After the Emperor deflected the axe, the stone blocks hurled into the air fell heavily back to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. It was at that precise moment that Iris emerged from the rubble, shaking her head to dislodge the gravel stuck in her hair. A long red streak banded her left forearm; yet she showed no pain, because the adrenaline burning in her veins erased every sensation other than the fury of battle. She clenched her jaws, her muscles tensing under her skin, while she bent down with a swift movement to pick up her double axe, still embedded in a pile of debris.
"You thought you had me so easily?" she called out in a hoarse voice. She planted her eyes in those of the Emperor. "I am Iris Pendragon! Damn it! And it won't be an old veteran like you who will make me bend my knees!"
