Kaelen struck first.
With a sharp inhale and a burst of speed, he closed the distance in a blink, his body pivoting mid-step. His leg snapped out in a brutal, whirling side kick aimed at Neal's ribs, the motion clean and precise—a practiced move honed through endless battle.
But Neal was no amateur.
He raised his forearm in time, absorbing the blow with a solid block. The impact cracked through the arena like a drumbeat, echoing through the stunned silence of invisible onlookers.
Kaelen's heel hadn't even touched the ground when Neal countered.
A sharp snap punch to the solar plexus—lightning fast.
Crack.
The hit folded Kaelen like a paper doll. Air exploded from his lungs as he was hurled backward, limbs flailing mid-air.
But Kaelen wasn't done.
Twisting like a cat mid-fall, he evaded the solar beams Neal launched after him, the searing streaks of light carving through the ground where he would've landed. Each blast missed by inches—too close for comfort.
