The moment she laid eyes on the beam, Rashka dove to the side.
However, she wasn't fast enough as part of the beam slammed into her shoulder, the grazing contact enough to detonate against her armor and send her tumbling sideways across the arena floor.
She rolled with it, converting the momentum to come back to her feet with her shield already rising to cover her head.
But she'd already miscalculated, Lukas wasn't in the air above her anymore.
He'd already landed while she'd been sent flying, and now his foot slammed into her back before she could even realize he was behind her, the kick sending her forward and off her feet again.
She was airborne when he fired at her.
The beam tore through the gauntlet, heading straight for her exposed back.
This was the biggest opening he'd seen since the start of the fight.
Then it curved.
Lukas watched it happen with his eyes widening as the beam bent to the side, as if guided by an unseen hand.
