The air in the plaza didn't just vibrate; it felt like it was being shredded by the sheer force of the clash. The tension was no longer a psychological weight; it was a physical pressure that made the very molecules of oxygen feel heavy and jagged.
Apollo stared at his hands, then at the armor Rex wore. The realization hit him like a physical blow.
The entropy reversal, the passive, radiating aura of his designation, hadn't just been healing Kaelira. It had been working on the enemy.
"Your designation's entropy reversal," Rex called out, his voice booming with a mocking, predatory clarity. "The cracks from Calivara's working, the shattered plates from Kaelira's cascade... they didn't just stay broken."
"You've been repairing my armor for the last forty seconds without even trying."
Apollo blinked, the weight of the absurdity hitting him.
"You're welcome," he grunted, the words sounding ridiculous even to his own ears.
