Holden swung his Solar-Forged Sword at the Portal Anchor with every ounce of Rank 3 force behind it. The blade hit the black crystal dead center, and for one terrible second, nothing happened. The steel met the surface and stopped. The crystal was denser than anything Holden had struck before, harder than the Siege Turtle's shell and even the General's bone-armor.
Then a crack appeared.
Thin and hairline, it spread from the point of impact in six directions at once, racing across the surface of the crystal like frost spreading over a window.
CRACK.
Another followed.
CRACK. CRACK.
The crystal groaned and the dark energy inside it pulsed wildly, its steady rhythm breaking apart and stuttering.
Holden pulled his sword back and swung again.
CRACK!
The second strike was the killing blow.
