The envoy yelped, the force pressing him deeper into the ground under the metal restraints.
Cain inhaled sharply. "Alright. That's how you want it."
He moved.
Not with Nexus Tether—no spatial swapping, no tricks. That ability was gone. But Cain's raw physicality, boosted by the fractured power inside him, was still enough to blur the line between human and something else. He crossed the gap in a heartbeat and went straight for Arx-7's throat.
A gauntleted hand caught his punch.
The impact cracked the ground under them, sending a spiderweb fracture racing across the plaza. Arx-7 didn't stagger. Didn't flinch. He simply pushed Cain back with the same measured calm of someone adjusting furniture.
"Your strength is incomplete," Arx-7 said. "Unrefined. It will be corrected once the shard is—"
Cain didn't let him finish. He swung again, faster, hitting the armored chest with enough force to dent the plating. This time Arx-7's footing shifted half an inch.
Good.
