"And three!"
The syllable had barely left Octavia's lips before Luger detonated into motion with a-
-BOOM-!
The sand beneath his boots exploded as he launched himself into a sprint while the crimson flames on his greatsword roared to life as he raised the blade for a cleave.
To the crowd, he was a blur of impending red violence.
But to Nico, he was two seconds late.
And just as Luger crossed half the distance -
-THARD-!
The roar of the Divine Browning A5 tore through the enclosed arena like a thunderclap with a cone of VM-infused lead pellets that smashed into Luger's chest with the force of an angry god's fist.
The tempered steel of his armor instantly collapsed straight into his ribcage with a sickening, wet crunch.
The absolute kinetic dump wrenched his torso to a halt, whipping his legs violently upward and lifting his entire body horizontal to the ground for a split second.
