His mind raced, analyzing, adapting. Tier 3 was the highest Vitae level he'd unlocked barely a week of integration, barely enough time to understand what he could do. Against Leia's practiced Tier 2 mastery, he was outclassed in raw power and infinitely outmatched in technique.
This wasn't a fair fight. He'd known that going in. But fair and winnable weren't the same thing.
He had advantages she didn't. A combination of abilities that shouldn't exist in one person. Super strength. Enhanced speed. And the crown jewel, the most powerful abilities of all: Vitae Weaving, the ability to construct anything he could imagine from pure energy.
He couldn't win by overpowering her. But maybe just maybe he could exhaust her. Frustrate her. Force her to make a mistake.
Zaeryn focused, drawing on his Vitae Weaving. Golden light coalesced in his hand, swirling and solidifying into his preferred construct: a short sword, glowing with contained power, its edges sharp enough to cut reality itself.
