Anya's crimson mana blazed like wildfire, a radiant inferno erupting from her fists as she charged forward with a feral roar. The ground cracked beneath her boots, every step a thunderclap of raw power.
She swung.
And missed.
Aiku's coat fluttered as he leaned back, the punch narrowly skimming past his cheek. His golden eyes sparkled with mischief, and that damnable grin never left his face.
Another punch came—faster, heavier, angrier.
Aiku twisted his torso, the blow whistling past his ribs, and with a lazy pirouette, he leapt backward over a broken street sign.
"Nice to see the Petrovas still carrying on the proud tradition," Aiku said, dodging again as her gauntlet-shrouded fist shattered a concrete pillar behind him.
"All brawn—" he ducked.
Another punch.
"No brain."
That one nearly took his jaw off.
Anya skidded to a halt, her wild hair snapping like a flag in the mana-charged wind. Her crimson eyes flared hotter, lips twitching into a snarl.
