Lan broke the lock first, his lance thrusting forward in a blur of silver.

Miller reacted instantly.

He withdrew both swords in a flash, his body twisting as he deflected the attack with his sword.

His body dipped low and sidestepped in the same movement, dodging an attack from Gee.

The floor beside him erupted into a pile of rubble as the greatsword cleaved through it.

Miller moved with speed.

He swung in a rising arc at Lan’s jaw.

Lan blocked with the shaft of his spear. His body twisted as he drove his leg at Miller’s head.

Miller leapt back.

The kick whistled past his face.

Miller made use of the opening, crossing the gap between them in an instant.

He swung his right sword at Lan’s neck.

Lan ducked beneath it, the blade whistling through the empty air above him.

He came back up quickly, driving the butt of his lance into Miller’s ribs.

The blow connected.

Miller grunted, stumbling a step to the left.

He caught himself before Lan could press the advantage, spinning with the momentum and bringing his left sword around in a vicious backhand slash.

Lan stepped backward. The tip tore across his chest. It was shallow, but still enough to draw blood.

Gee was already moving.

His greatsword came down in a vertical cleave, so fast that Miller was caught unaware.

"Stop," he said in that instant.

The sword hung mid air for a second, but that was enough for Miller to counter.

He pushed the greatsword back with his left sword and drove his right sword forward towards Gee’s head.

Lan came in from the side, catching the blade with the shaft of his lance.

The force from the impact sent a shockwave that spread through the space.

The floor ruptured and healed back, both actions happening in tandem as if they were the same. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Miller did not relent. His body twisted in a roll as he lifted up into the air.

His leg followed, delivering a straight kick at Lan’s head.

Lan was thrown far away, blood forcing its way through his mouth from the power behind the kick.

Gee had regained motion. His greatsword lashed forward at Miller’s chest.

Miller caught it with his blades crossed in an X shape.

But the impact never came.

Gee’s greatsword passed through his swords like they never existed.

Miller’s eyes widened, but it was too late.

His body moved before his mind could follow, jerking backward.

The sword missed him narrowly, but the power behind it was enough to rip Miller’s clothes.

Miller looked at Gee with surprise.

"What? I told you before, didn’t I? You are not the only one with a skill."

Miller smiled.

"Heal," he muttered to himself as the swords in his hand flashed away.

The wounds on his body glowed with a blue light as they disappeared.

He clenched his fist tightly and a smirk flashed across his face.

"It feels good to use this again."

Gee furrowed his brows at the sudden turn, but he did not need to wait too long to understand the meaning behind it.

Miller backflipped cleanly over Lan’s thrusting lance.

Time seemed to slow as Lan looked up into Miller’s cold eyes.

Miller landed behind Lan, his hand bursting forward towards Lan’s rib.

The sound of bones breaking echoed through the room, but Miller was gone already.

He appeared before Gee in a blink, his leg tearing through the air at his head.

Gee reacted instantly, blocking the attack with his blade.

Gee was thrown away by the force.

Miller sidestepped, avoiding Lan’s desperate pierce.

His leg rose, then stomped over the lance’s shaft.

Miller drove his fist down toward Lan’s exposed neck in the same motion.

Lan released the lance and threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Miller pressed forward before the gap could widen.

He drove his leg in a rising arc, throwing Lan up into the air.

Before he could follow up, Gee came in from behind, greatsword swinging in a wide horizontal arc towards Miller’s midsection.

Miller stepped back, just enough to let it pass, then stepped forward again before Gee could withdraw the blade.

He drove his fist into Gee’s chest.

The impact made the earth beneath them explode into a pile of rubble.

But again, it healed itself immediately.

Gee barely moved back.

His body, heavily reinforced by aether, stood strong, absorbing the attack without a scratch.

Miller moved, his body twisting out of the greatsword’s path again.

"Flame aether," Miller said as he shot into the sky, flames erupting in his trail like a divine phoenix.

His eyes locked onto both of them, cold and condescending.

Boom.

Like a sonic boom, he plummeted downward.

The air ignited with heat as he neared the ground.

Gee’s eyes widened, only slightly.

Miller crashed into the floor and the entire place was engulfed in flames.

Like a raging inferno, it consumed the earth beneath.

Lan was the first to get caught in it.

His body was incinerated before he could even react to the attack.

Then, Gee.

The flames covered him like a coat.

Miller looked through the flames.

His eyes were calm, as if he had not just casually unleashed enough power to destroy a city.

A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes as he looked into the haze.

"You actually survived," he said with mild shock.

As the flames cleared, Gee stepped out, unscathed from Miller’s attack.

"Now that the infuriating puppet is gone, let’s have a real fight," Gee said, cracking his knuckles.

He held his greatsword by the hilt and with a yank, pulled it out of the earth beneath.

"There’s no difference between you both," Miller replied as his body dipped low.

He held his hand over his face with his right foot placed in front.

"Lightning aether," he said calmly.

His frame pulsed and lightning enveloped him, crackling across his body like a snake.

Both fighters locked eyes for a moment, then they tore forward.