Taurus smiled like we were about to play cards, not fight.
No domain. No stance. Just a tall, lanky man with lazy eyes and an easy grin.
But I knew better. He was a Zodiac.
When it's time to fight, only top clan elders can deal with the stronger Zodiac members. And he wasn't just any Zodiac—he was one of the higher-ranked ones. Hes known as The Unstoppable Force.
Every instinct in my body screamed danger.
"Amir same formation as we used to run back at Cascade Ridge," I muttered, keeping my eyes on Taurus .
Amir shifted beside me. "Freaky."
"I'm in the lead.mTime the second beat with a shot or slam."
He nodded without hesitation. "Like old times."
"Nel, left side whip control. If he slips, bind his legs."
She uncoiled her whip without a word.
"Deya—wait for the first opening. Attack efficiently Fog him up, but don't fully commit until he's distracted."
She gave a tight nod.
"Move fast. We'll stack pressure, not stall."
The signal came.
Taurus didn't move.
We did.
I charged first, one sword in hand—no flair. Just weight and intent. I swung wide, not to land—but to shift his footing.
Amir dropped behind me,his mace primed to crash on the second beat.
We struck together—mace and blade.
Taurus moved at the last second. Not panicked—measured. He dipped low, letting my strike pass overhead, then spun and used my momentum to slide into Amir's strike path.
Amir pressed.
Taurus ducked—just barely—and spun back toward me.
I drew my other sword mid-step and slashed low.
He caught the blade barehanded.
Then he laughed. "Okay. That's clever."
He kicked off the ground and shot forward, elbowing Amir in the ribs hard enough to stagger him. Amir rolled but kept moving. I pressed in from behind, blade flicking toward Taurus's hip.
He deflected it with his forearm and pivoted to meet Deya—just as she appeared from the shadow behind him.
She slashed low, aiming to distract. Her scent-based mist followed, subtle and sharp.
He blinked.
Half a beat of hesitation.
Nel struck.
Her whip cracked forward with a tight snap, targeting his ankle.
He jumped it—but landed right into Amir's uppercut.
And that one hit.
Taurus grunted, body twisting slightly from the blow.
My turn.
"Mace!" I barked.
Amir tossed it.
Taurus ducked instinctively, thinking I was talking at him—but I caught it instead, slamming it down toward Taurus's shoulder.
"Trade!" Amir shouted.
But I was already tossing one of my swords.
Amir caught it mid-run and spun it forward in a fluid motion, jabbing toward Taurus's leg.
He caught the shaft with two fingers.
Then he smirked.
But the timing had worked—we reset the rhythm.
He blocked Amir's strike, turned to react—
And walked right into Deya's scent fog again.
This time, it hit.
He stumbled just slightly. Not out of control—but disrupted.
"Now!" I snapped.
Nel's whip lashed forward again.
I drove the mace low.
Amir flanked from the left.
We collapsed the space.
It was working.
We weren't outmatching him—but we were containing him.
For the first time, he looked like he had to try.
And then—
He sighed.
One hand raised.
No pressure spike. Not a single pulse of bloodlust.
Just a quiet shift.
And everything stopped.
He finally treated us like opponents.
His domain activated.
But despite the pressure… I could tell it wasn't even fully powered.
His essence hit like terror and thunder braided together—subtle but inescapable.
Nel froze mid-whip crack.
Deya's fog dispersed like it had been pushed away.
Amir's next step collapsed under him, his boot sliding in the dirt.
I couldn't move either.
Taurus didn't look angry.
Just awake.
"You're good," he said softly. "Better than most."
Then his eyes turned sharp.
"But I'm not most."
He blurred forward.
I barely saw it.
One hit dropped Amir.
Deya tried to vanish—he grabbed her shadow and pulled her out of it like peeling light from oil.
Another hit cracked into my ribs. I staggered—nearly fell.
Nel was yanked off balance and tossed across the ring.
It's really over.
I lost.
Despite all my training. All the extra experience I racked up. All the times I out-thought my way through fights, won when others folded, climbed through spar after spar.
I lost.
Since the first time I held a blade, people called me a prodigy.
Since the first time I killed, they called me a threat.
But right now?
I was just another talented fighter looking up at someone built different.
And then—
He stood in front of me.
Hand raised.
Breathing steady.
And slowly…
He lowered it.
"I yield."
Silence.
A judge stepped forward. "You're… yielding?"
Taurus nodded. "A warning is more valuable than a win."
He looked at each of us—not smug. Just tired.
"You all matter," he said. "That's why I didn't finish it."
He turned to leave, hands in his pockets, posture easy again.
The crowd didn't cheer.
They watched.
Because we weren't defeated.
We'd been measured.
And that was a lesson no one in the arena would forget.