A final downward elbow shattered through Braggen's vine-guard, slamming into his shoulder with a sickening crack. The man grunted, staggered and for the first time looked genuinely pressed.
Braggen's jaw tightened. "I admit I underestimated you… You are strong…"
Then his tone dropped, calm but laced with menace.
"…But I've been hiding mine."
The green aura around him suddenly condensed, the gentle shimmer of Hope twisting into something denser, darker almost black. The vines shrank into his skin before exploding outward in jagged, thorn-covered tendrils. The air shifted, heavy with the scent of iron and earth, as though the courtyard had been dragged into some deep, ancient forest where predators ruled.
Solen's gaze sharpened. "Hoh… Bloom Affinity, evolving. This isn't healing—it's predation."
Braggen raised his hand, the black thorns writhing like living blades. "Echo Art Bloom: Predator's Embrace."
