Lilithra did not react to Anthony's seemingly arrogant words. She had seen too much, endured too much, to be roused by mere insults. Words were nothing compared to the wars she had waged and the eons she had survived.
Instead, she moved.
This time, her speed eclipsed anything she had displayed before.
One moment, she hovered before him, still as a shadow in the void. The next, she was already upon him, her fist surging forward like the collapse of a dying star, aimed squarely at his forehead.
Anthony's eyes widened, he had barely tracked the movement. It was as if reality itself had skipped a beat. The very galaxy roared in his ears, and in that heartbeat, he knew: if that blow landed, he would die instantly.
He moved without thought, instinct and experience fusing into a single seamless thread. His physical strength and speed spiked to their absolute peak as his own fist shot forward, carrying a force capable of extinguishing the sun.
