The lights above flickered into full brightness as the room's combat protocols activated—sigils along the walls lighting up in faint blue patterns, stabilizing the field and marking the edges of the simulation boundary.
Dakota was the first to move.
—BOOM!
Her foot shattered the ground beneath her as she launched forward with a speed that compressed the air in a low whump, vanishing in a blur of movement.
Astron's eyes caught the motion a split second before impact.
—CLANG!
His forearm snapped up, reinforced with mana as Dakota's palm strike slammed into his guard, sending a sharp shockwave cracking through the air. He skidded back half a step, boots dragging a faint groove across the floor.
Dakota grinned.
"That's new."
Astron didn't answer. He shifted his footing, moving into [Cyclone Stance], the pressure around him building instantly as mana surged to his limbs in coordinated pulses.
—SWOOSH!
