Zenith planted his foot firmly into the ground, gripping his sword with both hands. His eyes never left Cairne for a moment, and his heart beat to a unique rhythm… not out of fear, but excitement. He felt that this opponent was different someone worthy of unleashing everything he had.
Cairne smiled again that confident, wicked smile, as if he knew something no one else did. Then he spoke in a calm but assured voice:
"You're hiding a lot… but I'll tear it out of you."
Zenith replied without changing his tone: "If you think you'll beat me… you're delusional."
Then it happened.
All at once, as if something exploded beneath his feet, a sudden shockwave burst out from him, pushing dust and gravel in a circle around him. The air crackled with electricity, the hair in the wind standing on end from the tension, and from his body surged a dark gray light like flame wrapping around his limbs and slowly rising from his shoulders.
