The blue iron shattered.
Kikaru's fourth strike didn't just crack the barricade; it pulverized the center mass. The Level 2 construct dissolved into a violent spray of blue dust. The remaining kinetic force of her punch blew straight through the gap, slamming into Elias's crossed forearms.
He slid backward across the pristine ceramic tiles, his boots leaving dark rubber streaks. His spine slammed into the heavy reinforced glass of the holding cell behind him. The impact rattled his skull, blurring the clinical white lights overhead.
He dropped his arms.
He didn't pull raw soul energy to his palms. He didn't order Dot to build a weapon. He let his arms hang completely limp at his sides, exposing the massive, bloody tear in his shoulder and the awkward, rigid angle of his fractured ribs.
