Back at Legendor.
*Swish!*
The restaurant turned into a battlefield before most patrons could process what was happening.
Nero's hand moved.
Not dramatically. Not with flashy buildup.
Just moved, fingers snapping through precise gestures while his voice carried casual authority that made spellcasting sound like ordering coffee.
"Water: Lash."
*CRACK!*
Liquid materialized from atmospheric moisture and slammed into the nearest bandit's weapon arm with enough force to shatter bone, the compressed water whip moving faster than steel and hitting harder than physics should allow for something technically fluid.
The bandit screamed.
Dropped his blade.
Didn't get a second chance to reconsider his life choices because Nero's follow-up gesture sent crystallized ice shards through the air like throwing knives that knew exactly where vital pressure points lived.
*Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.*
Three more collapsed.
