I gritted my teeth as I felt the load of holding back this spell in my channels, the four corners of the weave bearing the strike across my Concentration grip.
The spell wanted to break as the corners bowed, but with sheer force of will, I pushed, and it snapped back into place, as the dark light of Rex's spell spread laterally across the surface of the lattice in front of me, and then it slowly dissipated.
I had just survived two sure-kill spells in less than two seconds.
Rex's expression did not change, but his breath did.
A part of me had watched him draw in a deep breath, and I saw this as a sign of someone who was about to cast a larger spell.
I had two seconds, maybe three, so I used them.
I came up to my full height, and I drew Anima from my reserves without holding back. This was a bad time for measurements. Now I was fighting to survive.
