BOOOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic. A wave of raw energy exploded from the collision point, flattening everything around them. Wind howled, dust flew, and the ground cracked violently. Both Max and Elias were thrown backward through the air, their figures spinning midflight before crashing down hard on opposite sides of the battlefield.
They lay there for a breath, both panting, both bruised. The smoke cleared slowly.
And yet… both stood up again.
Their swords still in hand.
Max's eyes sharpened as the dust settled around them, and without missing a beat, he called forth his flame concept. The air around him wavered from the heat as black flames surged out, curling around his sword like a living inferno.
