The alley exploded.
A streak of silver light tore through the concrete, vaporizing the corner where Eron's head had just been. He rolled, pain shooting through his ribs as he hit the ground. Dust filled his lungs. Sparks danced through the air like angry spirits.
"Eron Vale."
The voice echoed across the rooftops—low, measured, unshakable. From the edge of a neighboring building, a figure stood tall. Black and silver armor gleamed beneath the neon sky. Her helmet shimmered like liquid glass, reflecting no face. Only silence.
Twin blades hung from her back, but her hands were empty.
"You are ordered to surrender."
Eron's fingers twitched. "And if I don't?"
"Then I test your system against mine."
He didn't wait. "Activate Temporal Phantom."
> Temporal Layer Engaged.
> Speed Mirage Initializing…
The world slowed.
Everything around him became blur and shadow. His muscles pulsed in time with the system's rhythm. Energy surged through his limbs as the Echo Blade materialized mid-dash.
He moved like light.
But she was faster.
Nyssan didn't flinch. She mirrored his path exactly, intercepting him mid-strike. Her blade met his—no, anticipated his. Sparks burst between them. In Phantom-state, no one should have been able to track him.
But she didn't need to see. She read patterns.
Their blades danced, clashed, screamed.
Then Nyssan twisted, catching his side with the flat of her sword and hurling him into a dumpster. Steel groaned. Bones cracked.
Eron coughed blood.
She didn't press the attack. She just watched.
"You're adapting quickly," she said. "Too quickly. The Echo Blade chose well."
He struggled to his feet, vision swimming.
She lowered her weapon slightly. "You need to master more than speed. Next time, I won't hold back."
And just like that, she vanished—leaving only the scent of scorched ozone behind.
Eron collapsed.
Arin's voice buzzed through his earpiece, frantic. "You're alive?"
"Barely."
"Then you better get moving. She let you go once. She won't again."
Above them, the city's defense grids lit red.
The hunt had begun.