Lukas surged forward an instant before the beam fired.
But it seemed like this time, the scorpion had learnt from his earlier maneuver.
As he surged forward, the tail tracked him instead of staying in place.
The glowing tip angled downwards, following his approach, adjusting to cut off the slide before he could execute it.
He saw it happening and changed his plan in the half second he had available.
Instead of going under, he went closer.
He closed the remaining distance in a single burst, and just as the stinger discharged, his palm slapped down on the top of the tail, driving it towards the ground.
The beam hit the scorpion's own back.
The explosion was instant, creating a concentrated burst of heat that rolled out from the point of impact, the force of it pushing against Lukas even at close range.
He felt the heat across his chest and arms, but before it could cause any damage, [Dread Cuirass] activated.
