The terminal descent of the Apex Soulless tore through the freezing mountain sky like a silver lightning bolt. Kiana's entire being was focused into a singular point of void execution, aiming both void needles directly at Sagiri's heart.
High on Zaira's crest, N'varu screamed in desperate warning, her hand reaching out across the frozen void. But the vacuum created by Kiana's void acceleration swallowed all sound, warping the space above the chasm into a silent, terrifying blur.
Sagiri did not raise Nokai to parry, nor did he command his twenty floating blades to form a defensive wall. He stood immovable upon the suspended platform of dark steel, planting his boots firmly as his crimson eyes met her unblinking gaze.
He knew that continuing the duel would waste the precious minutes Lira had left on the canyon floor below. The only way to save both the dying girl and free Kiana from her dark neural chains was to stake his own flesh on a single, irreversible strike.
