For a single heartbeat, Cain, Alita, and Bradly stood frozen, their eyes locked in each other. The storm around them went still, as if the desert itself was holding its breath.
Then, in the next instant, everything exploded into motion.
Cain reacted first. Without hesitation, he seized Alita by the waist with his tail, burning his life force without restraint. Crimson fire erupted from his skin as bone spikes tore through his body, and his wings spread wide, doubling in size until they eclipsed the dunes. The air shuddered under the weight of his unleashed Doomsday Incarnation.
He wasn't holding anything back. Allowing his existence to burn in order to raise his speed.
