The air in the chamber did not merely vibrate; it groaned under the weight of two colliding realities. The speed of Cassandra's lunge was a terrifying anomaly.
Unlike her previous movements, which followed the fluid grace of the void, the Blood Oath's enhancement was a violent, explosive burst concentrated at the very instant of her movement's initiation. The first meter of her approach was a blur of impossible physics, a sudden lunge that bypassed the concept of acceleration, moving from stillness to a lethal velocity in a heartbeat.
Rex did not retreat. To retreat was to surrender the initiative to a predator.
Instead, he stepped into the storm.
As Cassandra's blade descended, Rex brought his gauntlets upward in a crushing parry. The moment the Blood Oath blade met the geological divine authority of his armor, the world seemed to hold its breath.
