"Move left—no, your other left!"
Aiden's voice cut through the courtyard as his foot slammed into the concrete. Crack! Cracks spiderwebbed out from the impact point, dust exploding upward in a small cloud. He pivoted hard, qi surging through his meridians as he redirected momentum, and launched himself at the blue-armored figure standing between him and his brother.
Number One's Gatling arm tracked the movement with mechanical precision, the barrel rotating with a high-pitched whirrrr that made Aiden's teeth ache. The robot adjusted its stance in microseconds, hard-light shield snapping up to intercept while its free hand reached for the blade at its hip.
Aiden was already moving again.
He hit the ground in a roll, concrete fragmenting beneath him—crunch, crunch—as his cultivation-enhanced strength punched through the surface like it was cardboard. The Gatling spun to follow but he was faster, Phantom Step carrying him three meters to the right in the span of a heartbeat.
