Elise clutched at her chest, her face pale, while Mrs. Lira rushed forward, mana glowing along her hands as she tried to intervene. "Stop them!" she cried, voice cracking against the roar of clashing steel and molten heat.
But even her power seemed hesitant to intrude into the storm of force the two combatants had generated.
Jae didn't hesitate. He pressed the advantage, molten lines running across his skin like living cracks in stone, heat radiating with each swing.
The Dragonfire Blade arced toward Sun's throat, the edge humming in harmony with the red glow across Jae's form.
Sun's instincts screamed, and he twisted violently, raising both swords in desperate defense. The molten slash collided against his guard with a sound like shattering stone. Sparks burst upward, lighting his dark features with sudden brilliance.
One sword barely caught the strike, splintering some of the molten energy into the air, but it wasn't enough.
