Above them, Xander, Lucian, Cassius, and Edmund descended rapidly along the rock faces.
The remaining contestants had either been eliminated by security purges or were holding positions in the upper tiers to lock in their smaller scores.
Xander moved like a falling drop of ink, leaping from shadow to shadow with frightening speed.
Instead of targeting the sentinels guarding the descent paths, he was using his shadow blades to strike the environmental control switches on the canyon walls, locking down the path behind him to slow down Lucian and Cassius.
"Tsk. Annoying," Cassius roared as a heavy iron blast door slammed down in front of his path.
Without slowing, Cassius slammed his fist into the center of the door.
BOOM!
The reinforced metal buckled inward, tearing off its hinges. Cassius charged through the dust, but the delay had cost him vital seconds.
