Shame And Humility

Just like Lexi, Zach had no intentions of holding back, and he ran as fast as he could when he tried to cut the distance. But he ran in a straight line when doing so. Even if he raised barriers in front of himself to defend against anything Lexi might throw at him, that didn't change the predictability of his trajectory.

The barriers he put up were also only in front of him.

They stopped the human-sized fireball she conjured and threw at him. They protected him against the heat and the flames. Unfortunately, the barriers couldn't do anything about the spell obscuring his vision with its end.

Right when the flames faded, another Strike struck Zach square in his chest. He was prepared for it to a certain degree, so he wasn't sent flying. But he stumbled backward.

Lexi had not moved even half a step.