The brother unleashed a volley of Soul Energy projectiles as he maneuvered across the upper floor. The sister, meanwhile, performed a series of wide, sweeping, flourishing sword strikes. Normally, such attacks would leave her wide open to counterattacks, but her hair provided a formidable defense.

She charged at Sandro, swinging her blades in a windmill-like fashion, her arms resembling saw blades as they whirled. Sandro began dodging, backstepping while weaving out of the intended path of the blades.

Although he avoided being cut, two projectiles struck him in the back, driving him to one knee. While the projectiles lacked the piercing power of earlier attacks, the concussive force they carried was undeniable. From his kneeling position, Sandro attempted a sweeping kick to knock the woman off her feet. However, she simply leapt lightly into the air and followed up with a backward lunging step.

As she did so, Alexander lunged forward with a thrusting strike, enhanced by his Soul Incantation, aimed at her side. With a pivoting step, she maneuvered her body out of the path of the attack. She then dashed forward, delivering two diagonal slashes. Alexander had anticipated this; he had not actually used his Soul Incantation but merely feigned it to bait her. He prepared to impale her stomach with a thrust when two projectiles suddenly flew toward him from both the left and the right.

Forced to halt his attack prematurely, he deflected the incoming projectiles. However, this gave the woman an opening, allowing her diagonal slashes to land. Despite the pain, Alexander's face showed only a moderate degree of discomfort as he maintained his composure.

Meanwhile, Sandro rushed the woman in a curving arc, flanking her from the opposite side. As he closed the distance, he leapt into the air, delivering a roundhouse kick aimed at her shoulder.

While the kick landed, the hair absorbed the majority of the impact. Not only that, but the tendrals of hair ensnared Sandro's leg, holding him in place.

This allowed two more projectiles to strike him in the back. At this point, even Sandro was growing frustrated. He kicked off her shoulder, but the hair blocked the attempt. However, his goal was merely to gain leverage and free himself, using the momentum to perform a mid-air flip.

Another arrow flew toward him, but he twisted mid-air and struck it with his fist, destroying it. Unfortunately, this left him wide open for the woman to leap into the air and deliver a slash that sent him sprawling to the ground.

The attacks faced by both Sandro and Alexander were not beyond their ability to defend against. It was simply that the opposition’s teamwork was too effective. The attacks were coordinated to create difficult situations—defending against one left them vulnerable to another.

Seeing the way the fight was progressing, both Sandro and Alexander exchanged a knowing look. They then dashed behind the unfinished wall where they had previously taken cover.

The sister did not pursue them, nor did the brother fire any soul projectiles from his bow. Instead, the two merely smirked, interpreting the retreat as a cowardly display. The sister even began to taunt them in a mocking tone.

"We're not surprised you're running. We did warn you that you would regret challenging us," she sneered.

The brother added in a cold voice, "In our family, children born at the same time, like us, are always destined to become Ascended. We are trained from birth—not just to be skilled combatants individually but to function as an unstoppable unit."

The sister then flashed the brother a malicious smile, one he knew all too well. Delivering a similar grin, he began to draw his bow. A Soul Energy arrow materialized, but this one was different. It was far larger than the previous projectiles and began to rotate rapidly, like a drill.

The brother then loosed the projectile, sending it crashing into the unfinished wall and destroying it in a burst of rubble.

The violently displaced fragments of the wall became projectiles themselves, spreading out in a burst-like fashion. Sandro and Alexander, who had been kneeling behind the wall, were enveloped by the rapidly displaced debris.

Dozens of minor cuts appeared on their forms as a result, and the Soul Energy projectile itself narrowly missed their heads, piercing through not only the floor they were on but dozens more beneath before dissipating.

Both Sandro and Alexander stood and locked their gazes on the brother and sister. Though they looked fatigued and injured, determination never left their expressions.

They then dashed toward the sister, reengaging in melee combat. A similar scenario unfolded as before, with Sandro and Alexander being overwhelmed by the twins’ teamwork and synchronicity. However, this time, Sandro seemed to be taking the brunt of the damage, deliberately maneuvering into positions that provided cover for Alexander, even at the expense of putting himself in harm's way.

This was an attempt to place Alexander in a position where he could potentially land a decisive strike, but it was not working. The twins simply adjusted their strategy, focusing more effort on Alexander, which forced Sandro to compensate further to keep him safe.

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Amusement began to grow on the sister's face. She decided to see just how far Sandro was willing to go in sacrificing himself for Alexander’s chance at a strike. Her tendrils, which she had been using primarily for defense up to this point, shot out in an attempt to ensnare Alexander.

Her amusement deepened at Sandro’s response. He shoved Alexander out of the way while simultaneously rotating his body to perform a kick that knocked Alexander a fair distance away. This action left Sandro heavily ensnared by the sister's tendrils.

From his prone position, Alexander prepared to use his Soul Incantation to strike at the woman’s tendrils and free Sandro. However, the brother fired two consecutive arrows, knocking Alexander further into the dark recesses of the building.

The brother then repositioned himself and began creating another projectile similar to the one he had used to destroy the wall.

He smiled coldly before letting the projectile loose, aiming straight for Sandro's center of mass. Sandro, struggling against the sister’s tendrils of hair, managed to free one arm, and in doing so, he smiled mischievously.

The projectile struck Sandro's body, but something occurred that greatly shocked both twins. While the projectile hit its mark, it did not strike dead center; instead, it grazed Sandro’s side. Granted, it did drill into his flesh as it passed through. This happened because Sandro caught the projectile before it struck him, an act that stunned the brother. The brother had the ability to manipulate his projectiles to some degree after firing, which should have made such an interception impossible.

What shocked the sister was the realization that her stomach was now impaled by the rotating projectile. Pain and disbelief were evident on her face as she rapidly lost consciousness.

The brother, consumed by cold fury, attempted to draw his bow. However, the ground beneath him began to collapse. It soon became evident why—the supporting beams of the floor he was standing on had been cleanly severed. As a result, he fell roughly to the bottom floor.

From his prone position, he struggled to rise, but several blade wounds appeared on his back, even though no blade was visible. Moments later, Alexander emerged from the shadowy recesses of the building, sword in hand. With a stoic expression, he nodded at Sandro.

Sandro, meanwhile, was staring at the sister, now lying on the ground, barely clinging to consciousness. A puzzled look was etched on her face, as if silently questioning how this had happened.

Sandro answered her unspoken question in an almost mocking tone, “Wondering why this is happening? It’s pretty simple. When we retreated behind the wall, you mistook it for cowardice. In reality, it was strategy. More accurately, we used the opportunity to come up with a plan to defeat you and your brother.”

While applying pressure to his wound, Sandro sat down next to the sister and continued his explanation. “I figured out a while back that I could use my Soul Incantation to throw off your brother’s projectiles. All I had to do was keep you two from noticing. That’s why you’re in this predicament. Your brother over there is in a sorry state because he cared too much for you. He lost focus when he saw you hurt. Neither of you could bear the thought of the other being harmed, and that cost you both.”

With those final words, the sister lost consciousness.

Alexander walked to Sandro’s side and helped him to his feet. Sandro, now gazing down at the sister, smirked and remarked, “You know, looking at her closely, she does have really pretty hair. Not as good as mine, of course, but not bad.”

Alexander sighed, clearly irritated by Sandro’s remark but too exhausted to respond.

...

After the battle's conclusion, both Alexander and Sandro made their way across the unfinished walkway into the building where the antidote had fallen.

It did not take them long to find the container holding the antidote. Upon seeing it, Sandro had to hold back laughter so as not to aggravate his injury. The glass container holding the antidotes had been impaled on an unfinished section of rebar. One of the two antidotes was destroyed, its contents leaking onto the rebar, while the other remained intact.

Sandro uttered with a faint chuckle, "That is certainly... ironic."

Alexander took a cursory glance at the destroyed case, his expression agitated. He then proclaimed, "It appears the Soul Energy arrow that knocked the container into this building must have weakened it. It must have fully broken when it hit this section of rebar, and the antidote soon followed."

With a sigh and a shrug, Sandro walked over and retrieved the remaining antidote. "Well, that really doesn't matter now, does it?" he said, extending the hand holding the antidote toward Alexander. "Here, go on, take it—it's yours."

Alexander paused before taking the antidote. He examined Sandro's severe wound and the minor ones he had sustained during the battle. Though his voice and face remained stoic, concern could be seen in his eyes as he spoke. "What about you?"

Sandro simply shrugged in response. He turned and began walking toward the edge of the building, speaking in a casual tone. "I got what I wanted. You're a part of my alliance now."

When he reached the edge, he glanced over his shoulder back at Alexander. "You should head back to the Coliseum. I'll meet you there when I get my own antidote."

Alexander stared at the back of Sandro's neck, the frown on his face deepening as he thought. Black, vein-like splotches—the poison must be kicking in. He glanced down at his own wrist and saw similar splotches appearing.

He then whispered softly, "You let yourself get injured so we could win. You even held up your end of the deal. I don’t feel like I earned this."

As Sandro prepared to step off the edge of the building to begin his search for another antidote, Alexander dashed toward him with his sword drawn. Weakened, injured, and off guard, Sandro was caught by surprise.

Alexander slammed the pommel of his blade against the back of Sandro’s head, knocking him unconscious.

Just as Sandro's body began to fall off the edge of the building, Alexander caught him by the color of his shirt.

Still holding onto Sandro's unconscious body, Alexander tilted his head back and administered the antidote. As he did so, he thought to himself, you're foolishly overestimate yourself. In your state, you wouldn't have the strength required to secure another antidote.

He then hoisted Sandro over his shoulder, continuing his internal thoughts. However, I am not a fool who would sacrifice my own ambitions for yours. Trials such as this often have unorthodox methods of success. I realized a method like this early in the trial—it will ensure both of us move on to the next one, however unpleasant it may be for me.

Alexander then exited the building with Sandro over his shoulder, making his way back to the coliseum.