Caius' blade had reached me.
How?
I didn't have time to dwell on it, because another slash came immediately.
With [Danger Sense] active, the warning struck before the blade even completed its arc, and this time I made no foolish attempt to tank it. I shifted my weight and leapt backward, forcing distance between us as the edge carved cleanly through the space I had just occupied.
I landed and slid slightly, boots scraping against the ground as I steadied myself.
Again… how?
The question pressed harder now, sharper, more insistent.
How had that attack reached me?
[Fractured Existence] had always handled direct hits, passively phasing or distorting them before they could connect. It wasn't something I needed to consciously manage.
And yet...
He had cut me.
Was it something like my rift slash—some form of spatial interference layered into his attack, something that bypassed the surface entirely?
I kept my eyes on him as I recalibrated.
