[Devin's tenacious. Good. It's still not Yuan's fierce baring of teeth, daring and delighting at once -- but it's still pulling more from Kratos than he'd expected to have to give. And that -- feels good. It's been a long time.

[But: how far will Devin press, and how unwisely?

[Now Kratos wants to know. He relinquishes some restraint against the seal, and his blocks become more solid still; he still attacks, but Yuan's the one with speed and strength, who comes at others fast and lethal. Kratos wears down, absorbs blows unyielding and sends them back undaunted. Devin's blows become more jarring still against the wall of Kratos's defence.

[In retrospect, they should have expected the swords to give out first.

[Between one block and a retaliation, Kratos's sword splinters by the hilt; and reflexively his hand snaps up to catch the flying naked blade before it hits either one of them in a more vulnerable place.]