They moved at the same time.
No signal.
No shift in stance to warn what would come.
No breath drawn in preparation.
No flicker of hesitation.
Only intent.
And that—
Was enough.
The ground shattered beneath their feet the instant they stepped forward.
Not cracked.
Not strained.
Shattered.
Fragments lifted under the sheer force of their movement, fractures spreading outward like the surface of reality itself had been struck too hard to remain whole.
Karna stepped forward—
And the world changed.
Not in truth.
Not in motion.
But in perception.
Everything slowed.
Not because time itself bent—
But because his awareness expanded.
Sharpened.
Perfected.
Every detail unfolded before him with absolute clarity.
Every motion carried meaning.
Every shift in balance revealed intention.
Every possibility—
Opened.
Opposite him—
The figure advanced.
And there was no restraint left.
No measured testing.
No hidden reserve.
Every movement he made carried weight.
