He vanished.
One moment ten feet away. The next, directly in front of Satou, a blade of pure shadow materializing in his hand.
The dark weapon slashed toward Satou's throat with lethal precision.
Satou's enhanced senses screamed. He twisted his body, the shadow blade missing his neck by millimeters, the cold of it radiating against his skin as it passed. He could smell the wrongness of it — not a natural cold, something else entirely.
His counterattack was immediate. Stone Spit fired — three shards at point-blank range aimed at eyes and throat, burning through three mana points in one burst.
Shadows wrapped around Vegeta's head like a helmet. The shards bounced off.
But they'd bought the moment Satou needed. He activated Earth Manipulation under Vegeta's feet — the ground softening to quicksand, Elemental Affinity cutting the mana cost, the transition fast enough that Vegeta sank ankle-deep before his shadows erupted from his body and built a platform that lifted him free.
