Gunn moved with speed that defied visual tracking, his form blurring as Master Peak cultivation translated intention into motion too fast for Adept rank perception to follow. One moment he stood at conversational distance, the next his curved blade was already descending toward Raze's exposed throat.
Raze's Combat Reflex screamed warning before his eyes could process the movement, pure instinct triggering Instant Transmission in the heartbeat between life and death. His body blinked sideways, the blade passing through empty air where his neck had been.
Blink.
He materialized five feet away, his breathing ragged as adrenaline flooded his system. That single exchange had revealed something terrifying about this opponent, something his enhanced perception was struggling to articulate through the fog of combat stress.
