"Target confirmed in the left inn!" Gale's voice crackled through comms. "Stay sharp—Dexter's still in the shadows."

  Titan's armored boots shook the cobblestones as he charged. Behind him, Raven's battle-axe glinted beside Victoria's shield wall—a medieval battering ram incarnate.

  Lena "Iron Fist" Liu stepped into their path, dual tower shields locking into a fortress. "Come at me, big guy."

  Titan's war pike descended like God's wrath. The impact sent Lena skidding backward, her boots carving trenches in stone. "Pathetic!" The giant roared.

  The Spear Phantom? emerged from the dust cloud, buckler shields crossed. "Newbie mistake," he muttered. Three years ago, he'd have lectured Lena about kinetic absorption. Now, he simply positioned himself between the rookie and certain death.

  Across the street, Marcus "Panda" Quinn's trident clashed with Titan's pike in a shower of sparks. "Focus on the flanks!" Panda barked.

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  But the real dance unfolded elsewhere.

  Victoria's sword snaked past the Spear Phantom's guard—only to meet whispering steel. His bucklers flowed like liquid mercury, redirecting her momentum into empty air. Raven's axe followed, met by the same ghostly deflection.

  "Enough babysitting." The Spear Phantom's stance shifted. Muscles coiled like springs in a grandfather clock.

  Two steps.

  The first cracked the street. The second left afterimages.

  Victoria barely raised her shield. The collision sounded like freight trains mating. Her armor crumpled as she pinwheeled through the air—a perfect bullseye for Eliza's waiting arrow.

  Thwip.

  The Iron Valkyrie disintegrated mid-scream.

  National Livestream - Comment Section

  [User_XxTigerSlayerxX]: SPEAR PHANTOM JUST WENT FULL DEMOLITION MODE

  [ShieldMaiden42]: Bro turned into a f*cking wrecking ball

  [PhysicsMajor199]: Impossible! 30m/s acceleration requires—

  [GunplaMaster]: STFU nerd just enjoy the show

  Flashback Sequence

  Ten-year-old Ethan stumbled through the drill, sweat stinging his eyes. His father's voice cut through the dojo's haze: "The pounce isn't about strength. It's about becoming the avalanche."

  Henry Gray demonstrated—sixty kilos of wiry muscle erupting into motion. The training dummy exploded into splinters.

  "Your turn, kid," he said to the boy who'd become the ?Spear Phantom.