Elara anticipated the level change. She didn't sprawl traditionally. Instead, as Thorne dove,
she stepped off the centerline. She caught the back of his neck with her left hand, guiding
his momentum downward, while her right knee came up in a brutal, intercepting strike.
The knee met Thorne's face as he was shooting in. The impact halted his forward motion
instantly. He crumpled to the mat, clutching his broken nose, groaning in agony. He hadn't
even touched her legs. Total time elapsed: eighteen seconds.
Bull roared. Seeing his two friends laid out in under twenty seconds shattered his
arrogance, replacing it with blind rage. He charged like a rhinoceros, throwing a wild,
looping haymaker that held enough power to knock out a horse.
Elara remained icy. She waited until the very last millisecond. As the massive fist swung