The battlefield had reset.
Yet the pressure hanging over it had not diminished in the slightest. Spirit intent still clashed invisibly above the ground, heavy and unresolved, as though the war itself refused to acknowledge the reset.
Kiaria did not move.
Across the field, Shu Yan laughed. The sound was sharp and unrestrained, carrying clearly through the suspended droplets and stagnant air.
"Enough warm-up," Shu Yan said. "We've tested each other sufficiently."
Kiaria's expression did not change. He turned slightly, his gaze passing over Diala and Princess Lainsa as if the battlefield behind him no longer required their presence.
"You're right," Kiaria replied calmly. "I feel the same."
He paused.
"Take a rest. I'll handle what follows."
The words were not shouted. They carried no spiritual amplification. Yet they fell with unmistakable arrogance–one born not from bravado, but from certainty.
