Nigel staggered back a few steps as the chamber trembled with divine energy. The spear-wielder lunged, his thrust a blur of silver light.
The blade-wielder circled in from the side, cutting arcs of radiant mana meant to slice through Nigel's defenses like paper.
For a few moments, Nigel felt overwhelmed—his body wasn't built for this scale of combat. Every strike cracked against his bones, every dodge left his lungs burning.
But then… something shifted.
The system's pulse resonated in his chest, its hum spreading through his veins like a second heartbeat.
When the spear thrust came again, Nigel didn't retreat. He twisted, caught the shaft with his bare hand, and with a surge of foreign yet strangely familiar energy, redirected it.
The attacker's eyes widened as the weapon was flung off course, crashing into the wall with explosive force.
"Impossible! You shouldn't even understand how to move against us!"
The spear-wielder barked, stumbling back.
