Viktor's spear moved like liquid silver.Damon barely got his gauntleted hand up before the celestial bronze punched through his defenses. The weapon sliced across his ribs, drawing a line of fire that made him stumble backward."Too slow." Viktor spun the spear in a perfect arc, the butt end catching Damon across the temple. Stars exploded behind his eyes. "Too predictable."The Iron Strike that had pulverized concrete earlier? Viktor sidestepped it like he was dodging raindrops. His counter-attack sent the spear's point straight toward Damon's heart.Desperation triggered something primal. Damon twisted, caught the spear shaft with both hands, and channeled every ounce of his enhanced strength into snapping it in half.The bronze didn't even bend."Interesting." Viktor's voice held clinical detachment as he drove his knee into Damon's stomach. "You're stronger than the last three. Still pathetically weak, but stronger."Damon hit the ground hard enough to crack the ancient stones be

The attack came six blocks from the Crucible.Damon had just turned into a deserted industrial alley when his enhanced senses picked up the ambush. Twenty heartbeats hiding behind dumpsters, in doorways, on fire escapes. The metallic scent of gun oil mixed with cheap cologne and nervous sweat."Professional," he muttered, impressed despite himself.[HOSTILE COUNT: 20 CONFIRMED.][WEAPON SIGNATURES: MIXED. HANDGUNS, BLADES, BLUNT INSTRUMENTS.][TACTICAL ASSESSMENT: OVERKILL FOR SINGLE TARGET.]"Volkov really doesn't like being told no."The first gunshot came from a rooftop sniper. The bullet sparked off a metal pipe inches from Damon's head, but he was already moving.[COMBAT MODE ACTIVATED.][BATTLE AWARENESS: MAXIMUM.]Time dilated. Every shadow, every reflection, every possible angle of attack mapped itself in his mind like a three-dimensional chess board. The system wasn't just enhancing his physical abilities now – it was turning him into a tactical computer made of flesh and

The next morning hit Damon like a hangover made of regret and adrenaline withdrawal. 6:47 AM. He'd been awake for three hours already, standing at his penthouse window watching the city wake up below. Coffee had gone cold in his hand twice. His reflection in the glass looked haggard despite the system's healing abilities. Twenty men. He'd hospitalized twenty professional killers without breaking a sweat, then walked away like it was just another Tuesday night. The old him would've thrown up from the stress alone. This version of himself had enjoyed it. [PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION RECOMMENDED.] "Thanks for the tip, doc." Damon's voice scraped like sandpaper. "Maybe you should've mentioned the side effects before signing me up for this nightmare." [SIDE EFFECTS WERE CLEARLY OUTLINED IN TERMS AND CONDITIONS.] "Eight hundred pages of legal gibberish that I supposedly agreed to in my sleep." [MARCUS AURELIUS BLACKWOOD WAS VERY THOROUGH.] The mysterious text from last

Damon woke up to the taste of copper and the sound of his phone buzzing like an angry wasp.The marble floor had left geometric patterns pressed into his cheek. His body felt like he'd been hit by a truck, then reversed over for good measure. Every muscle ached with a deep, bone-deep exhaustion that sleep hadn't touched.[SYSTEM STATUS: RECOVERING.][CELLULAR REGENERATION: 67% COMPLETE.][ESTIMATED FULL RECOVERY: 4 HOURS, 23 MINUTES.]The phone kept buzzing. Seventeen missed calls from Claire, twelve from numbers he didn't recognize, and one from Kane Blackwood that made his jaw clench automatically.But it was the text messages that caught his attention.Unknown Number: Still planning to meet tonight? Or are you too busy becoming everything you once despised?Another from Claire: I saw the news. Are you okay? Please call me.And one from Adrian that made his blood run cold: Enjoy your last few hours, cousin. Problem solved by midnight."System. Analysis on that last message."[SCAN

The muzzle flash looked like a falling star in the darkness.Damon's enhanced reflexes kicked in before conscious thought could form. He twisted, pulling Claire against his chest as the sniper's bullet carved a line of fire across his shoulder blade.The impact spun them both behind a concrete support pillar. Claire's scream echoed off the warehouse walls like a prayer nobody was listening to."You hit?" Damon's voice came out steadier than he felt. Blood was already soaking through his jacket, warm and sticky against his skin."No, I…" Claire's hands pressed against his back, coming away red. "Oh God, you're bleeding."[REGENERATION ACTIVE. WOUND SEVERITY: MINOR.][ESTIMATED HEALING TIME: 47 SECONDS.]"I'm fine." Already the burning sensation was fading as his enhanced healing worked its magic. "How many exits did you see when you got here?""What? I don't…""Claire." He grabbed her shoulders, forcing eye contact. "How many ways out?"She blinked hard, trying to focus through the fe