Javed's eyes burned with a desperate, red fury.
"Devendra promised me!" Javed screamed, his voice cracking. "He promised me the Core's stabilization! I was supposed to be the master of the shadow! I won't let a boy take it from me!"
He gathered all his remaining Chaya, his body becoming a mass of shifting, jagged shadow spikes. He raised his shadow blade with both hands, the dark energy expanding until the blade was six feet long, warping the air around it.
He lunged forward, throwing a massive, overhead strike. The blade came down with a screech of tearing space, aimed directly at Vikram's skull.
Vikram didn't move. He stood still, his eyes locked on the oncoming blade.
*Slip.*
At the very last millisecond, Vikram shifted his weight to the right. The massive shadow blade grazed his shoulder, cutting his jacket, but the main force struck the stone step, shattering the basalt into a cloud of frozen dust.
Javed's momentum carried him forward, his defense completely open.
"My turn," Vikram whispered.