The second exchange Mara changed.

Not the fist — the palm. The same point but different mechanics, different weight distribution on the start.

Kai read the weight again.

He went to the side again.

The palm passed.

Elbow to Mara’s side.

Mara absorbed again.

’The elbow doesn’t accumulate damage on her. I need Resonant Impact.’

’But to use Resonant Impact I need to reach the right point.’

’And to reach the right point I need Mara to have her weight committed.’

’And to commit Mara’s weight I need a fake initiation she reads.’

’But Mara doesn’t read initiations — she reads weight.’

Kai watched Mara prepare the third attack.

’Then the fake initiation has to be in the weight.’

---

[DraconicLegacy: Kai processing the problem in real time. The concentration face we hadn’t seen since the admin.]

[Chris_Murray: The elbow doesn’t accumulate damage. Mara absorbs everything without stepping back. Kai has to find another angle.]

[Warwolf: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ KAI IS CALCULATING!! HE’LL FIND IT!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[Per_Sundin: "the fake initiation has to be in the weight" — Kai read that Mara reads weight. He uses that against her. (°ロ°)]

[Kalgarth: Mara absorbed two direct attacks. Didn’t even feel them. (ง’̀-’́)ง MARA!! (ง’̀-’́)ง]

[Drakeking: Kai identified Mara’s mechanic in two exchanges. The admin took longer. Kai is improving. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[TheDeadDragón: Lira on the perimeter. Her fingers on the edge of her glasses. She’s seeing the same thing Kai is calculating.]

---

Mara launched the third — left arm in a descending arc.

Kai shifted his weight to the right before the movement.

Mara read the weight. Adjusted the arc to the right.

Kai had already shifted his weight to the left.

The arc passed on the right.

Kai on the left with Resonant Impact active — Qi concentrated in his knuckles, his whole body aligned from his feet.

His fist reached Mara’s left side.

Resonant Impact transmitted inward.

Mara stepped back a pace.

---

[DraconicLegacy: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ RESONANT IMPACT!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ MARA ONE STEP BACK!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[Chris_Murray: FAKE INITIATION IN THE WEIGHT. Kai tricked Mara with the same mechanic Mara uses to read. (°ロ°)]

[Warwolf: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ KAI FOUND THE ANGLE IN THREE EXCHANGES!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[Per_Sundin: Mara stepped back. First retreat of Mara in the fight with Kai. The perimeter exploded.]

[Kalgarth: (°ロ°)(°ロ°) The fake initiation in the WEIGHT. Kai used Mara’s own tool against her. (°ロ°) ... (ง’̀-’́)ง Mara recovers (ง’̀-’́)ง]

[Drakeking: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ KAI ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[TheDeadDragón: Serah pulsed her markings when the blow landed. Lira lowered her glasses. Both saw it.]

---

Mara looked at her left side.

She touched it.

"That reached the inside."

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Qi concentrated at the point of contact. Transmitted inward instead of outward."

Mara processed it.

"Did you invent it?"

"I found it fighting."

"When?"

"In the A_D_M labyrinth."

Mara looked at him.

"How big was the labyrinth?"

"Six hundred meters. Seven levels. Level five administrator at the end."

Mara considered this for a second.

"And the administrator used hacks?"

"Yes."

"And you made it here."

"Here I am."

Mara smiled.

"Good."

---

[DraconicLegacy: Mara asking about the A_D_M labyrinth in the middle of the fight. (°ロ°)]

[Chris_Murray: "and you made it here" / "here I am" — Kai in two words.]

[Warwolf: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ KAI IS HERE!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[Per_Sundin: Mara is gathering intel on Kai while fighting. Same as Lira during Serah’s fight.]

[Kalgarth: "here I am" with that calm. Kai survived an A_D_M labyrinth and made it to Mount Heiguers. That’s no small thing. (ง’̀-’́)ง though MARA!! (ง’̀-’́)ง]

[Drakeking: Mara has spent the whole arc gathering data on the three. That’s what a Warlord does. She plans. (ง’̀-’́)ง]

[TheDeadDragón: Mara’s "good." The same one as with Kai in training. The one that comes out when something is exactly what she was looking for.]

---

Mara used Resonant Impact.

Not hers — she copied Kai’s pattern. The fake weight to the right, the real attack to the left, her fist with something that wasn’t exactly Qi but was the closest thing an SSS without a system could produce by direct imitation in real time.

It reached Kai’s shoulder.

Kai went two meters to the right.

He got up.

"That," Kai said, "was good."

"I learned it from you."

"On the third exchange."

"Yes." Mara watched him. "Does it bother you?"

"No." Kai shook out his shoulder. "It seems fair to me."

---

[DraconicLegacy: MARA COPIED KAI’S RESONANT IMPACT IN THE SAME FIGHT (°ロ°)(°ロ°)]

[Chris_Murray: Mara doesn’t have a system. She imitated Kai’s weight and transmission pattern by direct observation. 340 years of combat learning like that.]

[Warwolf: (°ロ°) Kai two meters back. But he said "it was good." That man.]

[Per_Sundin: "it seems fair to me" — Kai took his own blow back and called it fair. (°ロ°)]

[Kalgarth: MARA LEARNED RESONANT IMPACT IN THREE EXCHANGES!! THREE HUNDRED FORTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!! (ง’̀-’́)ง (ง’̀-’́)ง (ง’̀-’́)ง]

[Drakeking: Mara and Kai learning from each other in real time during the fight. This is the most unique fight of the arc. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[TheDeadDragón: Lira and Serah on the perimeter. Both watching the same field. Both not saying anything to each other. That’s something too.]

---

They continued.

The combat pattern establishing itself — Kai dodging with the fake weight initiation, Mara adapting faster each time, Kai readjusting each time Mara adapted.

Mara receiving Resonant Impact when Kai reached the right angle.

Kai receiving Mara’s version of Resonant Impact when he didn’t get there in time.

Each of Mara’s blows moved Kai meters.

None of Kai’s blows moved Mara more than a step.

But Mara’s interior was accumulating.

And Kai remained standing after each blow that landed.

---

Four minutes.

The camp Orcs silent.

Mara checked the time.

Kai watched Mara.

"How long was the record?"

"Three minutes."

"And now?"

Mara looked at him.

"Four."

"Good."

---

[DraconicLegacy: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ FOUR MINUTES ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[Chris_Murray: The record was three. Kai has four and the fight continues. (°ロ°)]

[Warwolf: KAI!! KAI!! KAI!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[Per_Sundin: Mara said it herself. "Four." Without Kai announcing it. That’s recognition.]

[Kalgarth: (°ロ°) Four minutes. (°ロ°) ... (ง’̀-’́)ง MARA STILL WINS!! (ง’̀-’́)ง]

[Drakeking: Keth lasted eight minutes in training. Kai has four in real combat. Real combat is different. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[TheDeadDragón: The three hundred Orcs in absolute silence. No one speaks. No one shouts. All watching the field.]

---

Mara looked at him during the fourth minute.

Without attacking — assessing, the same process she’d done with Drak and Brek and Keth but longer because Kai required more time to read.

"Do you know what watching you fight tells me?" Mara said.

Kai waited.

"That you’ve never had someone to tell you when to stop."

"No."

"And if I tell you to stop?"

Kai looked at her.

"I’m not going to stop."

"Why not?"

"Because we’re not done."

Mara smiled.

"No." She advanced. "Not yet."

---

[System — notification]

[Active combat: Kai vs Mara]

[Active time: 4 minutes — camp record]

[The system notes that Mara copied Kai’s Resonant Impact]

[The system notes that Kai copied Mara’s fake weight initiation]

[The system notes that neither is going to stop]

[Current viewers: 22,400,000]