The crimson qi that wrapped her body ignited into a shifting lotus of flame. Fire bloomed across her shoulders, trailed her limbs like petals caught in the wind, spiraling around her wrists and ankles in mesmerizing arcs.
"Form I: Ember Bloom."
The world paused.
Then Serika moved.
She surged forward in a blink, her body becoming a crimson blur. Her palm sliced the air, fingers flicking toward Quinlan like embers cracking off a raging bonfire.
The first jab came fast. Far too fast. Quinlan barely tilted his chin aside before the strike exploded mid-air, the detonation disrupting his rhythm.
He blocked the second strike with his forearm, but it combusted on contact, blasting his arm wide open.
A third palm smashed into his chest, landing a clean hit. Fire detonated against his ribs, and Quinlan was blown off his feet, flying across the arena before flipping upright.