Nebula realized too late. Every teleport, every flicker of his blade field—it was being traced. Cain wasn't chasing his movements, he was predicting them. He anticipated the next shift in coordinates and struck through it, catching Nebula mid-switch.
The result was catastrophic. Nebula's torso erupted in a spray of blood and shards of broken armor, and for a moment his body flickered like unstable light. He staggered back, clutching his side, and Cain could see it—the hesitation, the first crack in his composure.
But victory didn't come easy. Nebula's eyes glowed, fury and exhilaration twisting his features. "You really think you've figured me out?" he hissed.
Cain's only response was a grim, silent glare.
