Two weapons stared at each other.
One with hollow sockets leaking black residue.
The other with eyes that carried memory, rage, and something dangerously close to breaking.
The wind dragged dust between them. The open hatch behind the creature groaned softly against its hinges. Zero’s injured leg trembled beneath him, nanotech tightening around fractured bone to keep him upright.
For one suspended second, neither moved.
Then it lunged.
It did not roar, nor did it hesitate for a moment.
With a fierce, unbridled fury, it launched itself forward, a whirlwind of claws and sharp edges, crashing into Zero with bone-jarring force. The ground shuddered beneath their weight as they tumbled, the air thick with the scent of earth and sweat.
Just as quickly, the creature’s jagged blade-arm s
