Sword Aura extended from his hands, forming those claw-like projections he'd used against the lycans. He blocked Martinez's daggers, redirected the shield user's charge, deflected arrows with precise swipes.
But he couldn't go on the offensive, use lethal techniques or aim for throats or hearts or anything that would kill.
He was fighting with one hand tied behind his back and they knew it.
"He's holding back," Martinez said between exchanges. "He could've killed me twice already."
"Noted." Kane's eyes never left Aiden. "Continue pressure, wear him down."
They pressed harder, faster. Not trying to kill—trying to exhaust. To break his defense through attrition.
And it was working.
Aiden's qi reserves dropped further. Thirty percent, twenty-five. His movements slowed by fractions, his blocks came a heartbeat later than they should.
