The sand beneath Sable's feet rippled like a living thing, then surged upward, coalescing into a massive serpent that lunged straight at Mia.
The sand serpent blotted out the sky, its momentum thunderous, roaring like a dragon as it tore through the air. The space around it warped and trembled in its wake.
But Mia wasn't backing down. She wasn't some helpless girl anymore. As the serpent came crashing toward her, she didn't dodge—she met it head-on. Her fist shot forward with explosive force.
The air cracked with sonic booms as her punch tore through it, all her power focused into a single devastating point.
BOOM!
Her fist slammed square into the serpent's forehead. The impact was like a needle piercing a mountain—sharp, precise, and overwhelming. A deafening shockwave erupted.
Ripples spread across the serpent's body, starting from its head and rolling all the way to its tail. Then—BANG!—it shattered into a storm of sand, disintegrating in an instant.
