Vale Rae POV
The battle had been raging for what felt like hours.
Vale's chest rose and fell heavily.
His body was marked with deep cuts and bruises, and several of them carried a faint green shimmer where poison had entered his bloodstream.
The venom was slowing his movements, and though his regeneration fought against it, it wasn't enough to completely clear it away.
He tightened his grip on his sword and swung hard.
The clash of metal echoed across the broken battlefield, and the force of it made Catherine's feet skid back across the stone.
She slid several paces before steadying herself.
"Stop hiding! Fight with your real body!" Vale shouted.
His eyes darted around.
He couldn't understand how Catherine was keeping up with him.
The gulf between them should have been insurmountable.
He was an Apex-rank species, his stats higher by a margin that couldn't simply be bridged by skill alone.
But somehow, she wasn't being overwhelmed.
Was she an Apex too?
