Chapter 124: Ch122. Without
Pain exploded through Miles’ body like a tidal wave, his breath stolen from his lungs as he crashed across the metallic floor. His vision blurred, flickering between the shifting chamber walls and the looming silhouette of the Master, standing over him like a specter of inevitability.
He barely had time to register the attack. One moment, the Master was speaking, his mask barely tilting, and the next...
A force beyond anything Miles had felt tore through him.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright, dragging his scythe across the floor as he stood. His limbs screamed in protest, but he pushed the pain aside, eyes locking onto the Master.
The Master had not moved from where he stood, his long coat swaying faintly in the unseen currents of power that crackled through the room. The chamber itself was shifting again, the raised platform widening, walls stretching into a vast battlefield of steel and flickering neon. The masked figures had vanished into the shadows, their presence no longer needed. This was between them now.
Miles exhaled sharply, as though hesitation left his body with each breath, leaving no place for doubt. He surged forward, scythe whistling through the air in a deadly arc. The Master did not dodge. Instead, his arm flicked up, and Miles’ scythe met an invisible force that made the clangor of steel echo through the arena.
Miles’ weapon slammed against the unseen force, and it stopped cold as if he had struck a wall. Before he could react, the Master shifted his palm outward, and a ripple of energy exploded from his body, sending Miles hurtling back once more. He twisted midair, landing in a crouch, boots skidding against the floor.
The Master regarded him, tilting his head slightly.
"You fight with instinct," he said, his voice calm like a morning breeze. "Relying on reflexes, strength, and borrowed skill. But that alone is far from enough."
Miles gritted his teeth. The old man was not wrong. He had been reacting but not fighting.
’Think, Miles. Think!’