He drew the blade, let the surge creep just along the edge. The nearest attacker darted forward, fast, but sloppy in form.
Lucen stepped to the side, blade snapping out in a short arc. The hum of the surge cut through the man's weapon like wet paper.
The second was already coming in. Lucen twisted, low sweep with the blade, mana flared, and the attacker's leg buckled under the impact.
The third tried a lunge from behind. Lucen felt the system's sync click, like his body moved half a second before his mind caught up.
He spun, elbow striking back, catching the man under the chin, then brought the flat of the sword across his temple.
All three hit the ground in the space of a breath.
The system pinged again.
[Hybrid Combat Logged | Form Efficiency: +7% | Neural Sync Speed: +0.2]
Lucen grinned. "Now we're talking."
—
He glanced toward the warehouse doors. They were slightly ajar, and from inside came a faint pulse of red light.
