The first to arrive was a woman wrapped in silver-gray patterns. Wherever she stepped, she casually folded the gaps between the fragments until they formed a flat surface. A burly man landed on top of the ruins right behind her. He did nothing, yet the rubble beneath his feet sank inch by inch.
A cloud of black-and-green mist rolled in from the side, throwing the rules in its path into chaos. Even the perception Shen Yi had just withdrawn wavered under its influence.
The burly man spoke. "Friend, you're alone, and there's a whole group of us. I won't bully you today. You can keep everything else here. I only want the women behind you."
"Oh? You sure know how to pick them," Shen Yi said, his voice so even that no emotion could be heard in it.
Behind him, not far away, the corners of Xilos's and Aoyue's eyes twitched. Only Enrosis remained unmoved. With Shen Yi standing in front of them, though, neither woman felt quite right about lashing out.
As the words fell, the Black-Green Authority Holder moved. He did not rush Shen Yi. Instead, he swept straight toward Xilos and Enrosis.
He had seen what Shen Yi could do. One-on-one, he was no match for the man himself. But if he could not beat Shen Yi, why not go after someone weaker?
Xilos stepped forward and raised a hand. Her White-Hot Flame was clearer than it had been before. It gave off no heat and burned in silence.
The mist froze halfway toward her. She had pinned his Authority in place. Then the small flame in her palm changed, and fire spread through the black-and-green mist from within, burning it away inch by inch.
At the same moment, the silver-gray woman folded space and sent a