Gideon wore a calm little smile. Zelraka would clearly be more than a fight about limits or who's attack was stronger like Rajaka or Nexus. 

Yet the fused Sage wasn't patient either, and so made a play even a second before Zelraka had finished postulating on his abilities. He flickered an inch forward on the platform he stood on, slashed it and flickered backward again, letting the half behind him gravitate and be pushed back on its own by the chaos all around. 

Gideon solidified an exact replica of his body out of sand a quarter of an inch in front of him. He fell backward into the space between the bisected platform, leaving the material clone behind and swooping back up over the rising battlefield, navigating around the space without air. 

[color=B0C4DE][b]"Five thousand blades"[/b][/color]

The granules that made up the clone sharpened into razors, ready to shred and tear their way into Zelraka's barrier, flesh and bones upon contact. Gideon produced a single foothold's worth of an air-based platform and kicked off back down to another section of what was once the tower. He pivoted on the ball of his foot once he landed, gauntlet forged blade already out again.

Did he know for certain how Zelraka had approached to strike? No.

Was it a pretty damn good guess that he'd been direct? 

[color=B0C4DE][i]'Does Rajaka have a complex about his muscles?'[/i][/color]