When the glow faded, Cain was standing at the epicenter—barely. His body was broken, armor gone, blood hissing where it touched the molten ground.
The Archon was still there.
Its armor was cracked, glowing with leaking light, but its movements were still precise.
< DAMAGE REGISTERED. THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL. COUNTERMEASURES ENGAGED. >
Its halo fragmented further, shards orbiting faster until they became a storm of light.
Nebula's jaw tightened. "That's not good."
Cain laughed bitterly, blood in his teeth. "No kidding."
The halo fragments launched outward in all directions, cutting through the landscape like razors.
Nebula and Cain moved as one.
Nebula's few remaining blades shot forward, intercepting what they could, while Cain used their brief cover to close the distance again. He wasn't thinking anymore—just reacting. Every instinct was survival, nothing more.
They moved like predators cornered in their own trap.
