---
Fist and claw met….
Clash!!!!!
The impact did not sound like a punch or a rake. It sounded like two boulders dropped into each other. Air buckled around them in a dull, heavy thump that made nearby banners snap and the dust ring jump.
Pain went white.
Kai's claws tore across Vorak's chest plate, ripping three parallel grooves through scarlet enamel and the first layer of metal beneath. Hot blood splashed his arm in a thin, high arc.
Vorak's good fist crashed into Kai's ribs, just under the heart, in almost the same instant.
Something gave.
Kai felt it as a series of sharp, cracking protests deep in his side, like someone stamping on a basket of twigs.
[Ding! System notification-
HP: 230 → 01.
Aura: 1300 → 240.
Status: critical systemic overload. Apex Plus lattice collapsing.
Emergency protocol: forced skill termination. Host unconscious.
Core integrity: barely stable.]
The world tried to tilt.
