The collision was deafening.
Kai and Sylas met in the center of the arena like two storms crossing paths. Stone ruptured beneath their feet, shards and dust spraying outward in a shockwave. For an instant, their silhouettes blurred into a single violent clash, and then Sylas's bulk broke through. He had channeled mana into his horns and claws, his beastly frame glowing faintly with that molten amber light. His right claw, tipped with jagged bone, caught Kai full across the chest.
The strike cracked the air like a cannon.
Kai was hurled backward, his body slamming into the arena wall with such force that runes etched along the stone flared defensively to keep the structure from collapsing. Dust exploded outward in a choking veil, debris raining down in dull clatters. The watching students reeled at the impact, hands shielding their faces from grit carried by the blast.
