Kanglim and Lucas hit the ground almost at once, but the impact was worlds apart. Lucas landed like a meteor—the cave floor groaned, and a cloud of dust shot up around his boots. Kanglim's descent was lighter, more precise, but his eyes burned with the same killing intent.

  They lunged without hesitation. Lucas’s jaw locked, his fist carving the air in a blur of raw fury, while Kanglim twisted his hips, his left leg coiling for a roundhouse. Their target was clear—Odina. Kaiguya and I burst forward to intercept, the ground cracking beneath our steps. I crossed my forearms just in time to meet Lucas’s punch. Beside me, Kaiguya drove his right forearm into position to block.

  The hit was like being struck by a battering ram. Pain tore through my arm. A jagged crack told me what I didn’t want to hear. Kaiguya staggered beside me, knees dipping from the pressure. The impact sent a shockwave through the air that made even Odina flinch behind us.

  And then Kaiguya, with rage inside, snapped back with a jab that split Kanglim’s lip—a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Odina seized that heartbeat of chaos, slid her bow between us, and fired. Her shot whistled like a shriek in the narrow cavern. For a moment, I thought it would land clean.

  But Lucas met the arrow with his forearm, veins bursting as he reinforced it. The shaft splintered harmlessly, fragments scattering like sparks. I brought my elbow crashing down at his joint, trying to shatter his guard, but it was like striking metal. My elbow rang from the rebound.

  Kanglim leapt into the air and twisted, both legs snapping out in a brutal drop kick. The impact sent Kaiguya and me slamming into the cave wall. Rock cracked behind me. For an instant, I couldn’t tell if the ringing in my ears was from the collision or my heartbeat. Odina stood exposed.

  She braced as Kanglim raised his leg for an axe kick.

  I shot forward, instinct first, and caught the kick on my right arm. Another small explosion of pain. Bone splintering again, nerves screaming. If I'm feeling this much pain, it's powerful. But I was in the perfect stance for Severed Soul.

  My wrist flicked. Air parted with a slicing shriek as I drew the cut across Kanglim’s neck. A ribbon of blood followed, thin and precise — not deep enough. My fractured arm had thrown off the angle by an inch, maybe less. The difference between a wound and a kill.

  Odina took the hint and withdrew. Smart. She’d be more use supporting us from range.

  Lucas raised his arm for a hammer fist, his skin shimmering with reinforcement. I lifted my guard again, my arms trembling.

  Kaiguya appeared at my flank, driving his fist into Lucas’s stomach. The sound was dull, empty. Lucas barely moved. He’d reinforced that in time. His abdomen felt more like stone than flesh.

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  But I didn’t need blunt force.

  I shot my spear hand forward, and felt the faint resistance of skin giving way. The edge of my strike carved a shallow groove through his abs, drawing blood but not breaching deeper. Lucas grunted. Not in pain, but irritation.

  Kanglim’s heel came from the side. I turned just enough to soften it, but the blow still caught my jaw and rattled my teeth. My world tilted. If not for my Aikido, I’d have blacked out.

  Odina fired again. Her lightsteel arrow glimmered across the cavern like a comet, aimed straight for Kanglim’s thigh. He pulled back at the last instant. The shot clipped Lucas instead. The arrow buried halfway into his neck before stopping, caught by muscle as dense as armor. He reinforced even that.

  Caleb couldn’t have matched that endurance.

  I pulled back my bloodied hand as Lucas’s wound sealed itself before my eyes. Skin crawled back into place as if rewinding time.

  “This ends now!” I shouted, voice echoing through the stone.

  I raised my arms in an X. Kaiguya understood immediately and took a step back.

  Kanglim’s foot shot out before I could follow through. His side kick crashed into my ribs like a sledgehammer, lifting me off the ground. The impact tore the breath from my lungs, and I skidded to a stop near Alexander. My ribs cracked. Something had definitely given way.

  I’m getting shredded out here. Lucas’s Blessed Body and Surge... whatever Kanglim did to gain that strength... it felt inhuman.

  They were forcing me to dig deep. To the kind of place you only reach when death comes hollering.

  Odina called out, “You alright?!”

  “I’m fine. Stay back!” I barked, louder than I meant to.

  Kaiguya joined me again, panting, sweat and blood streaking down his cheek.

  I leaned close and whispered, “We’re doing that.”

  His eyes widened. “That? You only said that was a last resort.”

  Kanglim kicked a loose rock at us. A lazy test. I tilted my head and let it whistle past.

  Lucas surged forward, arm cocked back for a straight. The air cracked around his fist.

  Kaiguya lifted both hands in surrendering mockery. “We’re doing it now, I guess!”

  Lucas snarled, “Whatever you’re planning won’t save you!”

  The punch came, fast enough to blur. Kaiguya caught it, and his hand broke on contact. The snap echoed, but he didn’t let go. With a shout, he twisted, using the momentum to hurl Lucas to the ground. The impact was brutal. Dust exploded outward.

  Kaiguya followed through, raining blows, but Lucas’s body absorbed them without a wince. Barely even made bruises. Kanglim stayed back, calm, confident. He trusted Lucas to recover and end us.

  I centered my stance and formed my spear hand. My fingers aligned into a blade. My arm straightened, down, right above Lucas' heart.

  Then I reinforced it.

  This was it, the apex of my art. Every muscle ache, every repetition, every hour in pain had built to this single strike. My hand, hardened by years of punishment, could channel force without tearing itself apart. With Caleb's wisdom, it took only two and a half months.

  Reinforced Fist made the arm stiff and unyielding. Most practitioners couldn’t even move it at half speed. I had to get creative to do anything with it. The trick lays in the shoulder.

  I rolled it forward. One motion.

  Piercing Hand x Reinforced Fist: Axiom Split.

  The spear hand pierced clean through Lucas’s chest. His body arched, eyes wide in realization, before falling still.

  Lucas. Even though what you did was downright abhorrent and nonsensical, I can't help but feel some sort of blame. If we never met, this wouldn't have happened. I forgive you.

  I can only hope the Hatchahuk forgive you as well.