Combined-energy punches surged from my palm. Penetrating the shell around me with ease, they slammed into the newly fortified training dome wall and disappeared. I lowered the shell, pushed out of Kristoffe’s arms, and went to inspect the point of impact.

Not bad. No melting, no drops of goo.

“Satisfied?” he asked.

The smirk in his tone matched the one I found on his face when I turned to answer him. “That depends. Is the impact clean becau...