Jin's plan was a digital heist of the highest order.
He needed to physically connect the Vanguard slate to the clan's main server, a machine housed in the most secure level of the stronghold, and then run his decryption program under the guise of a routine diagnostic.
The slightest anomaly in the server's energy consumption or data flow would trigger alarms and bring the clan's elite guard down on them in seconds.
"I need a window," Jin said, his voice a low, nervous hum.
"At least one hour. And I need a major distraction. Something that will draw the attention of the security-monitoring AIs and the guards on duty. A significant, clan-sanctioned energy spike."
Kiera's eyes hardened.
She knew what she had to do. There was only one event in the stronghold that would create the kind of energy spike Jin needed: a high-level duel in the main training arena.
Her target was a warrior named Valerius.
He was her contemporary, her rival, and a man who had made no secret of his disdain for her. Valerius was a purist, a warrior who believed that power and lineage were everything.
He had been openly critical of her 'assignment' to the Outer Sector, viewing it as a stain on the clan's honor.
A formal challenge from her would be an irresistible opportunity for him to publicly humiliate her and prove his own superiority.
It was a terrifying risk.
Kiera's power was diminished.
A duel with a warrior of Valerius's caliber would be difficult even at her full strength.
In her current state, it was borderline suicidal.
But it was their only chance.
She found Valerius in the warriors' mess hall.
She strode up to his table and, in a voice that carried through the entire hall, issued a formal challenge.
"Valerius of the Azure Dragons. I challenge you to a duel of honor. Arena. One hour."
A hush fell over the hall.
Valerius looked up, a slow, arrogant smile spreading across his face.
"Kiera? Back from the gutter, are we? And you want to challenge me? Have you forgotten your place?" He stood up, puffing out his chest.
"I accept. It will be my pleasure to remind you what a true Dragon warrior looks like."
News of the duel spread through the stronghold like wildfire.
It was more than a simple spar; it was a political statement. The return of a shamed warrior challenging an arrogant purist.
The arena was soon filled with spectators, their combined ChainForce energy creating the exact kind of chaotic noise Jin needed to mask his digital intrusion.
As Kiera stepped into the arena, clad in her traditional blue and silver training gear, she felt a wave of doubt.
The diminished fire of her ChainForce felt pitifully small in the face of the roaring furnace of Valerius's power.
But then, she felt the echo. Ryu, watching from a hidden observation deck with Joric, reached out through their link.
He didn't send power.
He sent calm.
He sent the feeling of the 'center,' the eye of the storm.
He was her anchor.
Kiera took a deep breath, her focus sharpening. She could not win this fight with power.
She had to win it with skill. With intelligence.
With the lessons she had learned not in the pristine arenas of the Core, but in the dirty, brutal reality of the Outer Sector.
The duel began. Valerius, confident and powerful, charged.
Kiera, calm and centered, stood her ground, her blade ready. She was no longer just fighting for her honor.
She was fighting for time.