The white-robed Gnome met Grey's opening strike with equal force.
The impact sent a shockwave rolling outward in every direction. Neither fighter paused. A second exchange followed immediately, then a third. Within seconds the two had traded more than a hundred blows, elemental energy colliding in rapid, violent bursts that scarred the air around them.
At the start of the clash the Gnome had been confident. He was a Peak Sovereign. Even without his puppet he should have been able to overpower a Ninth stage opponent with relative ease. After only a handful of exchanges that confidence began to crack. He could still sense that his raw power exceeded Grey's, yet the difference was nowhere near as overwhelming as he had expected.
How is this possible?
The thought repeated itself with every blocked strike. A Ninth stage Sovereign matching a Peak Sovereign blow for blow was something he had never imagined, let alone witnessed.
