The first Warlord moved before Holden finished his first step.
His 10,000x processor registered the movement instantly. The phantom's right foot shifted, its knee bent, and its greatsword arm pulled back. The trajectory was clear. The response was already calculated.
But the speed was wrong.
Not wrong as in incorrect. Wrong as in faster than it should have been.
The 300% stat boost hadn't just made the Warlords stronger. It had made them faster.
The first Warlord crossed fifteen feet of burning stone in the time it took Holden to blink.
His processor screamed the adjustment.
Dodge left. Now.
Holden threw himself sideways.
The greatsword passed through the space where his head had been a moment earlier. The displaced air slapped against his face. The phantom blade came so close that he could feel the heat coming off its edge.
Hiss.
He barely had time to recover before the second Warlord was already on him.
