Nero's body followed.
Three attacks.
Four.
Five.
The battlefield became a storm of black flashes.
Yet Nero's movements were different now.
He wasn't desperately trying to keep up.
He was learning.
Every failed attack taught him something.
Every blocked strike showed him where his control was inefficient.
Every movement of the clone revealed another possibility.
Gradually—
The gap began to narrow.
Not because Nero had suddenly become stronger.
Because he had stopped wasting what he already possessed.
The clone disappeared.
Nero's eyes tracked her.
She appeared directly before him.
Her fist came forward.
Nero didn't block.
He allowed Darkness to flow around his body.
At the last instant, he shifted.
The fist passed beside him.
Nero's sword appeared beneath her guard.
The clone twisted.
The blade missed.
But Nero smiled.
He had forced her to react.
The battle continued.
And for the first time since entering the black star—
