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