The barrier sealed with a dull hum.
Jin stopped moving first. The others naturally drifted into a loose square, distance stretching between them without anyone saying a word.
Shen Lian glanced around, then laughed quietly. "Well… this is awkward."
No one answered.
He looked at Jin. "Let's be real. You know how this ends if we all go at each other blindly."
Jin tilted his head slightly. "You're already assuming I'm the one who gets cut first."
Shen Lian shrugged. "I'm assuming you're smart enough to notice the numbers."
Han Yue clicked her tongue. "Stop wasting time."
Shen Lian didn't look at her. "I'm just saying—temporary cooperation. Take one out. Then we settle it properly."
Jin watched him talk. The words sounded reasonable, but his feet were angled just a bit too much in Jin's direction.
"Funny," Jin said. "You keep saying 'one,' but you're already standing like you picked me."
Shen Lian smiled. "You're imagining things."
"I don't think so."
Han Yue's eyes shifted to Jin. "You should accept," she said flatly. "You've already gone further than you were supposed to."
Jin laughed under his breath. "There it is."
She frowned. "What?"
"That tone," Jin said. "Like this is charity."
Shen Lian glanced between them. "Look, emotions aside—"
"No," Jin cut in. "Let's keep emotions in."
He turned slightly, keeping all three in view. "You didn't come here to negotiate. You came to see if I'd lower my guard."
Han Yue stepped forward. "So what if we did?"
Jin's eyes narrowed. "At least be honest about it."
Shen Lian sighed. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."
"Then stop lying."
That wiped the smile off Shen Lian's face.
Han Yue cracked her knuckles. "Enough."
Jin glanced at Lu Shen. "You planning to join them?"
Lu Shen shook his head. "No reason to rush." He took a step back.
That earned a quiet laugh from Shen Lian. "Fair."
Han Yue didn't laugh.
She moved.
Jin felt it before she struck.
[ Sensory Enhancement ]
Her weight shifted. Shen Lian's shadow tightened. The air thickened.
Jin stepped aside as Han Yue's palm brushed past his chest, water pressure grazing his ribs. He turned into it instead of retreating, shoulder colliding with her guard.
She grunted, sliding back half a step.
"Still standing," she muttered.
Shen Lian attacked from the side.
"Behind you," Han Yue said casually.
Jin ducked as shadow sliced overhead and kicked backward without looking. Shen Lian hopped back, shoe scraping the platform.
"Tch," Shen Lian clicked. "Annoying."
Jin straightened. "You talk a lot for someone sneaking around."
"Someone has to keep things lively."
Han Yue attacked again, faster this time, forcing Jin to give ground. Shen Lian didn't rush in—he waited, circling, watching for Jin to slip.
Jin noticed.
"So that's your plan," Jin said between breaths. "Let her pressure me while you wait."
Shen Lian smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You're catching on."
Jin planted his foot.
[ Static Pulse ]
Lightning snapped outward, low and sharp. Han Yue halted mid-step, water rippling as the current disrupted it. Shen Lian's shadow thinned, losing cohesion for a moment.
Jin surged forward.
Han Yue blocked, teeth clenched, boots screeching as she slid back. Shen Lian retreated instead of pressing.
For the first time, neither of them spoke.
From the edge, Lu Shen's gaze sharpened.
Jin didn't give them time to recover.
He moved first this time.
Not rushing—cutting the space.
Han Yue reacted instantly, water snapping up around her forearms as she blocked. The impact pushed her back a step anyway.
"Tch."
She grounded herself and came back harder, palm strikes flowing one after another. Jin slipped between them, shoulder brushing past one, heel scraping as he pivoted out of another.
Shen Lian appeared at his flank, shadow folding inward like a hook.
Jin twisted just enough to let it graze his sleeve.
"You're late," Jin said.
The shadow missed cleanly.
Shen Lian clicked his tongue again and backed off, irritation showing now. "He's reading us."
Han Yue didn't answer. She attacked again, faster than before, pressure stacking, water weight slamming down with every movement.
Jin gave ground this time—three steps, then four.
Shen Lian surged in the moment he saw it.
They nearly caught him there.
Nearly.
Jin dropped low, rolled under Han Yue's strike, came up inside her reach, and shoved her sideways straight into Shen Lian's path.
They broke apart instantly, but the rhythm was gone.
Jin straightened, breathing steady.
"Is this it?" he asked. "This is you two together?"
Han Yue's jaw tightened.
Shen Lian stared at him, eyes narrowed now, smile completely gone. "You're enjoying this."
"A little," Jin admitted. "You both came at me like it was settled."
Han Yue attacked again, more force this time, no restraint. Jin blocked, countered, took a hit to the shoulder and paid it back with a knee to the ribs.
They traded space.
Then Shen Lian slipped in again, shadow catching Jin's ankle just long enough to throw him off balance.
Han Yue struck.
Jin took it head-on, sliding back several meters, boots carving lines across the platform.
For a moment, they thought they had him.
Then Jin straightened.
He rolled his shoulder once.
"That one almost hurt," he said.
Han Yue stared. Shen Lian's brow furrowed.
They attacked together again.
This time Jin didn't retreat.
He moved through it—between water and shadow—every step sharp, precise, just ahead of where their attacks landed.
A palm brushed past his cheek.
A shadow tore fabric but missed flesh.
Jin laughed under his breath. "You feel it too, right?"
Neither answered.
"You're wondering why this isn't easy," Jin continued, ducking a strike and driving an elbow into Han Yue's guard. "You're thinking—this shouldn't be happening."
Han Yue's eyes flickered.
Shen Lian clenched his teeth.
"It'd be one thing if it were Lu Shen," Jin said, sidestepping another attack. "But it's just me."
He pushed off the ground, forcing space between all three of them.
"Doesn't sit right, does it?"
Han Yue exhaled sharply. "Shut up."
Shen Lian wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, staring now—not calculating, not amused.
Uneasy.
"…Why are we struggling this much?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone.
Han Yue didn't deny it.
They exchanged a quick look.
Then both turned back to Jin.
"Enough playing," Han Yue said.
Jin smiled.
"Good," he said lightly. "I was starting to think you'd never take me seriously."
They came at him again—harder, faster, no hesitation.
And Jin met them head-on.
The clash sent a sharp echo through the barrier.
For a second, the stands stayed quiet.
Then the murmurs started.
"…Why aren't they overwhelming him already?"
"I thought this was supposed to be quick."
"That's Han Yue and Shen Lian together—what's taking so long?"
Another exchange sparked, water exploding outward as Jin slid past it, shadow missing him by inches.
A low whistle came from somewhere in the crowd.
"Did you see that footwork?"
"He's not panicking at all."
"So it wasn't just luck getting here…"
Someone scoffed. "No way. He shouldn't be holding them off like this."
Jin drove forward again, forcing them back.
The voices grew louder.
"…Wait."
"…Is he pushing them?"
A laugh broke out—excited, almost impressed.
"Who cares? This is way better than a stomp."
"Yeah, let them fight it out."
"Finish him or don't, just keep going!"
A few cheers followed when Jin slipped between another coordinated strike, sharp and clean.
"He's enjoying this," someone said, half-amused.
"Look at his face—yeah. He really is."
The tension in the arena shifted.
Whatever they'd expected at the start—
This wasn't it anymore.
And everyone could feel it.