance.
Not "be careful."
Avoid.
Completely.
At the time, Zephyr hadn't fully understood why.
'Why avoid them completely…?'
The thought had stayed with him since then.
'I always wondered if it had something to do with that deal…'
Now, standing here, facing one of them directly, the answer didn't feel so far away anymore.
Zephyr and Lennox moved at the same time.
No signal.
No words.
Just instinct and understanding.
As they closed in, they split apart naturally, creating distance between each other. One to the left. One to the right.
A simple formation.
Two angles.
One target.
Rhyssa didn't step back.
She didn't even shift her stance much.
Her armor had already finished repairing, the surface now smooth and complete again, like the earlier damage had never happened. The faint glow of active systems ran across it, steady and controlled.
She moved forward instead.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Then—
They struck.
At the same time.
Lennox rushed in from the left, fast and grounded, each step driving force into the earth beneath him.
Zephyr came from the right, wings flapping hard as he shot forward like a launched projectile, cutting through the air with speed.
Two attacks.
Perfectly timed.
Closing in.
Rhyssa reacted instantly.
No delay.
Her right arm came up toward Zephyr.
Her left turned toward Lennox.
The armor shifted.
On her right, nano-tech flowed outward, forming a solid shield just as Zephyr closed the distance. The surface hardened in a split second, catching the incoming force head-on.
At the same time, her left arm changed.
The metal reshaped, stretching and locking into a new form.
A large gun. Fully formed. Aimed. Ready.
Bang!
Zephyr's head slammed straight into the shield. The impact hit like a wall. A shockwave burst out from the contact point, rippling through the air and pushing dust outward in a sharp ring. Rhyssa's body shifted slightly from the force, her boots grinding into the ground, but she held her position. No reaction on her face. No wasted motion.
At the same time, Lennox closed in from the other side. Fast. Direct. He didn't slow down.
Rhyssa's arm moved.
The gun was already formed.
It fired.
Boom!
"Ohh… shit!" Lennox shouted as he twisted his body, trying to dodge. He moved just enough to avoid a direct hit, but not enough to escape it completely. The blast clipped him hard.
Impact.
His body was thrown backward, feet lifting off the ground as he was sent sliding through the dirt before bouncing once and rolling to a stop.
Rhyssa didn't pause.
Her arm shifted again.
Metal flowed.
The gun collapsed inward and reshaped instantly into a massive hammer.
She swung.
The timing was clean.
The hammer crashed into Zephyr before he could fully recover from the shield impact.
Boom!
The hit connected solidly.
Zephyr's body was thrown sideways, wings flaring out as he lost control mid-air and was forced off balance, crashing across the ground in a rough skid.
Two attacks.
Two hits.
Clean execution.
But she didn't get the follow-up.
Something moved behind her.
Fast.
Too fast.
Bang!
A body slammed into her from the rear.
The force lifted her slightly off the ground before driving her down hard.
Impact cracked the earth beneath her.
Lennox.
He had recovered quicker than expected.
"Did you think that would be enough to take me out?!" he shouted, already on top of her.
No delay.
No hesitation.
His fist came down.
Then again.
And again.
Each punch carried weight. Real weight. He poured strength into every strike, his shoulders turning, his stance grounded as he drove his fists down relentlessly.
A barrage.
Heavy.
Continuous.
Rhyssa reacted.
Her shield arm came up instantly, placing itself between her and the incoming blows.
The punches landed.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each one slammed into the shield, sending vibrations through her arm and forcing her body deeper into the ground beneath her. The earth cracked further under the pressure, forming shallow dents around her back.
But the shield held.
Then— Her other arm moved. The hammer shifted again.
Reshaped. Gun form. Point-blank.
She fired.
Boom!
Lennox had already seen it coming. The moment the gun formed, he reacted. He pushed off the ground and leaped backward, creating distance just before the shot could land clean. The blast still tore through the space he had just left, kicking up dust and debris.
'I can't feel the pain… and that shot might not kill me in one hit,' he thought as he steadied himself mid-step. 'But I can't waste the ring's healing like that.'
No hesitation after that.
He dashed forward again.
Fast.
Direct.
Rhyssa moved at the same time. She pushed herself off the ground in one smooth motion, rising back to her feet like the impact from before meant nothing. Her balance was perfect. Her posture steady.
Then she saw him.
Charging again.
'He has the same ring as the other one,' she noted instantly. The pattern was clear now. No pain response. High risk tolerance.
Still, she didn't panic.
Lennox closed the gap quickly. The ring enhanced his movement, pushing his speed higher than before. His feet dug into the ground with each step, driving him forward with force.
He reached striking range.
His leg swung out.
A clean kick aimed straight at her side.
Rhyssa shifted back just enough to avoid it. The kick sliced through empty air.
But Lennox didn't stop.
He was already airborne.
His body twisted.
Another kick followed.
Then another.
A rapid chain.
Continuous pressure.
Each strike came from a different angle, his legs cutting through the air in a spinning assault meant to overwhelm her defenses.
Rhyssa adjusted with each one.
Step back.
Lean aside.
Minimal movement.
Precise.
Every kick missed by inches.
And the ones that came too close—
She dealt with them directly.
Her hand shot out, knocking the leg off its path with sharp, controlled strikes. No wasted motion. No struggle.
It was clean defense.
Calculated.
Then the pattern shifted.
Her arm changed again.
The metal flowed and reshaped into a hammer.
But this time, there was more.
At the joint of her arm, something ignited.
An air thruster.
A sharp burst of force pushed through it.
Another one flared at the end of the hammer itself.
The air around it distorted.
The swing came.
Faster. Heavier. Deadlier.
Lennox barely had time to react.
The hammer connected with his side.
Boom!
The impact lifted him clean off the ground.
His body shot upward and away, thrown into the air like he weighed nothing.
After striking Lennox, Rhyssa didn't chase him. She moved the other way. Her legs bent and she pushed off the ground, lifting herself up and out of that position in one clean motion. It wasn't retreat. It was spacing.
Right on time, something tore through the exact spot she had just left.
Fast.
Low.
A blur.
Rhyssa turned her head slightly and caught it.
The Griffin.
Zephyr.
"Arhhh!"
The sound came out rough, more beast than human. He didn't slow down. This was the opening, and he took it without thinking twice. His wings snapped wide and beat hard, pushing his body forward like a launched spear.
He came straight at her.
No angle.
Just force.
Rhyssa raised her arm again. The nano-tech flowed instantly, forming the shield in front of her just before impact.
Bang!
Zephyr slammed into it.
The hit echoed out, but Rhyssa didn't move. Not even a step.
Zephyr pushed against it, claws digging in. Sharp talons scraped across the surface, leaving deep lines carved into the metal. He followed up immediately, snapping his beak forward and biting down hard.
More marks.
More pressure.
But no breakthrough.
The shield held.
'Is she this strong… or is it all the armor?' Zephyr thought, his mind working even as he attacked.
Before he could adjust, Rhyssa acted.
A sudden burst of force came from her stance. She shoved forward.
Not a strike.
A push.
But it carried weight.
Zephyr was forced back, his footing breaking as his body staggered away from the shield.
That one shift was enough.
Her other arm had already changed.
Hammer form.
No delay.
She swung.
Bang!
The hammer came down on Zephyr's head.
The impact shook through his entire body. His vision blurred instantly, the world tilting as his balance broke. His wings faltered. His legs gave out.
He dropped.
Not dead.
But out of it.
His sight wobbled, unable to stabilize.
Rhyssa didn't hesitate. She stepped in to follow up, ready to finish the opening she had just created.
Then something grabbed her leg.
A sudden force from below.
Rhyssa reacted instantly. She jumped back, pulling free and creating distance again, resetting the fight in one smooth motion.
"I see you are fully healed," Rhyssa said, her gaze settling on Isla, who now stood beside Zephyr. Her tone was calm, almost casual, like she was just confirming a detail.
Before anyone could respond, a distant sound cut through the air.
It was sharp. Falling. Fast.
All of them looked up at the same time.
A figure was dropping from above.
"Arhhh!" Lennox's voice echoed as he came crashing down.
Boom!
He hit the ground hard, landing a short distance from Zephyr and Isla. Dust burst outward from the impact point. For a moment, his body bounced slightly before settling. He had been launched high by Rhyssa's earlier strike, staying airborne longer than expected before gravity finally claimed him again.
Even without seeing her face, they could tell.
Rhyssa was smiling.
Lennox tried to steady himself, but the moment his feet touched properly, they gave out. His legs twisted awkwardly under him, and he dropped back to the ground.
No pain.
But no control either.
He couldn't feel them.
That was the trade-off.
Now the situation shifted again.
Lennox was down.
Zephyr was still recovering.
That left Isla.
The only one standing properly.
And even he knew the truth.
He wasn't ready.
Not for this.
Not against her.
He had already lost once. Badly.
"Zephyr, we need to get out of here," Isla said, his voice tight but controlled.
Zephyr didn't answer immediately. His vision was finally clearing, the dizziness fading bit by bit. He fixed his eyes on Rhyssa again, studying her stance, her breathing, the way she hadn't even broken rhythm since the fight started.
'Lucius was right… the Synapse Circle is dangerous,' he thought.
A short pause.
Then a colder realization followed.
'She's not even trying that hard.'
That one stung more than the hits.
Zephyr exhaled slowly, then spoke.
"Go get Lennox," he said, his tone steady again. "I'll handle this."
Without wasting a second, Isla moved. He rushed over to Lennox and grabbed him under the arm, trying to pull him up. Lennox's body responded, but his legs didn't. They dragged uselessly against the ground, twisting slightly as Isla struggled to keep him steady.
Meanwhile, Zephyr didn't do what he said he would. Not immediately.
Instead of charging Rhyssa, he beat his wings and lifted off.
Straight into the sky.
Rhyssa noticed. Her posture shifted, eyes tracking him as he gained height. For a moment, her focus stayed on him, calculating. Then, just as quickly, her attention returned to the two on the ground.
"Seems like he took off without you guys," she said, her tone light as she began walking toward them. No rush. No tension. Just control.
Isla instinctively stepped back, adjusting his grip on Lennox.
Rhyssa tilted her head slightly. "I'm curious though… weren't you three?" she continued. "Where's the interesting one? Has he already been eliminated?"
Neither Isla nor Lennox answered.
They didn't have the luxury for talk.
Then it came.
"Arhckk!"
The sharp cry of a Griffin cut through the air.
All three of them looked up.
Zephyr.
He was diving.
Fast.
His wings were tucked in tight, his body cutting through the sky like a falling blade. The air around him screamed as he descended, a loud sonic pressure building with his speed.
He was coming straight for Rhyssa.
From behind.
A clean strike.
But Rhyssa reacted instantly.
Just before impact, she shifted her weight and jumped to the side in one smooth motion, completely avoiding the dive.
Zephyr missed.
Or at least… it looked like he did.
Because that wasn't the real target.
As he passed over them, his legs shot out.
Hook.
Grip.
He caught both Isla and Lennox in one motion, locking onto them with precision.
Then he pulled.
Hard.
In the next instant, his wings flared wide and he shot back upward, dragging both of them off the ground with him.
They were airborne.
Leaving.
Fast.
Running.
"Not so fast, bird," Rhyssa said, her voice sharp now.
Her body reacted immediately.
From her waist, something launched.
A thick cable.
It shot forward at high speed, cutting through the air as it chased after Zephyr.
In seconds, it caught him.
The cable wrapped around his back leg, tightening instantly.
Connection made.
Momentum shifted.
Instead of being left behind, Rhyssa was pulled upward. Her feet left the ground as the tension in the cable dragged her along with Zephyr's flight path.
She didn't resist it.
She used it.
Her body aligned with the pull, letting the motion carry her into the air as she followed right behind them.
"You aren't going anywhere… not while I'm watching you," she said, a faint smile forming as she closed the distance mid-air.