At Band VI, Vikram was no longer just a user of the shadow; he was the shadow.
He didn't need to fold the light around himself. He stepped forward, and his body dissolved into a cloud of dark photons, appearing instantly in front of Devendra.
Devendra threw a gravity well, but Vikram slipped through it like water, the spatial distortion passing through his smoky body without effect.
He materialized on Devendra's right, throwing a powerful left hook. The strike was enhanced by the raw energy of the Core itself, hitting Devendra with enough force to crack his corporate armor.
Devendra stumbled back, his black eyes wide with shock. "How? How are you doing this without burning?"
"Because I'm not fighting the energy," Vikram said, his voice echoing in the chamber. "I'm letting it flow."
He moved again, a flash of silver-grey light. *Right cross, left hook, body blow.*
Every punch shattered a dark-matter cable on Devendra's back, cutting his connection to the Core. Devendra shrieked as the raw energy of the reactor began to leak, the purple light turning a violent, unstable red.
"You're going to destroy us both!" Devendra screamed, trying to grab Vikram's arms.