Javed's blade cut through the empty air.
Suddenly, a fist materialized from the black void, driving straight into Javed's jaw. The strike was enhanced by both bio-electric Prana and compressed Chaya, hitting with the kinetic force of a sledgehammer.
Javed stumbled back, his visor cracking.
Before he could recover, Vikram materialized on his left. *Jab, hook, cross.*
Every punch was a flash of silver-grey light in the absolute darkness. Vikram was moving at Band V—the Eclipse band. He wasn't just folding shadows; he was manipulating the spatial refractive index around his body, moving faster than the human eye could track.
Javed shrieked, swinging his blade in a desperate circle, but Vikram slipped under the strike easily.
"You've become... a Chayakar," Javed gasped, his breath misting heavily as he tried to rebuild his shadow shield.
"This is the power you stole, Javed," Vikram's voice seemed to come from every corner of the dark plaza. "But it doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the city."
Vikram gathered his energy, his hands glowing with a blinding, purple-black light. He took a classic boxer's stance, his feet planted on the frozen stone. He was ready for the final combination.