Hela took a step back.
It was the first time she had retreated in this battle.
Not because she was afraid, but because she needed to reassess her opponent.
The woman in the black dress was no ordinary warrior.
Her speed, strength, and combat skills had all exceeded Hela's expectations.
Every movement she made was accurate to the millimeter, every judgment as perfect as if it had been calculated by a computer.
2B's blade struck where Hela had just been standing, piercing through the floor.
The golden stone slabs split under her blade like tofu, the sword sinking into the ground all the way to its hilt.
2B did not pull out her sword. Instead, she drew a dagger from behind her waist and slashed at Hela's neck the instant it cleared its sheath.
Hela blocked with her right arm, and the dagger's edge cut into the skin of her forearm.
What flowed from the wound was not blood, but black energy, rolling through the air like thick smoke.
Hela lowered her head to look at her wound and the black energy spilling from it, then raised her head and looked at 2B.
"You hurt me," Hela said, her voice less hoarse now, carrying a strange tone that was almost appreciative.
"It has been a long time since anyone managed to hurt me."
2B did not answer. Her dagger twisted half a turn in Hela's forearm, trying to widen the wound.
At the same time, her right foot kicked toward Hela's knee. She wanted to force Hela to kneel.
Hela did not kneel.
Her left hand caught 2B's right ankle, black energy surging from her fingertips and wrapping around 2B's lower leg.
The energy tightened, trying to freeze her joints.
In that instant, 2B felt tremendous pressure—not on her bones,