The air between them didn't just tense; it ignited. For three heartbeats, the entire hall held its breath, a vacuum of silence where the only sound was the distant crackle of torches.
Then, Rex exploded forward.
He didn't rush; he launched. His first strike was a piston-like straight right aimed directly at Aurelia's sternum, designed to wind her before she could react.
Aurelia didn't retreat. Instead, she pivoted on the ball of her left foot, her body spinning with the grace of a dancer and the lethal intent of a viper.
Rex's fist cut through empty air with a vicious whoosh, and in that same microsecond, Aurelia unleashed a roundhouse kick aimed at his temple.
WHIP CRACK.
Rex ducked, the wind of her shin passing inches above his scalp. He immediately drove his shoulder into her midsection, attempting to drive her backward, but Aurelia was like water; she flowed around his impact.
