Chapter 98: Loser
He darted in again, a low feint drawing Dan’s guard down, then exploded upwards with a vicious uppercut aimed square at the Commander’s chin.
Dan tilted his head back just enough, the blow glancing off his jawline rather than connecting cleanly. Still, it rocked him. His eyes narrowed, the fury momentarily replaced by calculation. He stopped swinging wildly.
He planted his feet, crimson energy swirling around him, thickening. He wasn’t attacking. He was waiting. Daring Fin to come closer.
’Uh oh. Trying a different tactic? Turtle defense?’ Fin hesitated for a fraction of a second. Charging into that solid wall of angry red energy felt unwise. But staying back let Dan recover, maybe even pull out another reality-bending sword trick. ’No choice. Got to press the advantage.’
He took a deep breath, condensed the energy tighter around his fists, the crystalline edges sharpening, humming faintly. He launched himself forward, weaving, angling for Dan’s head again.
As he closed the distance, Dan moved. Not an attack. His gauntleted hands slammed together in front of his chest.
FWOOM!
An invisible wave of pure concussive force erupted outwards. It wasn’t the Annihilation Wave from before, not directed energy, but raw kinetic shock. Like being hit by a shockwave point-blank.
Fin felt the air slam into him, stealing his breath, disrupting his attack trajectory. He tumbled backward, managing to twist and land on his feet, but the momentum was broken, his ears ringing.