They didn't rush us.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Three of them stood at the end of the street, watching, measuring, as if they already knew how this would end.
That confidence was more dangerous than any attack.
I shifted my stance slightly, positioning myself just enough to cover her side without making it obvious.
"Stay close," I said under my breath.
"I'm not going anywhere," she replied.
The one in front stepped forward. He wasn't the biggest, but the others moved with him, not ahead, not behind. In sync.
That alone told me everything I needed to know.
They had fought together before.
"You adapted quickly," he said, eyes moving between us. "Most don't last this long."
"We're not most people," I answered.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"No. But neither are we."
He raised his hand slightly. The marks on all three of them lit up at the same time.
Not as bright as the one we faced before, but steady.
Controlled.
"Phase two isn't about duels," he continued. "It's about survival efficiency."
"Say it clearly," I said.
"It means numbers win."
Before I could respond, they moved.
Not chaotically. Not aggressively.
Precisely.
Two of them split to the sides, forcing space between me and her.
The third came straight at me.
"Don't separate," I said quickly.
"I know."
The one on my right closed in first. Fast enough to pressure, not fast enough to commit.
A distraction.
The real attack came from the front.
I stepped in to meet him, blocking his strike and pushing back, but the moment I did, the one on the left moved toward her.
Damn it.
I turned to react, but the one in front anticipated it. His attack shifted mid-motion, forcing me to stay engaged.
They weren't just working together.
They were controlling the fight.
"She's mine," one of them said as he closed the distance toward her.
"No, she's not," I snapped.
I forced my way forward, taking a hit to the shoulder just to break past the one in front of me. Pain flared, but I ignored it.
By the time I reached her, she had already moved.
She dodged the first strike, stepped back from the second, and countered with a quick hit to his side.
Clean. Efficient.
But the third one was already there.
"Behind you," I warned.
She reacted instantly, turning just in time to block. The impact pushed her back, her injured side slowing her just enough to matter.
They noticed.
Of course they did.
"Target the weak point," the leader said calmly.
"I'm not your weak point," she replied, her voice steady despite the strain.
I stepped in beside her again.
This time, we didn't let them split us.
"Together," I said.
She nodded once.
They attacked again.
This time, we moved as one.
I took the front, intercepting the leader's attack, while she shifted slightly behind and to my side, covering the angles he couldn't.
The one from the right came in again.
I blocked high, she struck low.
He pulled back, just barely avoiding the hit.
"Better," the leader admitted.
But they didn't stop.
They adjusted.
The one on the left changed timing, attacking half a second later than the others, trying to break our rhythm.
For a moment, it worked.
I blocked one strike, but the delayed attack slipped through and hit my side. Not clean, but enough to throw me off balance.
She stepped in immediately, covering the gap, forcing them back just enough for me to recover.
"Careful," she said.
"I'm fine."
I wasn't.
But it didn't matter.
We reset our stance.
Closer now.
More aware.
"They're testing us," I said quietly.
"They're looking for a mistake."
"Then we don't give them one."
Simple.
But not easy.
They came again.
Faster this time.
No more testing.
Real pressure.
The leader engaged me directly, while the other two tried again to break our formation.
I stepped forward, forcing the fight into a tighter space where numbers mattered less.
That was the only way.
If we let them spread out, we'd lose.
He realized it immediately.
"Don't let them close the gap," he said.
Too late.
I pushed harder, driving him back a step, then another.
She followed my movement perfectly, staying within range, covering the openings.
For a moment, the balance shifted.
Then one of them slipped through.
Just enough.
His strike landed on her injured side.
She flinched.
Just for a second.
But that second was enough.
They all saw it.
"There," the leader said.
Everything changed.
Their focus locked on her.
I stepped in front of her instantly.
"You'll have to go through me," I said.
"That was always the plan," he replied.
They moved together.
No hesitation.
No testing.
This was it.
I clenched my fist, forcing my body to respond despite the pain building up again.
We couldn't outnumber them.
We couldn't outlast them.
So there was only one option left.
Break their formation.
"Trust me," I said quietly.
"I already do," she answered.
That was enough.
I stepped forward.
Not to defend.
But to attack.
Hard.
Direct.
And reckless.