Xzina retracts her severely damaged tails, giving them time to heal. Her fingers grow claws that pierce through her armor, glowing brightly with a purple hue.
She crosses her arms defensively, "This is what ended your wife and her little charade. Let's see if you fare any better! Dance for me!" she taunts as she charges towards Kayn.
"Perfect forces!" Kayn unleashes an attack, manipulating the element zero around Xzina to strike her with piercing pillars. He jumps back, creating distance between them.
"Disturb!" she commands, and her Ianite glow negates control of the surrounding element zero from other Ianites.
"I WILL HACK AND CHOP AND CLEAVE, TILL I SUNDER ALL THAT YOU ARE!" Xzina unleashes a flurry of continuous invisible slashes all around her.
However, Kayn has set his preparations. He has created enough distance to dodge most of the slashes.
He also lifts multiple small pillars of element zero between him and Xzina, positioning them outside her disturbance zone. Observing the shape and impact of the slashes on the pillars gives him information about the size and trajectory of each slash heading his way, allowing him to dodge the ones necessary with precision.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH," she screeches, her eyes glowing purple as she increases the output and rate of her attacks.
Yet Kayn continues to dodge every single one with mere atoms of space to spare. It is an insane display of focus and accuracy that leave the audience in awe.
Slash!
But alas, a slash manages to land on one of Kayn's legs!
I got hit from the side! She sent a spinning slash that came from a different angle! This one came at me from a different direction, curving in an arc to reach me. Hence, it didn't go through any of my pillars, and I couldn't detect it!
He deduces promptly.
She has never displayed such a technique before. She got better.
"This trick was inspired by your wife!" Not a moment later, he finds Xzina in front of him, attempting to rile him up.
"Aha! No wonder I was impressed. Of course, it was my wife!"
"Raaaaah!" They begin another exchange of combat, where the Calamity seems to be winning, landing several good blows.
The new boost in performance and confidence the Calamity exudes — what is its source?
It hit her when she saw him smiling. The answer she had been searching for was discovered and clear.
Why did he raise his hand before the antimatter reached him? Had he not done that, the orb would have hit her from the back, and she would have never known about it, ending the battle then and there.
She knows now . . . he will not kill his brother, so he is the one in a predicament with no win condition, while she has a clear one: reach the Nexus and get through Kayn, whether he is dead or alive.
Slash!
Kayn recovers his leg but loses his arm. Xzina ensures he is always missing a limb before he can fully recover, maintaining her advantage in hand-to-hand combat.
Kayn cannot use perfect forces to help him as the obstruction is still active. However, he cannot use it as long as what he controls is pure element zero.
So . . . a thought crosses his mind . . .
Use perfect forces to lift chunks of element zero outside her technique's range, turn them into solid hard matter, and shape them into spears.
He can launch these spears with great force from outside the area. Even if they enter her obstruction zone, momentum will preserve their trajectory, and they will continue to travel at high speed toward her.
But . . . they are moving a lot in their exchange, and it might hit him since she will not give him space . . .
Also, there has to be a more efficient solution . . . 💡
. . .
Huh?
Smack!
What?!
Smack!
Momentum is returning to Kayn . . . but how? My body . . . some actions are not commands I'm issuing!!!
Xzina's body is moving without her commanding it to move in that way, if at all.
What is happening?! If this keeps up — !
Kayn gains enough ground to have all his limbs back again and continues to overwhelm Xzina.
"Courtesy of my favorite niece's technique. I picked up a thing or two from all the time we spent training together. Thanks for the idea, Calamity," Kayn taunts.
Fourth Chemistry Technique: Doll Fight
During their exchanges, Kayn will sometimes emit an electrical discharge. He cannot make it as powerful as Sharara's, but he can make it significant enough to affect the body's muscles if it runs through them. Having studied the human body from Adora, he knows when, where, and how to conduct his technique in combat to give him the edge over his enemy.
Xzina feels like a helpless doll with strings of electric signals controlling her.
"AAAAAAHHH!," she screams in frustration, releasing her tails again, now swiftly healed, and encapsulating Kayn as he lands a hit on her, trapping him inside a sphere of her tails.
. . .
First Chemistry Technique: Last Breath
Puff!
A gas releases within the sphere, made from the element zero stored within the Alpha Ianite. It is one of the most toxic gases ever discovered. Merely inhaling the smallest amount will lead to instant collapse. It is as effective, no, even more effective than cutting off someone's head.
However, Habil's specially designed armor provides protection against all his own chemical attacks in case he ever had to do something like what Xzina just did.
. . .
Xzina's tails bloom out . . .
. . .
. . . with her alone in there.
"Tch . . . brat," she mutters, looking at Kayn, who is a good distance away.
"Phew, close call, huh—"
Oomph!
Kayn lands a devastating punch on her abdomen, crushing her armor as well.
. . . damn it . . . he reached it . . . Flow . . . and he has unlocked his most annoying technique.
What Kayn accomplishes isn't merely speed . . . no, this goes beyond such a concept.
. . . in this reality, there are few who can teleport. They can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and every single one of them uses wormholes. Pulling off such a feat is no easy task, and all of them have drawbacks.
Mother of Mercy: she has no control over her wormholes; they do as they please.
Sheehan and Zahtan: they had to prepare a very elaborate plan with long preparation, constructing a full AI and storing large amounts of energy to pull it off.
Hollow Knight: he can only go through blue flames, with some restrictions.
Tooney: he can do it only over short distances and it needs to have a comedic effect.
Kayn, on the other hand . . . he is something else . . . in Flow . . . he unlocks his technique.
Forbidden Abstract Technique: Discreet and Continuous