Don held her gaze for a fraction longer.
Then moved.
Fast.
His arms spread outward in a sharp motion, shoulders rolling as his stance shifted forward. In the same breath, he snapped his palms together in her direction—
WHUMPH—!
A compressed burst of air detonated outward, the force ripping through the space between them in a focused wave.
Debris still falling from the earlier explosion was caught in it instantly—metal fragments, ash, dust—all driven forward in a violent surge.
The woman didn't dodge.
Didn't shift.
Her head tilted slightly—
Then her hair moved.
It whipped forward in a sudden sweep, strands bunching together into a dense mass that met the incoming force head-on. The impact hit—
THOOM—!
The air burst broke apart against it, splitting and dispersing around her frame as though striking a solid barrier. The force still carried through, dragging her backward several meters in the air, her body sliding with it—
But it didn't reach her.
Not fully.
