[OXI: 2,423 / 2,500]
I check the number once and close the HUD.
Against Kellan, I stepped in to teach a lesson.
Against Veric, that would be stupidity. He isn't just strong. He's intelligent, patient, and irritatingly good at turning a defense into a question. Undertow isn't a shield that only stops blows. It's a problem chained to his arm, and Veric uses problems better than almost anyone I know.
Freya stands between us long enough to confirm the arena's edge and the Nomine Gladiatus glow around it. She still looks tired, but her eyes are clear. After losing to Zhang Xi, something in her shifted. Not smaller. Sharper.
"Begin."
I concentrate OXI in my legs before the word finishes dying.
The ground answers under my feet with a dry crack. I push in low, not announcing the angle with my shoulder, and let Eventide rise from below. I don't aim for the chest. I don't aim for the throat. I aim for Veric's left knee, where a noble leg and a common one obey the same rules.
