That understanding shattered the last restraints Adam had placed on himself. He had been holding back, fighting like the mortal he used to be instead of the champion he had become. His marks blazed brighter as he stopped trying to control his power and simply let it flow.
His plasma blades flared with intensity that made the golden stones around him smoke. Every fragment of divine strength he had claimed responded to his unleashed will.
He moved.
The difference was immediate and dramatic. Where before he had been fast, now he became something beyond speed, shattering the natural limits orderly gods never could. His first strike drove through Marduk's hastily raised defenses, the god's enhanced reflexes suddenly inadequate to track Adam's movement.
Marduk staggered backwards, golden blood streaming from the line of fire carved across his chest. His eyes went wide with the first real fear he had shown since the battle began. "What are you—"
