Liza fell.
It wasn't the graceful, calculated descent of a martial artist. It was a plummet. She was a girl in a skirt and socks, flailing through the air with zero aerodynamics and one hundred percent reckless abandon.
"Liza!" I screamed, the sound tearing at my already bruised throat.
She didn't hit the ground. She hit the Legion.
Or rather, she collided with the invisible barrier of black smoke that surrounded the monstrosity. But instead of bouncing off or being crushed, she burned through it.
CRACK-BOOM.
The impact sounded like a lightning strike. A shockwave of pure, blinding white light exploded outward from the point of contact, illuminating the dark cavern of the auditorium with the brilliance of a magnesium flare.
I threw my arm up to shield my eyes, my [Presence Detection] screaming as the emotional radar went white-hot.
When my vision cleared, the world had changed.
