The Bashe was heading toward the chosen pillar's base when the wolverine appeared above her without prior warning.
It hadn't emerged from the tower's base as Liora had expected but from a considerably higher elevated point, using the shadow cast by the pillar itself to transport instantly from its hidden position underground to an optimal location for intercepting the descending serpent.
What one moment was empty air… The next moment, a solid beast.
No transition nor telegraphing. Just instant repositioning that changed Liora's entire strategic model of how this battlefield worked.
The realization hit her.
This had been a trap from the beginning.
The wolverine had never truly been restricted to moving only through the earth pillars as she'd assumed. Her entire tactical framework had been built on a false premise, sand instead of stone.
It could use any shadow cast by the massive structures to jump freely around the three-dimensional field Ren had created.
