The guardian moved first.
WHOOSH.
It crossed the arena in a single step. The soul blade came down vertically, splitting the air itself. Kael raised his Shadow Slayer blade, infusing it with soul power and Slaughter Intent simultaneously.
CLANG!
Sparks flew—white soul energy and black-red slaughter intent colliding, scattering across the arena floor like dying stars.
The guardian watched him with ancient eyes filled with calm.
"Impressive," the elder said. "You blocked that."
Kael didn't respond. He fired a Soul Spike—pzt—aimed directly at the guardian's chest.
The old man didn't move. The spike struck his robes and dissolved.
"That's quite disappointing," the guardian said flatly. "Now this is how to use a soul-based attack."
He raised his palm.
BOOM!
A blast of concentrated soul power hit Kael like a wall. He raised multiple Soul Shields—Vvvvm! Vvvvm!—they shattered instantly. CRACK-CRACK-SHATTER.
"AGH—!"
