Lilithra absorbed Anthony's words, the advice to abandon every theory, every assumption, and every preconceived thought she held about him.
She listened as he spoke of only engaging his opponents at a level that matched their own.
The meaning was clear, until now, he had merely mirrored her capabilities, never exceeding them.
But, Lilithra neither doubted nor mocked his declaration. No, she received it with cold seriousness.
A sovereign of battle, honed by countless lifetimes of experience, she could sense it in every fiber of her being: the youth before her was not jesting.
Without hesitation, she shifted into a battle stance, her voice sharp and lethal.
"Come."
One word, and that was all Anthony required.
He vanished forward, his form blurring, space itself fracturing beneath the absurd velocity of his advance. His right leg streaked upward toward Lilithra's jaw, swift and devastating, like a star collapsing into itself.
