Through the crystallized moment of imminent impact, Marcus could only watch as Sebastian's massive grey fist approached with devastating force. Though his perception had slowed to a crawl, making each millisecond feel like an eternity, his body remained frustratingly bound by normal time. The paradox was maddening – able to see his doom approaching in excruciating detail, yet powerless to avoid it.
The impact, when it finally came, was like being struck by a meteor. The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed across the battlefield with a sickening thud, and Marcus's world became a blur of motion and pain. His body cartwheeled through the air before striking the ground hard, bouncing and rolling several more feet as clouds of dust billowed in his wake.
