Chapter 187: Bloodied Matter
The ground behind her burst outward as she pushed off, sand lifting into the air in sheets. Her body cut straight through the last of the haze like a comet, no flicker, no feint. Just direct radiant power condensed into a single human form.
Elias met her head-on.
She slammed into him like a hammer—forearm into shoulder, knee into thigh. They tumbled together, not out of control, but locked in motion. She was still burning. Her energy scraped along his biosuit, too close, already peeling material. He grabbed for her arm and missed. His boots skidded through molten grit.
They hit the ground hard. His back slammed into the sand first, hers overtop, the weight of her energy forcing them both down in a tight sprawl.
She tried to break away.
He held her.
Her elbow drove into his ribs, but he twisted and dragged them both sideways. One of the mirrored panels spun free, cracking beside them.
Dot blinked at his side—one flash, then another.
Elias didn’t have time to look. Kikaru’s hands were already lit with plasma again, twin bands forming along her forearms. She dragged one up, the angle wrong, light distorting off her palm. A second too late, and it was going to tear through him.
"Dot—converge. Now!"
The conjured blade formed between them.