Nyx compressed space and shoved Luna sideways.
The blade carved through her side instead, and Nyx hit the arena floor with blood spreading beneath her.
"No! Why?! I have the shield card on me, I would've survived!" Luna cried out in alarm, watching Nyx crumple with blood sheeting from the wound in her side.
Nyx smiled at her, coughing up blood. "The next hit, yes. But what about the second? A thing like that could land a dozen killing blows a second after it gets you..."
"FUCK!" Luna's scream tore through the arena, anger so raw it cracked her voice.
The Stalker lunged.
...
On the last pane, Scarlet's arena was on fire.
The Flame Monarch had been building pressure since breaking free from Ensnare, and everything she'd held back was pouring out at once. The arena floor was molten in a widening circle around her, heat warping the air so badly the viewing pane couldn't render a steady image.
