Kikaru hit Warden Vance inside the steam.
Elias saw only pieces of it. A gold flash. A black armored shoulder turning too late. The gauntlet discharge that had been aimed at Goji's cell punched into the ceiling instead and blew a line of panels apart.
Glass alarms screamed down the high security wing.
Vance staggered one step, which was more than Elias expected from a man in plated Warden armor. Kikaru stayed inside his reach and drove both wrapped fists into the side of his helmet. The strikes rang against the metal with brutal speed.
[SYSTEM ALERT. COMBAT DIRECTIVE.] Time remaining 03:31. Task is to defeat one shard user. Penalty pending is one random stat halved permanently.
The system had accepted him, which gave Kikaru a chance and left everyone else with a new problem.
