Hanseong bolted forward, body a blur against the ruined street. His muscles tensed, veins bulging beneath torn skin, but he didn't slow down. Blood streaked his chest, seeping through his shirt from the gash Jin had carved into him — yet he ran like he didn't feel it.
He wasn't trying to kill.
He was trying to survive.
Jin stood still.
The broken katana hung at his side, its chipped edge scraping against the ground with a metallic hiss. His fingers twitched against the hilt, muscles coiled tight enough to snap. Blood dripped down his arm, a thin trail winding its way from his elbow to the ground, but he didn't react to it.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't move.
His eyes, dimly glowing in the fading light, tracked Hanseong's every step with cold detachment.
Closer.
Hanseong's teeth bared. His grip tightened on his fractured blade, legs pumping harder as he lunged.
Closer.
Jin's chest rose and fell in slow, measured breaths.