Don didn't answer her with words.

He gave it a heartbeat—long enough to steady the tension in his body—then burst forward.

The alloy floor thundered under his step.

Red Star stayed where she was, arms loose at her sides, the faint curl at her lips daring him on. But Don's eyes caught what others would've missed: the microscopic flicks in her thighs, the tightening of tendons at her hip.

Her body was already preparing.

The moment he entered her reach—her leg snapped up.

A brutal vertical kick, fast as a guillotine.

Don's head jerked back just in time, the arc slicing so close he felt the rush of air sting his nose. For a flash, relief—then gone. Her other leg was already in motion, a blur from the ground that whipped sideways.

CRACK—!

Her shin collided against his ribs before his guard could shift. The impact tore through him, a sledgehammer blow that made his chest clench tight. His body lifted and hurled back, no control left.

He slammed into the wall hard enough to rattle the alloy. Whnnk—! His spine curved as he hit, knees buckling until he dropped into a crouch. His hand pressed against his side, the ache sharp and pulsing.

Each breath grated against bruised bone.

Ahead, Red Star chuckled. One hand slid to her hip, head tilting as her eyes bored into him.

"You raised your output without warning me," she said, tone like a teacher humoring a bold student. "I simply returned the favor."

Don didn't waste breath answering. Pain or no, he shoved off the wall, forcing himself forward again.

His fists blurred. The first strike cut in low, a hook aimed at the soft juncture where thigh met hip—an angle that would cripple most.

She pivoted, knee lifting to block, but Don's second hand was already rising. He bent the air around his knuckles, telekinetic force sharpening the punch as it speared toward her jaw.

She dropped her shoulder, forearm slamming into his wrist mid-swing, the force reverberating up his arm. BOOM—! The blow detonated against her guard, sending a shudder through the floor.

Before Don could recoil, her counter came. An elbow snapped forward, clipping the side of his face. Crack—! His vision flared white for a beat, his head jerking with the blow.

But he didn't fold. He gritted down, eyes still fixed on her, and drove his other fist into her chest.

THWMP—!

The contact was jarring. Firm muscle met him first—but beneath it, something gave. Not weak, but unnervingly pliant, like dense alloy with a strange softness layered over it. A body meant for war, but with a human edge left intact.

The reaction came faster than he expected. Red Star's lips parted, a low sound slipping past before she could clamp it back. Not pain. Something closer to a sensitive groan.

Her eyes flared, sharp red cutting into him, and she pulled back quick, retreating a step as if to break the moment.

Don stood straight, chest heaving, knuckles trembling from the impact. He blinked once, registering the oddity.

'What the hell was that…?'

Red Star steadied herself, breath caught between irritation and something else entirely.

Don's eyes stayed locked on her face, searching for a tell. Nothing came. Only a faint trace of irritation in the way her lips pressed together.

Then she spoke, voice steady but edged.

"You're too focused on attacking high. Let us change that… da?"

His brows pulled tight. There was something in the way she said it—flat, yet carrying the hint of annoyance.

'Is it just me, or does she sound a little pissed off?'

The thought barely formed before his instincts spiked. Her frame dipped lower, crouching deep as one leg stretched fully to the side. The muscles along her thighs coiled like iron cables, her gaze never leaving his.

Then she was gone.

Her body launched forward, a blur that his eyes struggled to track. In an instant she was below him, sliding across the floor in that crouched stance, her movement fast yet controlled—like one of those game characters who could cover ground with a single low rush.

Don clenched his teeth. He could move now, but there was a problem. From this angle, her limbs were knotted close to her core, the line of her muscles hidden. He couldn't read which strike would come.

That hesitation cost him.

Her leg swept out hard, crashing into his calves. His balance snapped away as his body pitched sideways mid-air.

WHNNK—!

Before he could fully react, she spun with the follow-through, her other leg driving into his chest like a battering ram.

BOOM—!

The force ripped the breath from his lungs and hurled him backward.

But this time, Don didn't allow himself to fold against the wall. His mind sharpened, telekinesis wrapping around his body mid-flight. He twisted, planting both feet against the alloy surface just as he hit—

THOOM—!

—then launched himself off it, the rebound generating brutal force. His body became a projectile, one leg cocked with the knee outward, poised to strike.

He shot back across the chamber, closing the distance like a missile.

Red Star scoffed audibly, her eyes following his trajectory with cool dismissal. She didn't even shift her stance until the last instant.

His leg snapped forward, aiming straight for her chest.

She reacted then, raising her own leg to intercept. But Don shifted mid-motion—his body twisting, his fist exploding forward instead, a brutal arc aimed straight for her face.

Her forearm caught it with a bone-jarring crack, the alloy floor groaning beneath their combined power. She retaliated instantly, her leg whipping up toward his torso.

Don met it with another strike, his fist hammering down against her shin, forcing the limb back toward the floor.

Using that momentum, he spun, his heel smashing into her chest.

THOOM—!

The blow sent her sliding back, his body ricocheting off hers to throw distance between them. Both landed hard, feet squealing against the slick floor.

Sweat had turned the surface into a sheen, forcing each of them to skid several feet before regaining footing.

They didn't pause.

Both bodies surged forward the moment they regained stable footing, blurs cutting across the chamber.

Their fists met mid-charge.

KRAK—!!

The contact detonated as Don released the energy he'd been storing. It wasn't just a strike anymore—it was an eruption. A violent discharge tore outward, the air compressing before snapping in a blast that roared like a cannon.

The shockwave expanded in a violent dome, rattling the walls, scattering the vapor that still clung to the corners of the chamber. The alloy floor shuddered.

The force hurled them both backward, Red Star skidding on her heels, Don forced into a roll before he clawed his way upright again.

His arms shook from the recoil, but his eyes stayed forward, locked on her.

She on the other hand was already straightening, the faintest grin pulling at her lips.

"Heh…"