The silence after Koyuki hit the floor didn't last more than a breath.
Kyle didn't waste it.
If she wanted to play with displacement bursts and micro-thrusters, fine. But right now she was on her back, off-balance, and for the first time her eyes weren't tracking him like a problem to solve—they were calculating damage.
That was enough.
He dropped his weight, driving his knee down toward her sternum. No fancy footwork, no feint. Just pure, committed force. Demons didn't get faster than generals. They got heavier. Harder.
[She's resetting her stance!] Snow barked in his head. [Left cuff at 90% output. She's going to vent—]
Too late.
Koyuki's teal-glowing cuff flared.
Bang.
The air under her back detonated outward in a silent pulse. Kyle's knee missed by a hair as Koyuki's body slid sideways, propelled by the burst like she'd been shot from a railgun. She rolled once, came up on her feet, and was already moving before Kyle could adjust.
