She was faster than he had expected.
Not surprising, exactly. Someone who operated in the Allheaven Expanse at a level where the entry threshold was relevant, who carried the Seven Star Immortal Conversion Halo and had the patience to wait two days above a volcanic basin watching for someone capable enough to clear it for her, was not operating on speed she had been born with.
That speed was built. Refined. The product of investment and time and the specific discipline of someone who understood that raw capability without development was the same as a sharp blade left in the rain.
She crossed the space between them in a burst that covered the distance before the conversation's final exchange had fully settled, the flying sword angling into a trajectory that combined traversal momentum with combat intent in a single committed motion.
He met it.
