> [Status Update]
Pure Beast Blood: Stable (Sealed)
Accessible Power: 0.01%
Threat Classification: Unregistered
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I glanced at the system—
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Out of habit.
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Not expectation.
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Then—
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It changed.
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> [Status Update]
Pure Beast Blood: Stable (Sealed)
Accessible Power: 0.1%
Threat Classification: Unregistered
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…A tenfold increase.
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Small.
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Insignificant—
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To monsters.
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But to me—
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Everything.
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The seal hadn't broken.
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Hadn't loosened.
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But it had—
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Responded.
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Listened.
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I felt it instantly.
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Not power—
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Precision.
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My muscles moved before thought.
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My vision sharpened beyond motion.
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The flow of energy—
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Aligned.
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Perfect.
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No resistance.
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No delay.
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Only—
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Control.
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Every fraction—
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Earned.
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Carved from pressure.
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From repetition.
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From dying—
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Again.
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And again—
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Inside the system's world.
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My brother.
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His friends.
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Their relentless push.
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A quiet gratitude surfaced—
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Then vanished.
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My pupils narrowed.
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The world slowed.
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Not time—
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Perception.
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Air shifted.
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Pressure gathered.
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Intent—
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Locked.
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Azharyon.
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Moving.
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No hesitation.
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No wasted motion.
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Like a predator—
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That had already chosen the outcome.
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BAM—!!
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His foot struck the ground.
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Stone detonated beneath it.
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BAM—!!
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Another step.
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Faster.
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Closer.
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BAM—!!
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Too close.
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The first strike came.
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No warning.
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No feint.
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Only force.
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I moved.
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Side-step.
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His fist tore past my face—
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A breath away.
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The air behind it—
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BOOM—!!
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The wall shattered.
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Fragments burst outward—
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Only to be stopped by the barrier.
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I pivoted.
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Low.
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Compact.
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A sweep followed—
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Fast.
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Heavy.
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Aimed to break my base.
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I dropped.
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Sliding under it—
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The pressure alone carving lines into the stone.
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Too fast.
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Too clean.
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I twisted mid-slide—
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Palm to ground—
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Flipped.
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Landed.
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Light.
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Too light.
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Azharyon saw it.
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Of course he did.
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He smiled.
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Slight.
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Measured.
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Satisfied.
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"You've improved."
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But he didn't slow.
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Didn't pause.
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Didn't hesitate.
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Another step—
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And he vanished.
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Gone.
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No—
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Too fast to track.
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My instincts screamed—
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Left—
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I shifted—
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Too late.
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CRACK—!!
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Impact.
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Not clean—
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But enough.
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His elbow slammed into my guard—
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The force broke through—
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Pain exploded across my side.
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My body lifted—
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Thrown sideways—
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BAM—!!
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I crashed into the ground—
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Stone fractured beneath me.
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For a moment—
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My vision went white.
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Breath—
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Gone.
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My body refused to move.
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Just for a fraction—
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But in a fight—
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That was enough to die.
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He was already there.
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Above me.
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Hand raised.
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Aura condensed.
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Focused.
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Lethal.
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"If this were real—"
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His voice cut through everything.
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"You'd be dead."
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The strike dropped.
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No escape.
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No time.
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No space.
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My instincts didn't warn me this time—
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They acted.
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Something shifted inside me.
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Not power released—
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Power redirected.
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My body moved—
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Before thought.
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Before decision.
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My hand rose—
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Caught his wrist.
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BOOM—!!
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The impact still landed—
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But not fully.
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The ground beneath me collapsed—
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But I held.
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Barely.
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My arm trembled.
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Not from weakness—
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From strain.
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Too much force.
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Too fast.
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Too overwhelming.
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For a second—
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I knew.
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If I was slower—
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I would be dead.
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Azharyon paused.
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Just slightly.
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Enough to notice.
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"…There it is."
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His eyes sharpened.
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Not teaching.
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Not guiding.
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Seeing.
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My grip tightened.
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Not consciously.
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Something deeper—
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Awake.
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Energy flickered along my skin.
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Unstable.
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Unrefined.
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But—
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Alive.
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I pushed.
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Not stronger—
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But sharper.
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More precise.
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I twisted his arm—
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Just enough—
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And slipped out.
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Rolled back.
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Created distance.
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Breathing harder now.
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Not calm.
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Not controlled.
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But—
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Engaged.
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I stood.
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Slowly.
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Deliberately.
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My stance lowered.
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Tighter.
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Sharper.
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Different.
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The air changed.
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Not pressure—
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Recognition.
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The others felt it.
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Didn't speak.
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Didn't move.
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But they knew.
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Something had shifted.
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Inside me.
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Inside this fight.
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Azharyon stepped back once.
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Just one step.
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But this time—
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It meant something.
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"…Good."
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His aura rose again.
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Higher.
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Heavier.
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More dangerous.
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"Then let's see…"
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He leaned forward slightly.
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"…where your limit really is."
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My blood pulsed.
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Once.
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No longer passive.
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Responsive.
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Waiting.
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I stepped forward.
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Not reacting.
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Not defending.
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Advancing.
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For the first time—
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By choice.
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CRACK—!!
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The distance vanished.
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His fist came—
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Mine followed.
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Not after.
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Not before.
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With.
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Two forces—
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Meeting.
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Colliding.
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BOOM—!!
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The chamber shook.
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Stone fractured.
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Air exploded outward.
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And the first true exchange—
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Finally—
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Began.