Alfred caught Aldren’s blade with the shaft of his spear.

His leg tore through the air immediately, driving toward Aldren’s head.

Aldren pulled his sword back, ducking in the same instant.

The air above him detonated from the power behind the kick.

Aldren drove his sword upward in a rising slash aimed at Alfred’s jaw.

Alfred leapt back, avoiding the slash.

The shockwave tore upward, slicing through the ceiling with ease.

His back met Max’s.

"This place is too cramped for a fight and we risk destroying useful things," Alfred said to Max as they stood back to back.

Max nodded, delivering a kick at Zain’s lunging figure.

Zain ducked beneath the kick, sliding to the side as his sword arced toward Max’s ribs.

Max caught the sword with the flat of his dagger, redirecting it to the side as he delivered a swift kick to Zain’s chest.

Zain’s body flew back through the air, almost crashing into the glass window at the far end.

A shift.

Like space being folded by an invisible force, Zain’s body vanished.

Not just him. Alfred followed, then Aldren. Finally Max vanished alongside them.

They appeared in the open, a wide field that spanned thousands of kilometers.

Zain was still flying through the air.

His body fell into the fresh grass of the field.

He rolled back up almost immediately, standing in a battle ready stance as he gazed into Max’s eyes.

Alfred and Aldren stood opposite each other, measuring each other’s stances.

Boom.

The ground blew apart as they lunged.

Max reached Zain, his daggers a streak of red as they thrust at his open neck and chest simultaneously.

Zain caught the dagger aimed at his chest with the flat of his blade.

A sharp sound tore through the air as the other dagger clashed against his neck, already plated in aether as dense as diamond.

Alfred’s spear pierced forward, tearing through the air in a sharp whistle toward Aldren’s head.

Aldren deflected the attack with his sword, lunging forward in the same breath, sword arcing toward Alfred’s neck.

Alfred pulled back quickly, blocking the strike with the shaft of his spear.

He skidded back a few meters, his legs digging into the earth beneath him.

Aldren was already above him, his sword descending like a meteor toward Alfred’s shoulder.

Alfred caught the attack with the shaft again, his knee buckling under the weight.

Aldren leapt back, landing on one foot before lunging again, sword cleaving toward Alfred’s chest.

Alfred ducked beneath the attack, thrusting upward simultaneously toward Aldren’s jaw.

Aldren stepped back just enough for the spear to pass him.

Alfred rose, driving his spear into the earth.

Using it as an anchor, he swung his body outward, straightening horizontally as he planted a kick into Aldren’s chest.

He dropped from the spear in the next instant, his body performing a full roll across the floor as he swept Zain off his feet.

Alfred did not wait. He lunged again at Aldren’s rising figure.

Max glanced at Alfred from where he stood, a quiet sigh escaping his lips.

His body flashed, reappearing above Zain, daggers thrusting downward.

Red aether arced along the edges of the blades as they tore downward.

The daggers were just an inch from Zain’s eyes.

Clang.

The metallic ring echoed as metal met metal.

Zain held his sword with both hands, pushing the daggers back with the flat of his blade.

Max did not let go.

Space twirled and folded again.

The dagger passed through the sword like it never existed.

Zain reacted instantly, rolling away before the dagger could get any closer.

Max pulled back, his eyes locked on Zain for a moment.

He moved.

Like an executioner tasked with taking Zain’s life, his daggers came from behind, one thrusting toward his neck, the other toward his head.

Aldren’s body crashed nearby, landing on his feet as he drove his sword toward Max’s back.

Alfred was already there, catching the sword with the tip of his spear.

He spun, delivering a round kick that sent Aldren flying through the air.

Alfred flashed forward again, his spear a glint of silver as he leapt high in a perfectly calculated arc.

The floor beneath him cracked from the force of his launch.

He began to descend, just above Aldren’s still flying body.

He came down, spear pulsing with aether.

The air shook as aether took form.

A wall appeared above Aldren.

The spear connected.

It halted for two seconds, but that was all Aldren needed.

His body dropped, then sprang upward, sword drawn back in a full powered slash toward Alfred’s neck.

Alfred twisted, letting the sword cleave through the aether wall with ease.

His leg drove upward, smashing into Aldren’s ribs again.

Streaking through the air, Aldren’s eyes remained open, his mind clear as he steadied himself before he could lose altitude.

Alfred looked at him, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

"The sky it is," he said as he lunged upward like a missile.

His spear tip was aimed directly at Aldren’s jaw.

Aldren sidestepped in the air, catching the spear before it could pass fully.

The wind barrier shattered like fragile glass.

Aldren’s leg smashed against Alfred’s skull, sending him flying.

Aldren looked at the spear in his hand and dropped it without a second thought.

He kicked hard against the air, blasting forward with his sword raised overhead.

Alfred’s body surged with a sudden burst of aether.

The sword slashed across it, releasing a metallic chime that rang like a gong.

Alfred was already moving, his fist clenched tightly as it crashed into Aldren’s face.

A searing heat erupted from the point of impact, spreading through Aldren’s body within moments.

Alfred was gone already, his body a blur as another spear made entirely of golden aether formed in his hand.

Aldren’s danger sense, honed by years of battle, screamed at him.

He ducked, barely avoiding the attack that would have annihilated him had he been a fraction too slow.