He moved again.
Fast.
Low stance, zig-zagging across the open floor to close the angle. No barrier left. No pillars. Just him and whatever he could make out of momentum.
He didn't cast.
Not yet.
Varik waited.
Three meters.
Two.
Lucen jumped—
Faked right.
Varik went left—
Lucen twisted mid-air and landed, pivoted with both palms open, ready to cast.
Then he felt the pull.
Not visual.
Not mana.
Just… pull.
Like gravity skipped.
Varik's presence warped the air behind him—barely a ripple. Lucen spun, knowing it was already too late.
The strike hit his shoulder like being kicked through a door.
He hit the ground again. Rolled. Lost track of which way was up.
But his system didn't flicker. No failout. The lethal buffer was still holding.
He wasn't dead.
Yet.
Lucen pushed to his knees, breathing hard.
One more cast.
And a spell he didn't understand.
He triggered it.
[Null Reversal]
